Lessons #171 and 172
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Settlement of disputes among believers (1 Cor 6:1-11)
... 9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Let me refresh your mind regarding the message of 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 that we have been considering which is that Disputes between believers in a local church should be settled by the church through carefully selected members. In our last study, we noted that a reason a believer would take another believer to court is because the person refuses to be wronged or defrauded. In effect, such an individual will be unwilling to give up the person’s right in a matter that does not involve criminal conduct of the type with which the state or government has to deal. We also noted that when a believer takes another believer to court that such means that there is loss on the part of the believer who does so and the local church the individual belongs. Although, the Holy Spirit expects believers to accept being wronged than take their fellow believer in the same local church to court but there is also the implication that we should strive not to wrong our fellow believers or anyone for that matter. The apostle having implied this requirement proceeds to provide two reasons believers should not wrong each other or any other person. These two reasons are the concern of verses 9 to 11. We begin with the first reason.
A first reason believers should not wrong each other is that those who will not inherit God’s kingdom are characterized by specified sins in the passage we are about to consider. This fact is conveyed in a rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? This rhetorical question is an addition to the series of rhetorical questions the apostle gave in the first three verses of this sixth chapter and in verses 5 and 7. This may not be evident in the NIV and many of our English versions that began verse 9 without any connective to what preceded. Of course, the 2011 edition of the NIV rectified this in that it begins verse 9 with the word “or” as in the NASB and the ESV. A handful of English versions, such as, the TEV and the REB that turned the rhetorical question into a statement, began the verse with an emphatic word “surely.” This notwithstanding, it is our assertion that the question of verse 9 is an addition to the series of rhetorical questions of the apostle in the preceding verses. This assertion is based on our interpretation of the Greek particle that begins verse 9. Verse 9 in the Greek begins with a Greek particle (ē) that may be used as a marker of alternative in which case it may be translated “or.” The alternative may be opposite and so mutually exclusive as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that it is the master of a slave that determines if his service is satisfactory or not which is given in terms of mutually exclusive opposite positions a person can take, that is, “standing” or “falling” as used in Romans 14:4:
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
The alternative may be related and similar terms, where one can take the place of the other or one supplements the other. The use of the particle to express words that can take the place of another is how Apostle Paul used it when he speaks of stumbling block or obstacles believers should not put before others in Romans 14:13:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
However, under this usage of a marker of alternative, the particle may be used in an interrogative sentence. This usage may be to introduce a question which is parallel to a preceding one or supplements it as Apostle Paul used it in the question given in Romans 2:4:
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
The question of this verse supplements the previous question where the apostle intended to convey that the individual who disobeys God’s law would not be able to get away without God judging the person as stated in Romans 2:3:
So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
The particle may be used to introduce and to add to rhetorical questions as the apostle used it to convey that God is not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles, as we read in Romans 3:29:
Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
The Greek of this verse begins with the word “or” although not translated in the 1984 edition of the NIV, but the 2011 edition rectified that since it begins with “or” as in many other English versions. It is in the usage of introducing and adding to rhetorical questions that the particle is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9 since it introduced another rhetorical question to the ones given in verse 7 of the sixth chapter of 1 Corinthians.
