“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. 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.” (1 Corin. 6:9-11) Now Paul says something convicting to the believers at Corinth: some of you WERE (we were “that way” but we cannot still be “that way”) “those” people. You did those things. Because of that, you did not DESERVE to inherit God’s kingdom and share in His glory forever. You CHOSE and DESERVED to be separated from God. In truth, this could be said of every person who has ever lived. Our specific sinful actions may not be the same, but our sin caused EVERY ONE OF US to fall short of God’s glory “…ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23)
We were dead in our sin and were objects of God’s eternal wrath, “…we were by nature children of wrath…” (Eph. 2:3) It is very important for us to understand that, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; old things have PASSED AWAY; behold, ALL THINGS have BECOME NEW.” (2 Corin. 5:17)
IF WE FIND OURSELVES DOING “THOSE THINGS” AGAIN, WE ARE NOT A NEW CREATION! HOW DO WE KNOW? BECAUSE OLD THINGS HAVE NOT PASSED AWAY!!!
-Bill Stockham