There are three kinds of people in the world: those who can count, and those who can’t. This is a funny brain teaser, but how many kinds of people are there really? The Bible tells us that there are, in fact, three.

“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.

But he that is Spiritual judgeth 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 Carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” I Corinthians 2:14-3:1

1. The Natural Man is yet unsaved. He is still in his sin. His eyes have been blinded by Satan and he cannot understand spiritual things. The gospel is the only thing in the universe that can take his blindness away, but he is yet to believe the gospel. We cannot expect this man to act spiritually because he is not connected with God. He is spiritually dead and will remain so as long as he remains an unbeliever in Christ.

2. The Spiritual Man has not only been saved into eternal life, but he is also spiritually minded. His thinking and his decisions are characterized by what is spiritually true. He is spiritual because he thinks with the new mind that he got from Christ. Since he is spiritually mature, men do not sit in judgment of him.

3. And the Carnal Man? Is he saved or lost?

To say that he is lost would be a mistake because these are “in Christ”. They are called “brethren” in 3:1 and faith is attributed to them in 3:5 by the phrase, “ministers by whom ye believed.” The Carnal Believer belongs to Christ! In 3:23, Paul writes of these, “and ye are Christ’s…” The Carnal Man of Paul’s description was as saved into eternal life as a man can be. His faith has secured the new birth. His standing is in Christ and he is justified (declared righteous), freely by grace (Rom 3:24). His problem is that his present state is carnal, or fleshly. He still thinks and walks according to his natural mind. Because of his spiritual immaturity, his life is characterized by envy, strife, immorality, and divisions.

What To Do For Carnal Believers

What is our desire for the Carnal Believer? It is for maturity! How then do we motivate him towards it? A common practice might be to tell the carnal one that he must not yet be saved into eternal life. Why on earth would we do such a thing? If we tell a believing man that he is not saved we take away the very thing (grace) that is intended to motivate him inwardly towards godliness. Can this man be saved by doing? Can a man be saved by changing his ways? By changing his outward appearance? Of course not.

A man can only be saved by faith in Christ. Since the Carnal Believer already has faith, he does not need saving into eternal life. A wise course would be to motivate the Carnal Believer towards maturity by reminding him of several things that are biblically true.

He should be reminded of the grace of God that he has received. Grace was undeserved, unearned and paid for by a man who died a horrid, undeserved, substitutional death on a cross. Jesus proved his ultimate love for sinners. The mercy and grace of God is the greatest motivator for godly living.

In the light of such grace, we are taught that “denying ungodliness and worldy lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” – Titus 2:12

The Carnal Believer should also be reminded of the motivating fact that he will be disciplined for disobedience by Father God who “scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” - Hebrews 12:6

God’s discipline is promised for the carnal child, and it will be as severe as it needs to be, in God’s eyes. There is even a sin unto (physical) death (I John 5:16, I Corinthians 11:30-32).

Finally, the Carnal Believer should also be reminded of the coming day when he will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ to give account for his works, whether they were good or bad. Here, all Believers will receive rewards—or be denied rewards. Certainly a man should consider such a day, and live with that day in view.

Everyone we meet falls into one of these three categories. Witness to the Natural Man. Encourage the Spiritual Man. Remind the Carnal Man of grace and the painfully embarrassing consequences of living according to the natural mind.