Part 2
1 Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) 9 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…
Thanks for joining us again!
We ended yesterday’s devotional with this question; Why would Paul be addressing sins such as these when writing to believers?
Here’s the answer.
1 - He wanted to make a specific point that would help reinforce some things he had said that weren’t necessarily directly related to these sins, but that might make it easier for people to understand the big picture.
2 - The sins he brings up are familiar to those he is addressing because they are prevalent in the geographic region where he is teaching. And some of these people may have once been involved in them, before becoming followers of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11). This is the case with the specific group of people Paul was writing to in verses 9 & 10, the verses we’re studying.
3 - Some members of the church community where he is teaching may be practicing some of these things because they had been involved in them prior to becoming Christians and had not yet gained understanding that they were not acceptable and should be refrained from.
We need to take note of what Paul said before he listed the actual sins; Do not be deceived.
Paul warned them not to be deceived into thinking that practicing these sins was acceptable for believers.
The fact that he used those 4 words before naming the sins alludes to the fact that some of them somehow believed that it was OK to participate in these types of sins, and that it would not jeopardize their spiritual wellbeing.
He wanted to make it clear that this was false.
Now that we’ve covered that, let’s move ahead tomorrow and talk about the actual sins that were being addressed by Paul.