Will carnal Christians be raptured and counted blameless when Jesus returns?
Yes. Even the carnal believer, as most Corinthians were, will be taken up when the Lord comes and will be considered blameless because they are under the blood of Christ. This standing rests not on human faithfulness but on God's faithfulness; He never forsakes those He calls.
Les teaches from these verses that even the carnal believer—and most of the Corinthians were carnal—will be taken up when the Lord comes and will be considered blameless because they are under the blood of Christ. This does not rest on the Corinthians' faithfulness or ours, but on God, who is faithful. Les illustrates this with the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12: Israel broke that covenant over and over, yet it was not annulled, because a covenant originates and ends with God, and He will never break His covenants. In the same way, when God calls a person His own, saves him, and makes him part of the elect, He will never give up on him. Believers may fail miserably, but God is faithful; He will never forsake or leave them, having called them into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Les says this is the same for us today as for the Corinthians: if we have entered a genuine salvation experience, we are His and He is ours.
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
More Questions
Will carnal believers be left behind when the Lord comes, or will they be taken up too?
The idea that only spiritual believers will be taken up while carnal believers are left behind is not found in the Bible, and 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 makes plain that even the carnal believer will be taken up when the Lord comes.