THE KING’S BUSINESS
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of those who are to judge the world and angels. Paul spoke these words to put them to shame and they ought to put to shame every Christian who goes to law with another Christian before worldly trib unals. There certainly could be found in the body of believers one wise man who is competent to decide (v. 5.R. V.). Paul unhesitatingly declares it is “altogether a defect (or loss) in you, that ye have law suits one with another.” The Christian better take wrong, better be defrauded, than to go to law with his brother Chris tian; but alas! in Corinth there were those who professed to be Christians who even did wrong and defrauded, and that, too, their brethren (v. 8). But we say this was in Corinth, not in America or Eng land; but is it not true in America? Is it not true in England? Paul goes on to tell them in the verse that follows that all such would be lost forever. Paul in the verse immediately preceding had spoken to professing Christians who “do wrong” instead of taking wrong. He now tells them that “the unrighteous” (that is doers of wrong; the adjective is from the same root as the verb translated “do wrong,” in v. 8), “shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven,” These are solemn words. How much better then it is to take wrong and “inherit the kingdom of God” than to “do wrong” and lose that kingdom. Many in Corinth were being deceived on this point, and so are many today being deceived on this point; so Paul says, “be not deceived.” They fan cied if a man made a profession of faith “all things were lawful to him” and all things to them included sin. They were not “under law” so they could do as they pleased. Paul forever annihilates that awful error. If they did sin they would be shut out of God’s kingdom, no matter what their profession of faith in Christ might be. Lest he be misunderstood, Paul goes into specifications as to the sins that will shut men out of the kingdom of God, Tuesday, October 16 . i Corinthians 6 : 9 - 11 .
if persisted in. He specifies four forms of social impurity, the very sins that are ruin ing for time and eternity many in our day, even many professed Christians. No one who practices any of these sins shill “inherit the kingdom of God.” He may be religious, he may pray and read his Bible and talk in prayer meeting and do Christian work, he may even be a preacher, he may have ecstatic experiences and all that, but any man or woman who practices the things here specified and does not repent and forsake them, is bound for hell. Right in the midst of this list of impurities Paul puts “idolators,” because “idolatry” and impurity always go hand in hand: Then Paul adds other wrong doers “thieves,” “covetous,” that is men hungry for more wealth,,..“drunkards,” “revilers,” “extortioners” (that is rapa cious, grasping men, men who charge excessive interest and the like). None of these “shall inherit the kingdom of God.” There are many professed Christians who shall be shut out. How is it,w ith you? Read the list over carefully and prayer fully, see if there is anything here that applies to you. If there is, judge your sin lest you be lost forever. But a man may have done any or all of these horrible jthings and yet be saved; for Paul says “such were some of you; but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the spirit of our God.” There is power in Jesus’ name, in His shed blood and in the Holy Spirit to sanctify and justify the vilest sinner. Among the saints in Corinth when Paul wrote, who had now been sanctified and justified, were many of those who had been down in the deepest depth of sin. Any one today who is guilty of any or all of these sins, may be “washed,” “justified,” “sanctified,” all his sins pardoned, set apart for God, cleansed from all impurity of life and heart. But this is only possible “in the name of our Lord Jesus” and “in the Spirit of our God.”
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