CALLING GOOD WHAT GOD CALLS SIN AND EVIL

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. —I Corinthians 6:9-11

“Are you going to heaven when you die?” When that question is asked of people they typically say, “Yes.” Then when you ask why they think they are going to heaven usually the response is “I’m a good person. I have not killed anyone and I am as good as anyone else.” But when are asked according to God’s standard, things change. “Have you ever hated someone? Well, God puts that on the same level as murder” (I John 3:15). “Have you ever lusted after another person?” God says that is committing adultery with that person in your heart” (Matthew 5:28). “Have you ever stolen something, even something small?” That makes you a thief.

See— we all have sinned against God. We all have broken His laws, the Ten Commandments. We are all headed for judgment in Hell. But, the Lord Jesus Christ provided a way so we do not have to be judged and to know Him. He took the judgment for us at the cross.

According to the verses above those who “indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.” These are people that are unrepentant and who have not trusted the Lord Jesus Christ to have their sins forgiven. These are people who have no problem with committing these sins. They are OK with it.

But God says that “none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.” People can tell themselves and believe that they are going to heaven, but if they have a lifestyle of indulging in sin then that is not the case! Instead, Satan has ensnared them and they are being held captive by him to do his will (II Timothy 2:26). The end result will be judgment in Hell.

There is good news in the verses above. Some of these people in the Corinthian Church “were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Those who were practicing sexual sin, or who were worshipping idols, or committing adultery, or were male prostitutes, or practiced homosexuality, or were thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or were abusive, or cheated people were not living those lifestyles anymore because Jesus changed their lives!

We live in a time when people are calling good what God calls sin and evil. But it is He who will have the final word. All of us will appear before Him after death— either at the judgment seat of Christ for believers to give an account of how we lived for Jesus and will be rewarded for faithfulness (II Corinthians 5:10) or at the white throne judgment for unbelievers whose own actions or inactions will judge them before being thrown into the lake of fire… forever (Revelation 2:15-20).

Out of gratitude, Dear Father, may I live faithfully in the authority of Jesus & by the Holy Spirit.