Be that as it may, the rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 6:9 is problematic, specifically how to understand what the apostle meant in the question Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? This problem is related to a larger question of how to interpret and apply verses 9 and 10. There are at least six different interpretations that scholars have given regarding this passage that concern its application. I present these six interpretations as well given by Dr. Lopez.[1]
A first interpretation is that believers who commit these sins will lose their salvation. This interpretation that goes back to John Wesley is in part based on the interpretation that the verbal phrase "inherit the kingdom of God" is equivalent to the verbal phrase "enter into eternal life." This understanding is based in comparing such passages where receiving eternal life, seeing the kingdom of God and entering the kingdom of God seem to be equivalent as in the following passages:
Matthew 19:16:
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
John 3:3,5:
3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Based on this perceived equivalence of receiving eternal life, seeing the kingdom of God, and entering the kingdom of God, some with this first interpretation argue that 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is a warning to believers who practice the sins listed that unless they stop practicing them, they will lose their salvation. This interpretation has at least two drawbacks. First, it does not account for the contrast between the Christians in 1 Corinthians 6:11 and the unrighteous unbelievers in verses 1 and 9-10. Second, it contradicts several passages of the Scripture that indicate that believer’s salvation is secured because eternal life is a gift from God through faith in Christ that is irrevocable. Jesus Christ gave that assurance in John 10:28–29:
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul conveyed that our inheritance that is primarily concerned with eternal life is secured in Ephesians 1:13–14:
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
A second interpretation is that people who commit these sins demonstrate they were not saved in the first place. This interpretation is by those who hold to the security of believer’s salvation. Therefore, those with this interpretation intending not to conflict with the teaching of the Scripture regarding the security of believer’s salvation argue that those who persist in the sins listed in our passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 were never saved or that their profession of faith is false. This view does not agree with the context of this epistle in that there is the assumption that a believer could not practice these sins for a prolonged period. The apostle had mentioned a believer who was in an incestuous relationship for a long period without ever saying that the person was not saved. Furthermore, the apostle conveyed that those who are believers are capable of the sins listed in our passage hence he instructed believers to avoid association with such individuals, as we read in 1 Corinthians 5:9–11:
9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
A third interpretation is that believers who commit these sins lose fellowship with the Lord. Hence, it is advocated that the apostle in the passage is warning believer against loss of fellowship with the Lord. There is no denying that the sins mentioned result in loss of fellowship with the Lord but that does not seem to be what the apostle had in mind. You see, this view takes the position that the “kingdom of God” refers to God's immediate presence in fellowship with believers. The problem with this view is that the apostle used a future tense in the Greek word that is translated in 1 Corinthians 6:9 as will not inherit. Since the apostle speaks of future event, he could not have had in mind fellowship with the Lord that is supposed to be taking place in this life.
A fourth interpretation regarding 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that concern its application is that believers who commit these sins will miss the millennial kingdom, though they will have eternal life. Advocates of this view correctly maintain that eternal life is a free gift that comes by faith alone in Christ. But they add that entrance into the millennium is based on having lived a life of obedience. The problem with this view is that there is no scriptural basis for such interpretation. Thus, the proponents of this view are forced to come up with explanation as to where the believers who would not participate in the millennium be. Consequently, they contend that believers who were not obedient would be banished to hades only to be restored to endless bliss at the end of the millennium. This is a speculation that contradicts several passages of the Scripture that do not imply that any believer would be excluded from the first resurrection at the advent of Christ as we may gather from 1 Corinthians 15:50–54:
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
This fourth view contradict the idea that believers would not be involved in the second death since all believers would experience resurrection when Christ returns. Thus, it would be wrong to equate believers with unbelievers that would experience second death, as stated in Revelation 20:4–6:
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
A fifth interpretation and application of our passage of study is that believers who commit these sins will lose rewards in heaven. This view contains that which is true in that although all believers will be in the millennial kingdom because of their faith in Christ, some believers will not receive rewards because of their disobedience. However, a problem with this interpretation is with the proponents’ understanding of “inheritance.” The say that inheritance in the Old Testament was equated with being in the land of Canaan that is premised on obedience. Thus, the Israelites who disobeyed the Lord did not inherit the land of Canaan. A problem with this view is that not entering Canaan is not the same as not entering heaven for after all Moses who disobeyed the Lord and so did not inherit Canaan was certainly eternally saved. Furthermore, this view of inheritance does not seem to be what the apostle had in mind when he wrote regarding inheriting the kingdom of God.
A sixth interpretation is to take the passage is concerned with exhortation to believers to live like saints. Thus, the apostle listed the vices in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that describe unbelievers in order to exhort believers to live godly lives. It is this interpretation that I believe to be correct as will be reflected in our exposition of the passage that will support this view.
Be that as it may, the rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians 6:9 is problematic, specifically how to understand what the apostle meant in the question Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? The problem is to understand what the apostle meant by inheriting the kingdom of God. To interpret what the apostle meant, we need to consider the key Greek words used in the rhetorical question.
A first key word is the word “know” that is translated from a Greek word (oida) that may mean to grasp the meaning of something or to comprehend, that is, “to understand, recognize, come to know, experience” as the word is used to describe the question of the Lord Jesus to His disciples who were having a hard time in His teaching, as narrated in the gospel of John, specifically, John 6:61:
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?
