Distinguishes between three classifications of humanity: the natural, the carnal, and the spiritual, all based on their relationship to God's truth as revealed in 1 Corinthians 2-3. The natural man, unsaved, perceives spiritual things as foolishness and cannot understand them. The carnal Christian, though saved, remains immature and worldly, characterized by envy, strife, and division, unable to digest deeper spiritual truths. In contrast, the spiritual Christian actively discerns the things of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit, growing in knowledge and wisdom beyond worldly understanding. The message urges listeners to move beyond being natural or carnal, to embrace spiritual growth through diligent study of God's Word and reliance on the Holy Spirit.
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film on the work of CMML. Many of you have heard the word CMML. You have perhaps seen Missions Magazine and you've heard that we send money sometimes to CMML. Come out tonight and learn what CMML is all about. It's one of the greatest works that God is doing. It's a tremendous work when you think of the number of workers that are supported. and assisted through the work of CMML. They have emergency funds. They have ways of furnishing people, supporting missionaries. They have emergency funds to bring them home for any illnesses or sudden things that may come up.
And they help in handling the finances of missionaries. All of these things are work that CMML do. And it would be very profitable, I'm sure, for all the Lord's people to... come out tonight and to view this film. Brother Brahm Hall will be speaking tonight, so we'll start at six o'clock and we'll have the Lord's table, and then we'll have the film, and that'll allow the rest of the time for our Brother Brahm Hall to bring what the Lord lays upon his heart for tonight. So bear that in mind, please, and I'd like to see as many at least as we have here today out tonight to view this. It would be precious, and I'm sure it would be profitable for all.
Thank you so much, Brother Brahm Hall. Thank you. Now return to the sacred page. First Corinthians chapter two, if you please. Our blessing it is to turn to the precious and the holy word of God. What a deep and earnest prayer our song has been as we sang, break thou the bread of light. We pray that by the Holy Spirit he will break the bread of light to us from the word of truth as we look at the scripture. I would like to begin reading at verse fourteen, reading down, if I may, through verse five of chapter three.
Paul writing by the Holy Spirit to say, 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 or by the Spirit discerned. But he that is spiritual judges or discerneth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto Carmel, even as unto Baves in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, 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 walkers' men? For why one saith I am of Paul and another, I am of Apollos? Are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul and who is Apollos? But ministers or servants by whom ye believe, even as the Lord gave to every man. May God bless the reading and the hearing of his precious words.
I would like to speak by God's gracious help on three men, which we have revealed in the scripture that we have just read. Three particular characteristics or classifications of mankind. It is commonly understood and chiefly thought and chiefly known that the dividing of the human race in the Word of God is often spoken of as being those who believe or those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus. Those who are saved, those who are not saved, those who have trusted Christ and know that they are going to heaven and those who have not trusted Christ and of course have no assurance of being in the glory.
But strange as it may seem, the beloved Apostle Paul in writing to the Corinthian believers long ago classifies the human race in three particular classifications. May I point them out to you first of all, chapter two and verse fourteen. Note the expression at the opening of the verse, the natural man. Go into verse fifteen. and you see another classification, he that is spiritual. Look in chapter three, if you please, and you have the Apostle Paul saying, reading in verse three particular, for ye are yet carnal. Now let me please repeat.
Here are three classifications of the human race. First, the man that is natural. Second, the man that is spiritual. Third, the man that is carnal. May I say briefly, and we look at them separately, that man who is the natural man is without question of doubt, one who has never yet been born of God, never has received the Holy Spirit, never has believed upon the Lord Jesus, and rejects the gospel of God's grace. The spiritual man, as you may know, is spoken as the one who knows and discerns the things of God. And then as you go to the third classification, you have a carnal man spoken of.
May I point out this and do recall and remember this fact? The first one, as we have already suggested, is absolutely insane. But the latter two classifications, they belong to those who are sane. Either they are spiritual or they are carnal. Now it is well to notice Why the Apostle Paul so classifies them upon what basically classifies these three classifications of the human race? It is in relation to what they know of the things of God. Can I repeat it? It is in relation, as you have it in verse fourteen, you have it also in verse fifteen.
