February 18

Read: Hebrews 12:14-17

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled (Hebrews 12:15).

What’s In A Name? (Continued)

The term sin by which we designate carnality is called race sin because it occurs in all persons of the human race. It is called inherent sin because it comes with and inheres in our fallen human nature. We call it sin in believers because carnality is not removed when our sins are forgiven; unsanctified believers still have in them this sinful tendency.

The writer of Hebrews speaks of carnality as a “root of bitterness.” It is a figure of speech that has been the basis for much holiness preaching — and with good reason. Carnality is like a root because: (1) It is sometimes not apparent and hence we may deceive ourselves that it is not there. (2) It has a life principle in it that puts forth shoots of its own kind. (3) If one would effectively get rid of the bitter shoots that spring up, he must do more than chop them off when they appear; he must get rid of the root cause: pull it up, destroy it, eradicate it.

But we must never allow our figures of speech to lead us into thinking of carnality as a physical thing. It is not like a cancer on the hand that can be cut off or a decayed tooth that can be pulled out. Such physical figures are only crutches for the imagination. Carnality is a quality of the spirit, a disposition of mind, an attitude, an inclination.

This spirit nature of carnality is clear from the evils our scripture suggests. Carnality causes trouble in the spirit of a man. Always this defilement reflects itself in wrong attitudes toward God and His people. The illustration of Esau describes a man who was conscious of making a wrong choice, and later regretting it. When we look for our clearest understanding of the sin principle and its cure, we must keep in the realm of conscious experience — or close to it.