This is silly. Paul most certainly was speaking about the Corinthian believer's spiritual identity. As he wrote, the Corinthian believers were both spiritually infantile and in Christ. Why didn't he just say they were like babies, if he never intended to indicate they were saved, that is, in Christ? Obviously, because they actually were in Christ and so it was perfectly appropriate to say so. It's kind of appalling the lengths to which you are going to twist Scripture to your way of thinking. Yikes.
Actually, the "
Secure in One' Sin Salvationist" has to twist a very large number of verses to make their sin and still be saved doctrine work, dear sir. While we are initially and ultimately saved by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), God's grace is not a license for immorality (Jude 1:4); God's grace teaches us to deny ungodliness, and that we should live righteously and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11-12). Jesus said that a person is in danger of being cast bodily into hellfire if they were to look upon a woman in lust (Matthew 5:28-30). Jesus said if we will not forgive, we will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:15). Jesus said the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8). The apostle John after the cross said that whoever hates his brother is like a murderer, and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15).
In fact, the Bible teaches that certain sins can separate us from God from Matthew to Revelation (Matthew 5:28-30) (Matthew 6:15) (Matthew 12:37) (Matthew 25:31-46) (Luke 9:62) (1 John 3:15) (Galatians 5:19-21) (Revelation 21:8).
The Bible teaches that obedience to certain commands of God are tied to eternal life from Matthew to Revelation (See Matthew 19:17-19) (Luke 10:25-28) (1 John 1:7) (1 John 3:23) (Hebrews 5:9) (Revelation 22:14).
Anyways, getting back to 1 Corinthians 3:1.
Let's read it again with some context.
1 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 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." (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).
Lets re-word the first verse using a different scenario.
Rick looks at the crowd of adult men and he grabs the podium, and yells:
"My fellow citizens, I cannot speak unto you now as if you were already mature adult men, but I speak unto you as if you were sinful carnal people, and I speak to you as if you were little babies or children."
Okay. Let's examine this. Does this mean that the adult men in the crowd were actually babies? No. It means that their behavior was sinful, and Rick (the speaker) had to speak to them in a way as if they were babies. Rick had to speak to them like babies so that they could understand. Rick is not saying they are literally babies because in reality they are adult men.
Why else would Paul say that he gave them milk instead of meat according to verse 2? It was not that they were literally spiritual babies who were truly growing in Christ like they should have grown, but Paul had to speak to them as if they were babies. Paul was focused on the manner or way in which he had to speak to them and he was not declaring to them their identity in Christ or neither was he declaring their salvation status when he said that he has to speak to them as babies in Christ. If Paul wanted to declare that their identity was as being spiritual babies who are secure in Christ (and suggest that they were saved despite being carnal), instead of focusing in the manner in the way he was speaking to them he would have said this:
"And I, brethren, [declare unto you that you are babes in Christ, and blood bought by the Lamb; However, because you are babies] I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:1) (The OSAS Expanded Altered Version of the Bible).
So as we see in the above altered verse, this is what it would have to say in order for it to be in the way that you desire. I imagine you could write your own OSAS Expanded Altered Version of the Bible to say the above here, but I would not advise it. There are serious warnings to adding to God's Word.
Note to any onlooking readers of this forum: The brackets in blue in the verse above (1 Corinthians 3:1) are not a part of any actual real Bible. They were only added as an example to expose a wrong belief that does not exist in the Scriptures.
Let's keep reading to expose your wrong belief on this text here:
1 Corinthians 3:3 says,
"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 Corinthians 3:3).
As I pointed out before, Paul calls them "carnal" and Paul writes in Romans 8 that the carnal mind is at enmity against God and the carnal mind is death, whereas the spiritual minded is life and peace; Yet, those in the flesh cannot please God (See: Romans 8:6-8).
So are those who are carnally minded, in the flesh, and cannot please God are going to Heaven?
Really!?
Furthermore, Paul lists that the Corinthians have the sins of "envying," and "strife" among them in 1 Corinthians 3:3. This is a serious problem for them spiritually because Paul says in another place to the Galatians that they which do such sins such as "strife," and "envyings" shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.
"
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told
you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
(Galatians 5:19-21).
Jesus said to those brethren who helped the poor in this life that they will "
INHERIT THE KINGDOM." This means that "
inherit the kingdom" mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 is dealing with salvation.
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" (Matthew 25:34).
So the Corinthians who are committing the sins of "
envying", and "
strife" as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:3 are not going to inherit the kingdom of God because these sins are clearly condemned in Galatians 5:19-21.
Why does calling them "babes in Christ" necessarily mean he would be calling them new converts? Why couldn't "babes in Christ" simply mean they were spiritually immature, like the Christians described in Hebrews 5:12? This is, in fact, what I believe he meant when Paul used the phrase "babes in Christ." He certainly takes pains throughout the rest of the chapter to indicate that he believed the Corinthian believers were truly born-again brethren.
Hebrews is another topic entirely that I could go on for at great length. Certain commentators say that the problem with the Hebrew Christians is that they were thinking that they could go back to the Old Jewish religion to avoid persecution for Christ. Both OSAS proponents and Conditional Salvationists agree with that this was a possibility of what most likely happened and it does clarify what the author of Hebrews was warning the Hebrew Christians about. But we do not get any indication that they were sinning, but that they were in danger of sinning, whereby it would then harden their heart and make them to depart from the living God (Hebrews 3). So their lack of growth spiritually was not mingled with the fact that they were committing sins like "strife," and "envying" which is clearly condemned as sins for a person who will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).
You said:
Nope. In context (verses 38-40), these verses you've cited are speaking of "tares," false converts, sown into the "field" of the Church by the devil, not truly born-again children of God.
Obviously those who are tares do not think they are tares but they think they are the wheat or the real deal. The problem you have to deal with is that these tares are IN CHRIST's KINGDOM and then at the Judgment, they will gathered out of Christ's Kingdom by Christ's angels and thrown into the furnace of fire because they "offend" (make others to sin), and they work iniquity (i.e. they work sin or lawlessness). Anyone who is sinning in Christ's kingdom is a tare.
Anyways, if I feel God wants me to continue to debate with you (When I have more time), the rest of your misinterpretations of Scripture to defend a "sin and still be saved" doctrine will have to wait and be addressed at a later time (Lord willing).
May God's goodness be upon you (even if we disagree strongly about the topic of "Sin and Salvation.").
Side Note:
Oh, and yes; I am aware that Galatians 4:11 is written to the Galatian Christians. My point is that it was a related scenario in that Paul's labor in the gospel would be in vain for the Galatian believers by their bewitchment to another gospel. Those who were bewitched in Galatia by going back to the Old Law were dead spiritually. The Corinthians were facing a similar problem in that they were being deceived by the deceitfulness of sin (like "strife", and "envying," etc.). They were dead spiritually by abiding in certain sins. Paul was again concerned that his labor in the gospel was in vain concerning the Corinthians because of their sin. This is why he gave them a parable. The Corinthians were the wood, the hay, and the stubble that was the work Paul help to create that would be burned up and yet he (Paul - the soul winner or gospel planter) himself would be saved through the fire. For if any man (including the Corinthians) defiles the temple of God (via by their sin), they will be destroyed by God.
