Dynamics

In I Corinthians 3, Paul identifies carnality as living like an unsaved person even though they are believers of Christ.

Carnality = Being ruled by the flesh

• “You are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”
  — 1 Corinthians 3:3

A carnal believer:

• Believes in Christ and Bible

• But lives by natural impulses

• Reflects the world more than Christ

• Reacts emotionally rather than spiritually

Signs of Carnality (from 1 Corinthians 3):

• Jealousy

• Strife / arguments

• Division / factions

• Immaturity in understanding (v.1)

• Unable to handle “solid food” of the Word (v.2)

• Exalting human leaders over Christ (v.4–7)

Carnal Christians are “babes in Christ” (v.1)—spiritually alive but not spiritually mature.

In I Corinthians 2, Paul describes a spiritual person as someone who:

1. Receives understanding from the Holy Spirit

• “The things of God no one knows except the Spirit of God… the spiritual man judges all things.”
  — 1 Corinthians 2:11, 15

The spiritual person:

• Thinks with the mind of Christ (v.16)

• Discerns truth from error

• Responds to situations based on God’s wisdom

• Lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit

• Receives revelation of Scripture, not just information
  
  

2. Walks by God’s wisdom—not human wisdom

• “Your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
  — 1 Corinthians 2:5

Spiritual believers depend on:

• God’s leading

• God’s wisdom

• God’s power

• God’s Word

Not on:

• Human logic

• Natural reasoning

• Emotions

1. Discover — “Faith Begins With Hearing”

In this phase a person is learning, listening, and exploring the truth of God’s Word. Their heart is opening but not yet fully accepted or practicing or surrendered to the Word of God. This is the stage of spiritual curiosity, questions, and early conviction.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” — Romans 10:17

Key Idea: Exposure to God’s truth awakens faith.

2. Embrace — “Receive the Word Into Your Heart”

Here, the person is no longer just listening—they begin to accept Scripture as true and personally meaningful. Their faith becomes personal, and they start trusting God’s promises. They are moving from information to transformation.

“Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” — James 1:21

Key Idea: God’s Word is planted inside and begins changing the heart.

3. Practice — “Do What the Word Says”

This is where real spiritual maturity forms. Instead of only believing the Word, the believer now lives it out in daily life—choices, habits, character, relationships. They become doers of the Word, not hearers only.

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” — James 1:22

Key Idea: Faith expresses itself through obedience and consistent action.

4. Surrender — “A Life Fully Yielded to God”

This is the highest level of spiritual maturity. The believer gives every area of life—desires, decisions, schedule, ambitions—fully to God. They do not resist His will but follow joyfully. This is where transformation becomes visible to others.

“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice… be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — Romans 12:1–2

Key Idea: Surrender produces Spirit-led living and maximum spiritual fruit.

The apostle Paul openly confessed that he experienced a deep inner battle between his carnal nature (flesh) and his spiritual nature. Though saved, Spirit-filled, and called by God, Paul still felt the pull of sinful tendencies. This reveals a universal Christian truth: spiritual maturity does not eliminate the struggle—it transforms how we fight it.

1. Paul Recognized the War Inside Him

Paul describes an internal conflict between two forces:

• The flesh (carnality) pulling him toward sin

• The Spirit drawing him toward obedience

Romans 7:15
“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.”

Paul is saying: “There are moments I want to serve God, but my flesh works against me.”

2. He Admitted That His Flesh Was Constantly Tempting Him

Paul speaks honestly about the presence of sin still at work within him:

Romans 7:18
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.”

This is the stage where carnality still tries to dominate—but spiritual desire is also rising.

3. He Identified the Root Problem: The Sin Nature

Paul explains that even though he desires righteousness, a law of sin tries to pull him back.

Romans 7:23
“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind… bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.”

This is not an excuse—it's awareness, which is the beginning of victory.

4. Paul Felt the Weight of the Struggle

His battle led him to cry out for rescue from this internal conflict:

Romans 7:24
“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

He recognized: “I cannot win against my flesh by my own strength.”

5. Paul Found Victory Through Christ and the Spirit

Paul immediately declares the solution: Jesus Christ and life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 7:25
“Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

And then he goes further:

Romans 8:1–2
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus… For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

This means: Carnality loses its power when the Holy Spirit takes leadership in the believer’s life.

6. Paul Taught How to Move From Carnality to Spirituality

Paul explains that walking in the Spirit is the only way to stop fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Paul does not claim perfection—he models progress, surrender, and dependence on Christ.

7. Why Paul’s Struggle Encourages Us Today

Paul's honesty shows:

• Even the strongest believers struggle

• The struggle is not a sign of failure but of spiritual life

• Victory is possible only through the Holy Spirit

• Spiritual maturity grows through surrender, not self-effort

His life mirrors our journey from Discover → Embrace → Practice → Surrender.

Forgiveness is a core expression of spiritual maturity, yet believers grow into it in stages—much like every other area of discipleship. This table outlines how two believers relate to one another in forgiveness as they move through four phases of spiritual growth: Discover, Embrace, Practice, and Surrender. Each phase reveals different challenges, reactions, and opportunities for grace.

In early stages, believers may understand the truth of forgiveness but struggle to apply it (James 1:22). As they mature, they learn to confess honestly, forgive consistently, and walk in love (Colossians 3:13). At the highest level—Surrender—both believers yield fully to the Spirit, extending forgiveness freely, just as Christ forgave them (Ephesians 4:32).

This table helps identify where each person stands, why certain relational tensions occur, and how God uses each stage to form Christlike humility, unity, and spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22–23).

