1 Corinthians 6:9

NASB	NLT	VOICE
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,	9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes or practice homosexuality,	9 Do you need reminding that the unjust have no share in the blessings of the kingdom of God? Do not be misled. A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those who lives are defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy,

Word Study: Homosexual

One of the common words that we see here, and we will see in our passage in Timothy today is a variation of “homosexual.” Homosexual is the Greek noun arsenokoites (ar-se-no-KOI-tace), meaning a male homosexual or a sodomite. Remember that a sodomite refers to a person from Sodom, often referencing the men that were ready to commit sexual violence against the angels that Lot was housing in Genesis 19. They were going to rape those angels in an effort to dehumanize, demean, and demoralize those beings.

When we recognize this definition of homosexual and look at the related indulgences listed here: idolatry, sexual sin (often the sexual violence referred to above and other acts), adulterers, and male prostitutes. What do we see? People who use sex for power, for worship, and for control – everything that stands outside of what God created sex to be.

Picking the Passage Apart

The wicked refers to those who live in constant sin without any act of repentance (seeking God’s forgiveness). The kingdom of God references both to the current spiritual power of God in believers’ and future eternal Kingdom (the New Jerusalem.) Paul is warning against self-deception and false teachings that might suggest that one’s action does not affect their spiritual standing. Think about it as, “It’s not that bad, right?” Paul is warning the Corinth church, and us, to be mindful of that because while it might not have any effect on us today, but down the road – who knows? Let’s look at the four things in more detail that Paul labels as indulgences:

Sexual Immoral: all forms of sexual behavior outside the bounds of biblical marriage between a man and a woman. Now this was a very common understanding of sexual immorality at this time in history. Check out my series called “Boundaries of Your Sexuality” for a full definition of sexual immorality when you look both the biblical definition, historical transition, and current culture. Here’s what I created:

Sexual Immorality: committing sexual acts or being nude with someone(s) outside of the boundaries of a healthy, God-led romantic relationship with the intent to accomplish sexual satisfaction, obtain money, satisfy lustful desires, or obtain gratification in a noncommittal manner in a way that can involve a variety of forms of abuse, force and/or inhuman treatment of those involved.

In Paul’s context, the church in Corinth was dealing with prostitution and other sexual practices that were common. Often, took place in the temple – which would have made the temple an impure place and, therefore, a place where God could not be found easily. Now, in that same series – I did a whole section on how the OnlyFans and related side gig has been boom and whether that fall under sexual immorality. Honestly, it was hard for me to say yes or no. In some instances, yes – people use and abuse themselves, their followers, and their income for vanity, fame, and clicks. But at the same time, I recognize it as a way for people to make an income. I recognize it as a way to safely experiment, try, and understand ones’ own sexuality and boundaries. There are flaws to the system because it can lead to impulsive spending and a dopamine addiction. So, we recognize that we can use a system like that and ensure we place strict boundaries on ourselves to ensure that we’re not overdoing. I know often, Christians recommend using an accountability buddy to stay away from stuff like – but what we have one to help use manage our boundary with it. To make sure we’re using it for the right reason and to make sure that we’re not overspending. It’s something to think about at least.

Idolatry: a worship of false gods. It extends beyond physical idols to anything that takes the place of God in our life. For us this could be money, our job, our social media, our relationships – it’s very easy to hold on to those things and not God because they are tangible and God is not. We cannot hold God, but we have to trust by faith that he is the Almighty being put in our paths to help us, strengthen us, and guide us to the best of our ability.

Adultery: a violation of the marriage covenant.In a society where marital fidelity was often disregarded, this command reinforces the sanctity of marriage. The bond between people in a romantic and committed relationship is not something to take lightly. When that violation is present, such as cheating on a spouse, committing acts of the various types of abuse, and everything in between. These acts often lead to divorce if either damage is too far gone or either side wants to work towards a place of reconciliation.

Homosexual Acts: passive and active participants. It was viewed as contrary to God’s design for human sexuality. Remember, the contrary command that we have been digging deeper into is Genesis 1:28 – the command to be fruitful and multiply.Because homosexual sexual acts cannot lead to the reproduction of future human life, it makes the acts of sex impure and therefore despised in God’s eyes, according to different writers of the Bible.

Let’s look at this altogether. The four indulgences include: harmful sexual behavior outside of a committed, romantic relationship; worship of false gods; violating a marriage covenant, and…gay couples having sex with one another.

