In our last essay we looked at what we mean by a Christian mind and how we can begin to develop one. You will remember that we discussed the six marks of a Christian mind as described by Harry Blamires in his important book.

We move on now to begin to understand the contrast between the Christian mind and the carnal mind. It is my hope that we can paint a clear picture for each of us of what our carnal mind is like and why we must abandon it.

The Carnal Mind

In Romans 8:7 we read: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” We talked about this verse a few weeks ago, and you will remember that we said that the word enmity here means opposed to, hatred of, or actively hostile to. In other words, the carnal mind is the opposite of the Christian mind. It is a mind which is actively hostile to God, bent on worshipping something or someone else.

So taking Blamires’ six marks of a Christian mind and turning them around we find that a carnal mind is marked by:

1] It has a “this world only” orientation. A prime mark of the carnal mind is that its understanding and orientation is rooted in this world and this world alone. (Psa. 10:4- “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.“) It does not allow for the existence of any other outside of itself. Eternity is in none of his thoughts. “Grab all you can now, you only go around once!” is its motto. Implicit in all its judgments then is the belief that what we are experiencing directly with our senses here and now is the heart and totality of all things. All of its judgments, references, and experiences are understood has having only a temporal, or here and now, orientation and meaning.

2] Evil is a product of social, environmental, or economic repression and thus it is correctable. The carnal mind recognizes no evil in the world itself or in people themselves. What evil we see in the world is a product of social forces and bad childhoods. Man is seen as inherently good and if he does go bad he can be educated or brought back to good.

Problems and especially problems in people are the result of forces outside of them. Thus we are all victims, and the evil men do cannot be blamed on them, but on the forces around them that caused them to do it.

The carnal mind sees the individual as the center of the universe, and whatever the individual wants or whatever makes him feel good is ok as long as it does not infringe on the happiness of others.

Good and evil are thus situational, and the standard of right and wrong is what works.

3] It’s conception of truth is relative or utilitarian. Because truth is constructed in nature it may be constructed to suit our needs or our desired ends. The ends justify the means.

This being the case truth is subjective. It is constructed on an as needed basis, and often by the vote of the majority. It is ultimately a matter of personal choice- our likes and dislikes.

For the carnal mind religious convictions are constructed in this world by human beings and often used by some to manipulate others. It is only a matter of personal preference related to personal need and taste. My god is just as valid as your god. God is worshiped because we want or need something from him.

4] It is its own authority. For the carnal mind authority is something whose grip you grow out of, something your break away from as you develop your own internal authority. Outside authority is something you view with suspicion, and something which must be resisted in order to limit its operations or influence in our lives. It is something whose only hold over the individual is through force and fear. Might makes right.

The great goal of the carnal mind is to free itself from any outside authority. To judge everything for itself, to test everything to see if it is true, to test every boundary to see its strength; these are the great tasks of the carnal mind. Like Adam of old, it seeks to establish itself as the supreme judge of all nature and of nature’s god.

If God speaks through His Word every sentence must be challenged and picked apart, every supposed error exposed, every command twisted to suit the carnal mind’s purposes and needs. The carnal mind will suffer no competitors in its quest for complete dominance.

5] It has a high regard only for self. To the carnal mind no one else has the same importance as self. No one else is worthy of time, thought, attention, or affection. One only gives these to others when it fulfills a personal need, achieves a desired end, or it provides a direct benefit to self.

Human nature, outside of self, is never respected, nor is it to be trusted. Life is not sacred unless it is self’s. Personal pleasures, wants, needs, and desires take precedence over others and their wants, needs and desires. Life is all about me and what I want or need.

Part and parcel with love of self is a love for things. Materialism, covetousness, and vanity occupy much of the carnal mind. Self-esteem is often seen in relation to the amount of material goods or personal power one can achieve. It has accepted the idea of the possession of material goods, or the exercise of personal or financial power as a pattern of significance.

6] It has a secular, worldly, or material cast. That is to say that it compartmentalizes life and responds to each according to what works, what gives personal peace or pleasure, or what wins it the shallow esteem of men.

The various areas of life are to be bent to suit the needs or desires of the individual. Whatever works is right and good. The ends justify the means.

Truth, beauty, and love are personally determined, and exist to serve the needs and desires of the carnal mind.

We have only had time this morning to skim the surface of these ideas. They are eternally important to us as we work to apply the faith given us by God. I hope I have whetted your appetite for more.

We are witnessing a great battle in our day between the forces of the carnal mind and that of the Christian mind. The antithesis is becoming more and more apparent to everyone. The juxtaposition of Mel Gibson’s movie about Christ and the blatant power move on the part of the sodomites to overwhelm God’s established order for marriages give us a vivid picture of this antithesis.

We might be tempted to circle the wagons, both mentally and spiritually and just wait for God to save us out of this mess. But we have been called to more than this. We have been called to develop and use our minds for His glory. We must deepen and clarify our Christian commitment at the intellectual and social levels, so as to meet the challenges of secularism’s attack on personal morality and the life of the soul. We must work to turn back secularism’s truncated and perverted view of the meaning of life and the purpose of man.