Carnal-mindedness, as has already been said more than once, signifies the whole condition of fallen man. According to it, he directs all his care to arranging earthly well-being.
He places this well-being in the satisfaction of bodily and psychic needs, corrupted and perverted by the passions. He is occupied with this day and night.
This alone he knows how to arrange. He does not think of what is above the earth, or of what lies beyond the limits of earthly life.
His soul has no inclination toward God and divine things. This lack of inclination of the soul toward the divine is the lightest outer limit of enmity against God.
The heaviest outer limit is an active uprising with fury against the divine order. It is accompanied by blasphemy and zeal to draw others away from God.
The middle point is the form in which carnal-mindedness reveals itself without openly rising up against the divine. It seems to be at peace with it.
Yet as soon as it comes into collision with the divine, it always compels a man to act contrary to it. This last form is what the Apostle sets forth here as disobedience to the law of God.
He presents it as the most widespread and universal form. The first degree is already contained in it, and the road to the second is opened through it.
Carnal-mindedness expresses its enmity against God by disobedience to the law of God. Usually it is silent, as though it did not exist.
But as soon as the law must be fulfilled, it contrives to present the matter so that the poor man acts to please it, contrary to the law of God.
So it is every time, and therefore always. Thus disobedience to the law of God is the distinguishing vital mark of carnal-mindedness.
For this reason the Apostle adds, “nor indeed can be.” Carnal-mindedness, while it remains such, cannot submit to the law of God.
For as soon as it submitted, it would cease to be carnal-mindedness.
A man may hold either carnal-mindedness or spiritual-mindedness. He is not bound by either, and can pass from one to the other.
So long as he is given over to carnal-mindedness, he cannot submit to the law of God. Yet he is not bound by carnal-mindedness, and can depart from it.
Therefore it cannot be said of him in general that he cannot submit to the law of God. He can, when he wills.
He can, when he arms himself against carnal-mindedness and drives it away.
St. Chrysostom expounds at length this side, or this kind, of inability. “Do not be troubled when you hear, ‘nor indeed can be.’ This difficulty can still be easily removed.
By carnal-mindedness the Apostle here means a mind made earthly and attached to worldly and evil deeds. Of this the Apostle says that it cannot submit to God, not of man in general.
Otherwise, how did Paul himself become so great? How was the thief saved? How was Manasseh saved? How were the Ninevites saved?
How did David rise after his fall? How did Peter, who denied Christ, come to himself? How could the fornicator be received into Christ’s flock?
How could the Galatians, who had lost grace, recover their former blessedness?
Therefore the Apostle does not say that it is impossible for the evil man to become good. He says that evil, while it remains evil, cannot submit to God.
But if it changes, it becomes good and readily submits to God. He did not say that man cannot submit to God.
He says that an evil man cannot perform good deeds, as, for example, a fornicator cannot be distinguished by chastity.
So also when Christ says in the Gospel, ‘A bad tree cannot bear good fruit’ (cf. Mt 7:18), He does not deny the possibility of passing from vice to virtue.
He means only that one cannot bear good fruit while giving oneself over to vice. He did not say that a bad tree cannot become good.
He says that while it remains bad, it cannot bear good fruit.
Thus the Apostle calls vice carnal-mindedness, and he calls spiritual-mindedness the grace given and the deeds approved by a good will.
Here he is not speaking at all about essence and nature, but about virtue and vice.
What you could not do before, he says, you can do now. You can walk uprightly and without stumbling, if you receive help from the Spirit.
For it is not enough not to walk according to the flesh. One must walk according to the Spirit.
For our salvation requires not only turning away from evil, but also doing good. We attain this when we hand the soul over to the spirit and persuade the flesh to remain in its own place.
Through this we shall make it spiritual. Likewise, by giving ourselves over to carelessness, we shall make the soul carnal.
Since the gift is not communicated by natural necessity, but entrusted to free choice, it depends on you to become either one or the other.
Christ accomplished everything that depended on Him. Sin no longer wars against the law of our mind, and no longer takes us captive as before.
On the contrary, all this has passed away and ended. The passions have been subdued and brought into fear and trembling by the grace of the Spirit.
But if you yourself extinguish the light, cast down the charioteer, and drive out the helmsman, then blame yourself for the storm.
That virtue has now become easier to fulfill, and that there are therefore more lovers of wisdom, you can see by comparing the former state of the human race with its present state, now that grace has shone forth.
What formerly seemed impossible to anyone, such as virginity, contempt for death, and many other sufferings, is now fulfilled everywhere in the world.
Not only among us, but also among Scythians, Thracians, Indians, Persians, and other barbarian peoples, there are choirs of virgins, assemblies of martyrs, and communities of monks.
Everywhere there is incomparable fasting and abundant poverty.
Therefore, seeing the truth of events, which cries out louder than a trumpet, do not give yourself over to softness. Do not lose so great a grace.
It is impossible for the careless man to be saved, even after receiving the faith.
The struggles have become easier so that you, the athlete, may conquer. You must not sleep, nor turn the greatness of grace into a pretext for negligence, sinking again into the mire of sins.”
THEOSIS