Who is 1 Corinthians talking about when it calls people carnal?
It refers to believers who are saved and in Christ but remain fleshly minded, still controlled by the Old Adam rather than the Holy Spirit. They are spiritually weak babes needing milk, not solid food, because they have not matured in the Word.
Les explains that in 1 Corinthians, 'carnal' describes 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. By contrast, in Romans 8, Paul uses 'carnal' for the unsaved individual. Here, however, he speaks of saved believers who are in Christ but still so weak spiritually that he calls them babes. He fed them with milk, not solid food, because they were not ready. Les emphasizes God expects growth from His children, and the Corinthians remained steeped in the flesh even though they were believers, born again, and placed into the Body of Christ.
More Questions
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.