The Unrighteous, Sanctified and Justified – EGP Blog post from October 31, 2012

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 ()

[9] Or 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 effeminate,ⓘ nor homosexuals, [10] nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9 I.e. effeminate by perversion

Any time we’re given a list, it’s easy to skim over it without really thinking about what it’s saying.

  • fornicators – people who have sex (even if just in their mind), but aren’t married
  • idolaters – people who put someone or something besides God in His place
  • adulterers – people who have sex (even if just in their mind) with someone who’s married to someone else or they themselves are married, but not to the person they are having sex with
  • effeminate – transsexual or transvestite
  • homosexual – gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual
  • thieves – people who take what isn’t theirs
  • covetous – people who want what belongs to someone else
  • drunkards – people who use alcohol (or any drug) to the point of physical and mental impairment
  • revilers – people who are verbally abusive
  • swindlers – people who cheat others out of something valuable using fraud and deception

What this passage is saying is that if you fall or have ever fallen into ANY of the above categories, then you are unrighteous (not right with God) and will not take part in His eternal Kingdom. People like to stop at this verse and point condemning fingers at others, but the truth is, we’re ALL in this list somewhere. Paul continues in the next verse…

1 Corinthians 6:11 ()

[11] Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
  • washed – the stain of sin removed
  • sanctified – made holy, purified
  • justified – made right with God

Romans 3:23–26 ()

[23] For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. [24] Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. [25] For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. [26] And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.