“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. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

What if a believer is guilty of being a fornicator, idolater, adulterer, etc.? If this passage does not mean those sins can cause him to lose his salvation, then what does it mean? Do we have to stretch the passage to mean something other than what is “plainly” written here?

First, there are some “plainly written” things here that lead us to a different conclusion than loss of salvation. First, Paul says, “Such were some of you,” using the past tense (see Eph. 2:2 and 1 Peter 4:1-5 for similar references to past behaviors). He essentially says, “That is not you anymore.”

Second, notice how the apostle describes their new identity as believers: washed, sanctified, justified. They are not the “unrighteous” who do all those things listed. They are not among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. That is what they used to be, but not what they are now, despite their failings that Paul addresses in this letter.

Third—and this is the most important “plainly written” truth here—their new identity is not based on how they behave, but on what God has done. Their new identity is “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” That means everything that is true of believers now is because of God— particularly the work of Christ and Him crucified, the second person of the Trinity, and the power of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. And theirs is the inheritance of God the Father, the first person of the Trinity.

For those with nagging doubts that, despite the clarity of these statements, it does not seem right that a believer who acted like those listed in this passage should be saved. But consider this: it doesn’t “seem right” that any of us should be saved. For which of us hasn’t broken even the least of the commandments and is not therefore guilty of breaking the entire law (James 2:10)? Of course, the Corinthians who lived like that don’t deserve to inherit the kingdom of God. Neither do you or I! The point is this: if we are in fact washed, sanctified, and justified, and therefore will inherit the kingdom of God, why in the world would we ever want to go back to living like those who will not inherit the kingdom? That is Paul’s rebuke to the Corinthian believers!

Lord, let it never be said of me, “Why would you act like an unbeliever?”