I Corinthians 6: 9-11
This is the second of three issues Paul tackles in this chapter of his letter. These people were apparently trying to straddle the fence by allowing this list of all kinds of evil behavior to go on, priding themselves on their tolerance and open mindedness.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?
Anyone who lives an unrighteous lifestyle is showing that he does not have the Spirit of God living in him, the Spirit of holiness and purity.
Do not be deceived;
Don't try to fool yourselves into thinking that any of these things are all right, under any circumstances:
neither fornicators,
Fornication is any kind of sexual or sensual relationship outside the covenant of marriage.
nor idolators,
An idol is anything you put first in your priorities before God, whether it be family, or things, or even yourself.
nor adulterers,
Adultery is married people having any kind of sexual or sensual relationship with someone not their spouse.
nor effeminate,
This means effeminate by perversion.
nor homosexuals,
"Abusers of themselves with mankind" are those who are injuring themselves by having relations, men with men, instead of with women in a moral and natural marriage relationship.
nor thieves,
A thief takes what doesn't belongs to him without the permission of the owner, even if it's just a little thing of "no consequence."
nor the covetous,
To covet is to desire what someone else owns for himself, rather than to be happy for the owner to have it.
nor drunkards,
To drink too much, to over-imbibe, in order to dull the senses.
nor revilers,
To revile is to to assail with contemptuous and outrageously disgraceful or shameful abusive language. It's a really strong word for cussing someone out.
nor swindlers,
This is to cheat by deceit, trickery or fraud.
will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Any one who behaves in any of these ways is showing that they don't know or care about God or His ways.
Such were some of you;
Paul is saying that some of these Christians used to live lifestyles characterized by these unrighteous attitudes.
but you were washed,
Christ's Blood washes away every stain of sin.
but you were sanctified,
When they were saved they were set apart from the World and the ways of the World.
but you were justified
Made just, according to Truth. God made us human, then when we are born again, He makes us pure and perfect.
in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ
Because of what Jesus accomplished as Christ for us.
and in the Spirit of our God.
God's Spirit dwells inside our spirits, making us pure and holy and just according to God's justice. He put our sin on Jesus' account, pouring out His wrath that we deserve on Him on the Cross; then He puts Jesus' righteous life on our page in the Account Book, to balance the books. He didn't deserve our punishment, nor do we deserve His righteous standing.
These Christians who lived in Corinth used to live their lives indulging in all these wicked and unhealthy lifestyles, before they came to Christ through Paul's teaching. But once they were born spiritually, they were set free from all these addictions and compulsions.
God made us to live with Him, and the only way to do that was for the Son to do what He did. It sounds grossly unfair to put our punishment on Jesus, when He didn't deserve it, but it's the only way God could be just, and also be our Justifier, to make us fit and able to live with Him. That's how much He Loves us.
O my Father, You planned out all this before You ever made anything. You knew that if You gave us a free will, that we would decide against You, and do all these awful things that are listed here. And that Your Son would have to come as our Lord God to fulfill all the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms, just as He said.
That He would have to suffer in our place, and then rise victoriously from the grave.
And He will return to finish fulfilling the rest of all the predictions that have been written before He lived through any of it.
That is why He told His people to write it. And why He came to this Earth to be born as a human, just like we were, to die a human death for each of us.
And He will return soon, as soon as every one alive has heard Your Good News with enough understanding to decide for or against You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
