The myth of the carnal Christian

Does God hope, wish, and keep his fingers crossed wanting things to happen or does he ordain and cause things he decrees to happen? Does he regenerate and sanctify with power or does he hope believers will become disciples? Is it possible for a genuine Christian to reject following Christ and be all carnal all the time? Connect the dots……………

Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Isaiah 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Romans 8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I believe sanctification is fueled by grace from God that man is active in and responsive to. The N.T. is packed full of passages exhorting us to be involved in sanctification such as Rom. 8:9-17. Upon connecting these dots with the passages such as Phil. 1:6 and John 6:37 we learn that God does not fail in sanctifying true believers. He is 100% successful and will lose none who are his. In John 17 Jesus prayed to God that he would sanctify his disciples. It is inconceivable that God would not answer this prayer. To believe that it is possible for a true believer not to experience any sanctification defies Scripture, insults the power of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, and means that the high priestly prayer of Jesus went unanswered. Anyone professing faith in Jesus who totally rejects being obedient, loving, and following Christ has not been regenerated and is in need of genuine faith. If they are all carnal all of the time (Rom. 8:8) then they are not saved period. True Christians may be carnal at times, slip, fall, sin and are not perfect, but they are not controlled by the sinful nature although the 'old man' is still causing problems in their lives. The will feel convicted when they sin and will experience true repentance because of the new nature they received at regeneration.