Well, what is a fleshly Christian?

Who are they?

Why are they fleshly?

And what can we do to help them?

We find answers to those questions through today's email.

Pastor John, hello to you, and thank you for this podcast.

My name is Micah from Maryland.

And I have a question for you about 1 Corinthians

3.1. In 1 Corinthians 2.14, Paul clearly contrasts the unspiritual person who lacks God's

spirit with the spiritual person who has God's spirit. However, in 1st Corinthians 3.1,

Paul says he couldn't speak to the Corinthians as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, calling them babies in Christ.

This seems confusing because in 1st Corinthians 1-9 and 316, Paul indicates that the Corinthians are saved and possessed the spirit of God, which should make them spiritual. So why does Paul say

they are fleshly and immature? Did they not have God's spirit, or is something else going on here?

Additionally, it seems Paul refers to people of the flesh and babies in Christ as the same group

in 1st Corinthians 3.1, but I'm struggling to understand how

these terms align, does being fleshly and a baby in Christ mean the same thing?

Thank you, Pastor John.

I agree with Micah that this could be confusing.

And I think Paul would agree that he is using terminology here in 1st Corinthians

2 and 3 to make distinctions that are not easy for everyone to grasp. But he has a reason for doing

that. Sometimes pastors have to use terminology very carefully and make distinctions

where not everybody sees them. And I think in doing that, Paul is trying to rescue the people

...