Tony Evans: The Carnal Christian
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False teaching has always been in the Christian church. In the first century church the doctrine of Jezebel (Rev. 2) crept into the minds of unwary believers. And in contemporary Christian circles spurious doctrine assumes the form of a cadaverous crossbreed dubbed the “carnal Christian.”
The popular and respected Dr. Tony Evans perpetuates this dangerous teaching. The quotations of Dr. Evans found in this article come from his booklet entitled The Carnal Christian. In opposition to Christian church history, but in keeping with his university, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dr. Evans gleans his “carnal Christian” teaching from first Corinthians chapter three:
“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” 1 Cor 3:1-3
“Notice that Paul calls them brethren,” wrote Dr. Evans, “which means that he believed they were a part of the family of God…it is possible,” insists the learned Dr. Evans, “to be on your way to heaven but be of no earthly good because you compromise your faith.” Tony Evans is correct dear reader, Paul did call the Corinthians “brethren” and this does indeed mean “that he believed they were a part of the family of God.” From this passage, however, Tony Evans dives headlong into a gurgling cauldron of scripturally unfounded assertions:
- “Simply defined, carnality is a spiritual state in which a born-again Christian knowingly, willingly, intentionally and persistently lives to please and serve self rather than Jesus Christ.”
- “Committed Christians may fall into sin, but a carnal Christian bathes in it. He has the mindset, motivation and methodology of sin.”
Because Paul called the Corinthians “brethren” and “carnal” (or worldly) does it follow that they had the option to remain such and still enter the kingdom of God as Tony Evans assumes? The answer is plainly - No. Carnality was not an option for the Corinthians or for us. Paul’s rebuke to the “carnal” in 1 Corinthians 3 is further clarified later in the same book (though Dr. Evans does not mention it):
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Cor 6:9-10
The “carnal Christian” isn’t taught in the bible and not even a hint of this doctrine may be seen in any confession or teacher that I have studied. It’s not found in the Ante-Nicene writings, the Westminster Confession or the Baptist Confession of 1689. Neither is it found in the works of Luther, Arminius, Calvin, Edwards, Whitefield, Wesley or Finney. Dr. Anthony T. Evans’ “carnal Christian” is fantasy not theology.
