How many different ways have you heard this statement completed, “There are two kinds of people in this world.” The variations are endless I am sure, “The lost and the saved” would be the most rudimentary of these, the base of the root, if you will, for that is what separates all of human kind, but there are others that are in this same venue, the haves and the have nots, the doers and the watchers, participants and spectators, as it were.
The born-again believer is the obvious direction of our conversation today, for the lost will only come to one conclusion, they made a serious mistake, and any other of the “Two kinds of people” served no purpose in their lives. There are no “good and bad” people my friends, there are the wicked and there are the righteous. There are many members of the body of Christ, (Romans 12:5) and each of them serves a God-honoring purpose, no member is disposable, each one is placed exactly where he should be for the sole purpose of glorifying God and lifting up the name of Jesus. There are Mary’s and there are Martha’s, there are Paul’s and there are Timothy’s, all who have given their lives to Jesus Christ, who call Him Lord and serve Him as such are profitable to the body.
Here is where the defining point of this letter comes into play, those who are not profitable are not of the body, there are no questions or doubts on this subject, there are no spectators in the work of the Lord, only participants, and so the main question must be posed, and it is to you that I deliver this question today, which are you, a doer or a watcher. I disagree with some whom I believe are more spiritually mature than myself in the area of the word “Carnal Christian,” I do not believe that such a person exists, you are either saved, and therefore profitable, or you are lost, not a member of the body of Christ, a Christian in name only.
The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) served and obeyed his father well, until the lust of self and the call of the world tempted him, when he returned he served with as much vigor and perhaps more, but he did not remain in the world. His mind over the rest of his life may have desired once again these things that are offered to us by that world, and perhaps he even fell a time or two, but “a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” (Prov. 24:16) Gideon was a mighty man of God before he even knew it, even Lot, who many wonder if we will see in heaven, was called a just man by Peter. (2nd Peter 2:7-10)
It can be very, very difficult to recognize some of our brothers and sisters in Christ for some people, they do not show the works of the Spirit outside of the church doors, formality is a wonderful guise for many. Some that we meet in the church setting seem to be completely different individuals outside of the church doors, yet some still call them by the name they like to call themselves, Christians. We see no desire to serve, much less the actions that are expected by Christ of those who are called by His name, instead we see a façade, a faux Christian, one who is adept at showing to the world what does not truly reside in their hearts. They are most generally men pleasers, (Gal. 1:10) seeking the praise of men above the things of God, (John 12:43) and they believe because they hold within themselves a proper moral construct, one that the world around them says is required of a “well-behaved” individual, they are saved.
Those who attempt to be a friend of the world are at enmity with God, (James 4:4) those who do all they can to fit into both the kingdom of God and the world of man are deceived, and will not accept the truths of Scripture, the world hates the followers of Christ. And so they attempt to live in both worlds at once, neither hot or cold, always lukewarm, but they have deceived themselves and know not that the Lord will spew them out. (Rev. 3:16) There is such a thing as a temporary carnal Christian, they are called prodigal sons, they are called lost sheep, but no one who is truly a born-again believer is carnal for very long, the term was made up many years ago to help certain individuals feel better about themselves, to assist them in the deception placed within them by Satan and of their own accord, that a servant of Christ does not have to serve all the time, that he can live in both worlds and still rest assured in his salvation. Satan is exceptionally good at what he does.
The lust of the flesh draws us into the world, it says we can have what we want when we want it and still be a friend of Christ, the lust of the eyes says all is available to us, you can fill your cup from the fountain of the world and from the spring of eternal life, the pride of life says we are worthy to accept all that the world has to offer and still remain Holy and blameless in the eyes of Almighty God. The only three tools that Satan has been handed, but he has and continues to deceive hundreds of millions of them. No one has ever been saved by works and no one ever will be, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:8) But we have been fore- ordained by God before the foundation of the world to good works, (Eph. 2:10) works that the world should quite easily be able to see, works that set us apart from everyone on the planet who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior.
These works will cause one of two things to happen in the life of the lost soul, they will either be drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit that resides in every born-again believer, or they will hate you, there are no alternatives. There are two types of people on this planet, the lost and the saved, the wicked and the righteous. There is only one classification on the one hand, die in your sins and spend eternity separated from Christ in the Lake of Fire. There are two classifications on the other hand, the saved who are mature in Christ and the weaker brother, whom the spiritually mature are to build up, to edify. There is no third classification, there is no such thing as a full-time carnal Christian. To be sanctified (2 Tim. 2:21) means to be set apart, it does not mean to join two things together.
This is a very serious matter my friends, for deep contemplation on this topic will show you exactly where you stand, it will show you whether or not you are truly part of the body of Christ, or if you are deceiving yourself. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:20)
