1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. 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.
Paul was rebuking the wicked man in this passage. Although in the church today, we may not think that we are wicked, when you read verse 9, it says that not only the sexually immoral, but the idolaters, the thieves, the greedy and drunkards, none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. Although we may not commit big crime or sin most of the time, there are often times when we covet after things that others have, such as their wealth or even their talents. These "hidden" sins prevent us from inheriting the kingdom of God.
Paul tells us one truth and good news we have in the Lord, which is God has shed His blood for us in Christ Jesus. In other words, we do not have to live in bondage to sin. What you and I need to do is to simply accept the grace of God. The blood of Christ has cleansed us, so that we may be called "righteousness" and we may live a life that is Christ-like. "Justification" simply means something we do not deserve. But because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross, Jesus took away our unrighteousness and gave us His righteousness. This is a spiritual exchange. We have exchanged our unrighteousness with God's righteousness, so that Jesus can take our unrighteousness on the cross for us. Because Jesus took our unrighteousness on the cross, we can truly be called righteous. The Spirit of God in us, continues to cleanse us of our sins, and gives us strength to rebuke the acts of the enemy Satan and the temptations of evil, so that our lives continue to grow in Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we need to return to the presence of God and understand that living in Christ is a daily choice. It does not mean that you are living in Christ just because you were living in Christ ten years ago. You need to choose to live in the light of Christ each day.
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, we thank you and praise you because you are a Holy God, and you cleanse us from our sins. You give us strength to live our daily lives by the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us. May you manifest your victorious power in our midst once again! We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!
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