“Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
— 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
A Stark Warning and a Glorious Hope
Paul doesn’t pull any punches here. He gives a clear, uncompromising list of sins that will keep people out of the Kingdom of God. The list is sobering because it touches every area of human failure—sexual sin, idolatry, dishonesty, greed, abuse, and addiction.
But Paul doesn’t stop at the warning. He turns the corner with one of the most hope-filled phrases in the Bible: “Some of you were once like that.”
The Past Does Not Have to Define You
The Corinthian church was full of people whose pasts were messy. They had made bad choices, hurt others, lived selfishly, and rebelled against God. But when they came to Christ, something radical happened:
- They were cleansed – Their guilt was washed away completely.
- They were made holy – Set apart for God’s purposes, no longer defined by their old life.
- They were made right with God – Declared righteous, not by their own works, but by Jesus’ sacrifice.
“The Gospel doesn’t just improve you—it transforms you.”
Before and After the Gospel
| Before Christ | After Christ |
|---|---|
| Guilty before God | Forgiven and made right with God |
| Controlled by sin | Set free to live for God |
| Defined by past mistakes | Defined by Christ’s righteousness |
| Separated from God | Adopted into God’s family |
| No lasting hope | Confident hope of eternal life |
| Broken and empty | Whole and filled with the Spirit |
| Spiritually dead | Spiritually alive in Christ |
The Power of the Gospel
This is what makes Christianity different from mere moral improvement. Self-help can teach you better habits. Religion can give you rules. But only the Gospel can take someone from spiritual death to spiritual life.
The good news of Jesus is not that “good people get into heaven,” but that bad people can be forgiven, changed, and welcomed into God’s family through faith in Christ.
Our Testimony Matters
When Paul says “Some of you were once like that,” he’s reminding believers not to forget where they came from. Our past failures are not our shame—they’re the backdrop that makes God’s grace shine even brighter.
Every Christian has a “but God” story:
- I was lost, but God found me.
- I was guilty, but God forgave me.
- I was broken, but God healed me.
“Your testimony is proof that no one is too far gone for God’s grace.”
Living Out the Change
If Christ has cleansed us, made us holy, and made us right with God, we can’t keep living as if we belong to our old life. Paul’s warning still stands: those who persist in sin, refusing to repent, will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
The Gospel calls us to walk in the freedom we’ve been given—to live holy, love deeply, and point others to the One who can change anyone.
Final Encouragement
If you feel like you’ve gone too far or messed up too badly, remember the Corinthian believers. They were deeply flawed, but Jesus made them new. And He can do the same for you.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
