What does the word carnal normally mean when applied to the lost?
When applied to the lost, carnal normally means a person still under the control of old Adam, still in the flesh, and possessing nothing of eternal life. Such a person is fleshly minded, and to be carnally minded is death—spiritual death, eternal—because he remains condemned without the Son.
Les explains that sometimes Paul speaks of a carnal Christian, a carnal believer who is not Spirit-filled or Spirit-directed. That person is a believer, in the body of Christ, but has mixed-up priorities and is still more in the flesh than in the Spirit. But normally when we see the word carnal, we think of the lost individual, the one still under the control of old Adam, still in the flesh, with nothing of eternal life in him whatsoever. To be carnally or fleshly minded is death. This matches Jesus' words in John's gospel: he that hath the Son hath life; he who hath not the Son hath not life, and the wrath of God abideth on him; he is condemned already. These lost people are headed in only one direction: spiritual death, eternal.
More Questions
What does carnal normally mean in the Bible?
Normally the word 'carnal' refers to a lost person who is still under the control of old Adam, still in the flesh, and has no eternal life in him whatsoever.