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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Scripture or Myth?, #8
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5)
The Warnings of the Apostle Paul Do Not Apply to Christians
The epistles of Paul contain many stern warnings to the believers, informing them that if they do not continue to press forward in righteous, holy behavior they will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But we have made the Word of God of no effect by our fanciful traditions and myths.
Let us think about one of Paul's several admonitions.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
"Shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Nothing is said about grace, or God seeing us through Christ, or Jesus did it all and all I have to do is believe and be identified with Christ.
Either the passage is speaking to believers or it is not. Which is it?
First of all, to whom is the Book of Galatians addressed?
And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: (Galatians 1:2)
"To the churches of Galatia."
The Book of Galatians is Paul's answer to those who would bring the Gentile Christians under the various observances of the Law of Moses, such as circumcision.
If the above passage is not speaking to the Gentile believers to whom Paul was writing, the "churches of Galatia," then Paul has suddenly changed audiences. This is not likely!
Paul had just advised the Gentile believers that if they would walk in the Spirit they would not fulfill the lusts of their flesh.
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
Our passage under consideration (Galatians 5:19-21) is Paul's warning to the saints of Galatia that if they did not choose to walk in the Spirit, and pursued their fleshly appetites instead, they would not inherit the Kingdom of God.
We notice further along, keeping in the context, that Paul is admonishing the Galatian Christians to put to death the deeds of their flesh.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Galatians 5:24)
But let us for a moment pursue the current fantasy that Paul was not warning Christians that they would not inherit the Kingdom but was speaking to the unsaved.
According to our fable, Paul has now turned aside to the unsaved and is telling them: "they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." The implication is, if you cease sinning you will inherit the Kingdom of God. We know this is not true. The unsaved Gentiles cannot inherit the Kingdom by refraining from evil works.
To be continued.