The "carnal mind" thinks of Scripture as a bucket of self-justifying citations. It parses and niggles over words to prove itself right against the opponents of its confession, even when that's not its conscious intent. Even when it is piously contemplating a passage, as in lectio divina, it can't help but hound and hunt red meat for the Master, the religious ego. "Oh, the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee isn't about me; it's about x, y, and z and see how I am neither x, y, nor z." The carnal mind praises Scripture when it serves its purposes. "Oh, see how Luther wanted to kick James' Epistle out of the canon but we Catholics defend St. James and his pro-works theology."
A "spiritual body" parses and niggles over words to prove itself condemned, dead, unworthy, the chief of sinners. It relentlessly prosecutes and indicts itself in order to purify and heal itself so that the Spirit of Christ may make an abode. It expands on the literal prima facie meaning of Scripture to make itself fit under the yoke of Christ. It thinks of Scripture as a bucket of nails for its own crucifixion with Christ.
