Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 197 True Wisdom - Part 7 (a series in 1 Corinthians chapters 1-4) 1 Corinthians 3:1-5 MKJV (1) And I, brothers, could not speak to you as to spiritual ones, but as to fleshly, as to babes in Christ. (2) I have fed you with milk and not with solid food, for you were not yet able to bear it; nor are you able even now. (3) For you are yet carnal. For in that there is among you envyings and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to men? (4) For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal? (5) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each? ."For in that there is among you envyings and strife and divisions, are you not carnal." Yesterday we learned about the mental framework or pegboard that truth plugs into, and how when this "pegboard" is distorted or damaged, then truth cannot fit into our minds in easy and natural ways. Today we see that carnal Christians have a problem with their mental framework and thus were finding it difficult to absorb Paul's "meat" and had to be fed on "milk" instead. How does carnality affect our ability to comprehend spiritual truth? Why cannot people who are full of envy, strife and division understand even the simple things of God? Envyings, strife and divisions twist our ability to see things truthfully. If we envy someone, or are divided against someone we see them in the wrong light. When our perception, our "eye" is wrong we are filled with darkness. Indeed in extreme envy and hatred our mind is not right, we are not living in the light or according to the truth but are filled with darkness and hatred and this then leads us to believe lies. Matthew 6:22-23 MKJV The light of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is sound, your whole body shall be full of light. (23) But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! The whole process of receiving truth is twisted and distorted by the presence of such things as greed, hatred, selfishness, malice, envy and division. The mental framework is twisted right out of shape by these forces and suspicions lodge more easily than forgiveness and accusations lodge more easily than fair reasoning. Soon the darkened mind becomes paranoid, the hated person is seen as less spiritual or even unspiritual, and "up to no good" in a dozen different ways. Love exits along with kindness, patience and self-control, angry outbursts arise and the tongue lashes out. Soon the inner world is in turmoil and little of Christ is left there. Truth needs a home and that home should be within us. The Holy Spirit strives to make our inner world a place where truth can lodge. He writes the law on our hearts and teaches us the things of God. To do this our hearts should be in a condition to receive Truth and our hearts and minds cannot be in that condition if they are full of greed and envying. The carnal Christian, who lives "just like the world" is thus unable to understand much of the gospel. The Corinthians were divided in factions based on following this leader or that, much like denominationalism today. "We follow Luther, we follow Wesley, we follow, Menno Simons, we follow General Booth and so on." But all of these are just "Servants through whom you believed". Christ is not divided! It is Christ we follow, not men or women or doctrines or certain methodologies. Luther, Wesley Menno Simons and General Booth were great servants of God, but they are not Christ and they would tell us to rather follow Jesus, to whom they point. Paul makes a distinction between two types of Christians - Spiritual (Following the Spirit) and Fleshly (following after fleshly lusts). This is a distinction that Paul makes in quite a few places: Galatians 5:16-18 MKJV I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do. (18) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Romans 8:4-6 MKJV so that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (5) For they who are according to the flesh mind the things of flesh, but they who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace The carnal person "sets their mind" on "the things of the flesh". When they think they set their thinking on envy and conflict and personal gain, sweaty lusts and bitter factions. Such a mental outlook is "death" and the very opposite of life and peace. On the other hand the spiritual Christian sets their mind on things above, on the Spirit, and overcomes and transcends the flesh and reaps the reward of life and peace. Isaiah 26:3 MKJV You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You; because he trusts in You. Our mind is the only part of our life and consciousness over which we can have absolute control. Even in prison we can choose to set our mind son certain thoughts. We can choose what we will think on, and be interested in. We can set our mind on Internet pornography or on the Word of God, on trashy novel or on a good education, on noble and good things or small and spiteful things. Day after day we are making a choice about whether we are co-operating with the Holy Spirit's attempt to make us a home for truth or the Devil's plan to make us a dwelling place for lusts, evil , and all wickedness. The inner result of carnality is anxiety and turmoil. Isaiah describes this inner state thus: "Isaiah 57:20-21 MKJV But the wicked are like the troubled sea, which cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt. (21) There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.". The envious person cannot rest for fear his neighbor may have more, the hateful person cannot rest because of their desire for revenge and the divisive person is never at rest even if they win - as division breeds more division. The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace! This is one of the great secrets of the Christian life. As we focus on "things above" where Christ is, we receive more and more of the Holy Spirit our teacher and guide, we become filled with truth and all spiritual wisdom in our inmost being and we become able to discern between spiritual things and to speak spiritual truths in spiritual words until we become mature, Christ-like beings of love and grace, transcendent over earthly, carnal lusts and passions, noble, wise, peaceful and good. The truly Spirit-filled Christian is a transcendent being and not "like mere men". We live beyond the compulsions of fleshly passions. They may tug at us, but we are dead to them. For we have died with Christ, been crucified with Christ, we have gone through a veil and we are dead to this "world" and it is crucified to us. We are people who dwell in the cross and not in the flesh. As Paul wrote to the Galatians: Galatians 5:24 MKJV But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. Galatians 6:14 MKJV But may it never be for me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. We are not to be carnal Christians, filled with envy, greed, malice, hatreds, strife, boasting, and divisiveness. Such things pollute the soul. We are to depart from them by setting our mind firmly and decisively on Christ. To set it there purposefully and keep it there constantly. As our mind is set on the Spirit we will become spiritual Christians filled with life and peace. We will not be carnal "babes" but mature adults in Christ, balanced, poised, dignified, calm and righteous. Philippians 4:6-9 MKJV Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. (9) Do those things which you have also learned and received and heard and seen in me. And the God of peace shall be with you. Blessings, John Edmiston Prayer Points for John & Minda Edmiston's ministry: 1. Am developing a new website called Cybermissions.Org which aims to help Christians to use the Internet to facilitate cross-cultural evangelism, church-planting, discipleship, networking and training online. There have been many technical glitches. Pray for successful installation and site construction and the development of a truly effective ministry website. 2. For funding to come in for our initiative in planting missionary-manned icafes among unreached people groups. 3. For the growth of the Asian Internet Bible Institute (www.aibi.ph) which offers free online bible and ministry training. Were you blessed by Eternity Daily Bible Study? To subscribe just send a blank email to: eternity-dbs-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org Read and interesting article on Technology & Spirituality http://www.aibi.ph/missions/sociotech.htm Visit the Eternity Daily Bible Study Archives - http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ Study at the Asian Internet Bible Institute- Free online non-formal, in-service, bible and ministry training: http://www.aibi.ph