Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  (1 Corinthians 6:9a).

The kingdom of God.

Jesus talked about it.

So did the Apostles.

It’s a present reality and a future promise for God’s people.

And it’s not for the wicked.

Now, Paul is about to launch into a list of the kinds of people who will not be in the kingdom, but before we start our checklist, let’s fix our eyes on the main point:

Jesus.

It’s pretty much always Jesus.

You see, without Jesus, we all fall into the “wicked” box, even if we manage to tiptoe our way through Paul’s checklist of sins. We all belong firmly to the “There is no one who is righteous; no, not one” category.  

With Jesus, and by God’s grace, we are forgiven–even if we tick every box on the list.

So, last week Paul was talking about lawsuits among believers, and how it would be better to allow yourself to be cheated than to take a brother to court and spoil our witness to the world. Better to humbly accept being wronged than to fight as the world fights. He then laments that Christians would do things to others that merit lawsuits, that brothers would wrong each other instead of demonstrating the love of Christ.

And then this verse.

It’s a reminder that we have been separated from the world and its ways. We have been cleaned up and set on a new path. If we want to behave as the world behaves, we are walking a path that is no longer meant for us, and that will not take us where we want to go.

So, take the reminder, Beloved. 

Walk the path God has laid out for you this week.

Happy Monday