Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

1 Corinthians 6 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? ² Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? ⁴ So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? ⁵ I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, ⁶ but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

⁷ Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? ⁸ On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.

⁹ Or 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 effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

¹² All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³ Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. ¹⁴ Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!¹⁶ Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. ¹⁸ Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

In today’s text Paul says: 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 effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.  In Matthew 24:4;11-13 Jesus says:  “See to it that no one misleads you… Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”  Lawlessness is increased when false prophets, people who wrongly speak on behalf of the Lord, lead people to believe that sin no longer matters. Jesus doesn’t differentiate between sins, as Paul does. In Revelation 21:6-8 the Lord says:  “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”   Sin is sin in the eyes of God. Even the sins of fear and unbelief can keep us from the kingdom of God. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says:   “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”   So, Jesus agrees with what Paul said, the unrighteous, those who practice lawlessness will not inherit or enter the kingdom of God. Paul says:  Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.  No sin, no matter how small we think it is, is acceptable to God. But no sin, no matter how great, is beyond the power of Christ and the cross. The only sin which is not forgiven through the blood of Jesus, is the sin we choose over justification in Him.

Paul says:  All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. It is important that we do not allow this to be interpreted, as some do, to believe that Paul is saying that immorality is lawful.  He continues saying:  Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!  Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.  God is not glorified by sin. In Matthew 12:30-32 Jesus says:  “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.  Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”   In Ephesians 4:30 Paul says:  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Considering that the Holy Spirit dwells in us; that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit; that we are one in the spirit with Christ, how could we not know that it grieves the Holy Spirit when we commit acts of immorality; when we take the Holy Spirit with us into sin and darkness?  Again Paul says: All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Let no one mislead you. Immorality is never lawful. Paul says:  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.  Jesus called sinners to repent and upon healing and forgiving them, He told them to go and sin no more. (John 5:14-15; 8:11) In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for saving me according to Your love and grace. More than only having been forgiven, I have been purchased by the price of Your life on the cross. May I never forget or take for granted the price that You paid to free me from sin, and so may I never choose sin over redemption. Holy Spirit be my guide. May I go where You lead me and may I nevergrieve You by taking You down the dark path of sin. Thank You that if I walk with You I will never have to flee immorality because Your light will dispel the darkness.  Amen.