"Carnal Christian" ?

[Qwikness]

There was a lady who was concerned about her son being a “carnal christian” as if it is a well known phrase. At first I thought it was a denomination then I figured it meant a worldly person, maybe a luke warm christian.
Is Carnal Christian a protestant term? or a term that can be understood having a different meaning from a different perspective?

Thanks,

 

[JonNC]

There was a lady who was concerned about her son being a “carnal christian” as if it is a well known phrase. At first I thought it was a denomination then I figured it meant a worldly person, maybe a luke warm christian.
Is Carnal Christian a protestant term? or a term that can be understood having a different meaning from a different perspective?

Thanks,

It isn’t a term I’ve ever heard in a Lutheran setting, so I have no idea. But I did find this link. Not vouching for it, just providing it.
gotquestions.org/carnal-Christian.html

Jon

 

[Dale_M]

It seems to have meaning within some Calvinist influenced churches… The Carnal Christian theory apparently is an explanation of why, despite the doctrine of Once Saved, Always Saved, some members of a church seem to be just drifting along and not spiritually alive. CC theory presents three levels of believers: the unsaved, the carnal Christian and the spiritual Christian. Apparently the carnal Christian is saved, but will get less heavenly rewards than a spiritual Christian.

Here is an angry explanation:

As a result of this erroneous (Carnal Christian) teaching many who regularly occupy our church pews on Sunday morning and fill our church rolls are strangers to true conversion. They are strangers to heart religion because they have never experienced the power of a changed life. They are not new creatures and for them old things have not passed away (2 Cor. 5:17).

This “Carnal Christian” teaching was invented to accommodate all the supposed converts of modern evangelism. The non-lordship teachers had to have some explanation for the thousands and thousands of those who are products of an evangelism that leaves out Bible repentance from their evangelistic message. I am referring to those who make “decisions,” walk aisles and make professions of being Christians, but their lives have never been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they do not love what Christians love and hate what Christians hate. They act, think and live like non-Christians, but their teachers must have some explanation for their unchanged lives. Thus the unbiblical category “Carnal Christian” was invented by the non-lordship teachers.

The non-lordship teaching is a two-experience theory of the Christian life. Stage one is conversion, which they teach is making a decision to receive Christ as your personal Savior (this will keep you out of hell). Stage two is another decision, which is to make Christ Lord. What the non-lordship teachers seem to ignore is that no human makes Christ Lord. He is Lord regardless what sinners say, think or do. He is Lord by God Almighty’s decree: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). This verse settles the question of who makes Christ Lord.

founders.org/journal/fj16/article2.html