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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. We just toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

So you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you to teach you the things of God that no man could have known and it rises above the level of human understanding. But in verse 14 he said, but the natural man. Now remember he wants them to be all of the same mind, all of the same judgment. So there’ll be no, now one thing you’ll notice as Paul goes through and explains these things to all these people with all these problems.

He doesn’t cast doubts upon their salvation. He could have said, well, that’s a sign you must not be saved. You won’t find that in here because that’s not the truth. He doesn’t say, well, that’s because you’re, no, he says you’re a babe in Christ. You’re carnal-minded. You’re not seeing and understanding a lot of things and he says that’s why you got this problem. But he doesn’t question their salvation, regardless of how carnal they may be. So he says here, the natural man, which is the lost man, receive if not the things of the Spirit of God.

For they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because these things of God are spiritually discerned, and they don’t have the Holy Spirit within them, the lost man, to discern the things of God. But you do. And this is why he makes his statement in verse 15. But he that is spiritual or spiritually minded, he can judge all things. Yeah, he himself is judged of no man because you see man, lost man, cannot and should not set in judgment upon the believer because he cannot know the things that God has and what God teaches to the Christian.

It’s a different world altogether. But you and I as we studied the word of God, we studied the Bible because the Bible is the mind of God. So when you study the Bible, you’re studying God’s mind. If you study God’s mind, then you’ll know how God thinks. Well, if we all knew how God thinks and we think that we God thinks, then we should get along. It’s because of S-I-N in our life that’s not dealt with. And so we get filled with bitterness and envy and jealousy and all the things that we don’t like.

But so how does God deal with that. But look at it in verse 16, for who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ. Who is the one that can counsel God? When God was going to create the heavens and the earth, did he ask you how to do it? What did he ask you how to do? Nothing? That’s how much wisdom you had to offer. And he He didn’t need your input.

But God wants to give you input. So He gave you the Holy Spirit so that He might teach you the mind of Christ. So when you have His mind on how God thinks on every subject, it’ll make you wiser. But knowledge puff us up. You can gain a lot of knowledge. You can quote scripture, find every book in the Bible, fashion anybody else, and you You can read, have your devotions, and never let the Word of God change your life or change your thinking.

So He makes this statement in verse 1 of chapter 3. And I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. He didn’t say they were lost. He says, but you act like lost people. You walk as lost men. See, that’s what He’s making the statement there in the last part of verse 3. You walk like men, you walk like lost people. The nature, you’re living like a natural man, like a man that doesn’t know any truth.

So he really, you know, kind of… Clean’s their plow here. So he says, your babes in Christ. So he doesn’t go through and try to convince them that, well, maybe you really aren’t saved. He doesn’t do that. But now that’s what a lot of people will do. Especially Calvinists. There’s Calvinists don’t believe you have an old nature because after you get saved, well, the old nature is gone. And all you’ve got now is your new birth. And you’re not going to want to go do those things because he’s dead, he’s gone.

And then he’ll find out. Okay, now what? Now let me mention this to you. That church that almost 50 years ago that I went to and spoke up there in Minnesota, the preacher that was there, he left and went to Alaska and later on I went to Alaska on three different occasions. But he left the church and so the old people that stayed there really did not like and appreciate the people that started the new church down the street.

They started a good new Bible church and the ones that I had led to Lord, they went there because they didn’t want Him in their church because they didn’t believe the way they believed so they could do it. Where are they going to go? And so they started their own church. Years have passed and so just recently they got, they said, if you’re really saved you’re not going to want to go out here and live like that. You’re not going to do those things.

So they got him a new preacher now because the other one has passed on. A lot of years has passed. And now they had a new pastor, his wife, and lo and behold, the preacher in the old church started running around with one of the ladies that was in the church. Send got found out and he was a young man. and so he left the ministry and so the question is if he was really saved how could he have done that because if he’s really saved you’re not gonna want to do that well he wanted to do that so the question is they can’t solve the answer they don’t have an answer that means he must have been the preacher there for years but he wasn’t really saved where he was saved and he did that so they don’t know what to do.

And so the preacher left. So another person is taken over. And the person who came to the meetings that I had, who played the piano, was his wife. And she came to the services, and then she came to the graveside, and then she came to the fellowship. But the question is, people saying things that are not true. You see, they, well, if you do bad things that that’s a sign you were never saved. Now when you read the Bible it’s a sign that you were carnal, fleshly minded.

Now I want to show you this not in the sense to try to dwell on it but just so that you see it. Did they have in this church somebody who really messed up bad? I mean you know did a wicked sin. Well looked there in chapter 5 and look in verse 1. He says, it is commonly reported that there is fornication among you and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his father’s wife.