Holiness is not instant perfection but a progressive work of God in the life of a believer. Scripture teaches that believers are positionally holy in Christ, yet are called to grow experientially in holiness through obedience and surrender (1 Corinthians 1:2; Hebrews 12:14).

This table shows how holiness is expressed relationally between Person A and Person B as each moves through the four spiritual phases: Discover, Embrace, Practice, and Surrender. Tensions often arise not because holiness is wrong, but because believers are at different levels of spiritual responsiveness to truth.

Just like forgiveness, holiness matures through conviction, discipline, humility, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. This table helps explain why misunderstanding, pressure, encouragement, or harmony can occur between believers at different stages of holiness.

1. Biblical Foundation

• Jesus said: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)

• This isn’t just about His presence; it implies that spiritual growth and accountability are tested in relational contexts.

• Family & Fellowship is a space where faith is practically exercised, not just theoretically believed.

2. Spirituality vs. Isolation

• Alone, a believer can often appear spiritually strong because there is no one to provoke reactions, test patience, or expose weaknesses.

True character is often revealed not in solitude, but in interaction with others—in family, fellowship, and community.

3. Importance of Family & Fellowship

• Family is God’s first “classroom” for growth:

  • Patience is tested.

  • Forgiveness is required.

  • Love must be practiced daily.
    
    

• Fellowship extends that practice beyond the family:

  • Encourages unity and accountability.

  • Provides opportunities to serve and sacrifice.

  • Challenges pride, selfishness, and hypocrisy.
    
    

4. Where Rubber Meets the Road

• True spirituality is not just private devotion or emotional experiences, but how one behaves in community:

  • Can you love when someone irritates you?

  • Can you forgive when someone offends you?

  • Can you serve when it’s inconvenient?

• These are the real tests of spiritual maturity, because they reveal whether faith is genuine and transformative or merely theoretical.
  
  

5. Fellowship as Spiritual Gymnasium

• Just like muscles grow under stress, spiritual maturity grows when tested in relationships:

  • • Conflict, disagreement, and differing opinions become opportunities to practice humility, patience, and grace.

    • Serving and sacrificing in community develops Christlike character that cannot be fully developed in isolation.

Some are in Phase 1: Discover

• Core Dynamic: Awareness and recognition of a gap, problem, or truth by the touch of God.

• Experience: The individual becomes conscious of brokenness, limitation, or need for change.

• Impact: This phase creates clarity and motivation. Without discovering the issue, progress cannot begin.

• Connection: Leads naturally to Embrace, because awareness sparks the choice to respond.

Some are in Phase 2: Embrace

• Core Dynamic: Acceptance and willingness to confront reality.

• Experience: The person engages with the issue rather than denying it—embracing the process of growth, healing, or obedience.

• Impact: This phase allows transformation to start; it breaks resistance and opens the heart/mind to change.

• Connection: Linked to Practice through intentionality—embracing is not enough without active application.

Some are in Phase 3: Practice

• Core Dynamic: Consistent action and application of new truths or behaviors.

• Experience: The individual develops discipline, skills, or habits by repeatedly choosing the right response or action and discerning the voice of God.

• Impact: This phase solidifies growth, turning understanding and acceptance into lived reality.

• Connection: Moves toward Surrender as persistent practice reveals limits of self-effort and the need for deeper reliance.

Some are in Phase 4: Surrender

• Core Dynamic: Complete trust, yielding, or letting go of personal control.

• Experience: The individual fully submits to Holy Spirit guidance, and acknowledging dependence and doing the perfect will of God.

• Impact: This phase brings maturity, freedom, and often peace—growth is no longer effort-driven but grace & truth - driven.

• Connection: Loops back to Discover, because surrender often uncovers deeper truths and awareness for the next level of growth.

The four phases form a cyclical dynamic of growth:

• Discover → awareness of what is broken or lacking.

• Embrace → acceptance and engagement with reality.

• Practice → repeated actions and discipline, building stability.

• Surrender → yielding to a higher wisdom, resulting in transformation.
  
  

This cycle can repeat at deeper levels, as each surrender leads to new discoveries, fostering ongoing transformation and spiritual maturity.

• True spirituality is relational. The presence of Jesus in gatherings is not just a comfort—it is a divine enablement to grow through testing.

• Family and fellowship reveal the depth of faith, and practicing godly virtues in community is where faith is refined, proven, and matured.

1. Recognizing Individual Phases

• Every person is at a different point in their spiritual or personal growth cycle—Discover, Embrace, Practice, Surrender.

• Understanding where someone is helps us respond appropriately rather than reacting from our own expectations or impatience.
  
  

2. Guiding and Exhorting Wisely

• When we know a person is in the Discover phase, we can gently illuminate truths and raise awareness.

• Someone in Embrace needs encouragement to accept and confront challenges, not just theoretical advice.

• In the Practice phase, patience is key, as they are building habits and consistency.

• Those in Surrender may need support to let go fully and trust, rather than pressure to act prematurely.
  
  

3. Exercising Patience and Love

• Awareness of phases prevents frustration when growth isn’t immediate.

• It allows us to walk alongside others with empathy, knowing transformation is a process.

• We learn to celebrate small victories, forgive missteps, and love people through their journey.
  
  

4. Learning from Each Other

• Each phase offers unique lessons for the community (family & fellowship):

  • Discoverers teach us curiosity and openness.

  • Embracers teach courage and vulnerability.

  • Practitioners show discipline and perseverance.

  • Those who Surrender model trust and humility.

• A mature community is built on mutual learning, encouragement, and love, where everyone contributes and grows together.
  
  

Conclusion

• Understanding each other’s phases is the heart of relational wisdom.

• It transforms gatherings from casual meetings into a nurturing environment where faith, character, and love are tested and strengthened.