It's in relation to the knowledge they have of the things of God. And as you look first of all, if I may, at the natural man in verse fourteen, the apostle writes, 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 by the Spirit or spiritually discerned. In other words, God very plainly states, and let me emphasize, This is not human opinion. This is divine revelation. This is divine explanation.
The natural man, the man of the woman, the boy of the girl, who has never been born again, cannot and will not consider and understand the things of God. They are foolishness unto him. Look with me in chapter one, if you please. I want you to know something regarding that natural man, which the beloved apostle mentions in verse eighteen, if you please. For the preaching of the cross is to then, then perish foolishness. The one to one who has saved is the power of God. You look at that natural person. Now please let me say, that person may be a cultured person.
That person may be a lovable character. That person may be an intellectual one. That person may be a successful one in the eyes of man. Or they may be the opposite. They may be morally good. They may be morally clean. They may be the opposite in immorality and so on. But the natural man includes all kinds of persons regardless of their calling. their ability, their characteristics, if they have never been born again, they do not know, they cannot understand the things of God.
Now, my beloved friend, if you happen to be here unsaved, if you happen to be in that classification, may I point out to you your responsibility to know your sins are forgiven. Your responsibility. Let me go to verse eighteen of chapter one again. As Paul refers to the fact, the preaching of the cross is to then let perish foolishness. For without the new birth, without faith in the finished work, and the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary, that natural man can only go to hell, Perish, perish, perish.
If he or she rejects, if he or she refuses, if he or she fails to embrace God's offer of salvation, and as the Lord Jesus plainly stated, as he spoke to Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Therefore the natural man is one who cannot enter the kingdom of God unless he or she has been born again. If he or she will come to the Lord Jesus Christ and in his sin and her sin and guilt confessing with all the need of redemption known and acknowledging by faith Lord Jesus, I need your cross.
The preaching of the cross. Paul came to the city of Corinth, and as you may read in the introductory chapters of the book, he declares, I determine not to know anything among you. Say, Jesus Christ and him crucified. And in that day, there were many in Paul's day who received the message and believed it. But there were many others who heard the message and refused it. May I raise the question, my friend. I do it earnestly. I do it with an eternal character of God's desire to serve, save your soul, and your own soul, destined for eternity to know, have you been born again?
Have you made Christ your Savior? Have you been assured your sins have all forgiven? Have you seen that work of the cross? Do you despise this? We're living in days when men at large are despising the gospel, despising the blood of Christ as the way of salvation and the day and the atonement for our sins. My beloved Lord, the preaching of the cross is to then that perish foolishness. Foolishness. Write him in this city. under the origin of the early days of this testimony in the tent which I was using.
I recall a man coming with two others out of the cult of Mormonism, challenging in my preaching as I preached one night in the tent on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he sought to persuade me that God would save men according to their works. And I said, Love it. God doesn't say men that way. He cannot. He will not. And yet as I questioned the man and said, The conversation was lengthy, but I said ultimately, Why do you think I was preaching the cross tonight?
Oh, he said, Christ had to do something for us that we could do for ourselves. I said, Listen, my friend. I believe and I'm going to teach and preach. Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin and let the crimson stain. He washed it while it's snow. He says, you don't believe in what spices I do, but not for salvation. And I want to tell you, he went away mad. And thank God it was the last time he came. But may I say, thank God God saved two people out of that Mormon company with them, and that meant meaning. No wonder he was mad.
Look, the preaching of the cross. Are you insane? The old hymn writer was true in his writing. I must need go home by the way of the cross. There's no other way but this. I shall never get sight of the gates of life. It's the way of the cross I miss. The way of the cross leads home. The way of the cross leads home. It is sweet to know as I onward go. The way of the cross leads up. Listen, for over seventy-two years I've been going that way. It's the only way to get me to heaven. And whether you start now or if you start, start it eighty years ago.