The word “aware” of the NIV is how the translators conveyed that Jesus recognized or understood that His disciples were grumbling since the sentence Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said is more literally Jesus having known in himself that his disciples are murmuring about this, said. The Greek word may mean “to remember, recollect” as Apostle Paul used it in deemphasizing his importance in water baptism in 1 Corinthians 1:16:
(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.)
The Greek word may mean “to know” in the sense of having information about someone or something as Apostle Paul used the word to indicate that the Galatians, prior to their salvation, did not know the true God in Galatians 4:8:
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
The Greek word may mean “to understand how, to learn how” as Apostle Paul used the word to convey the sense of learning how to control one’s sexual desire to avoid sexual immorality, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:4:
that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
The sentence each of you should learn to control his own body of the NIV is literally each of you know how to possess his own vessel. The Greek word may mean “to honor, respect” as in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul regarding what is expected of believers relating to their spiritual leaders as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:12:
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.
The verbal phrase to respect those who work hard among you is literally to know those laboring among you, which does not make much sense unless it is understood either to mean to respect or honor such individuals since believers would have known such persons. The Greek word may mean “to know” in the sense of being intimately acquainted with or stand in close relationship to someone so that it is used to know God, not merely to know theoretically of God’s existence, but to have a positive relationship with Him as in the claim in Titus 1:16:
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9, the sense of the word is that of having knowledge about something, normally acquired through reflection or thinking on some information someone already possessed. For this to be the case, the apostle must have taught or provided information that will lead to the knowledge he expected the Corinthians to have in the question Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?
The second key word in the rhetorical question we are considering is the word “wicked” that is translated from a Greek word (adikos) that pertains to acting in a way that is contrary to what is right, hence “unjust, crooked, unrighteous.” Because the word is concerned with acting contrary to what is right, it has several nuances. It may mean “dishonest” as it is used in the Lord Jesus’ parable of the shrewd manager, specifically in Luke 16:10:
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
The word may mean “wicked” as a description of an unbeliever as it is used by the translators of the NIV to describe those who would be involved in resurrection according to the assertion of Apostle Paul in Acts 24:15:
and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
It is with the meaning “unjust” that the word is used by the human author of Hebrews to describe God negatively in Hebrews 6:10:
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
It is with the meaning “unrighteous” that Apostle Peter used it to indicate that unbelievers do not get away with anything at this time although their full punishment is still in the future, as stated in 2 Peter 2:9:
if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9, it is used in the sense of “unrighteous person,” that is, an individual that is characterized by unrighteousness or godlessness. The word as used in our passage should be understood as a reference to an unbeliever or sinner as the person whose sins have not been forgiven. This interpretation is supported by various passages where our Greek word is used to describe persons. Luke used it to report what Apostle Paul said before Felix in a passage we cited previously, that is, Acts 24:15:
and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Here our Greek word is translated “wicked” in the NIV. The fact that the resurrection involves two groups, the righteous and the wicked, indicates that the righteous refers to believers and the wicked to unbelievers. Apostle Peter used the word to describe those Christ died for in 1 Peter 3:18:
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
Christ died for sinners implying that “the unrighteous” refers to all sinners who are indeed unbelievers until they become believers through faith in Christ. The same apostle conveys that “the unrighteous” is a term for unbelievers when he wrote of God’s future punishment that no doubt has begun although not in an intense manner as will be the case in final judgment, as stated in a passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Peter 2:9:
if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
The phrase godly men refers to believers and so the phrase the unrighteous refers to unbelievers because believers would not face any future punishment since there is no future condemnation to believers in accordance with the declaration of the Holy Spirit through the pen of Apostle Paul as we may gather from Romans 8:1:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
That the word “unrighteous” refers to the unbeliever in 1 Corinthians 6:9 is supported by the context where the Greek word is used as opposite of believers in 1 Corinthians 6:1:
If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?
Our Greek word that means “unrighteous” is translated “ungodly” here in the NIV. The phrase the ungodly is contrasted with the phrase the saints. The word “saints” clearly refers to believers and so the ungodly refers to unbelievers. Hence, we contend that in 1 Corinthians 6:9 the “unrighteous” refers to unbelievers.