1 Timothy 1:10

NASB	NLT	VOICE
10 for the sexually immoral, homosexual, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.	10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts wholesome teaching.	10 the sexually immoral and homosexuals, slaves dealers, liars, perjurers, and anyone else who acts against the sound doctrine.

What is the Law that Paul is referring to? It’s the Law of Moses (the Torah – the first five books of the Bible) Paul says that we know that the law is good when it’s used correctly (vs 8) and it was not intended for people to who what is right, but for those who are lawless and rebellious…and the list goes on (vs. 9). It includes the sinful, unholy, murderers, sexual immoral, homosexuals, slave traders, liars, and promise breakers. Anyone who contradicts the teaching found in the Torah. We’ve already talked about the sexually immoral and the homosexual – so let’s touch the rest of what Paul talks about.

Slave Traders: the condemnation of human trafficking and exploitation. Slavery was a widespread institution, yet the Bible upholds the belief that every person should the dignity and value because they were created into the image of God. Now – let’s name this: Slavery is still wrong. This is not me saying a reason to make this permissible. It’s a way to show that that slavery and trafficking was a very real thing then, just as it is now. Yet these people who are allowing and taking part in the practice are being called out here.

Liars and Perjurers: those who deceive and bear false witness. Truthfulness is a core value of the Christian faith and a reflection of who God. The call of honesty and integrity is a recurring thing as well. False teachings and heresies were commonplace in this time, which is why we see such a focus on a sound church context.

Now – here we are again, comparing slave traders, traffickers, and liars, and perjurers…and homosexuals. How did we get here? How did we get to a point where we’re comparing people who sell and abuse other people and those who lie to each other – to two same-gendered people who are in a committed, romantic relationship.

Whatever your orientation, sex should not be exploitative.

What Did You Learn in Church?

I want you to think about this: have you ever heard a sermon or Bible study that has laid the groundwork for creating healthy sexual boundaries” or be “committed to loving ourselves and our neighbors even when it comes to our sexual activities?” For me – no? I truly never had that taught to me in church. Any material as well that I was given or looked up was more about abstinence (which is not inherently wrong) but it never went beyond this. This reason alone is what led to create the “Boundaries for Your Sexuality” series. It was a way to look at the ancient Hebrew and Israelite culture see how they understood their own morals and ethics around sexual relations and how we can apply it to our culture today. The fact that homosexuality is deemed as exploitative as slavery and trafficking, as exploitative as adultery and cheating, as exploitative as lying and committing perjury. People who are in a committed, homosexual relationship are not exploitative. They are celebrating the same freedoms and rights as a heterosexual relationship, except without the reproductive nature of their sexual relations. As a society today we have learned that there is more to a sexual relationship than reproduction, just like there was more to the command taught in Genesis 1:28 than just multiplying and filling the earth with more humans. Even for homosexual couples, we are seeing a rise in IVF, adoption, and surrogacy so that they can also enjoy the perks of starting a family in a safe and healthy manner. Does there need to be more things happening in our world to allow for a more equal right to raising a family? Absolutely. It stems back to WE ARE NOT THE ALMIGHTY JUDGE. WE CANNOT FORCE PEOPLE TO FOLLOW ANY SET OF CHRISTIAN RULES/COMMANDS AND MINDSETS. Forcing people to do what God says in any context is not following the free will that God has gifted us in Genesis 2 and 3. We must work to do better for all people, Christians and Gentiles alike, so that they can work towards an equal right to life and provide a resource to care for all people that God created.  

What About Those Eunuchs?

Eunuchs were men who were not aroused by or included to procreate with women. Honestly, for me, it connects with asexuality. Those with a lower and nonexistent arousal towards another person in a sexual manner. Eunuchs were acknowledged by Jesus and his contemporaries. Sometimes people are not sexually aroused whether it be a hormone imbalance, genetics, personal preferences, and honestly sexual trauma as well. We don’t dismiss asexual people in a way like we do homosexual people. By not following the Genesis 1:28 command, they are also living outside of the bounds of human design and outside of the covenant of a marriage. If the eunuchs were accepted by Jesus and his contemporaries, then we should accept aces and homosexuals. Just because people are making the choice to not reproduce more humans in this world, doesn’t mean that we’re wrong, we’re evil, we’re sinful. It means we recognize that there’s more work needed to be do in this world to make it more like God and we should work together – even through romantic relationships – to work to make the world look like the Kingdom of Heaven.

I hope you found something interesting in this passage. Let me know what you learned below. Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any new blogs and new studies that come out. Until next time, stay blessed.

Next part: Where Do We Go From There? || The Church Clobber || Part 6 (FINALE)