But that's not what Paul is addressing in Corinth. These are people who are already saved, but acting immaturely.
"Natural men" are unsaved.
Many persons in all churches claim to be believing Christians, who are not. They are hypocrites who deceive themselves and attempt to deceive others. A good Elder will watch against empty confessions of faith, and deal with such; primarily by a continual preaching of the gospel . . .for only by hearing the gospel can such come to true saving faith. (Romans 10:9)
That's not the preaching of the gospel. If they weren't saved, Paul would still be preaching the gospel to them, not beating them down.
What I say. Paul was proclaiming the gospel truth throughout his teachings, because he was aware there were unsaved persons in the church at Corinth. He was not "beating them down," but revealing actual conditions within the church.
Again, not the point of the passage. Paul is chiding them for a lack of maturity, which he clearly expected from them. One does not expect spiritual maturity from the unsaved.
Anyone who confesses faith in Christ, who fails to grow into spiritual maturity, must continually be given the gospel message and chided as to their actual condition. A good Elder will not accept a confession of faith in Christ, that does not produce the fruits of the Spirit of Christ.
They were saved, but still fleshly, not spiritual.
No such thing. There is no such thing as a "carnal" Christian. Don't let people fool you with that bad teaching.
A good tree does not produce evil fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit.
If they were not saved, Paul wouldn't expect them to be anything more than "mere men."
Paul exposes the unsaved as acting like "mere men," as being "natural," not spiritual and therefore unable to discern spiritual truths, because they functioned according to the "wisdom of men," rather than according to the indwelling Spirit of God.
2:13 and 2:5 have different contexts. In 2:5, Paul is still talking about them about when he came to them originally. Verse 6 talks about what Paul did NOT teach to them, namely the wisdom spoken of among the mature, and that context remains through chapter three. There is a contrast in v2:6.
I disagree with your exegesis.
Throughout Chapters One through Three, Paul compares carnality to spirituality; natural man versus spiritual believer; human wisdom rather than spiritual discernment. The reason he addresses and makes these comparisons is not all within the church had responded with true, saving faith to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not all had been given the "mind of Christ." And dissensions and divisions were the result.
Um... those were the Galatians, not the Corinthians. If the Corinthians were worshiping idols, then they were worshiping Peter and Apollos and Paul.
Paul's messages to the various visible churches is consistent. Even though circumstances might have been different from church to church, the gospel message is the same. And indeed, the Corinthians had made personal idols out of Peter, Apollos, and Paul, which required Paul's corrections and exhortations.
Except that Paul never conveys the idea of a "visible" or "invisible" church. That's a Calvinist construct invented to try to refute Scripture.
No, it is not. This truth is found in Scripture in many places. Examples are revealed throughout the O.T. starting with Cain and Abel. Paul teaches about the contrast between the earthly son and the spiritual son, both born of Abraham:
"He who was of the bondwoman (Ishmael) was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman (Isaac) through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar . . for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children . . but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. . .Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. . . So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free." Galatians 4:23-31
The spiritual seed of Abraham constitute the invisible body of Christ, and this passage details the inhabitants of invisible church:
"You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of justified men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." Hebrews 12:22-24
This is the city (the kingdom of God) that Abraham sought by faith:
"For he (Abraham) waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God . . .For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:16
"Then I, John, saw the holy city, 'New Jerusalem', coming down from out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." Rev. 21:2&3
These are a few descriptions of the existent, invisible, heavenly church body of Jesus Christ.
However, you have left yourself twisting in the wind... again... Maybe you should pray about this.
Muz
Why don't we pray about these things together? O.K.?
Nang
(not twisting at all)
