DOES CARNALITY REMAIN IN THE JUSTIFIED SOUL?

     Does the carnal nature remain in the heart of that person who is freely justified?

     After studying the question from every point of view we are convinced that, until it is removed in the second work of grace, the carnal nature does remain in the saved soul, and that its presence is shown by its unholy movings. It is the same essential nature as that which infested the heart before conversion, which then manifested itself in "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditious, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like."

     Although the carnal principle which remains in the justified soul is the same in nature yet it is not the same in power, for it is held in check by grace and is not allowed to control. In its agreement with holiness the carnal mind is no more "subject to the law of God" after conversion than it was before, but it cannot now gain the ascendency, for it is bound by grace. It is the vicious robber or murderer which is kept from further depredations by bolts, bars, prison walls and watchmen. It is the strong man within the house who must be cast out before there can be perfect peace; it is the infectious disease which must be guarded against by the disinfectant of divine grace or it will spread its contagion through the whole being; it is the lion, pacing back and forth and roaring at its bars, desiring freedom that it may bite, devour and raven its prey.

     It is inconsistent for us to use the experiences of Old Testament saints as a standard by which to measure our privileges in the full blaze of the gospel dispensation, from the fact that the New Testament standard of piety and holy living is higher than that of the Old. See Matt. 5:21-48; 19:3-9, etc. As a consequence, manifestations of evil are seen in the lives of some of the old worthies, which, with New Testament light, would be inconsistent with grace, and it may be that as God viewed the matter even then the perpetrators of these deeds were, for the time being, without the favor of God. In some cases we are sure of this. The fact that Jacob was given to covetousness is no excuse for a like evil today. The fact that Lot drank to excess and committed involuntary incest, or that Noah became drunk and grew angry and cursed the posterity of his offending son, or that Jephthah, the man who had been the associate of vile fellows, slew his daughter, or that Samson committed many depredations even though at times the "Spirit of the Lord" came upon him -- let us repeat that although these and like acts were committed by the worthies of ancient days, this fact is no proof that God will tolerate the same departures in those who are living with the gospel privileges which we enjoy.

     A careful search into the lives of the Old Testament saints, in the majority of cases, will reveal some things which as we view the matter in these days are inconsistent with a clean heart, and even with regeneration as that grace is taught by Jesus and His apostles. Abraham, the friend of God, deceived Abimelech concerning Sarah, and Isaac's otherwise fair name is defiled by the same act. Both of them were deservedly reproved by the heathen monarchs. See Gen. 20 and 26. Moses became vexed at the Israelites and smote the rock in anger, and, as a result of his failure to properly acknowledge God as the source of the miracle, he was forbidden the privilege of entering the promised land. On some lines David was an example of godliness and devotion, yet notwithstanding this he betrayed surprising weakness in the case of Bathsheba, and in some instances his integrity to strict truth seemed to fail.

     Under any dispensation a man is justified when he lives up to the obligations demanded by the measure of the light of his age. As far as we are able to judge, this rule would not be likely to demand as much of Enoch as it would of Abraham, nor as much of Abraham as of David, nor as much of David as of those who walked and talked with Jesus. Light was continually increasing, and, as a consequence, a closer line would be drawn against sin.

     For proof that carnality remains in the justified soul in the dispensation under which we now live we must turn to the New Testament. In the very beginning we find an interesting inquiry, and one which has caused a great amount of unnecessary trouble. It is asked, "Were the disciples justified before the day of Pentecost?" The indefiniteness and indecision in our answer would be done away if we would but remember the dispensation under which the disciples were living before Jesus called them. They were not post-Pentecostal Christians, when men passed from death unto life as we see them doing today, a transition which we as genuine Christians would quite easily understand, but they were living under the Mosaic dispensation and were justified by meeting the requirements of their age.

     Jesus declared that the disciples had both faith and love, saying, "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God" (John 16:27). In His upper room prayer, He said, "For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me: and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me." Farther on He continued the same thought, saying, "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me" (John 17:8, 25). That they were justified is made clear by comparing the three passages above with the following statement of Jesus, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). In the following passage Jesus states that they were saved, and prays for their sanctification, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [This is initial salvation.] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" [this is holiness] (John 17:10,17).

     When the disciples returned from their missionary tour and jubilantly reported their successes, Jesus told them not to rejoice because devils were subject to them, but rather to rejoice because their names were written in heaven. None but saved people have their names recorded there.