Now the chances are it was a step mother and they’re having sex together and the people in the church knew about it. Not like a verse 2. And ye are puffed up. In other words, no shame. You’re not ashamed of that. Puffed up and have not rather mourned. You mourn because it’s the wicked sin, it’s wrong, it’s ungodly, it’s not like the Lord and it all not be tolerated. He says that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

Does he say that he evidently wasn’t saved? No, it doesn’t say that. But when you become a carnal Christian, worldly minded, you don’t know the limits of the depth of your depravity of what you’re going to do. See, when you start going down a slight board, you don’t know how far you’re going to go. And most people have to go to the end before they wake up. And some people will correct the problem, some people never will. If God’s Word says, and it’s all in the book of Corinthians, some are sick, some are weak, and some are dead.

So that means that there are some who are and they’re dead. That never made it right with God. So some people say, well, you may go astray, but before you leave this world, you’ll get right. You’ll come back to the Lord in the end, evidently not. You see, that’s what we would like to say. But the Bible don’t teach that. Saul was killed because of his sin, not Paul, but Saul. And you’ll find out that, well, what about, you know, those two individuals that went out and sold their land and came back, equivalent Priscilla?

Is that who it was? And nice and so far. They went out and did the wrong and died on the spot. But that doesn’t mean they were lost. It means that they could be chastened with death. If that’s true, then what some people say can’t be true. It seems to be, I’d be one way or the other. Either once you trust Christ to save it, you have eternal life forever. Or if you’re really saved, you’re not gonna wanna do those bad things.

But the thing is, there’s a lot of people do them. How much bad can a Christian do? If you can be a carnal Christian, how carnal? Well, it means you’re carnal. It means you’re fleshly, right? It means you obey the flesh. You walk in the flesh. You walk into flesh, you fulfill the works of the flesh. You can do everything that’s in the flesh. And that’s why you need to be very careful. So this is mentioned here in the world of God.

And you and I are supposed to watch our testimony. Look what he says here. He says in verse three, “‘For I, barely as acts in in body, but present in spirit have judged already, as though I were present concerning him that have so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus cried, to deliver such a one on the Satan for the destruction of the soul.

That I read that right? Destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus. Still saved, but destroy the flesh. In other words, the God to take him home. You say, that’s pretty strong. Yeah, I know it is. But we do find in the book of 2 Corinthians where we believe the man got right with the Lord. The people forgave him and everything was cool and they went on. And you’ll find that in the first two chapters of the book of Corinthian.

Now go back there to chapter 2 and verse 12. Now you’ll notice that he will say certain things that deals with now, now, now. So he says there in verse 12 in chapter 2, now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God. And then he tells him why this is so important because the Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God that can teach you the mind of God. So that’s why we read the Bible and we study it and so forth.

Now look in chapter 3, chapter 3. And notice what he says in verse 8. Now in order to correct the carnal living he gave him proper doctrine. He didn’t tell him that they were lost but he’s telling them motive of why they should serve the Lord. Giving them something to kind of generate a little interest in. Don’t you realize that every man is going to receive his own reward according his own labor. This is why you should serve the Lord because God wants to reward you and get them on the same page and then talk to him about how that this is what God wants them to do.

Your God’s building and God wants to build you upon this foundation, build you strong. Then he gives them a great illustration when he says there in verse 11, for no foundation can man lay them that which is laid which is Christ Jesus. Then in the very next verse, that word, now. See there in verse 12? Now, if any man built, see, let’s forget about all we’ve done in eternity. Let’s just think about right now. What are you building? How are you building?

What’s the state of your spiritual life? Would you consider yourself today spiritual carnal? Can you discern the difference? What would your friends who know you? What would they say about you? There’s a spiritual man. If I was to say the name of Dr. Paulson, spiritual carnal, what would you think? If I said the name pyramato, spiritual, well, you say he’s sitting here, everybody says he’s gonna be spiritual. But in your mind, you already have certain judgment that you make about certain people.

And there’s some people that you would say that person’s carnal, that person’s not as godly, That person’s phoneme. That person’s a hypocrite. But what do they say you think about yourself? What would you say about your… Can you? That’s why you say it. An unexamined man, or unexamined life is not worth living. So when time you get to a chapter 11 it says, examine yourself. What do you think that’s in here? Examine yourself because you need to examine yourself.

How are you doing? Spiritually. How are you doing? Are you strong in the Lord? And this is why it’s so important. Now, And chapter four looked there in verse eight where he says, now ye are full. Now ye are rich. You have rained as kings without us. And I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you because they had lifted themselves up. They knew more than the Apostle Paul and the Paulos. They were so wise.

