Pastor Donald Menga passionately declares the faithfulness of the Lord. God always remembers His own. No matter how hard the battle, with God we are more than victorious through the God who comes to our aid!
The Carnal Christian Loses All
Pastor Donald mentioned Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Lot journeyed with Abraham but was always a trouble to him. Lot is a picture of a carnal Christian; .Lot is a picture of a Christian who is still fleshly. As the Apostle Paul said in First Corinthians, chapter 3 speaking to these kinds of believers…..
1 Cor 3:1 to 4 – Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people.I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
Many of the Christians at Corinthians were truly saved and possessed eternal life and they were definitely NOT ordinary unsaved men. However they were ACTING LIKE ordinary unsaved men. Such a man was Lot. We read previously that Lot had pitched his tent close to sinful Sodom (Genesis 13:12), But now we see that he is actually in Sodom! .Those believers with maturity of spirit set their heart and mind on things above where Christ sits at the right hand of God, (Col 3:1). However the Bible teaches that there are carnal Christians who have many “ fleshly” desires for unwise ( or even forbidden) things. Lot would represent the Christian of today who desires God but also desires the things of this present evil world. That is why scripture exhorts us in Romans chapter 12 To present our bodies completely to the Lord in order that we can find his will and be sanctified by allowing God to renew our minds..
Rom 12: 1 to 3 – And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.b 2Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Lot however, without growing in Christ’s grace, lost everything. There are many Christians who when they stand before the Lord when the rewards are given out will receive no rewards. Their works that they have done and the attitudes of their hearts are far less than perfect; they are not gold, silver, precious stones as they stand before Jesus. They are worthless like wood, hay and stubble. They may look good, but they are not.based on pure and holy motivated and a deep love for Jesus Christ. .Many carnal Christians.Will be saved.Like as by fire.They will be saved, but they will suffer loss.
1 Cor 3; 11 thru 15 – no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 12Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13But on the judgement day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
And I guess that “suffering loss” means that they will lose their rewards for faithful service! So the carnal Christian may lose everything except his eternal salvation. He may get into heaven through fire.
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