“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
(1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Paul makes it patently clear in 1 Corinthians 6 that those who continue in unrighteousness without repentance shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The warning in this passage is not speaking of isolated acts but a settled continuance in the sins named. The apostle therefore says, “Be not deceived.” A man may deceive himself by supposing that a profession of faith, religious familiarity, or a vague confidence in mercy will protect him while he remains willingly under the dominion of sin.[1]
The same passage that excludes the impenitent from the kingdom also testifies that notorious sinners have been saved. Some of the Corinthians had once been characterized by these very sins, but they did not remain what they had been. The gospel confronted them in their guilt and sin and brought them into a new state through Christ and the Spirit.
This distinction is essential. The sinner must not reason, “Because I have committed grievous sins, salvation is impossible.” Nor should he reason, “Because grace is available, I may continue in grievous sin without repentance.” Both conclusions contradict the gospel. The first denies the abundance of divine mercy; the second abuses it. Salvation is available to the vilest sinner who repents and comes to Christ, but the kingdom is not promised to those determined to remain what they are.
Scripture tells us that publicans and harlots entered the kingdom while self-righteous Pharisees remained outside. Manasseh, Paul, and others stand as witnesses that enormous guilt does not exceed the sufficiency of divine mercy. Where sin has abounded, grace abounds more. The very depth of the sinner’s former ruin can become the background against which the greatness of Christ’s saving work is more clearly displayed.
But salvation must be sought while life and the means of grace remain. Present opportunity should never be turned into presumption. So long as the sinner lives, hears the gospel, and is called to repent and believe, the way of mercy is still open to him. Yet death fixes the state in which a man is found. Impenitence and unbelief carried into death become irreversible. The urgency of repentance arises not because Christ is unwilling to save, but because man does not know how long the present season of mercy will continue.
This passage awakens us to both honesty and hope. We must ask God to expose every self-deception, break every attachment to reigning sin, and deepen repentance. We also need to ask for faith to believe that no past guilt is too great for the Savior when the sinner truly turns to Him.
Contemplations:
- Keep Me from Calling Presumption Hope. Do not let me use Your mercy as an excuse to remain comfortable with sin. Your Word says plainly that the unrighteous shall not inherit Your kingdom. Guard me from the kind of confidence that speaks warmly of grace while protecting habits You condemn. If there is any sin I have learned to excuse, rename, hide, or defend, expose it. Let my hope rest in Christ, not in the assumption that You will overlook what I refuse to forsake.
- Do Not Let My Past Become an Argument Against Grace. You have saved those whose lives were marked by terrible corruption, which testifies that the greatness of guilt does not exceed the sufficiency of Christ. Let the memory of past sin drive me toward deeper repentance and greater wonder that sinners can be washed, sanctified, and justified through the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Make Repentance More Than Regret. Give me repentance that turns from sin because sin is evil before You. Where habits have become established, make me ruthless against them. Let repentance produce real separation from the former life, so that grace is seen not only in pardon received but in sin increasingly abandoned.
- Teach Me the Urgency of Today. I do not know how long life will continue or how long present opportunities will remain. So keep me from thinking that tomorrow is mine to command. While the gospel is before me, while Christ is proclaimed, and while the call to repentance is heard, help me answer now. Let the present day become the day of serious seeking, sincere repentance, and renewed faith.
Prayer (Supplication):
Holy and merciful Father, keep me from being deceived about sin.
Your Word warns that those who continue in unrighteousness without repentance shall not inherit Your kingdom. Do not allow me to soften that warning, explain it away, or hide behind a profession that leaves reigning sin untouched.
Search me carefully. Expose every habit I excuse, every desire I protect, every compromise I have renamed, and every place where I presume on Your mercy while resisting repentance.
At the same time, preserve me from despair. When conscience remembers grievous sins, remind me that Christ saves sinners who truly come to him. Let me never imagine that my guilt is greater than His sufficiency.
Give me repentance that reaches beyond regret. Make me hate sin because it dishonors You. Break its dominion, weaken its attractions, and lead me into the obedience that belongs to those who have been washed and sanctified.
Strengthen my faith in the righteousness of Christ for justification, and deepen my dependence upon the Holy Spirit for sanctification.
I do not know the length of my life or the measure of remaining opportunity, so I ask that You help me respond while the gospel is before me and the way of mercy remains open.
Let the seriousness of judgment drive me toward Christ, and let the greatness of grace keep me from hopelessness.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 21:8
[1] Thomas Vincent, The Wells of Salvation Opened, (London: Printed for Thomas Parkhurst, 1668), 111-114.
