wisdom.

12. If we would be Christians we must, first of all, be dead to
conduct of this sort. We must not receive nor tolerate the worldly
doctrine and corrupt inventions originating with ourselves, whether in
the nature of reason, philosophy or law, theories ignoring the Word of
God or else falsely passing under its name. For such are wholly of the
world; under their influence man has no regard to God's will and seeks
not his kingdom and eternal life. They are meant merely to further the
individual's own honor, pride, renown, wisdom, holiness or something
else. Though boast is made of the Gospel and of faith in Christ, yet
it is not serious, and the individual continues without power and
without fruit.

13. If we are risen with Christ through faith, we must set our
affections upon things not earthly, corruptible, perishable, but upon
things above--the heavenly, divine, eternal; in other words, upon
doctrine right, pure and true, and whatever is pleasing to God, that
his honor and Christ's kingdom may be preserved. Thus shall we guard
ourselves against abuse of God's name, against false worship and false
trust and that presumption of self-holiness which pollutes and
defrauds the spirit.

14. Under carnal worldliness Paul includes the gross vices,
enumerating in particular here, fornication, uncleanness,
covetousness, and so on, things which reason knows to be wicked and
condemns as such. The spiritual sins take reason captive and deceive
it, leaving it powerless to guard against them. They are termed
spiritual sins not simply because of their spirit-polluting character,
for all vices pollute the spirit, the carnal vices among them; but
because they are too subtle for flesh and blood to discern. The sins
of the flesh, however, are called carnal, or body-polluting, because
committed by the body, in its members.

Now, as we are to be dead unto spiritual sins, so are we to be dead
unto carnal sins, or at least to make continual progress toward that
end, striving ever to turn away from all such earthly things and to
look toward the heavenly and divine. He who continues to seek carnal
things and to be occupied with them, has not as yet with Christ died
unto the world. Not having died, he is not risen; the resurrection of
Christ effects nothing in him. Christ is dead unto him and he unto
Christ.

15. Paul's admonition is particularly necessary at the present time.
We see a large and constantly-increasing number who, d