1st Corinthians 6:9-11 says,
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, 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. 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."
I have found 3 common interpretations concerning these verses. The one group will claim that either through committing these sins for a season will cause the loss of salvation or just a single act will forfeit salvation. The other view held by Lordship salvation and many protestants is if a life characterized by such sins only proves that ones faith was never genuine. The third view held by some free grace believers is that Paul was addressing believers as in danger of forfeiting their rewards of inheritance and not salvation.
All three interpretations are completely erroneous even though I do believe that believers reigning is a reward for faithfulness. I will group Lordship salvation and those that teach that one can lose their salvation together as they are virtually the same in their teaching on this point. Both teach enduring to the end to be saved. Both stress perseverance in the faith and holiness. The only difference is that one teaches the loss of salvation and the other will say that it proves that one was never saved to begin with.
Notice that nowhere in verses 9-11 does it say that one will lose their salvation. Notice also that nothing is stated that if one's life is characterized by sin then that proves that they were never saved to begin with. This is religion adding words to the verse nowhere stated. This is what I find common with heretical teaching is that words are always added even though the context is silent. You too can make this verse say whatever you like by adding words as well.
Let's be clear as to what the verse actually is saying. It is clear that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The Greek word 'adikos' (unrighteous) is NEVER used as a reference to the saved. That should be proof enough that the teachings of certain free grace believers is wrong in assuming that Paul was stating that they would forfeit their reward of inheritance. Notice too that forfeiting your reward of inheritance is not stated either but read into the passage. They should have known that in Ephesians 1:11 says, "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance." Paul already used the Greek word 'adikos' in verse one when referring to the "unjust" (unsaved) judges that the Corinthians were going before. Now some free grace believers will tell you that Paul said that the Corinthians were doing "wrong" (adikeo) which is the verb of adikos and will read that into verse 9. It is true that the Corinthians were acting worldly but they were not addressed as 'adikos' (unrighteous). That makes a huge difference. I can say that you are acting like an unsaved person but not you are an unsaved person. Paul wasn't saying in verse 9 that he that doeth wrong (adikeo) will not inherit the kingdom of God but the 'adikos' (unrighteous) themselves will not inherit.
Lordship salvation advocates will stress the present tense of the list of sinful actions mentioned in verses 9 and 10 claiming that the present tense is expressing a continuous or habitual lifestyle and not the mere act. I have a problem with that for several reasons. The first would be as to why God would permit these so-called occasional mishaps into His future earthly kingdom (kingdom of God is not heaven as some have mistaken it to mean) rather than perfection itself? The second problem that I have is due to the butchering that many do to the present tense in Greek. In the New Testament, you will find that the aorist tense is used the most. The second most used tense is the present participle. It appears that people will translate the present tense as continual in every place that it teaches their heresy. Dan Corner that believes you can lose your salvation always refers to the present tense as the "continual tense." However, when it comes to 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Dan Corner no longer argues the present tense continual theory because he now believes that a single act is what was meant. Your Bible translations do the same thing and will translate difficult verses according to their theological beliefs instead of simply giving the literal interpretation (KJV included as I am no KJV onlyist).
Here is another problem that I have. The Bible has qualifying words when wanting something to be continual. If the present tense merely means continual action then there would be no use for such additional qualifying words. Example, Colossians 4:2 says, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Why not just say "pray" in the present tense if it supposedly means continual? How about Ephesians 6:18 that says, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit..."? How about 1st Timothy 5:5 that says, "Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day." Oh yeah, I did forget that believers cannot habitual sin according to Lordship believers as many of our modern version have added words not found in the Greek to teach that one cannot practice sin. Did I forget to mention this verse by the apostle Paul that says in our modern versions, "Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning." OOPS! I guess one can continue in sin. Huh, I wonder if that was what Paul meant in Romans 6 about not letting sin REIGN in your bodies?????
The present tense in Greek is just like our present tense in English where the context determines what is meant. I am typing right now doesn't mean that it is unending because typing is in the present tense. Even the word "commits" in the present tense doesn't necessarily make it continual either. If I were to say, "He who kills another commits murder" is referring to a single act and not a continuous lifestyle. How many times does one have to kill in order to be a murderer? If the sins of first Corinthians 6 means occasional mishaps then at what point does one become a murderer? How many kills must he/she have under their belt before they earn that title? In our court room it would be just one. It can be argued both ways from the context because someone getting drunk once doesn't necessarily make them a drunkard. Peter did say that never let any of us suffer as a thief or murderer. Paul said that fornication should not be named among us ONCE.
Before I proceed look at the following verses that all have the present tense Greek word that will be in bold letters and ask yourself if it means continual:
"Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way." So does one continually make friends quickly with an opponent???
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." So, I can look upon a lady and lust and not sin if it is not a continual look??? I think not!
"Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." So, if one doesn't continual ask then I do not have to give???? Wrong!
"For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" Does this mean love at the present moment or an unending continual love that does not and will not cease?
All verses were taken from Matthew chapter 5. I simply wanted to give a few verses so that you can see how common the present tense is used in the New Testament. The present tense is used over 700 times in the NT and almost always never means continual. This is the deception of religion trying to play games with your mind to convince that the present tense must mean continual because it is the Greek that they are arguing from. They are the fools so don't join them.
