"And Such Were Some of You"

"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 men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." I Cor. 6:9-11 (ESV)

Paul continues his letter to the Corinthians by stating his authoritative position; he says in verse 1, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” Paul knew who he was and what a great blessing he had received when he met Jesus face to face on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-8). Paul knew that God had called him to be an Apostle (one sent as a representative) of Jesus. But Paul never wanted to forget that he was a “servant” of Christ. And as a servant, he was speaking for his Master, the Lord Jesus. But he repeatedly told these good folks not to focus on him or Apollos, but to focus on the saving grace of our Savior.

Chapter 5 goes from correcting the Corinthians in general and telling them to stop their divisions and clicks in the church to speaking about immorality that was currently going on in the Church itself, “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.” (5:1).

Paul spends this chapter teaching about the purity of God’s Church, and if there is immorality in the local assembly, then how can they be a testimony to an unbelieving world? In fact, Paul says that the body of Christ, the local Church, should “not associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one.” 

Here is where we get it all wrong, as Christians, we isolate ourselves from the unbelieving world, we don’t expose ourselves to the vices of the world, and the world sees us as living in “ivory towers”, too good to associate with those that have not accepted our Savior. In verses 9-13 of Chapter 5, Paul clearly tells the Corinthian believers that they need to be exposed to the world and its people; otherwise, how will anyone outside the church ever hear of the saving grace of our God? Remember Paul’s statement in Romans 10:13-17, “WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED”. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?” One of the main reasons God has left us here on this earth after salvation is to be a witness to those who do not know the Lord Jesus and his gospel of grace.

Now, Paul condemns actions by so called beliers where he clearly states that those habitually practicing these actions will not “inherit the kingdom of God”, but then God wants to remind us in verse 11 “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” How sobering to remember that we, as believers, used to live like those who will not inherit the kingdom of God, but because of what Jesus and the Holy Spirit have done, we have been sanctified and justified and now are blameless before the throne of God, because of what God did for us. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God!” (Eph. 2:8).

Paul must say, “And such were some of you;” it reminds us that we used to be far from God, living our lives apart from Him, being the “masters” of our own lives, but not any longer. Now we have been bought at a price; we are no longer masters of our own lives, but servants of God, servants of the one who, through his shed blood, paid the price for our sins so that we could have eternal life with our Heavenly Father. “Such were some of you,” but no longer can any child of God, and servant of the Savior, live like that? “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own?” (6:19). This is a truth that we as believers forget, the Holy Spirit is living in every one of us. We take him with us wherever we go, he is there for every conversation, and He provides guidance to each of us if we will slow down and listen to Him.

Paul concludes Chapter 6 with this exhortation: “For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (6:20) Believers, knowing that God has bought us, we need to live our lives to glorify Him.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"