Some Good News

“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, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 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.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

A casual reading of this passage in 1 Corinthians can be frightening. Paul seemingly says that anyone who commits idolatry, who steals, or is immoral cannot make it to heaven. Does that mean we who have embraced Christ as Savior and succumbed to the above sins have our eternal destiny changed? Not at all.

Paul is careful to ascribe this behavior to “the unrighteous” who have yet to receive Christ’s forgiveness and His gift of righteousness which can never be diminished or deleted by our behavior. In Christ, we have been changed.

Once we, by faith, acknowledge our sin and turn to Christ for His pardon, we are no longer “in Adam.” We are eternally secure “in Christ,” that is, guilty before God and dead in our sins but “righteous” - in right standing with God and spiritual alive.
                       
If you are a Christian, you have been “washed” - born again by God’s Spirit and cleansed from the penalty of sin. You are “sanctified” - set apart from sin to God for His purposes. You are “justified” - no longer under condemnation but pardoned by the Judge of all men. If you sin, you will still reap the sorrow it brings; but your membership in the family of God is unchanged.

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us...righteousness...” 1 Corinthians 1:30