How does a Pastor Deal with “Carnal Christians” in his Church?

Scripture addresses those who belong to Christ, and those who do not.  There are those who possess the Spirit of God, and those who do not.  But, is there a 3rd category?  Many, especially in certain circles in American Evangelicalism, would claim there is a 3rd category commonly labeled a “Carnal Christian” or a “Nominal Christian.”  This 3rd category is described as those who profess to know and follow Christ, but whose life does not reflect it.  They would claim to follow Christ just enough to escape hell, but not enough for Christ to affect any aspect of their life.  Some feel God is obligated to present a “get out of hell free card” as a result of a one time decision long ago that involved praying a prayer, or walking an aisle.  The most common proof text for this position is found in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 and the way Paul addresses the Christians there in the Corinthian Church.

The reason so many think Paul is addressing Carnal Christians in this passage is because of how he refers to them (3:1).  He just explained that it is only the spiritual man who knows Christ and possesses the mind of Christ (2:16), not the natural man.  Now, he addresses them as “brethren” (3:1) and writes but he, “Could not speak to them as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as babes in Christ (3:1).”  Paul is not writing to the Corinthian church affirming there is this middle category of a Christian, but writes in this way to confront the clear sin in their midst that forces Paul to address them as immature in their faith.   Continue at Practical Shepherding

See also: Albert N. Martin on Carnal Christians

The Practical Implications of Calvinism

B. B. Warfield describes Calvinism as ‘that sight of the majesty of God that pervades all of life and all of experience’. In particular as it relates to the doctrine of salvation its glad confession is summarized in those three pregnant words, God saves sinners. Now whenever we are confronted with great doctrinal statements in Holy Scripture, God does not leave us merely with the statement of doctrine. The end of God’s truth set before the minds of God’s people is that, understanding it, they might know its effect in their own personal experience. So the grand doctrinal themes of Ephesians, chapters 1, 2 and 3 are followed by the application of those doctrines to practical life and experience in Ephesians, chapters 4, 5 and 6. The end for which God gave his truth was not so much the instruction of our minds as the transformation of our lives. But a person cannot come directly to the life and experience, he must come immediately through the mind. And so God’s truth is addressed to the understanding and the Spirit of God operates in the understanding as the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge. He does not illuminate the mind simply that the file drawers of the mental study may be crammed full of information. The end for which God instructs the mind is that he might transform the life.
 

What, then, are the personal implications of Calvinistic thought and truth both in the life of the individual and in the ministry exercised by the individual? By personal implications I mean the implications of your own relationship to God without any conscious reference to the ministry.   Continue at Albert N. Martin

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Our Desperate Condition, God’s Amazing Provision

Albert N. Martin was the pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, NJ for over 40 years. In recent years due to health issues he had moved to Michigan to be closer to his wife’s family. One day, while I was still living in New Jersey about 45 minutes away from Montville, I had heard he would be back to visit Trinity and would preach during the Sunday morning service.

I wasn’t a member there, but I had visited on multiple occasions to sit under Pastor Martin’s preaching. So I went back to Trinity with a good friend of mine who is a member there. And I was excited. I was looking forward to hear what Pastor Martin had to say. What wonderful message, exhortation, rebuke, did he have for the congregation he loved and shepherded for nearly half a century?

He began his message by talking about the Bible, how it’s quite a large book, and really is more like a library, being a collection of books. And then he started talking about the overarching message of the Bible that’s recognizable in certain “capsule statements” that are given throughout revelation.

God has given us these wonderful little capsule statements that give us the heart of the whole message of the Bible. And those statements become like a door into this marvelous, panoramic, overarching message of Bible. And if you can grasp those particular portions, you have a handle on what the Bible is all about. (04:03-04:39)  Continue at Mike Riccardi

The Pastor and His Pulpit

The life of a minister is the life of his ministry.” This adage is as true now as ever. In fact, ministerial integrity is an indispensable element of any sustained credibility among a discerning people with whom we have pastoral intimacy. Such intimacy leaves us vulnerable to be known for who and what we really are in relationship to the saving truth in which we traffic. A pastor-flock relationship characterized by the biblical description in which mutual intimacy is essential (John 10:14), consistent and comprehensive integrity is imperative if one is to have a ministry that is both compelling and believable.

A short article does not permit me to identify the many categories in which this integrity ought to be jealously desired, diligently pursued, and carefully maintained. Some of these categories are addressed in the previous articles. I will touch upon three areas of paramount importance, namely, personal, domestic, and pastoral integrity. Keep Reading...

The Practical Implications of Calvinism (Part 2)

First, it should lead to honest scriptural self-examination. I did not say unscriptural or neurotic introspection. And I believe that our fear of neurotic introspection has kept many of us in Reformed circles from honest, scriptural self-examination. By scriptural self-examination I mean a simple obedience to passages like ,‘Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?’ I mean obedience to the exhortation of , ‘Give diligence to make your calling and election sure’. Similar words are found throughout the New Testament — ‘Let no man deceive himself; let no man deceive you; be not deceived’. I am speaking of that scriptural duty. It is obvious how this fits in as an implication of the Calvinistic concept of salvation. Since Scripture declares that all who are truly saved are the workmanship of God [], then the question I must ask is, ‘Have I been the subject of that workmanship?’ The question is not the sincerity of my decision, or my resolve, or my whatever-I-want-to-call-it. The question is not, ‘What have I done with reference to Christ and his salvation?’ The essential question is this: ‘Has God done something in me?’ Not, ‘Have I accepted Christ?’ but, ‘Has Christ accepted me?’ The issue is not, ‘Have I found the Lord?’ but, ‘Has he found me?’ Read it all HERE

The Practical Implications of Calvinism (Part 1)

Why Many Modern American Evangelicals Don't Like Reformed Baptist Preaching

Humanists with a thin coating of religion won't put up with this for long.




Reformed Baptist Churches tend to be between 50 and 350 congregants in size, generally. Here is a contrast. A "church" with 16,000 in attendance. Listen to the message.





HT: James White

The Pastor and His Pulpit

God's Wrath

Truth from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.