Lesson 4785

 (Lesson 4785) (03-12-25) 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 

   “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.~ 

 

   In today’s quote, Paul warned that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. He listed various sins, including sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, theft, greed, drunkenness, reviling, and extortion, emphasizing that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. However, he reminded the Corinthians that they had once lived in those sinful ways, but they had been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.  

This washing, refers to the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, given to believers at the moment of faith. It is accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit and has nothing to do with water baptism. Rather than an external ritual, this cleansing is a spiritual transformation, in which a believer is declared righteous before God through faith in Christ alone. Paul's emphasis is on the saving power of Christ’s righteousness and the inward renewal that comes from being born again by the Spirit, not from any physical act such as water baptism.