The carnal nature of humanity is a pervasive and corrupting force, deeply rooted in the choices and influences that shape our lives. Initially, human nature was created unspoiled, as God declared everything He made to be very good, including the hearts and minds of Adam and Eve. However, this nature was not permanently set; it remained malleable, subject to change through the exercise of free will. Each person has the God-given ability to improve or corrupt his own nature through the decisions made throughout life. The fall of Adam and Eve introduced a hostile dimension to human nature, turning it away from God and toward self. Their choice to follow the serpent's deception marked the beginning of a nature inclined toward enmity against God, as described in Romans 8:7, where the carnal mind is depicted as hostile to Him. This corruption is not innate at birth but develops through three primary influences: absorbing sinful attitudes from society, being receptive to Satan's broadcast of his evil nature, and the inherent selfishness of the flesh that predisposes us to carnality. Human nature, thus shaped by the world, Satan, and self, begins as neutral but with a bias toward self-satisfaction, making it easily pulled toward evil. God has largely adopted a hands-off policy since the fall, allowing humanity to reap the consequences of its choices, though He reserves the right to call individuals out of this corruption. Even when called, human nature remains within us, requiring constant battle and effort to subdue it. Scriptures such as Genesis 8:21 reveal that the imagination of man's heart is evil from youth, unchanged even by catastrophic events like the Flood. Psalm 14:1-3 and Romans 3:10-12 further emphasize that all are corrupt, with none doing good apart from God's intervention. Jesus Christ Himself confirms this inherent evil in Matthew 7:9-11 and Mark 7:20-23, stating that defilement comes from within the heart of man, producing all manner of wickedness. Ephesians 2:2 describes humanity as walking according to the course of this world, influenced by Satan, fulfilling lusts, and deserving of wrath. The struggle against this carnal nature is relentless, as Galatians 5:16-17 illustrates the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, a battle that persists throughout life. Yet, God provides His Spirit to His called-out ones to guide and empower them to recognize and overcome sin. Through a transformative process, as outlined in Romans 12:1-2 and II Corinthians 3:18, we are to be renewed in mind and spirit, gradually changing our nature to resemble His. Ephesians 4:17-24 urges us to put off the old man, corrupted by deceitful lusts, and put on the new man, created according to God in righteousness and holiness. This transformation, supported by God's Spirit, is our path to rise above the carnal nature that defines humanity, striving to reflect His character in all actions as we prepare for His Kingdom.

When humans are first born, their nature is essentially neutral. Because they are clothed in flesh with all of its needs and desires, they have a tendency toward evil, self-satisfaction, and sheer selfishness. By the time rational and logical thought begins, human nature has already pulled at least one foot toward the evil side. Carnal human beings tend to sell out to evil. Humans are fundamentally wicked and depraved with an evil nature that is morally corrupt and in opposition to God. This nature is comparable to that of satan, who is the quintessence of evil. After partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, each individual repeats the same process and fixes the self on the debit side of the ledger under the curse of sin because the nature tends toward doing evil. Christians remain a mixed bag with a nature that has a tendency toward evil and rebellion against God. The evils to fight and subdue are those conceived, nurtured, and expressed from within.

The carnal nature is the influence mankind struggles with and is already within everyone from birth. It is right there all the time ready to trip people up and deceive them into doing what intellectually they do not want to do. This nature perceives God as an enemy seeking to enslave people to Him and His way of life more sharply than before His calling. It keeps them from its desires to make life enjoyable pleasant and fulfilling in the manner it perceives it should be achieved by. The carnal nature is akin to a personality within attempting to subvert thoughts back to what is more natural for it. It undermines what people believe intellectually and motivates them to go in a way that God does not want because that is not His purpose for them to be strong in. It does not believe God and is hostile to Him. It does not love Him by nature or appreciate His beauty strength power and purpose. This hostility against the way God wants the world to go makes life so difficult. The carnal mind is enmity against God and is in opposition to God. It is actively self-centered against God. Carnality is lived for the self and that is the problem between people and God. The carnal nature's grip is so seductive it sometimes very easily encourages backsliding into carnal habits. What motivated conduct in Adam and Eve was not set on obedience to God but already set on their desire to be pleased in their way. Their mind was focused on the wrong things. That shows how powerful this nature is and how quickly it acts. The sin that Adam committed unleashed sin on all of mankind.