“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ” (1 Cor. 6:9-10 KJV)
I see this two verses of Scripture misused so often to discredit the Doctrine Of Eternal Salvation. Reading this by itself without proper context it certainly does seem like Apostle Paul is refuting the believers eternal security. However, this in no way discredits OSAS! I find it very convenient that those using this Scripture to discredit OSAS do not include the very next verse! And it is such an important verse to the meaning of this!
Verse 9-10 Is All About Those Not Born Again
Apostle Paul is contrasting a unsaved person to a saved person and nothing else. Verse 9-10 is talking about an unbeliever in Christ. They have not accepted the only atonement for their sins and so their sin debt remains and God will have to judge them for their sins. And the wages of sin is eternal death. Without belief on Christ for forgiveness of sins a person is headed for God’s judgement at the White Throne Judgement of the unredeemed and headed for a place called hell. God created hell for ‘the devil and his angels’ (Matthew 25:41) who cannot be redeemed. Yet without accepting Gods gift of Salvation through Christ, they too have sided with the devil and his angels and will also be judged for their sins committed in life. God does NOT want you to go to hell! So much so He sent His only Son (God in the Flesh) to take the punishment that we deserve so we could be forgiven and meet His attribute of Holiness and Justice. That is the Gospel of our Salvation.
Verse 11 Is The Good News For Born Again Believers!
Verse 11 reads, “And such WERE some of you: but YE ARE WASHED, but YE ARE SANCTIFIED, but YE ARE JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11 KJV)
Through belief on Christ alone in faith and the only atonement for sins through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God in the flesh, who lived a sinless life and bore the punishment for the sins of the whole world on the cross a person becomes 100% FORGIVEN and justified in Christ. Such a person has become a believer by accepting the FREE GIFT of Eternal life through what Christ has accomplished on the cross.
Here Apostle Paul tell us that once a person believes on Christ alone for their Salvation without works required (Ephesians 2:8-9), the person is WASHED. Our sin debt has been eradicating forever! A believers has also been SANCTIFIED (set apart and deemed Holy) and JUSTIFIED (deemed innocent with sins already paid for by Christ on the cross.
Paul also tells us,
“For by GRACE are ye saved THOROUGH FAITH; and that NOT of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should BOAST.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 KJV)
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:4-5 KJV)
Paul is not flip flopping in his teachings on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is just stating the same thing. Salvation is not by our works nor deeds but through belief on Christ alone for our Salvation and forgiveness of sins. The Corinthians church was a very bad example of a group of believers and they were doing things very shocking and sinful. Paul is rebuking them, yes. Yet Paul also addresses them as BRETHREN, a term for saved believers and is encouraging them to walk by the newly spirit we have received at our moment of Salvation and not by the flesh because the newly created Spirit is the new us.
Paul says to the Corinthians the same as t the Galatians that we should “…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 KJV)
