Why does Paul say the Corinthian church was carnal?
Paul calls the Corinthian church carnal because it was not a spiritual church like Ephesus or Philippi but was beset with problems, especially divisions. Members claimed loyalty to different leaders—Paul, Apollos, Peter, even Christ—creating division that Paul had to address.
Les teaches that the Corinthians were still so carnal because they were not a spiritual church like Ephesus or Philippi, but a church beset with all kinds of problems. The first problems Les highlights were their divisions: some said they followed Paul, some Apollos, others Peter, and some even said they followed Christ. That division in the church had to be addressed, and as Paul addressed it he also had to defend his apostleship, since he faced constant slurs that he was an imposter and a renegade Jew. Yet Les points out that even though they were carnal and not the most spiritual, they were still co-laborers with the Apostle, which places believers today in the same role—co-laborers together to bring to fruition the eternal will of God.