1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Butler's Comments

SECTION 2

Debauched Are Not Brothers (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Reprobation: Clearly, Paul is classifying those who are taking brotherhood grievances to civil courts as some of the unrighteous who shall not inherit the kingdom of God! The Greek word adikoi may be translated either unrighteous or unjustthe two English words mean the same. It is frightening to contemplate that those who would rather defraud a brother than be defrauded are categorized with the debauched but that is precisely what Paul is doing here.

Those who defraud are as abominable to God as the immoral, the idolater, the homosexual, the effeminate, the thief, the greedy, the drunkard, the reviler, and the robber. All these unrighteous ones (except the homosexual and the effeminate) are listed earlier by Paul as alien to the kingdom of God and unacceptable as citizens (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). The Greek word arsenokoites is a combination of arsen, male, and koite (Eng. coitus), sexual intercourse, and is translated homosexual. The Greek text here includes the word malakoi, literally meaning, soft to the touch, but used metaphorically in the New Testament to mean male effeminacy in a practicing homosexual. The word malakoi was used by classical Greek writers near the first century A.D. to denote catamites (men and boys who allowed themselves to be misused homosexually). Homosexual behavior is not sicknessit is sin! Why would the act of suing a Christian brother in a heathen court be counted such a serious crime by the apostle? Because it is a deliberate rejection of the very essence of God's kingdom. It is a refusal of the principle of self-denial. Anyone who refuses to put self to death, allowing Christ to live in him, is not worthy of the kingdom (see Luke 12:13-31; Luke 14:25-33; Luke 16:10-15; John 12:20-25; John 15:12-14; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:13; Galatians 5:24-26, etc.). It is the love of Christ which is to control every Christian. Christians are never to consider one another from the world's point of view (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). When Christians are unwilling to settle any grievance they have with one another, even if it means being defrauded, it means they are unwilling to surrender to the sovereign will of Christ and are not fit to inherit His kingdom. Paul told these Corinthian brethren they were being led astray (Gr. planasthe, wandering stars, planets), in their unmerciful, non-Christian actions of suing one another in heathen courts.

1 Corinthians 6:11 Regeneration: These straying Christians, in their present shameful, defeating, unrighteous behavior unfit for the kingdom, are reminded they do not have to remain disinherited. Some of them were once before living debauched and ungodly lives. Paul is warning them not to continue in this fallen condition, lest they be lost. It is possible to fall from grace after having once been washed, sanctified and justified (see Galatians 5:1-26). Paul considers them, in their present conditions, as unrighteous and not heirs of the kingdom. But he exhorts them (by inference) to repent and return to the state of being sanctified and justified.

It is well to note here that the order of the regenerative process harmonizes with what the rest of the New Testament says about it. First, the Corinthians believed and were baptized (washed), then they were pronounced sanctified and justified, (see Acts 2:38; Acts 18:8; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:5 ff.; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:22-25). The Greek verb apelousasthe is 2nd plural aorist middle, and might be literally translated you were washed clean. The word is a combination of two Greek words, apo (from) and louo (washed). The verb louo and its various forms are often used metaphorically for baptism (see Acts 22:16; Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:22). The believer's obedience to Christ's command to be baptized (see Matthew 28:18-20) is the initial and fundamental act of faith through which God has chosen to judicially declare a believer both sanctified and justified. It is at this point in the believer's calling upon God that he has his sins washed away (Acts 22:16), is saved (1 Peter 3:21; Titus 3:5), is made a member of Christ's church (Ephesians 5:26), is joined to Christ and justified (Galatians 3:23-29), is sanctified (Ephesians 5:26). Without surrender to the command of Christ and the Holy Spirit (through the apostles) to baptism there is no promise of cleansing, salvation, justification or sanctification.

While these Corinthian Christians had previously been baptized, sanctified and justified, they were not presently considered in a sanctified and justified state of the apostle. One who is aware that he is sinning, after having been once baptized, must appeal to the grace of God by repentance and prayer (Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 John 1:8-10; 1 John 2:1-6). To be an heir of the kingdom of God after initial admittance through belief and baptism, one must continue in sanctification and justification, which is done through daily repentance and prayer. Repentance is from the Greek word metanoeo which means changing the mind and actions. Sanctification is from the Greek word hagiasmos which means, set apart unto God, or dedicated to God. Justification is from the Greek word dikaiosis and means, to declare right, to declare innocent, to acquit of guilt. God is able to declare sinners innocent of guilt because Christ vicariously atoned for all sin upon the cross. This is established as a fact by the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. But God cannot declare any sinner innocent who will not accept that declaration of grace. God has decreed that any sinner who wishes this free gift of grace (declaration of innocence from all guilt) must do so by believing Christ's death paid for his sin and by submitting to the ordinance of baptism. When the sinner accepts God's offer, on God's terms, he is set apart to God's will in his life. Of course, a washed, justified, sanctified person may renounce his inheritance and return to the former state of alienation and impenitence (2 Peter 2:20-22). That, says Paul, is what these Corinthians were doing by refusing to settle their grievances with one another on Christian principles.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God simply means these Corinthians had been previously washed, justified and sanctified under the authority of and by the agency of Christ and the Holy Spirit. That authority and that agency is the word of Christ in the apostolic message. There is no indication in the New Testament that the Holy Spirit operates or leads in any extra-Biblical manifestation in the matter of salvation, justification and/or sanctification. The Holy Spirit's will in these matters is contained in and operates through His revealed Word. That Word is the Biblenothing less and nothing more! The oral teachings of Christ and the apostles were the first revelations of the Holy Spirit's will for salvation, justification and sanctification. Later, their spoken doctrines were committed to writing. These apostolic documents have the same authority and power as their oral teachings did. These written words of the apostles (and the Old Testament before them) form the completed, canonized Word of Godthe will of the Spirit of Truth. They are all the world needs for salvation, justification and sanctification. Nothing must be taken away from these writings and nothing must be added to them. All things that pertain to life and godliness are in his precious promises (2 Peter 1:3-5).