1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
In this article, I will briefly explain the types of Christians we have in our modern churches. The reason for writing this article is that most unbelievers don't want to accept the faith of Christians due to behaviours some Christians are portraying. The ability to discern the level and maturity of a Christian gives you a detailed plan on how to live with him or her.
In every Institution there is some courses student may not study until they have reached that level. For example, when I was in level 100 at the University, I did not understand the International Accounting Standards until I reached level 400, where the lecturers taught me all the International Accounting Standards. In this situation, a student in level 100 will not understand the concepts of the International Accounting Standards until he reaches level 400.
The same principle applies to the Kingdom of God. There are some Christians who do not understand the basic principles of faith, grace, love, mercy, prayer, holiness, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, evangelism, intercession, fasting, a meditation on God’s Word, baptism of water, baptism of the Holy Spirit, sanctification, holiness, repentance, demonology, righteousness, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, spiritual power, the Holy Spirit, the law of the Spirit, spiritual warfare, the ministry, the Trinity, leadership and other relevant subjects in the Word of God.
The maturity and the level of the Christian will determine the fruit of the Christian. In this article, I will briefly explain the types of Christians. The list is as follows.
Carnal Christians
These Christians are controlled by the fruits of the flesh (See Galatians 5:19-21). They allow the desires of the flesh to dominate their spirit. Satan and his minions mostly use them to set a trap for other Christians. These Christians, most of the time, cause trouble in the church because they are not led by the Spirit of God. They will never fast and pray even if the whole church is on a spiritual journey. They enjoy the pleasure of sin because their spirit is inactive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
These Christians turn to be jealous of other people’s progress. They cause strife and divisions among the leadership of the church (See 1 Corinthians 1:12). They activate the spirit of lust in the church because of their fornication lifestyle. The remedy for these Christians is to consistently study the Word of God and connect with spirit-filled Christians.
Spirit-filled Christians
These Christians understand the Word of God accurately. They can divide the Word and teach the Word. This Christians find it difficult to sin because their spirit is fully connected to the Holy Spirit (See 1 John 3:9). They know how to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the flesh. They are characterized by the fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22-21) because they walk and live in love. These Christians have crucified the lust of the flesh and the pleasures of sin.
Their mind is connected to spiritual things. They exhibit the virtues of the Holy Spirit in all situations. One of the most excellent marks of Spirit-filled Christians is sanctification and holiness lifestyle. These Christians have set themselves apart for Jesus Christ, and they are ready to die for their faith. They love Holiness and righteousness with all their heart, strength, and body because they are full of the Holy Spirit. The key to reaching this level is sincere worship from heart unto the Lord, prayer, and consistent meditation on God’s Word.
Spirit Gifted Christians
These Christians are characterized by their ability to operate in the gift of the Holy Spirit (See 1 Corinthians 12:1-11). Their charisma is powerful and attractive. They move with the Spirit all the time because they know how to activate the power of the Holy Spirit. They know how to embark on a spiritual journey. Most often, these Christians are shallow in the Word because they operate in miracles and prophecies. It takes a mature Christian to combine the fruit and the gift of the Spirit in his spiritual life.
The Spirit gifted Christians can be proud sometimes because they are prayerful and anointed. These Christians turn to backslide and occasionally repent in their Christian walk because they are not rooted in the Word. They can connect with every anointed vessel because they know the movement of the Holy Spirit. The key to reaching this level is to desire the gift of the Holy Spirit, pray in tongues, and connect with anointed vessels of God.
Baby Christians
These are the newly converted Christians. They live by the dictates of their shepherds because they are weak in the faith. These Christians can easily backslide because their spirit is not strong enough to stand the waves of the enemy. The shepherds must continuously follow up on these Christians because they need encouragement and love in their Christian life to enable them to stand firm in the faith.
Soulish Christians
These Christians are controlled by their feelings and desires all the time. Most of the time, they are self-centred. They only think about their happiness and forget about the growth of others. When they feel like crying, they cry. When they feel like fornicating, they fornicate. When they feel like gossiping, they gossip. These Christians can hold unforgiveness in their heart all the days of their lives because they are soulish.
They turn to agree with any wind of doctrine (unbiblical doctrine). Being emotional is not evil but been oversensitive to the extent of making everybody fearful, hopeless, and sad is an evil disease. We need emotions in times of worship but not in the realm of faith because faith goes beyond feelings and emotions. Faith is when you put all your trust in the Word and act on the Word, and the Holy Spirit directs you.
Soulish Christians turn to give up when faith is needed the most. They allow their emotions to dominate their spiritual feelings (discernment and inner peace). The remedy for these Christians is to build faith in the Word by studying and hearing the Word. Soaking into anointed messages preached by ministers of God and consistently declaring the Word in their heart.
Soulish Christians turn to give up when faith is needed the most. They allow their emotions to dominate their spiritual feelings (discernment and inner peace). The remedy for these Christians is to build faith in the Word by studying and hearing the Word. Soaking into anointed messages preached by ministers of God and consistently declaring the Word in their heart.
Religious Christians
These Christians are the mouse of the church. They don’t have time to fellowship with the Holy Spirit because they are always involved in the work of God. The Word of God has not entered their heart because they follow the church blindly. They don’t know the purpose of their salvation and the reason for going to church. All they know is church activities. They have no personal encounter with the Lord. Most often, they show off their new cloth and wealth to the members of the church.
These Christians walk by the principles of the World because the Word has no root in their heart. They follow the pattern of the world because the Holy Spirit has no room in their heart. These Christians have no change of heart because they pride themselves in their good works than to rely on the saving grace and mercies of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Their motto is “I was born in this Church, and I will die in this Church.” The remedy for these Christians is to repent and build a fellowship with the Holy Spirit through spiritual songs. (See Luke 11:37-44).
Legalistic Christians
These Christians exalt the laws above the grace of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. They rely on their righteousness, morals, and reject the righteousness of Jesus Christ. They strictly walk by the letter of the law and reject the spirit of the letter. These Christians will never accept new truth from the Holy Spirit and from anointed ministers of God.
They only believe in what their master has taught them. One of their traceable traits is condemnation. They quickly condemn and judge other Christians who do not understand what they believe. They are very suspicious and critical of other Christians. These Christians pride themselves in their religion and church. The remedy for these Christians is repentance and consistent fellowship with the Holy Spirit through spiritual songs.
Nominal Christians
These people are partial Christians. They are neither cold nor warm. They occupy the seats of the church. They don’t join the workers in the church, either will they support the church. They are in the church to prove to others; they are also Christians. Most often, they have no reasons and expectations for attending church.
Their reasons for coming to church may be marriage issues (searching for a potential partner), financial issues, job issues, to spy the activities of the church and report to their masters. They have no love for the church and the ministers of God because they are worldly-minded. The remedy for these religious unbelievers is repentance and deliverance.
Divine Key: Study the Word, connect with the teachings of your shepherd, and create a consistent fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
Further Bible Studies: 1 Peter 2:2, Luke 4:8-15, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
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