It's the only way. My friend, do you belong to that classification, natural? You refuse to believe the gospel? You refuse to take Christ as your Savior, God forbid. You don't have to stay there. May I say, broadly, you don't have to go to hell. You can if you want to. And you will if you don't take Christ as your Savior. There's no other way home to the Father's house. As Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the light. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Oh, I pray that if any of you are not saved, you belong to that natural man.
You may often say, I don't understand my Bible. Of course you don't. You never will. I never understood my Bible and the precious truth that are within it till the Lord saved my soul. And what a joy it was when I started out to find the blessed truth that the Word of God revealed. Oh, my friend, please, get out of being just a natural man. Listen, you can be a philosopher. You can be wrapped up with all the philosophy of the world and your own vain philosophy if you've got any of your own and still go to hell.
My friend, all that you and I would realize the world is filled, unfortunately, with many who have never been born again. And if you're sitting here in the audience unsaved, we plead in the name of the Lord Jesus, trust him as your Savior today. Lay hold of the Lord Jesus. Let him redeem you. Come to him as you are. He will never cast you out. Sin may be many, but it's blood. cleanse us from all sin. Hallelujah. And go on your way rejoicing. Now let's consider the second man in this order. I want to go to the cardinal man first.
Now let me repeat what we've painted previously. The other two classifications belong to Christians. Let me repeat it. These two classifications are of Christians. you are neither a carnal Christian or a spiritual Christian. And please let me say, you can't be both at the same time. Carnal or spiritual. Now let's look at the carnal Christian. Now that they're Christians, I want to prove it. Look in chapter three. Notice verse one.
Notice to whom the apostle writes. Notice he starts this section regarding the carnal man. And I, brethren, and I, brethren, do you know what he calls them? My brothers. My brothers in Christ. He's calling them his brothers in Christ. He's not writing to natural men. He's not writing to those that are not believers. He's writing to all those at the church of Corinth who belonged to the Lord. And if you were here today, he's writing to all those who are here in the chapel auditorium today who belong to the Lord.
And note what he has to say. I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual. Please note it. my if the apostle came in today if he came here i wonder if he'd have to say that to you and me i wonder i cannot speak unto you as unto spiritual for know what he says but as unto carlo believe it and you know the word carlo means flesh you get it from Carnation milk, milk that comes from the cow, you know.
And Carmel means fleshly. And what the Apostle is stating, he reveals that some of the believers at Carmel were Carmel believers. And then he put it in another perspective. They were worldly, fleshly believers. They were not prominently noted for being spiritual. But there was a lot of the flesh in them. There's a lot of the flesh in them. And then he particularly denotes why they were carnal. He carefully recites those characteristics, those evidences of carnality.
Now let me raise the question before we go further. As we look at this scripture, you and I who are believers, let's raise the question. Am I a carnal Christian? Am I a calm or Christian? Do these characteristics describe me? And I want you to know what Paul goes on to say, the first thing. I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto calm, even as unto babes in Christ. Yes, no, they're in Christ. They're in Christ. But he says, I have to speak unto you as babes in Christ.
What does he mean? Let me remind you of what Peter wrote in First Peter chapter two and verse two. And note the distinct difference. Peter writing to some believers in his day, in that epistle said, As newborn days desire the sincere milk of the word that she may grow thereby. Now Peter was writing to newborn Christians, just born again, just having passed from death unto life. And it's telling them, you are new, very vain Christ. They've been born again.
And may I say in the spiritual life, in the Christian life, you start with babyhood. Maybe you don't like the expression, but that's true, whether you're eighty-eight or whether you're only eight, or whether you're only five, whatever the time may be. You start with babyhood. born into the family of God. You have just come into the family. Yes, you're his child. But you've just started. And Peter said, I've new born baby. And when you get a new baby in the family, a little girl told me, I've got a new little sister at home. Well, that little sister has to take milk. It's possible to digest heavier food, as you well know.
