[Quick Note: Who Am I Again is postponed until 2nd week of September. TLDR – I’m burnt out and struggling to find the energy to write it. The rest of August and beginning of September will be solely Manna for the Minds because of how easy they are for me.]

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

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 idolators, 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,	9-10 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 whose lives are defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling.
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.	10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people – none of these will inherit

Now some of you may be familiar with this verse. Whether this has been thumped on you by a Christian or you read it my latest “The Church Clobber” series. I apologize if this repeats itself what I taught then, but I find it important that we understand the true connection of this verse from a general perspective. Not just in a discussion about homosexuality. 

Paul’s Purpose: Stop the Self-Deception

The wicked “unrighteous/who do wrong/unjust” describe those who live a sinful lifestyle without any ask of forgiveness to God. Corinth was a place full of ungodly behaviors, which was why Paul was glad to call this out. The Kingdom of God describes two things: the present spiritual reign of God and the future eternal kingdom. Paul echoed this teaching from Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23, where Jesus warned that not everyone who called him Lord will enter this Kingdom. Those who do God’s will get to enter. What I take away from this overall: We can talk all the talk we want, but what will matter more is how we walk our walk. How we act will show our chance of getting into the Kingdom of God. Paul even warns us that we shouldn’t be deceived by those who are labeled as wicked. Paul doesn’t want the church of Corinth, and us, fighting self-deception and false teachings that could hint that our behavior isn’t THAT damaging. 

The List: A Mirror, Not a Weapon

Because of that Paul gives us an example list of who the wicked are:

• Sexually Immoral – in their culture, it encompassed all forms of behavior outside the bounds of biblical marriage. (really – it’s a call out to not engage in temple prostitution and related acts) 
• Idolaters – those who worship false gods (making anything that takes the place of God in one’s life) 
• Adulterers – those who violated a marriage covenant
• Homosexuals – those who were actively and passively participants in homosexual acts. (culturally, it was described as any acts that went against God’s design for homosexuality) 

There’s more that are listed in verse 10 that we’ll touch on in a moment. What do these three things (not including homosexuality) have in common? Those who wanted to take life into their own hands. They did not want to follow the principles that God laid out and tried to find happiness, success, and pleasure in their own life. They had sex for pleasure and ecstasy, instead of love and relationship. They focused on their career and status, instead of doing what God planned for them. They had relationships with committed people instead of respecting the covenantal relationship between two people. Let’s continue that list:

• Thieves – those who take what doesn’t belong to them, disregarding the rights and property of others. 
• Greedy – those who desire for more than one needs or deserves, often at the expense of others. 
• Drunkenness – those who excessively drink that leads to a loss of self-control and moral judgments. 
• Verbal Abusers – those who use words to harm, insult, or belittle others. 
• Swindlers – those who deceive or cheat others for personal gain. 

None of these people will inherit the kingdom of God, meaning that they will not receive eternal life and participate in God’s redemptive plan. 

This Isn’t About a Checklist – It’s About Change

It’s tempting to reduce this to ‘just avoid these things,’ but real life doesn’t work like that. Transformation is hard – but possible. . Let’s name it for what it is. Our world and our upbringing often taught us to take what we can get no matter what because it would cause more people to like us, make us more successful, and make us happy. We’re to do this and not worry about who we hurt along the way. If we look closer at these sinful acts that Paul listed, we’ll find ourselves guilty of at least one of these. From the more serious sins of sexual immorality (which I’ve talked about simply being performing sexual activities outside of a loving, covenantal relationship), to idolatry (using the things of this world to replace the role model of God.) to adultery (causing a break in the marriage/relational covenant between two people.) From the less severe sins, which often cause more damage down the road, like thievery (taking what is not yours and disrespecting the person and property around them) to greed (holding on to more than you need while others suffer) to drunkenness (participating in acts of over-drinking to the point where you lose your self-control and morality) to verbal abuse (using your words and platform to hurt, harm, and insult others) to swindling (deceiving or cheating others for your own benefit). 

A God Who Forgives – and Calls Us Higher

These acts and more harm the children of God around us. We can change. We need to change. The world needs us to change. Not tomorrow, not next year, but now. We must work to ensure that we can love those around us as God loves us. We must work to stand up for those who are being silenced. We must fight for the dignity and flourishing of all God’s children. We must feed those who are hungry, shelter those who are homeless, clothe those who are naked, and more. It starts with recognizing God’s abundant love for us. We serve a loving God that offers us ultimate forgiveness for how we’ve gotten it wrong for so many years. We need to go to God asking for his forgiveness, and work every day to align our hearts to his will. To be able to become a part of his hands and feet in doing the ultimate form of compassion, care, and service: loving our neighbors as he loved us. When we pause, ask for that forgiveness, and begin to seek his will in our lives – we will find those areas to help. Those areas are often right out in front of you this whole time. 

Reflection Questions

1. Which sin on Paul’s list are you most prone to excuse or overlook in yourself? 
2. How do you view sin?
3. What’s one tangible way you can love others better this week?

Call to Action

Pause today and ask God, “Where am I deceiving myself?” Ask for His grace to change. Extend that grace to someone else who needs it just as much

Next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #251