The Daily Word of Righteousness

Cause and Effect, #9

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9,10—NIV)

The life we will receive in the Day of Resurrection is the same life that lives in us now, the eternal incorruptible Life of the Spirit of God.

When we choose to live in our sinful nature rather than in the Spirit of God we directly affect the nature of our resurrection from the dead. This is apart from an assignment to the outer darkness, Hell, or the Lake of Fire. We affect the state of our personality. It is a cause and effect relationship.

The list in the passage above is that of the actions of the sinful nature. Those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This does not mean that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God unless they "accept Christ." It means exactly what it states.

I understand the following verses, in I Corinthians, Chapter Six, state that the Corinthian believers were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Christ. But when we stop and think we realize that Paul is reminding them not to practice such behaviors, now that they are Christians (as the context of the passage will reveal), because these manifestations of the fleshly nature are never a part of the Kingdom of God.

There is no indication in the entire New Testament that a Christian can continue in the works of the sinful nature and be excused on the basis of having "accepted Christ." In fact, the opposite is declared emphatically. This is the monumental error of current Christian teaching.

Another verse:

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Hebrews 10:39—NIV)

Here we find we are believing and continuing to believe in order that we might be saved. This shows us that salvation is something that takes place at the end of our discipleship rather than at the beginning. We are saved by persevering to the end as the Lord Jesus said.

If we, having started as a Christian by turning away from the evil in the world and receiving the forgiveness of God through the blood atonement, then return to the ways of the world, we are courting destruction. We are not saved to eternal life. We are destroyed. We have killed ourselves by living in the sinful nature.

Jesus said if we put our hand to the plow and look back we are not worthy of the Kingdom of God; we are not fit for the Kingdom of God.

This means if we begin as a Christian and then return to the ways of the world we do not belong in the Kingdom of God. What could be clearer? The Kingdom of God does not consist of doubleminded people who are unable to decide between the ways of Jesus Christ and the ways of Satan.

To be continued.