There are four categories of Christians
according to the Apostle Paul’s epistles.
1. The
BABE IN CHRIST: When a person sees himself as a sinner
and trusts Christ as his Saviour, he is regenerated
(Titus 3:5), which is to be “born
again” (John 3:16). Paul writes; “I...
could NOT speak unto you as unto spiritual, BUT as unto carnal,
even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with
meat: for hitherto ye were
not able to bear [digest] it, neither yet now are ye able
(1 Cor. 3:1-2). The new
born believer becomes is first a “babe
in Christ.” But babes can and should grow, so these are exhorted:
“As
newborn babes, desire the sincere (Gk., adolos, pure, unadulterated) milk
of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (2 Pet. 2:2).
2. The
NATURAL MAN: After our conversion we usually still persist in
self-dependence for some time. Our soul and our way of living may remain
quite unchanged for some time. The natural man is the independent Christian
who lives by trusting in his own wits and strength. This is the Christian
who lives by his soul (Gk., psuche,
his mind emotion and self-will), ignoring and not trusting Christ’s
life, power, and guidance as His indwelling Lord.
The soulish Christian cannot perceive the
Spirit, except by heeding his spirit. “The
natural (Gk.
psuchikos, man of the soul) man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).
3. The
CARNAL CHRISTIAN: is one who, though perhaps a Christian for
many years, has not grown, due to his independence from trusting the Lord,
and his indifference and neglect of the Word of God. He still has to be
treated as a “babe” in Christ. The Corinthian believers were examples of
this.
As noted, Paul wrote to them: “I...
could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as
unto babes in Christ” (1
Cor. 3:1a).
Everybody loves a baby, but the joy that
fills the hearts of loving parents turns to bitterest sorrow if their baby
fails to grow.
4. The
SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN
(Gk., pneumatikos) is
one who is “of the spirit.” He
has learned to walk in accord with the indwelling “Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a), thereby freeing him from much of
the devil’s snare and power. This
is one who, through study of the Word of God and reliance upon his union
with the indwelling Lord, has become “spiritual”
or spiritually mature. He is no longer merely a child of God; he is a “man
of God.”
We should all desire:
“to
know (Gk. ginosko, experientially
know ) Him” (Philippians 3:10a)
“THAT
WE HENCEFORTH BE NO MORE CHILDREN,
TOSSED TO AND FRO, AND CARRIED ABOUT WITH EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE”
(Eph. 4:14).
“For
as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the (grown)
sons of God.” (Romans
8:14)
Let us then heed Peter’s inspired
exhortation:
“desire
the sincere (unadulterated) milk of
the Word that ye may grow
thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2)
“BUT
GROW IN GRACE, AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE
OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST” (2 Pet. 3:18).