And if you give the baby a beast, then you'll sure choke it to death if you make it eat it. And you can recognize the scriptures plainly say as Peter wrote, if it's a newborn babe, give it a milk bottle of the Word of God. And if you're only a young babe in Christ, just recently finding the Savior, found as much milk in the Word as you can. There's a lot of milk in this before you try to swallow the meat. But I must say there's some Christians, they try to swallow Revelation as soon as they get sick. I had a friend call me up. He'd only just been saved. He said, I want to teach the book of Revelation. I said, oh boy, you've got a lot to learn yet.
Look, no, there's milk in the book. And you can read so much as you go through the Gospels, as you go through the New Testament, as well as the Old Testament. But especially in New Testament, there's so much milk that you can take it. Oh, that's for me. That tells me what God's done for me. And so on. And as you keep drinking your milk, like any baby natural life, development begins and continues. And the next thing you know, you can get a good hamburger, so to speak. You can get some strong meat. but please know what Paul's saying to the Corinthians. He doesn't call them newborn babies. They've been saved for quite a while.
They had not grown. And he says, I have to talk to you as babies in Christ. Go with me to Hebrews chapter two if you have your Bible. Chapter six, I beg your pardon, get my mind going right. Chapter five. In the book of Hebrews, I want you to know what Paul wrote to the Hebrews in his day, and you'll recognize the distinct difference of not growing in grace and feeding on the word of God. Chapter five. Will you please look with me at verse twelve and fourteen. Right from verse twelve of chapter five. Look. When for the time you ought to be teachers. Now here's Paul telling the Hebrew Christian of his day.
You ought to be teaching the word. But you've got need that won't teach you again. The first principles of the oracles of God. And you have become such as a need of milk and not strong meat. How would you think? What would you think of me if I walked around here with a milk bottle in my mouth? Well, you said, that's ridiculous. No. There's a lot of Christians that all they can feed on if they do feed it all on it. It's the milk bottle instead of the meat of God's milk. Read on now. Verse thirteen, Everyone that uses milk is unskilled for in the word of righteousness, for he is obeyed. He hasn't skilled himself or herself in the knowledge of the...
Only belongeth to men that are of full age, even those who by reason of use... Please note, they use their Bible and they have sensed this exercise to discern both good and evil. Now there you can read this, there you can recognize the contrast. Paul has to write to the Hebrews who have but still they've been Christ when they should have been teachers of the Word of God. And then I say very earnestly and lovingly and sadly, one of the greatest needs of the Lord's dear people today is good teachers of the Word of God. What are the greatest needs? Lacking.
Why? Somewhere along the line there are many that have not studied the Word of God. And here I say frankly, it's not any other book that you get your skill from. Did you get your knowledge from? But the Word of God. Go back to the Corinthians please. I know what the Apostle goes on to say. He goes on to say, as he added in verse two again, I fed you with milk and not with meat, but why? For hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. My beloved Christian, please let me say something very earnestly, and I hope you don't misunderstand me.
I'm sure that in my own heart and soul, as no one loves the gospel, appreciate the gospel any more and better than I may. But I want to tell you, the gospel brings you to Christ, but from then on you better grow in grace and the knowledge of the Word of God. You may get a lot of gospel preaching, but Christians need feeding. Steve, what did we sing? Break down the bread of life. Dear Lord, to me. And this is the blessed book that is the bread of life for the soul to grow on. And Paul writing to the Corinthians said, I couldn't give you any meat.
I could not speak to you except to feed you with milk. For if I had fed you some meat, you'd have choked on it. You're not able to bear it. For ye are none of ye are yet carnal. For ye are yet carnal. Ye are yet carnal. My beloved Christian, please, I mean dishonestly, ask yourself the question, am I only a carnal Christian? Well, that's not the danger of being a carnal Christian, especially if you're in any assembly of believers anywhere. To be a carnal Christian means that you can be an instrument of danger to the testimony.
