Who is Paul referring to when he calls the Corinthians 'carnal'?
Paul is referring to saved believers in Christ who remain fleshly minded. They have been born again and placed into the Body of Christ, but they are still controlled by the Old Adam rather than the Holy Spirit. Spiritually weak, they are babes needing milk, not solid food.
Les explains that the word “carnal” in this passage speaks of believers who have not really come out of the fleshly experience and are still under the control of the Old Adam rather than the Holy Spirit. This differs from Romans chapter 8, where Paul uses “carnal” of the unsaved individual, who is carnal because he is still of the flesh. Here, however, Paul is speaking of believers who are saved and in Christ, but still so weak spiritually that he calls them babes. They were still steeped in the flesh, yet Paul calls them believers who have been born again and placed into the Body of Christ, though they remained fleshly minded.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
More Questions
Were the carnal Corinthians that Paul called babes actually believers?
The Corinthians Paul called carnal, fleshly, and babes were still genuinely believers who were in Christ and in the Body of Christ, even though they were carnal and had a long way to go.
What does 'carnal' mean in Romans 8 compared to 1 Corinthians 3?
In Romans chapter 8 Paul uses the word 'carnal' of the unsaved individual, who is carnal because he is still of the flesh, unlike the usage in 1 Corinthians where he speaks of saved believers.