     But there is one position taken by Jesus which if possible makes the assurance that the disciples were justified even more positive than any of the above. It would be reasonable to suppose that in passing from one dispensation to another, God would choose some of the best as a connecting link between the dispensations. That is, under the dispensation of the Father those who were accepted "belonged" to the Father, and those in the dispensation of the Son to the Son. Those who "belonged" to the Father were as truly justified as were those who "belonged" to the Son. With this thought in mind we note the fact that the disciples "belonged" to God and He gave them to the Son to be His companions and disciples during His ministry. In the prayer of Jesus (John 17) this fact is stated repeatedly. "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were and thou gavest them me." "I pray for them ... which thou hast given me, for they are thine." "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me." "Those whom thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition [meaning Judas]." "Father, I will that they also which thou hast given me, be with me where I am."

     That, notwithstanding all this, the carnal nature still remained in the hearts of the disciples is argued from the following points:

     1. They desired preferment. They wanted to be great in the kingdom which they supposed Christ was about to establish. They even went so far as to strive among themselves as to who should be the greatest.

     2. They manifested a spirit of retaliation. They wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans, and when the rabble took Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the servant's ear.

     3. They were unbelieving. This is seen in the case of Thomas who would not believe unless he could see and handle the risen Jesus. Jesus up braided all of His disciples because of their unbelief and hardness of heart.

     All of these are carnal traits and are inconsistent with purity of heart.

     That their hearts were still unclean is further seen in that Jesus prayed for their sanctification, and also that their hearts were cleansed on the day of Pentecost. In reporting the remarkable descent of the Spirit on the house of Cornelius, Peter said, "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us [at Pentecost]; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their [and our] hearts by faith" (Acts 15:8,9).

     That carnality remains in the hearts of those who are saved is learned not only from the experiences of the disciples, but also from Bible doctrine elsewhere recorded.

     Although the Corinthian Christians had trouble with some refractory people, yet the majority were far from being backslidden, for Paul wrote them thus, "Unto the church of God which is in Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus [sanctification begins at conversion], called to be saints ... I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched in him ... ye come behind in no gift ... God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:2-9). Immediately after these words of praise he lays bare the manifestations of carnality among them, saying, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions [margin, schisms] among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ" (1 Cor. 1:10-12). Farther on he adds, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men [according to men, margin]? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" (1 Cor. 3:1-4).

     These passages show that a person can be in Christ and yet not be cleansed from the principle, that, if allowed to have its way, will cause envy and strife. The envy and strife of the above passages could not refer to that wicked manifestation which is commonly allowed and excused in the lives of modern professors; but they do refer to those outcroppings of an evil heart which so often, even today, injure the real work of God. Men prefer certain ministers because of some qualities, which may be either good or bad, and, in spirit, "sit down" on every other man who does not run in the same groove. These feelings are not allowed to such an extent as to cause open war, or all grace would be forfeited, but they are seen in that secret, almost unconscious, harboring of preferences which is a grief to the Spirit, and, if allowed, becomes a snare to the soul.

     Paul exhorts these same Corinthians who were already "initially" "sanctified in Christ Jesus" to seek entire sanctification or heart purity, using the following words, "Having therefore these promises [read chapter VI], dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).

     To the Galatians Paul says, "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5:16,17). In his sermon, "Sin in Believers," Wesley says, 'Nothing can be more express. The apostle here directly affirms that the flesh, evil nature, opposes the Spirit, even in believers; that even in the regenerate, there are two principles, 'contrary the one to the other.'

     Christ gave Himself for the church, that He might "sanctify and cleanse it" (Eph. 5:25-27). Notice that it is "the church" that is to be "sanctified and cleansed."

     To the Thessalonians, whose "work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" lie 'remembered without ceasing," and to whom he declared, "Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God" (1 Thess. 1:3, 4); to these people Paul said, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3), and again, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:23,24). The apostle does not say that their entire sanctification had already been accomplished, but that the Lord "will do it" either now or at such a time as they should meet the proper conditions.

     John says, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another [this is justification], and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). The "cleansing from all sin" is conditioned on an experience which tallies with what is ordinarily recognized as regeneration. Again John says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This again is cleansing subsequent to forgiveness, and establishes all that the teachers of the two distinct works of grace claim.

     These passages, with others that might be adduced, show that there remains in the heart of the merely justified Christian a sinful principle, which is called "unrighteousness," "the flesh," and "filthiness," from which he must be cleansed, and from which he will be cleansed if he walks in the light.