No, no, what he goes on to say. For whereas there is among you what? Envy. Wherever there is carnality, it produces envy. And then you go a step further. And envy produces what? Strive. And go a step further. Horror. It produces division. And Paul says, are you then not carnals? And you walk as men. My beloved, can I earnestly and very earnestly remind your heart as well as mine own? God is interested that the dear believers in the Lord Jesus be spiritual, not carnal believers.
If your testimony produces envy, if it reduces strife, if it reduces division, the result of not God, it's result of man. the flesh the flesh the flesh and unfortunately it revealed the lack of knowing the word of God the lack of the knowledge of the word of God go back to chapter two let's look at the spiritual man the little time we have left and oh my beloved may you and I even as an unbeliever perhaps you may be And if you may confess, I must be a carnal believer.
Let's see the ideal. One doesn't have to stay the natural man. One doesn't have to stay the carnal believer. But in chapter two and verse fifteen, he that is spiritual, now the word that would be better translated, he that is spiritual discerneth all things. Now be very careful. What does he mean by all things? We'll go back to verse fourteen. He's speaking in verse fourteen about the natural man receiving not what? The things of the Spirit of God. The discernment that is spiritual is in relation to the things of God.
Can I say very frankly, when it comes to the Christian testimony, the world in its knowledge in its science, in all that it may be, in every sphere of it, is completely out of this testimony. In the testimony of God, it's the things of God that have been taken up. The things of God. One wrote the words, I've never forgotten, and I appreciate them, to know this mighty being God as far as he may be known. is the noblest purpose of human understanding.
And I want to raise the question, what are you doing even as a Christian? What are you doing about knowing God? Well, I've known God. And that through his words. Go back in the chapter with me, please, at chapter two. So I want you, let me read very quickly if I may begin in verse seven. And note these words in verse seven, the apostle says, as he speaks, he's already mentioned, look in verse six please. How be it we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world. May I plainly state, the wisdom of this world should not be drawn into the Christian testimony. Do you think the world is wiser than God?
Do you think the world is wiser than the Word of God? It is not. Do all crucify Christ? The world's head away with him. The world rejects the word of God. And may I say lovingly and earnestly, there's more evidence today of the Bible being rejected by the world. And you can go to school and learn it. And many other institutions. And in many forms of our government today over the land. The wisdom of this world. Let me say faithfully. No matter if one is a successful business character in the world. But the wisdom of this world is not the wisdom to run an assembly by.
And any group of God. And neither is it the wisdom for a Christian to govern his life. No more Paul goes on to say. Let me read quickly. But as he goes on to say, Nor are the princes of this world that come to nothing. Please may I make that extension. God does this. He distinctly makes a separation between the world and the dear people who are saved. Then there are rulers of this world, the princes of it, and all their own wisdom. It's not what I'm under in my responsibility to God. My beloved, in a lot of books I wish they could make a big bonfire on.
Some books that Christians are reading and I believe they ought not to read sometimes. But please know what Paul said, verse seven. But we speak the wisdom of God. Now, my grandmother, where are you going to find the wisdom of God? Don't tell me you're going to find it at school tomorrow. Don't tell me you're going to find it downtown in the commercial section of the city. Don't tell me you're going to find it in the human government. My grandmother, if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus, that wisdom of God is indeed a precious book. And oh, it's the spiritual education. That needs to be followed. Notice where I read on quickly. And I want you to note something in verse eight.
Which none of the princes of this world knew? Had they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. How beloved, when the world fed away with him, they never realized what they were giving up. If they had known the one who was the wisdom of God personified, There is never a crucify in him. And then have you got in verse nine, but as it is written, I have not seen nor heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. And I want you to know, here you got the scope, the great scope of God's revelation of truth.
I, humanly the eye, cannot see it. Humanly the ear cannot hear it. Humanly, the power and the greatest of the human heart cannot fathom it. It's beyond the reach of the human eye with all of its ability in science and knowledge. Beyond the human ear, no matter if you can hear sounds from the planets around, and beyond even the imagination of the human heart. Let me say this. The realm of spiritual education outshines and outdoes all other forms of education. How's your education coming along?
