Should Christians and Heathens Think the SAME Way?

Are Christians out of their  Minds?!

By Brother Michel Lankford

As it is written: 

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5–8, NASB95)

It is a common belief within modern Christian circles that Paul the apostle SUPPOSEDLY taught that Christians should no longer subject themselves to the Law of God.

The BIG PROBLEM is that even Paul the apostle taught that it is the CARNAL MIND that DOES NOT subject itself to the Law of God. (Which means by contrast, that a mind that is truly controlled by the Holy Spirit SHOULD in fact subject itself to the Law of God; cf. Ezekiel 36:25-27; Philippians 2:13).

Paul also taught that the CARNAL mindset was hostile against God. This mindset could not please God, and this mindset leads to DEATH, and NOT LIFE.

Paul wrote this to a mixed congregation of Hebrew born and Gentile born believers in Messiah who were in Rome.

Paul wrote this more than 20 years AFTER Messiah's death and resurrection.

The modern Christian doctrine has at least TWO HUGE problems when compared against Romans 8:5-8:

First, IF Paul was truly teaching that Christians should NOT subject themselves to God's Law, then by HIS OWN WORDS, he would also be teaching Christians to be carnal minded. Hewould be teaching Christians to be hostile AGAINST God. He would be teaching Christians NOT to PLEASE God. And, he would be teaching Christians to operate in a mindset which PAUL himself declared; it leads to DEATH and NOT life. That is a huge dilemma for the Christian, which they would prefer to ignore.

The second problem is that the modern Christian doctrine has created an IMPOSSIBLE dynamic. Think about it. According to Paul's own words in Romans 8:5-8, the person controlled by their sinful nature or the carnal mind does not, and CANNOT subject themselves to the Law of God. They are not able to do so. So the unregenerate carnalminded sinner does not and cannot subject himself to theLaw of God.

Now according to the modern Christian doctrine the born-again Christian SUPPOSEDLY must not subject himself to the Law of God; supposedly because that's what it means to be under grace.

What most modern Christians fail to realize is that this creates a dynamic where the unregenerate carnal minded heathen, AND the born-again Christian end up operating in the exact SAME mindset, (IF their doctrine were correct). Think about it. The unregenerate carnal minded heathen does not subject himself to the Law of God because he cannot do so. The modern born-again Christian does not submit to the Law of God because he has been trained to believe that under grace, he must not do so.

IF the modern Christian doctrine were correct, that would mean that the unregenerate carnal minded heathen, and the born-again Christian would end up operating in the EXACT SAME mindset. Neither one submits to God's Law. Neither one obeys God's instructions. Both ignore what God has said. The modern Christian doctrine has created a dynamic where there is virtually NO REAL DIFFERENCE between the mindset of a carnal minded heathen, and the mindset of the born-again Christian. Both endup disregarding God's Instructions equally. The carnal minded person ignores God's instructions, because he can't subject himself to God's Law. The modern Christian ignores God's instructions, because he has been trained to believe that this is what it means to be under grace. So essentially there is no difference between the way a carnal minded sinner thinks, and the way a modern Christian thinks. Both IGNORE God's Instructions. Does anyone else notice  a GLARING problem here?

Brother Michel Lankford