There are not two classes of Christians, one holy and one carnal. Such an idea is absurd nonsense. The Bible teaches no such thing!
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 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. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" 1 Cor. 3:1-4, KJV
You could read 'worldly' here, which would work, but the Greek word sarkikos (σαρκικός) means "fleshly; having the nature of the flesh," and by implication, "unregenerate." To say you can be a Christian and yet be of the flesh is demonstrative of not knowing a thing about Scripture and what it teaches. What was it the Apostle Paul said again?
"So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Rom. 8:12-14).
As if that was not enough, how about when Scripture declares these things?
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matt. 6:24
"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Tim. 6:10
"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me." John 15:18-21
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Rom. 12:2
"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4
"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17
"Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13
Loving the Father in 1 John 2:15 and doing the will of God in verse 17 are not separate things. If you love God, you will love what He wills. It is nothing but empty talk to claim that you love God but not to love what He loves. No reasonable person buys stock in a company that is sure to go bankrupt, and verse 17 informs us that the world is passing away. The idea of a carnal Christian is an oxymoron; it is contradictory. Those who teach and believe in carnal Christianity have these facts to contend with:
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." Matt. 7:13
"For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Rom. 8:13
"Abstain from every form of evil." 1 Thess. 5:22
"Strive for peace with all men, and that holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Heb. 12:14
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:6-7
"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'" John 8:12
Scripture does not hold any punches. It says you are either all in, or you are all out; there is no fence-sitting. You are either a Christian or you are not. Those who typically attempt to argue for "carnal Christianity" tend to utilize
the "sin argument," trying to make excuses for themselves and defend
some sin pattern in their life they do not want to repent of. Sometimes a
good, hard look at what Scripture says about the Christian is needed so
that we can examine ourselves and see if we are truly in the faith.
Because Scripture makes it clear that we can be deceived about this.
Do not think so? Read Matthew 7:21-23. It is impossible to be an unregenerate Christian.
We have all been taught that we are saved by faith, but we have not been taught, or even taught well, the relationship between trusting Jesus, loving Jesus, and obeying Jesus? You cannot trust Jesus (have faith in Him) if you do not love Jesus, and you cannot love Jesus if you do not obey Jesus. Every New Testament author sees these things as connected. Trusting Jesus, loving Jesus, and obeying Jesus are inseparable. They are all the path to eternal life because they are the same path! How many times does Scripture need to state something for it to be true? For those who think you can be less than the Bible declares a Christian to be and simply be a nominal "Christian" only, self-righteously trying to defend sin patterns in your life you have been commanded to repent of, contend with these statements:
"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.'" John 8:31"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:15"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." John 14:21"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.'" John 14:23-24"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." John 15:10-15"By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." 1 John 2:3-6"Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." 1 John 3:21-24"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. " 1 John 5:3
"And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it." 2 John 1:6
If we are truly and genuinely Christians, according to 1 John 5:3, our love for Jesus overcomes the obstacles of disobedience and makes His commandments a joy to keep rather than a burden. Similarly, according to verse 4, our faith in Jesus overcomes the obstacles of disobedience and makes His commandments a joy to keep rather than a burden. Both faith and love. Faith toward Jesus and love for God. Faith and love are a part of each other; faith which loves God and love which trusts God. If you do not love Jesus and trust in Jesus, then of course His commandments will be a burden to you, and you will continue in your disobedience because you are not a Christian. You think you are a Christian, but every line of Scripture says otherwise.