Spiritually. Spiritually. The scope of it. And noted in verse ten, I want you to know, though I have not seen it, though air cannot hear it, though the human heart of man cannot enter into it. No verse ten. But God has revealed them unto us by his spirit. For the spirit such as all things and even the deep things of God. You say, is it possible to know these things of God? Absolutely. When one is saved, he receives and she receives the Holy Spirit. A dear brother many, many years ago in my early days, as I unfolded my heart to him and his desire to serve the Lord, and be equipped in order to speak and minister the Word of God, and in questioning him about where I should go and why I should do.
He put his hand on my knee. He said, Boy, you never have a better teaching than the Holy Spirit. Let me encourage every believer. Look, don't you depend upon this man and the pulpit? God grant he can help him. But remember, if you're a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit just as I do. He resides in you. And as Paul has written, God reveals them unto us by his Spirit. Holy Spirit knows all things, even the depths of God. And don't you tell me, I won't believe it if you do, you can study a Bible.
It's not that you won't. You can. You've got the teacher. Let me close with this incident. was written by Donald Barnhouse in his magazine Eternity many, many years ago. A young school teacher went to repress herself annually. She went to some university for a repressure course on the subject she was teaching. On one occasion, when she went back, she went back a new creature in Christ. She had been saved. And when she came to the university to follow her studies in the summer sessions, the acquaintances that she had known and still knew there, they were surprised at some of the things she talked about.
And on one occasion, one old professor got her on one side, he said, listen, my dear, what are you talking about? Where have you been? Who's been your teacher? Since we saw you last summer, you were talking to us about things we never heard about. For she was witnessing about the Lord, about Christ and the Scriptures. She said, who's been teaching you? She looked at him. She said, Oh, she said, sir, I have a teacher with a capital C. The Holy Spirit. My beloved Lord. I hope you go home and start studying your Bible if you've been neglecting it. There it is in the book.
The teacher, you've got a divine library of sixty-six Classrooms, if you please, from Genesis through Revelation. You've got a divine picture. You're the pupil. If you're saved, you don't have to be a carnal Christian. You can be a spiritual one. And may I say, we need more spiritual Christians today. And if you're a natural, unsaved person, why don't you get saved? Let's pray, shall we? Oh, Father, we could go on and on. But oh, you've shown us this morning. There are three kinds of people. The natural man, unsaved.
Oh, Father, there are so many of them. Some of them may be our loved ones. We pray for them to be saved. And yet there are those who are thy people, who are carnal. May each believer say, Am I carnal? Examine our hearts, Father, by thy spirit. have I really been following and studying and learning the things of God? That which is in the word of God to be found, the scope of it beyond all human science, and the knowledge of the wisdom and the greatness of the things of God. And Father, we're going to spend eternity for this is life eternal, going on and on and on and on forever, knowing thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ whom thou is met.
Oh, blessed Father, wake the believers up here, every one of us, to realize we should be busy learning to know more about God through his word and seeking to follow it. And we pray that every one of us, young and old alike, who belong to the Lord, will become Bible students to study the word of God, study to show thyself approved unto God, of workmen that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Father, makeeth men and women of the book. It's what we need, Lord. And we know we'll glorify thee and our Savior.
And when we follow the book, helpeth not to follow men. help us to follow thee, Lord, and thy precious words. For we ask it as we dismiss, Oh, Father, make of these dearest things thy most good, anxious not to give their own opinion, but to tell the things of God, and to encourage each other, let's keep the word of God and walk in its truth till Jesus comes. For we ask it now as we separate. Now, Lord, Don't let the devil snatch the good seed away. That fellow's right at the door, Lord. He might be right at the end of the pew.
And we just pray, Lord, may the Holy Spirit solemnize every one of us to realize you've answered our prayer. You've been breaking the bread of life. Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me. May that be the language of our hearts, everyone, whether saved or unsaved, To be saved or to go on for the Lord and his glory. We ask it in Jesus' name and for his honour. Amen.