What part of “will not inherit the kingdom of God” do we not understand?
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians (6:9-10).
No, it’s not a misunderstanding. It’s not a poor translation. It’s not outdated. It’s God’s Word. As in Creator of the universe. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His thoughts are highest….period!
When we disagree with our Creator, it’s not Him who is wrong.
Verse 11 says this: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
I was once among the guilty in verses 9 and 10. On more than one count. What about you? But thanks to the free gift of salvation that Jesus offered me, I was washed, I was sanctified, I was justified…and I was also set free. But it wasn’t without battles. Unholy desires can be ridiculously stubborn, and the enemy ridiculously crafty with both attacks and temptations, even after being born-again.
We’re not getting away from this inconvenient truth, folks. There is a duty to warn!. When we support and celebrate what God says is sin, when we passively condone, when we say nothing, we are aiding and abetting someone else’s potential ETERNAL demise. Where is the love in that? What many mistake as kindness, as just being non-confrontational, as just trying to safeguard the relationship, can actually be the cruelest thing you could possibly do.
With everlasting ramifications.
I like the commentary in my Bible by Jack Hayford: "Paul declares that the unrighteous, of who he proceeds to give examples (so not an exhaustive list), will not inherit the kingdom of God, thinking of its future consummation. Paul’s point is to warn the Corinthian believers that if they willfully and unrepentantly persist in the evils of the wicked, they face the same final danger as the wicked. As his point is to arrest their attention and stop their deception, he does not address the question as to when such practiced behavior causes saints to cross the line to being “disinherited” in God’s sight, nor does he draw conclusions regarding the issue of Christians yet caught up in the struggle of these sinful habits but who sincerely desire freedom."
God is described as merciful. We also are told that the fear (awe and respect) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Perhaps a good policy is to err on the side of caution with regard to life practices. God isn't wishy-washy. He means what He said.
The two greatest commands are to love God and to love others. Loving others is manifested the most when we pray for and encourage others to take up the cross and follow Jesus in word, thought, and deed. Love is not demonstrated when we turn a blind eye to the path of destruction that the person in front of us is on. When we care more about transitory feelings and comfort (ours and/or theirs) or about our self-image as a "caring person," and less about the actual outcome of unrepentant sin, we are actually haters.
Care enough to be a light.