To understand what 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 means is to understand Paul's teaching on standing and state (our condition and our walk). Paul was arguing to the Corinthians believers that their future roles should be affecting their current behavior. They were suing each other before unsaved judges. Paul was arguing that they should be able to solve their own problems as believers and reminded them that one day they will be judging angels.
Please note that the unrighteous of verse 9 is being contrasted to the justified (righteous) of verse 11. People are not unrighteous because of their deeds but because of their standing before God. If verses 9 and 10 were referring to our deeds only to define the unrighteous then one can conclude that all they need to do is stop those sins and heaven is theirs. You will find many unsaved people that will tell you that they haven't cheated on their wife, taxes and have even given to the poor. Haven't stolen, killed or got drunk. They might believe that they are true God worshiper's and not idolators. They will get mad when you tell them that the Bible calls them unrighteous as they see themselves as anything but. The unrighteous of verse 9 is simply the unsaved and the sins to follow is not an exhaustive list there given. The sins is merely what many unsaved people do but it doesn't necessarily mean that all do them as we have morally upright people that are unsaved. If Mother Theresa was not saved then wouldn't she be considered unrighteous according to Scripture? Of course even though she was not by our standards. Was she free of most of the sins listed in verses 9 and 10? Yes, if not all. Some of you might point out that she was guilty of idolatry because of her association with Roman Catholicism and that brings me to my next argument.
Were not the Corinthians guilty of the very sins listed in this chapter? Yes. How about getting drunk? Yes, not only were they getting drunk but they were doing it when they were supposed to be remembering what the Lord has done for them in chapter 11. God brought death upon them but Paul used the word "sleep" that he uses to refer to believers that have died. How about fornication? Yes, just look at 1st Corinthians 5 where a man was sleeping with his fathers wife (fathers wife instead of saying his mother implies that it was his step mother). Just look also at chapter 6 where Paul was dealing with their belief that all things were lawful and would go to the temple and have sex with prostitutes and yet Paul still refers to them as believers. How about idolatry? Yes again, in 1st Corinthians 10:7, Paul had to command these believers to FLEE idolatry as they were engaged in pagan revelry.
Now how about these sins outside of the city Corinth? Would Solomon be viewed as a saved man in todays church since he did have over 700 wives and made alters to their demon gods? Some people like Dan Corner believes that he lost his salvation when no such words are even remotely hinted at. Didn't Jesus say when referring to Himself that "behold, a greater than Solomon is here"? Jesus spoke of him favorably.
How about Lot? The last thing we read about him was that he was drunk in a cave having incest with his daughters and yet in the NT we hear that he was righteous. Righteous by standing before God.
How about Samson? He committed suicide and yet his faith is talked about in Hebrews 11. Dan Corner tries to say that he didn't commit suicide because he prayed to God to let him die making it God's will and not his. FOOLISHNESS!! That is as lame as me standing on top of a sky scraper and praying "God, let me die in this fall but never the less, not my will but Thine be done." Samson was ruled by his lust for Delilah a commonly assumed Philistine prostitute that eventually had him enslaved and his eyes burned out of his head by his enemies. Samson was characterized by lust and rebellion.
How about sorcery or witchcraft? Yes, in Acts 19 there were believers that have been saved for 2 years that were still messing around with the occult. Look at verses 18 and 19 that says,
"And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
This list can go on proving that anyone can be habitually practicing the sins of verses 9 and 10 and still be a believer. Again, the verses do not say that one loses their salvation or if one's life is characterized by such sins proves that he never was saved to begin with as that is religion talking and not God's word.
The "unrighteous" of verse 9 is being contrasted to the "justified" (righteous) of verse 11. The unrighteous of verse 9 has that position before God apart from works. We all were dead in sin prior to salvation as well as being not righteous (Romans 3:10). The "justified" of verse 11 has nothing to do with our works as well. The washing, sanctifying and justifying are all acts of God since it was written in the past tense. The problem people have is their focusing on verse 11 that says,
"And such were some of you" and automatically define that as repentance. They assume that when Paul says they "were" that it somehow means that they have forsaken those sins. Do you know that Paul uses the word "were" many times and it does not refer to our repentance or stopping certain sins? Are we to assume that he meant that here even though he dealt with their sins that were actually listed in verses 9 and 10 elsewhere?? Did not Paul say that they were carnal? Lordship heretics have to change the clear wording into "they had carnal ways about them." HUH? No, Paul said that they were CARNAL and I'm so sorry that the wording refutes their position but it is no excuse for changing God's word to accommodate it. Almost always when Paul uses the word "were" he was simply pointing out our former standing before God apart from any works that we do and that includes repentance. Let's compare some of Paul's verses elsewhere that contain the word "were" and make note that human efforts are left out and that it is all a work of grace.
Look at Ephesians 2 that says,
"And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins." Question, what work did you do to quicken yourself? NONE! You WERE dead as the word "were" was pointing you back to your former condition. If I were to revive you back to life then what works did you do to help it along? None. I can say to you when revived, "You were dead but I shocked you back to life."
"Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." Before you were saved, you WERE by nature children of wrath (nature and not works).
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)." Again, the word "were" is pointing back to our former condition apart from works for it is by grace that we were saved. Start thinking about 1st Corinthians 6:11 "Some WERE such as you" (former condition apart from works).
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." We are not saved by our works then how can we lose or not prove that we are saved by our works? These religionists have found a back door to reintroduce Romanism again under a new name. Romanism has simply been reworded to accommodate Romanism.
Lordship salvation screams and shouts claiming that we ignore verse 10 and take it from its context to prove that works do follow salvation in Ephesians 2. Verse 10 reads:
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." They seem to miss the word "should" as it certainly implies that I just might not "walk in them." You will notice that Paul always uses the words "ought" or "should" and so on but he never says, "You will" or "you better" as does our Lordship heretics or those that believe you can lose your salvation.
Look at Ephesians 5:8 that says,
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light."
Again, Paul uses the word "were" to point to our former unsaved position before God. However, Paul shares that we are now light (saved) in the Lord. Paul then tells us to walk as children of light. We are to make our walk and practice match the standing that we now have before God. God sees you as light so it doesn't make sense to walk in darkness. Paul in Romans 13:12-14:
"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."
I thought believers couldn't walk (practice) sin according to those that believe you can lose your salvation and those that believe in Lordship salvation? Those are some serious sins named there in Romans 13. Noticed that these sins mentioned refer to our practice or our daily walk.
When Paul says "you were" then he is merely pointing to your standing before God and not your walk before God that you repented of.
Look at 1st Thessalonians 5:4-10:
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness (positional truth). Therefore let us not sleep (our walk being referred to), as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him."
Do you now see both a positional truth and our walk being referred to here also as in Ephesians 5:8? We are not darkness so let's not live like them. Verse 10 ends with "whether we wake or sleep" and this is not referring to alive or dead as some have attempted to foolishly interpret it as. Verse 6 defines what wake or sleep means. To be "wake" means to be watchful and to be asleep means to be lazy and indifferent. The Greek word here for sleep is not the same Greek word that Paul used to refer to being dead. He uses the same Greek word in verse 10 that he uses in verse 6. Hey Lordship believers, the lazy will be saved, but I not sure you will be with your works salvation that you are blind from seeing it as.
Now look at Romans 5 that says,
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." We were without strength so where does our stopping sin and repenting come into play here? It doesn't as it is all a work of grace. Repentance is only something that a saved person can do.
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." While we "were" yet sinners. Again, this is pointing back to our former condition and works are excluded.
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." If this verse isn't any clearer then I do not know what is. When we WERE enemies...we WERE reconciled to God. When were we reconciled?? When we were enemies and not stopping our sins and so on. Lordship advocates and those that believe you can lose your salvation please quit reading words into the text because it refutes you.
Now look again at 1st Corinthians 6:11 that says, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified (positional truth apart from works) in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
So, when Paul uses the word "were" was he referring to our past wonderful actions? No! Was he referring to our repentance? No! Did Paul say that they stopped doing those sins and were now saved because of it? No! To claim "yes" to any of those questions is to argue the word "were" differently than how Paul used it elsewhere. You will still have problems since Paul continues on with their open sins that clearly are listed in verses 9 and 10. Paul was referring to what we once were and that was our "unrighteous" standing before God, but God who is rich in mercy has saved us apart from works!!! These Corinthians were positionally unrighteous but now they are justified. They were those very sins listed but now they are sanctified (set-apart). Those very sins that they done were now washed and forgiven.
Positionally they are no longer those things!! You might be viewing yourself as a worthless sinner but God doesn't see you as such. You WERE a worthless sinner but ye are washed, sanctified and justified. You have been sealed. You have been made worthy by His blood. You have been redeemed. You are loved as much as Jesus Christ because you are in Him (see John 17:23). You have His righteousness! God sees you as light and not the darkness you see yourself to be. You might be walking in darkness but positionally God sees you as light so live as light. Cast off your works of darkness and put on that armor of light. Don't be lazy, don't get drunk and commit others sins because that is inconsistent with who you are in Christ even though you will be saved as stated in 1st Thess. 5:10. You were a sinner positionally but now you are a saint. Don't view yourself as a sinner but who you are in Christ. This is why many believers struggle and suffer depression because they believe that God is so consumed with their behavior. God wants to change your attitude because your refraining from every sin doesn't for one second imply that you are better as most cults refrain from certain sins. God desires a relationship with you and not your hypocrisy. God understood what he was getting into when He saved you so don't think that God is looking for a divorce since you still appear to be a ugly bride loaded with sin. If God was to focus on you and your sin then you will always be an ugly bride but you are now robed in the righteousness of Christ and stand perfectly whole before God. Yes, sin should not be part of the believer's life but remember that God saved you while you were yet a sinner (an enemy) without any conditions of moral improvements. Moral improvements will only take place once you recognize who you really are in Christ and not what you think you are by your works. The Corinthians needed to be reminded again of what they were and what they are now and that should be affecting their actions and ours too!
0 comments:
Post a Comment