Sarkinos and Sarkikos: Christianity con Carne

Word of the Week

February 14, 2026

Sarkinos and Sarkikos: Christianity con Carne

 

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ . . . .for you are still fleshly.

1 Corinthians 3:1, 3a NASB

 

When I was growing up, preachers often thundered about “carnal” Christians who didn’t exhibit the expected traits of a follower of Jesus.  I don’t hear the word nearly as often these days.  More recent Bible translations often substitute phrases like “men of flesh” or “worldly.”

Regardless of how you phrase it, it causes us concern when we meet someone who claims to be a Christian yet doesn’t act like it.  The King James Bible labels such a person as “carnal,” while other versions avoid that term.  Perhaps this would be a good time to see how the New Testament describes such a person.  What does the Greek say?

The apostle Paul provides one of the classic passages on this topic in 1 Corinthians 3, where he employs two closely related terms to describe the members of the church at Corinth who are exhibiting decidedly unchristian behavior.

In 1 Corinthians 3:1, he complains that he has to talk to them like “men of flesh” – the Greek word sarkinos [sahr-KEE-nahss].  Then in verse 3, he accuses them of being “fleshly” – the Greek sarkikos [sarh-kee-KAHSS].  The first appears 4 times in the New Testament, while the second shows up 7 times

The pair are very close in meaning, so we can discuss them together for now.

How are they connected to our word “carnal”?  If you’ve ever had “chile con carne,” you know that carne is the Spanish word for “meat.”  And just as it refers to the flesh of a cow or other animal, the Greeks used the word sarx for meat or flesh.  It could mean the literal steak from a steer or it could refer to something physical rather than spiritual.

Our two words spin off that root and describe someone or something as physical rather than spiritual in nature.

That’s not necessarily bad.  Sarkinos and sarkikos sometimes mean “physical rather than spiritual” as a simple statement of fact, not a condemnation.

• Paul encouraged Gentiles to take up an offering for needy Jewish saints in Jerusalem, arguing that the Jewish church had provided spiritual blessings to their non-Jewish brethren, it was only right to “minister to them in material things” (Romans 15:27).
• He wrote to the Corinthians arguing that it was reasonable for Christian leaders to be paid. “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?” (1 Corinthians 9:11).
• The writer of Hebrews argued that Jesus was a high priest like Melchizedek, qualifying for priesthood on the basis of his indestructible life rather than “a law of physical requirement” like the priests descended from Aaron (Hebrews 7:16).

In other passages, our two words are used to mean “physical rather than spiritual” with the idea that the physical is inferior to the spiritual.

• Inferior weapons: Paul declares that the weapons we use in warfare “are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
• Inferior wisdom: The apostle claimed that he had ministered to the Corinthians “not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God” (2 Corinthians 1:12).
• On the other hand, he boasted that believers were a letter written by God – “not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

And then there are some passages where the words refer to that which is not only physical but also sinful.

• Paul declares that “the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin” (Romans 7:14).
• Peter urged believers to “abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

So what does Paul have in mind when he uses our two words in 1 Corinthians 3?

We can tell from the context that he is using them in the third, most negative sense.  They have broken up into quarreling factions, each promoting their favorite preacher, and the result is disastrous.  Paul spends the first four chapters of I Corinthians correcting this problem.

He points out that they are acting like people who are operating on a purely physical basis, acting as if there was no spiritual reality in their life.

One lexicon by Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich suggests a slight distinction between our two words.  It says that sarkinos in verse 1 describes someone who does not possess the Spirit of God, while sarkikos in verse 3 simply refers to someone who is acting like a person without the Spirit (though they may actually possess Him).

However you slice the details of these words, it remains true that the Spirit of God takes up residence in our lives when we put our trust in Jesus Christ.  And the Holy Spirit carries on a continued work of internal change that is intended to make us more like Jesus.  The longer we walk with Jesus, the more like Him we should become.

If you claim to be a follower of Jesus, you can expect gradual transformation of your character.  If that is not happening, there is a problem.  Check yourself honestly to be sure that you have genuinely committed yourself to Christ (see 2 Corinthians 13:5).  If you’re not sure, go to God to acknowledge your sin and put your trust completely in what Christ has done to make it possible for you to receive forgiveness of sin.

And if you are confident that you are a child of God but are not acting like it, go to 1 John 1:9.  Admit your point of rebellion and ask God to forgive your sin and cleanse you from it.

There’s nothing like an unhindered walk with God!

 

Coming Up

The apostle used his second letter to Corinth to lay out his philosophy of ministry – not just as a theological exercise, but as a unburdening of his heart.  One of his key themes is reconciliation, and that’s the concept that we will examine next week.

 

©Ezra Project 2026