This was one church that was just filled to the brim. Man, we got it made. We’re somebody. He says, that’s not the way it is. See there in verse nine, for I think that God has set forth us the apostles last as it were appointed to death. For we are made as spectacles on to the world and to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake. If we’re fools for Christ’s sake, then who are you a fool for?

And so he goes through and he mentions about, Oh, how strong you are and we’re so weak. You’re strong and well, we’re despised. And he goes down and he talks about all these things. But he says, look, when it comes to, who’s your father and the Lord? Look what he says in verse 15. For though you have 10,000 instructors, yet have you not many fathers for in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. I’m your daddy. I led you to the Lord.

Whatever you think about me, Paul says, I’m the guy that led you to the Lord. I brought the gospel to you. It wasn’t those other people, it was me, I did that. I’ve had people over the years, they’ve made statements like, Yank is just too, well, he’s arrogant. You’re just how arrogant he is. And he is so in your face, and he’s so bullheaded, and hardheaded, stiff-necked. He thinks he’s always right, and everybody else is wrong. Now you’ve never heard anything like that.

But I’ve had people tell me things like that. And I thought to myself, self. And I’d love to say to some of those people, if I was any other way than the way that I am, you wouldn’t know the Lord. You wouldn’t know the Lord if I was any other way. But because of me believing what this book says, I have defied so many kinds of preachers and people in denominations. Remember, I got blackbought in two major denominations the first year I was out of Bible college.

And I mean, that was, I’ve been brought in the meetings and hearings. Well, they came together in Colorado and they set me down and all these preachers, they wanted to drill me and see whether or not, am I straight in? I thought I was Martin Luther and the Diet of Wernf. I mean, I thought it, you know, and I didn’t even know 95 pieces through the wall or done anything. But all I preached the gospel. And because of that drive, and other people wouldn’t do what some of the things that I’ve done, I’m not saying I do those things again, but because of that, I’ve reached a lot of people.

And if I hadn’t done that, if I believed like somebody else, I wouldn’t have done it. If I’d have believed like a Calvinist, I would never have reached anybody. I would have never started the bus ministries. I’d have never started in ranch. But because I felt responsible and I can make a difference, then I don’t think that quota has already been numbered by God that cannot be increased or decreased. I believe that what I do makes a difference. And when you read the book of Jude, it talks about pulling them out of the flame, having compassion, making a difference.

And I believe that what the Bible talks about. So if I was in the other way, yeah, There would be no dare to share meetings. There wouldn’t be no church out there. There wouldn’t be no missionary like Peggy Burr over in China. There wouldn’t have been that church up there in Minnesota. It wouldn’t have been there. And if I hadn’t had gone to North Side Bad, there’d have been no church down here. There would have been no John John down here.

And those other guys, they came from the ministry we had. They wouldn’t have been here. It makes a difference. And I’m saying these things, not the brag. God knows my heart. I say these things because you’ll think these things. And if he wasn’t this way or he wasn’t that way, people better be thankful, you were the way you were. I would rather be the way that I am. Then being afraid and a coward and not saying anything, not doing anything, and hiding from the responsibility that I have.

Do I know everything? No. God knows I know. You know I don’t know everything, and I can’t do everything, but I do believe what I do understand, and I really believe it. And I believe it makes a difference. I want you to take your Bible and look there in verse 18. In verse 18 of chapter 4, now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you, but he said, I’m coming and he says, as a man, as an apostle, he said, I’m coming to see you.

He dealt with it. And then you notice that with all this here, now, now, now, now, now, and there’s a whole bunch of them throughout the whole book, but I want you to look very quickly in verse 6, where he says, because when you think you know so much, he says you don’t know anything as you yet ought to know. He says don’t you know this and you’ll see over and over again. He says no you’re not. It means don’t you know you don’t know this.

You don’t know this. You’re so wise but you don’t know this. You’re so smart but you don’t know this. You don’t know this. You don’t know this. So in verse 6 he says your glory is not good. No, you’re not. That a little 11, 11 of the whole lot. Don’t you know that a little is permeates the whole thing? Don’t you know tolerating a little sin can permeate the whole church? Don’t you know he can destroy the whole church by tolerating something like, don’t you know that?

I don’t think they know that. But they’re smart and they’re wise and they’re spiritual. Look in verse 3. Let’s be done in chapter 6 verse 2 says the same thing. Do you not know, don’t you know that the time will come when we will judge the world? We are. And don’t you know in verse 3 you’re going to judge the angels? Don’t you understand? Don’t you know that if we’re going to have that responsibility can’t you judge among the smallest of matters right now?

