Is there such thing as a carnal believer?

A question came to me, and I quote "Can a Christian be carnal, if so how are they receiving the things of God, spiritual matters?!" The context of this question was about:

Romans 8:6-7 "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

First and foremost, notice the opposites of things shown to us in this passage i.e. carnally minded versus spiritually minded. There is a carnal mind, and there is a spiritual mind. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and the spiritual mind loves God. What is a carnal mind? Paul explains it in the part after the colon (':') i.e. a carnal mind is a mind that is not subject to the law of God, and neither can it be. The law of God is in the 66 books of the Holy Bible, and this goes to show that a carnal mind hates the words of the LORD. Therefore, the carnal mind is NOT the spiritual mind of a born again believer who loves the word of God. One is contradictory to the other.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

Paul further expounds in this passage on the difference between a carnal mind and a spiritual mind. Paul compares a natural man to a spiritual man in this passage. A born again believer who received the spirit which is of God, even though he may be in the flesh, but he is no longer a natural man. A natural man is necessarily one with a carnal mind i.e. a mind that receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. A born again believer is a spiritual man, and spiritual man is one with a spiritual mind i.e. a mind that is capable of comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Paul calls it "the mind of Christ".

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 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. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"

Again, Paul draws a contrast between a carnal mind and a spiritual mind in this passage. The church of Corinth were carnal, but yet they are brethren. There were spiritual things that they were not able to bear. They were babes in Christ, and "neither yet now are ye able" (v. 2), which is to say, they will be able to bear it when it is due by the grace of God. They will grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, as in:

2 Peter 3:17-18 "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."

The fact is that every Christian will start off as a new believer, and every born again believer will grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. But every believer was once a babe in Christ. The truth is that every Christian is a carnal Christian even as he continues to grow. There are no Christians who are not carnal. Apostle Paul even called himself a carnal Christian in this verse:

Romans 7:14 "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."

Earlier, we learned from Romans 8:7 that the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God and neither can it be. Why? Because the law is spiritual and the carnal mind is not. Only a spiritual mind can be subject to the law of God. Yet, one of the dispensationalist doctrine is to single out the "church of the Laodiceans" (Revelation 3:14) and label them as the carnal bunch because of their physical appearance. This is like the parable of the Pharisee and the republican in:

Luke 18:9-14 "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

In calling the church of the Laodiceans the carnal bunch, this is to say that they (dispensationalists) are the spiritual bunch. However, the truth is that even Apostle Paul called himself a carnal Christian. The Bible teach that as long as we are in the corruptible flesh, we are carnal. There is no corruptible flesh that is not carnal!

Romans 7:23 "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."

This verse tells us that the carnal flesh will war against the spiritual mind of a born again believer. But that is where God will deliver him:

Romans 7:24-25 "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

That's why born again believers will sin, but at the same time, he knows to repent. This is just like David who sinned again and again, but God delivered him every time because he knew to repent. Therefore, when a Christian judges another Christian as carnal, yet he himself is also carnal, he is a hypocrite.

Matthew 23:27-28 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

It is in the doctrine of dispensationalism to single out the church of the Laodiceans and call them carnal, while not judging themselves by the same standard (word of God). The same spirit is also found in the scribes and the Pharisees (hypocrites) who outwardly appear righteous unto men, but are within, full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Dispensationalism is a key step in the revival of the religion of the scribes and the Pharisees.