1 Corithians: You Were, But You Are

Mark Dunagan
11/09/14 - Sunday Evening

Such Were Some of You

“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 coveteous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, with 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” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

• The Holy Spirit does not leave the category of the “unrighteous” vague. The acts and behaviors listed are contrary to what is right, in fact, they are never right.  Such behaviors are also condemned in other lists as well (Ephesians 5:1-6; Colossians 3:5-7; 1 Timothy 1:9-10).
• Even in the First Century people were trying to persuade Christians that some or all of these behaviors were not spiritually dangerous.  The Holy Spirit here and in other places with a similar list specifically says, “Do not be deceived” (Ephesians 5:6). Therefore, it is only delusional thinking that would argue that I can practice such things and still be right with God and go to heaven. People that make such arguments are either trying to deceive us or they are deceived.

Such Were Some of You

It is clear that such behaviors are not inborn or natural. To argue any of the above behaviors on the list are inborn would demand for the sake of consistency that they are all inborn. It would also be very dishonest and selfish to argue that simply one of them is inborn. I just don’t understand why sinners allow other sinners the free pass of arguing that their particular sin is irresistible or inborn when that same free pass is not given to other sins. 

• For example, I don’t know of any movement in this country that is seeking to normalize and glorify greed or coveteousness. In fact, greed in individuals and especially on Wall Street and among corporations is condemned even by unbelievers and sinners. I have hearing no one arguing that the greedy CEO or investor on Wall Street was “born that way”.
• I also don’t understand why sinners are giving the homosexual movement a free pass, when the rights, societal approval, legitmacy and respect that they are demanding are is being shared with adulterers, drunks or thieves. Adultery is still frowned upon by many people in our society. I am not hearing anyone claiming that “adultery” is natural, that adulterers are just born that way, that “adultery is just another kind of love”. Or that the definition of a family also includes two people having an affair. 
• While there is something called the homosexual agenda, as far I know there is no drunk agenda, thief agenda, swindler agenda and reviler agenda. Neither is anyone arguing for adultery rights, or drunk rights.
• It also seems very inconsistent for our culture to be proud of one or two of these and condemn the rest. Or take pride in the fact that they “know people” or have “friends who are…”, and yet do not want to have a friend who is a “thief” or a “reviler”. When is the last time you heard anyone, Christian or non-Christian express pride in the fact that they have friends who are “idolaters”, “adulterers”, “drunks” and “thieves”?

This Temporary Moment In Time

Primarily one sin in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is being celebrated and defended like no other sin in the culture — with the exception of maybe fornication. This sin is now seen as a good thing, as a new hallmark of progress.

Hater?

If I today oppose the practice of homosexuality I am called a hater. Yet a person equally opposes some of the behaviors on the rest of the list, they are called a hero. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers are not called “haters”. Neither are the people who formed various movements to protest what they considered to be greed on Wall Street, in the Government or among Corporations. Stores that post signs warning against shoplifting are not labeled at haters, and neither are Television Stations or Networks that expose the adultery of a politician. Jonathan Parnell wrote the following insightful words, “As Christians, we believe with deepest sincerity that the embrace of homosexual practice, along with other sins, keeps people out of the kingdom of God. And if our society celebrates it, we can’t both be caring and not say anything. Too much is at stake. This means it is an oversimplication to say that Christians are simply against homosexuality. We are against any sin that restrains people from everlasting joy in God, and homosexual practice just gets all the press because, at this cultural moment, it’s the main sin that is so freshly endorsed in our context by the powers that be. Let’s hope that if there’s some new cultural agenda promoting thievery — one that says it’s now our right to take whatever we want from others by whatever means — that Christians will speak out against it. The issue is sin. That’s what we are against”.

The Forgotten Benefit

Christians have been labeled all sorts of horrible names by refusing to bow to the culture and say that homosexuality is not a sin. Yet what our culture forgets is that what keeps adultery, theft, drug addiction etc…, on the fringes of society instead of the norm is the presence of the Bible and Christians in the culture. Does anyone really want to live in a culture where theft, adultery, or drunkenness are glorified, praised, practiced with impunity and justified? 

The Third Camp

When it comes to the issue of homosexuality the world attempts to put everyone into one of two camps: 1. Those who celebrate it. 2. Those who hate homosexuals. The idea is if you don’t support it or celebrate then you are a hater with a problem. Yet this is not an accurate picture of reality, and Christians don’t fit into either camp, as well as many other people. 

• As Christians we clearly do not celebrate or support a practice (any practice) that results in a person missing heaven. The Bible is clear, it is just as unrighteous as being greedy, a drunk or an adulterer, and we love homosexuals as well as all others enough not to just collapse under societal pressure.

The True Lovers

“We speak the truth in love into this confusion, saying, simultaneously, ‘That’s wrong’ and ‘I love you’. We speak good news, with those sweetest, deepest, more glorious words of the cross — the same words that God spoke us, ‘You are wrong, and you are loved’” (Jonathan Parnell).

Wrong and Loved

When Paul first came to the city of Corinth, God told him, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on preaching and do not be silent… for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). The people that God was talking about were sinners at the time, yet God did not walk away from them, rather He had the gospel preached to them so they can hear the truth, believe, repent and be baptized (18:8).

• When a person encounters the gospel, what often shocks them is that God says they are far more wrong than they ever thought. One is so wrong that they deserve eternal punishment (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). It is simply difficult for most people to accept the fact that their failure to obey God is that serious. Thus, “do not be deceived”. Most people want to walk around the rest of their lives with the comfortable delusion, “I’m not that bad — and better than most”.
• If one can honesty accept the gospel labeling one has a hell bound sinner, the next thing that shocks a person is the fact or realization that they are loved far more than they ever thought possible. God loved us so much that He freely gave His Son (who also loved us) to die a horrible death for our sins (Romans 5:6-8).

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net