The Characteristics of A Carnal Christian

Part III

by A. W. Tozer

From his book “Reclaiming Christianity: A Call to Authentic Faith”

From Carnal to Spiritual

In spiritual things, what shall we do? How can a carnal Christian develop into a spiritual Christian? With the baby it is a natural development, but this is not so with the Christian. I know of no single experience that would instantly transform a carnal Christian into a spiritual one. I would like to be able to say that I do. I wish that I could say that I positively know how one can come to the Lord, meet certain conditions and cease to be carnal and become a spiritual Christian. It is simply not that way.

We must let the Spirit teach us, discipline us, mature us, grow big within us and walk within us; and we must learn by trial and error and prayer and repentance and fears and trials of hearts. Then we must believe in the power of God to fill us with His Spirit and begin to work with the soul, which leads us away from self-centeredness and leads us to love the whole world. The old saints used to sing, “I’ll leave the world alone.” They believed that the Christian ought to pray for the world but leave the world alone and follow Christ in surrender and self-denial.

Then, you have to tell God that you expect Him to teach you to live above your feelings and your senses. This is a difficult discipline in the Christian life.

Three young men from a religious institution in the Chicago area came to see me in my study. They were having a tough time of it. One was in trouble because when he got down on his knees, he didn’t have any desire to pray. It troubled them, and they thought because I was an older Christian, I never had any difficulty like that.

In essence, I told them that there are times when I had to force myself to pray at all, and for a little while, there is not any peace in it. Their faces began to shine. One of them said, “Oh, what a relief! I thought I was backsliding because I had troubles like that.”

There will be time when we will not feel spiritual, but we must pray through it. We have our fight down here, and we must learn not to trust in our feelings. When you get up in the morning feeling that you wish you had not, and in the evening you wish even more ardently that you had not, do not let that get you down. A baby will worry about that and holler for mother, but a grown-up Christian says, “Well, this was not my day.”

No doubt, Paul had his days when things were not going right. So we keep our faith in God and Christ and know that no matter how we feel it is all right anyhow. A spiritual Christian stops resting in the external.

Mature Christians know why they are here. They know the purpose God put into their lives when He created them. I find myself sometimes so confused in my circumstances and so self-contradictory. If I did not know my Bible, if I did not know God and was not able to point back to certain markers where the stones were set up at the Jordan because it was God’s blessing, I could easily blow my blessed ministerial top. But I do not do it, because I know that there are certain purposes I am fulfilling. So I have a purpose.

Carnal Christians have to have their religion turned into play. They drink a while. throw the bottle on the floor, laugh about nothing and get blue about nothing, which is carnality. Spiritual Christians have a life of labor; they look upon the world not as a playground but as a battleground.

And what about diet? A real Christian uses his whole Bible. This will make some of you mad, but if you are living on your morning daily devotions taken out of a book somebody compiled, I warn you that is pabulum. Read the entire Bible. Read it all. I do not say these other things are harmful, I just say that if you have that and nothing else, then you are not matured in your christian life. Read all the Bible, read the “begats” and “begottens”; read it all.

A real Christian ought to be able to take a rounded diet. A spiritual Christian is a person who has grown up in God and is mature and growing in the Spirit. So let us ask God to make us mature Christian and grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Himself

by A.B. Simpson (1843-1919)

Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;

Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word.

Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own;

Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

Once ’twas painful trying, Now ’tis perfect trust;

Once a half salvation, Now the uttermost.

Once ’twas ceaseless holding, Now He holds me fast;

Once ’twas constant drifting, Now my anchor’s cast.

Once ’twas busy planning, Now ’tis trustful prayer;

Once ’twas anxious caring, Now He has the care.

Once ’twas what I wanted, Now what Jesus says;

Once ’twas constant asking, Now ’tis ceaseless praise.

Once it was my working, His it hence shall be;

Once I tried to use Him, Now He uses me.

Once the power I wanted, Now the Mighty One;

Once for self I labored, Now for Him alone.

Once I hoped in Jesus, Now I know He’s mine;

Once my lamps were dying, Now they brightly shine.

Once for death I waited, Now His coming hail;

And my hopes are anchored, Safe within the vail.