Nine serious errors of teaching affirming a “carnal Christian”:

1. The “carnal Christian” doctrine depends upon a wrong interpretation and application of 1 Corinthians 3:1-4.

2. The “carnal Christian” teaching divides the two basic blessings of the new covenant [forgiveness of sins and a new heart] because it denies that one of them is experienced by all true Christians.

3. This teaching does not distinguish between true, saving faith and the spurious belief mentioned in John 2:23-24; 12:42-43; Luke 8:13 and Acts 8:12-23.

4. The “carnal Christian” teaching lies in its virtual exclusion of repentance from the conversion experience. This is implied by the suggestion that the “carnal Christian” has not changed in practice but lives and acts just like the natural man.

5. The three-class theory is prone to give assurance to those who were never really converted.

6. The fruits of this teaching are not new to Christianity even though the teaching appears on the present scene under a new mask (see Romans 6:1-2).

7. “Carnal Christian” teaching is the mother of many second work-of-grace errors in that it depreciates the biblical conversion experience by implying that the change in the converted sinner may amount to little or nothing.

8. The “carnal Christian” teaching is also the mother of one of the most soul-destroying teaching of our day. It suggests that you can take Jesus as your Savior and yet treat obedience to His lordship as optional.

9. This teaching breeds Pharisaism in the so-called “spiritual Christians” who have measured up to some man-made standard of spirituality. There ought to be no professed “spiritual Christians,” much less “super-spiritual” ones!