Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church are some of the most direct and corrective writings in the New Testament. The church in Corinth was a mess. It was filled with division, immorality, pride, false teachings, and abuse of spiritual gifts. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians to rebuke, instruct, and restore order to a church that had both saved and unsaved people in its midst.
Some people today point to the sins in the Corinthian church as proof of a so-called “carnal Christian.” They claim that believers can live in ongoing sin and still be saved. But this is not what Paul teaches. Let’s walk through Paul’s corrections to the Corinthians, examine who he rebuked by name, and expose the false doctrine of the so-called “carnal Christian.”
The Corinthian Church: A Gathering of Saved and Unsaved People
Paul was writing to a church—a gathering of people who claimed to follow Christ. But just because they were in the church didn’t mean all of them were truly saved.
1 Corinthians 1:2
“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”
Notice the wording—Paul recognizes that some of them are truly sanctified in Christ Jesus, meaning born again. But others in the gathering were not sanctified—they were attending church, but they were not saved.
This is important, because when Paul corrects their sin, he is not saying that believers can live carnally and remain saved. Instead, he is separating the true believers from the false ones.
Major Sins in the Corinthian Church
Division and Favoritism Among Leaders
One of the first problems Paul addresses is that the church was divided into factions, arguing over which leader they followed.
1 Corinthians 1:12-13
“Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Paul rebukes them for following men instead of Christ. This is a sign of spiritual immaturity, but Paul doesn’t call them “carnal Christians.” He warns them that their thinking is fleshly, not spiritual and calls them to grow in maturity.
Tolerating Sexual Immorality
The Corinthian church was also tolerating gross sexual sin, including a man who was committing adultery with his father’s wife!
1 Corinthians 5:1
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!”
Paul’s response? He doesn’t say, “Oh, he’s just a carnal Christian.” Instead, he commands the church to remove the man from the congregation!
1 Corinthians 5:5
“Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul understands that ongoing sin proves that someone is either unrepentant or not truly saved. He warns them:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
A true believer can stumble into sin but will not live in it as a lifestyle. The false doctrine of the “carnal Christianity” ignores Paul’s clear warning that those who live in the flesh will not inherit God’s kingdom.
Lawsuits Among Believers
The Corinthians were suing each other instead of resolving disputes within the church. Paul rebukes them, saying:
1 Corinthians 6:7
“Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?”
He reminds them that God’s people should live righteously and not act like the world. If someone continues to act like the world, it is evidence that they are not saved.
Corrupting the Lord’s Supper
Some members of the church were turning the Lord’s Supper into a drunken feast instead of treating it as a holy remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice.
1 Corinthians 11:20-21
“Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.”
Paul warns that those who take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner bring judgment on themselves:
1 Corinthians 11:29-30
“For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”
This shows that sin in the church has consequences—including God’s direct judgment.
No Such Thing as a Carnal Christian
Many use 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 to argue for “carnal Christians”:
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
Paul is NOT saying they are permanently carnal Christians—he is rebuking them for their immaturity and calling them to grow in the Spirit!
In Romans 8:5-9, Paul makes it clear:
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace… So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
You are either carnal or spiritual. You cannot be both. If the Spirit of God dwells in you, you walk in the Spirit.
Final Thoughts
Paul’s letters to the Corinthians show us a church filled with problems, but he never excuses sin or teaches that believers can live carnally and still inherit the kingdom. He rebukes, corrects, and warns them to examine their faith.
The true believer may struggle, but will repent and grow. The false believer lives in sin without conviction.
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Are you in the faith? The answer isn’t in what you say—it’s in how you live.
