Lin

“So there can be carnal Christians; the question is, where does carnal leave off and lost begin? We simply can’t always know. But anyone who seems to have a firm conviction that Jesus is God in the flesh, who died and rose again, and trusts Him completely for salvation, yet “has no works” (Rom. 4:5), will have to be considered saved. It’s the confession of faith that we have to go on.”

Carnal means flesh and 1 John would seem to teach that one cannot continue to walk in the flesh unrepentant  and consider themselves to be saved.  (I am not judging here, this stuff saved me!)

James 2

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by myworks. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?v

What about this passage in 1 John 5:
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Notice he calls this person a ‘brother’. What is a sin that leads to death?

But what about Matthew 18 process of confronting a brother who sins against you. The ‘brother’ is a professing believer and refuses to repent or even admit wrong doing.  But then this person is NOT disciplined by the church. (this is happening all over the place). What then?

These are hard questions. But for the most part, common sense tells us that those who have been professing Christ for many years will tend to  live more ‘Christian’ than not.