Such were some of you
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:9-11 ESV)
In the above passage is a list of “the unrighteous” who “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” The passage warns us not to be deceived about this.
This list includes…
· sexually immoral: From the Greek por·neiʹa, where we get the English word pornography. This word is also translated as “whoredom,” “fornication,” and “idolatry.” It means “a surrendering of sexual purity”. It is any type of sexual expression outside the boundaries of a biblically defined marriage relationship (Matthew 19:4–5).
· Idolaters: image-worship or divine honor paid to any created object. Paul describes the origin of idolatry in Romans 1:21-25
· adulterers: adultery generally refers to sexual relations by a married person—either a man or a woman—with someone other than his or her mate.
· homosexuality: God created humans to engage in sex only within the arrangement of marriage between a male and a female. (Genesis 1:27, 28; Leviticus 18:22; Proverbs 5:18, 19)
· thieves: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 19:10 NASB)
· greedy: a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed. “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5 ESV)
· drunkards: a drunkard is person who is habitually drunk. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph. 5:18 KJV)
· revilers: to reproach angrily and abusively. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” (Matthew 5:11)
· swindlers: someone who lies or scams to get someone’s money.
What a list! If you look at what we in America entertain ourselves with in our music, tv shows, and movies, you will notice that it’s about participating in the things on the list.
Such were some of you!
The good news is there is hope for those guilty of participating in any of the things mentioned on the above list! The passage continues with, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11 ESV)
Therefore
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17 ESV)