Inheriting the Kingdom of God
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: Inheriting the Kingdom
of God--------------------- Date: 3/13/2000
Keywords:
"kingdom of God" "righteousness"
"unrighteousness"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual
temptation.
Passage: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11*
9. Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate [male prostitutes], nor homosexuals,
10. nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11. And 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.
Questions
1. If the unrighteous will not be inheriting the kingdom of God, who
will?
2. What is the kingdom of God?
3. How does verse 11 affect the interpretation of the entire
passage?
Practical help
It is easy to misinterpret what Paul is saying. This is a tricky
area of Scripture but it speaks directly to issues like Internet pornography, so let's
study it together over the next few days.
The righteous will inherit the kingdom of God. But who are the
righteous? Look at verse 11 again. Righteous people are not perfect people. Instead, they
are people who have been washed, sanctified and justified. These are not things they have
done for themselves. Someone had to wash them, sanctify them and justify them. If you have
put your faith in Jesus, then you have received these gifts already. If you are unsure,
then click here.
So what's with the list in verses 9 and 10? Paul is writing to a
church with problems, some of which involve sexual issues. Rather than scolding them, he
reminds them that their primary identities are no longer as sinners separated from God and
His kingdom. This is a very important point. Before you knew Jesus, you were lost in your
sins. After you came to Christ, you became identified with Him. You may still sin, but you
are a Christian who sins. Although your sins will not remove your inheritance of eternal
life in God's kingdom, they do cause damage to your witness and place shame on the One you
profess to love.
Tomorrow, let's look at what it means to be washed.
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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright
The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by
permission."