The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, but how serious is that? The common Biblical phrase Kingdom of God can be used in more than one way, but in this particular study we will focus in upon the seriousness of not inheriting it as mentioned in especially the following three key passages:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9,10, NASB).
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21).
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them (Eph. 5:5-7).
Observation #1: It is the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God. They are also listed in 1 Cor. 6:9,10.
Observation #2: It is crystal clear that it is sin, and of the types cited above, that will cause one not to inherit the kingdom of God.
Observation #3: The danger of not inheriting the kingdom of God is something that can happen to Christians. Hence, Christians were given this type of warning repeatedly by Paul to keep them on their vital guard.
Question: Where do the unrighteous—the ones who do not inherit the kingdom of God—go?
Answer: Jesus answers this in one of his hell warnings:
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell (Mark 9:47).
NOTE: Jesus taught we either enter God's kingdom or get thrown into hell. Elsewhere we learn that in Scripture, at times, the phrase kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably (Mt. 13:11 cf. Mk. 4:11; Mt. 19:14 cf. Lk. 18:16; etc.). We can also safely deduce that entering God's kingdom is the same as entering heaven, especially in light of the following passage:
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear (Mt. 13:41-43).
Hence, all who do evil will go to the fiery furnace while the righteous will be in the kingdom of their Father (God). This is significant especially with a past observation in mind, that is, the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, the righteous are distinguished from those who do evil and they will be in the kingdom of God, while the unrighteous (or wicked) will not inherit the kingdom of God. In Mt. 25, the Lord will speak to his sheep and say the following to them:
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Mt. 25:33,34).
In verse 37, those same sheep are called righteous. The only other group present go to eternal fire (Mt. 25:41) and everlasting punishment (Mt. 25:46). NOTE: This is not a temporary punishment in fire, but everlasting. They are also the ones that are not Jesus' sheep nor are they righteous. They do not inherit the kingdom.
James wrote:
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (James 2:5)
Those who inherit God's kingdom are the same as those who love God. Other Scriptures show if we love God we will obey God (John 14:15; 14:23,24; 1 John 5:3). Hence, those who love God won't be committing the sins cited in 1 Cor. 6:9,10; Eph. 5:5-7; etc., but will instead be obeying him. Only such will inherit God's kingdom and not go to hell's fire.
To have an inheritance implies being an heir, which is what we become when we are made God's son:
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (Gal. 4:7).
Hence, if you can lose your inheritance, then you can cease being God's son, according to the Biblical evidence. Since that can happen, then there can be is no eternal security, as shown in many other ways throughout Scripture.
In Revelation, we read the following:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Rev 21:1-8).
There we learn what our inheritance will be, if we are numbered with the overcomers. That inheritance is shown to include:
If one doesn't inherit all that, he is thrown into the lake of fire (v. 8), which is where all the non-overcomers will go. Please also note the overlap of sins mentioned in Rev. 21:8 and the sins cited in 1 Cor. 6:9,10; Gal. 5:19-21 and Eph. 5:5-7. Again, we observe that if one doesn't inherit the kingdom of God he will be thrown into the lake of fire. This powerfully refutes the fallacious idea that we can enter God's kingdom but not inherit it. Jesus once answered a question about being saved by equating it to entering through the narrow door:
Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:23, 24).
The ones who don't enter, as referred to in verse 24, didn't put forth enough effort to get through the narrow doors into the kingdom. In our dark day, putting forth such an effort to refrain from sin is denounced as a works salvation, and those wisely obeying Jesus are often falsely accused of trying to save themselves. Such religious leaders and false accusers are savage wolves in sheep's clothing and must be exposed and refuted for the sake of souls. To do so is acting in Christian love, not hate or intolerance. (See 1 Cor. 13:6.)
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
From all of that we observe: being saved = entering the kingdom of God = inheriting eternal life in the age to come. Again, notice how entering and inheriting are similarly used.
In summary, don't let anyone deceive you. MOST people will not inherit the kingdom of God (Mt. 7:13,14). Never forget the seriousness of sins, as cited in the initial three passages. Such sins can drag you to hell, even if you were previously saved:
If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. (Ezek 33:18)Spiritual death can occur to the righteous! Do not be deceived. You must get the victory over them to be an overcomer and to inherit God's paradise kingdom. You can do this with the help of God. See Rom. 8:13. If you are in such sins now, repent and come back to God. (Backslider, God wants you back!)
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them (Eph. 5:5-7).
GOD BLESS YOU.
OTHER TOPICS:
What Is The Gospel of Jesus Christ (The Plan of Salvation)
Live Holy And Keep Yourself Pure
Saved So As By Fire (Loss of Rewards)
Which Are You - A Slave to Sin or A Slave to God?
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