Can’t you settle some of these? Can’t you discern right from wrong, your right hand from the left hand? Can’t you see that this is the will of God and this is not the will of God? Can’t you see this feeds the spirit and this feeds the flesh? Can’t you discern? Where’s your discernment? This is your babes in Christ, your carnal minded. And he says, Oh, you think you’re so wise, you’re so smart, you’re so brilliant, then why don’t it show?

Reveal it. Then he says down in verse nine, he says, no, ye not the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators or doleters or doleters and feminine nor abuses of themselves with mankind, nor thieves or covetous nor drunkers nor refilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. Why would you go to lost men who are like that to set in judgment on decisions that ought to be settled by the church?

And yet you will do this. And this is why makes that statement. See up here in verse 6, he says, but brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. So why would you go to the unrighteous man to settle spiritual issues? Because aren’t you a believer? Aren’t you a child of God? You studied the word of God, God’s given us his word so that we can have spiritual minds, so that we can discern and we can solve.

But it goes through here. That’s why he says over in verse 16, what? No, you not. You don’t know this? Look what he says in verse 19. What? No, you not. You don’t know this. And there’s like some people who seem like they’re so spiritual, so godly, they just don’t know the book and then they don’t live it in their lives and they don’t love and they don’t witness and they don’t give and they don’t pray. They don’t do the thing God says to do, but they’re so spiritual, so godly.

No, they’re not the carnal. It’s the carnality and the knowledge lifts them up and they look down with disdain upon others who don’t know all that they know. And what do they know? Nothing. They know nothing as they ought to know. Because see, if you really know the Lord and love the Lord, if you love the Lord, well then prove it by the things you do for the Lord. So he says, what? No, you’re not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is of God, which is in you.

You have not, you’re not your own. For you are bought with the price, therefore, glorified God in your body and in your spirit, which are God. You belong to the Lord. So all this to solve that problem because he’s talking to about being joined together to a harlot. You don’t know Did that’s a wrong, did that shinfo? So he’s just a chapter later, he’s explaining what he’s talking about over here with this person that did this wrong because they’re still saved.

Still saved, but living wickedly. And so can a Christian do all those bad things? Evidently, should they know? But this is why I can’t wait till next Sunday morning. You see, what do you… Because I got a great sermon I want to preach next Sunday morning. I can’t wait to be here. Let’s see what I’m going to say. Anyway, look up here. This is you and me. This hand represents you and me. The water represents sin. We all have sin on us.

Now God loves us. But once you trust Christ to save you, He doesn’t love you anymore. No, He loves you. He hates your sin. And pay for sin as eternal separation from the Lord. But God loves us once as to go to heaven. And because the only payment we can make is to die. to die. He doesn’t want our money. You’re good life. All of your righteousness will not pay for one sin. So the Bible says we need a Savior.

Jesus Christ, this hand represents Jesus Christ. He came into this world because He loves us, hates our sin, because our sin separates us from Him. So Christ took the sin, paid for it when the cross came back to the dead. And He says, the only thing you have to do to go to heaven is believe that He did that for you. When you believe He did it for you, He puts that payment to your account. You go to heaven on what Christ did for That’s the gift of God.

You didn’t earn it. You didn’t work for it. You don’t deserve it. But he says, I’ll never cast you out. I’ll never lose you. So whenever you do some things and you live the way you’re not supposed to that that old man That’s an old sinful nature that you have God did not change that he gave you a new birth your new birth Born of God is righteous just holy going to heaven And that’s why we go to heaven and yes as long as we live in this physical body we have the lust of the flesh.

And if you don’t serve the Lord, you’re going to fulfill the lust of the flesh. And you’re not going to like the results of it. So be wise, you will reveal your wisdom by the decision you made, by whether or not you walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh. Let’s pray show Him. Hit bow nice clothes and no one looking around. And dear here tonight, and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, I pray that you will if you haven’t.

And if you’re watching by internet, hopefully some of the things that we’ve said will make sense to you. But the most important thing is if you died tonight, would you go to heaven? And if you’re not sure, right where you are, would you believe that when Christ died, He died for you? He paid for your sins. He did that so that you wouldn’t have to pay for your sins. And He came back from the dead, said the only thing He wanted you to do, to believe He did that for you.

He loves you that much that He would give you eternal life by faith alone, your faith in what He did for you. And if you’ll believe it, God said He would save you. And I pray that you will. And if you will, trust the Lord right on the screen, says, yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior. I pray that you will let us know. Our Father, we thank You again for Your blessings. Thank You for the opportunity we have to come before You, for the free gift of eternal life and Father for the opportunity as Your children to live on this side of eternity, to demonstrate to those who have never heard.

And we pray, Lord, we can have a long life filled with a lot of fruit while we can. And Christ never prayed. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of The Gospel Driven Man. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you, and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline.

If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. will be changed. God up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.