A third key word is the question Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? is the word “inherit” that is translated from a Greek word (klēronomeō) that means “to receive a possession or benefit as a gift from someone who has died,” with, of course, the implication that one did not work for it and means “to inherit, to be an inheritor” as the word is used by Apostle Paul in quoting what Sarah said regarding Ishmael in Galatians 4:30:
But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”
The clause for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son is literally for the son of the female slave will never inherit with the son” of the free woman. Another meaning of the Greek word is “to acquire, obtain, come into possession of” as the word is used by the human author of Hebrews to encourage believers to imitate the faithful of God who lived in the past, as stated in Hebrews 6:12:
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
It is in the sense of to obtain eternal salvation that the word is used in the sense of inheriting eternal life in Matthew 19:29:
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
It is in the meaning of “to obtain” that the Greek word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9. However, we should understand that the idea here is that of receiving something since the word “inherit” is, as experts tell us, a typical Semitic figure of speech for the way in which one freely receives something from God
The fourth key word is “kingdom” that is translated from a Greek word (basileia) with two categories of meanings. It refers to the act of ruling and so means “kingship, royal power, royal rule.” This meaning is reflected in the Parable of Ten Minas where a prince went to a distant country to receive royal power or kingship in Luke 19:12:
He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.
The verbal phrase to have himself appointed king is more literally to receive for himself a kingdom which is an idiom that means to become a king; hence, the sense is that of receiving royal power or royal rule. It is in this sense of royal rule that Apostle Paul used the word when he indicated Christ will in the future hand over the royal rule to the Father after He has destroyed all opposition to divine rule in 1 Corinthians 15:24:
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
Another meaning of the Greek word refers to the territory ruled by a king, hence means “kingdom.” This meaning is reflected in Jesus’ predictions of events leading to the end of time in Luke 21:10:
Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9, the meaning is that of royal rule or royal power. Anyway, to deal with what the apostle meant by inheriting the kingdom of God, we need to review what we said previously regarding the phrase kingdom of God.
The phrase kingdom of God fundamentally refers to the rule of God that the prophets foretold, and which Jesus indicated began with His public ministry. Therefore, when you think of the phrase kingdom of God, do not think of a domain or an area but think of God’s rule. We are saying that the kingdom of God refers to the recognition of the authority of God, rather than a definite geographical area, and it began with the ministry of Jesus Christ. Of course, the kingdom of God is presented in the NT in a complex manner. On the one hand, it is presented as a present reality by the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Jews charged Him of casting out demons by the chief of demons, He replied that He did so by the Spirit of God indicating that the kingdom of God has come, as we read in Matthew 12:28:
But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you
In this context, the argument of Jesus is that for Him to drive out demons by the power of the Spirit of God implies that Satan has been bound or disarmed, something that the Jews expected to happen in the end-time. Thus, it is the rule of God and not a territory that Jesus said had come. On another occasion when Pharisees questioned Jesus regarding the coming of the kingdom of God, He indicated that it has already come, as in Luke 17:20-21:
20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
The phrase within you could also be translated among you; the implication is that the presence of Jesus signaled the kingdom of God. Since the kingdom of God means the rule of God then the presence of Christ is an indication that the rule of God has begun. Of course, the truth is that with the coming of Christ, the rule of God had begun within those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. On the other hand, the kingdom of God is presented as a future reality. Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God as something that would take place in the future after His resurrection, as we read, for example, in Luke 22:18:
For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
He also described the coming of the kingdom of God as an event that would be preceded by cosmic catastrophe, as we read in Luke 21:25-31:
25 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." 29 He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
We should not be confused by the fact that the kingdom of God is presented as both a present reality and a future reality. It is because the kingdom of God has to do with His rule. God’s rule is present, but it also extends to the future as far as mankind is concerned. You see, God’s rule is a continuum but seemed broken with respect to mankind. We cannot fully know of it as far as the past is concerned. We cannot also know of this future rule until we get there, but we can know of His rule now and here. It is for this reason that there is no conflict as to the present and future reality of God’s kingdom. His rule is timeless or limitless but only for human purposes can we think of God’s rule in terms of time. The point is that God’s kingdom is a complex concept.
To help further understand what the kingdom of God means, there are two general facts we need to state about the kingdom of God. Fact one, the kingdom of God in the sense of the rule of God is a rule in which there is great blessing. The blessing of the rule of God begins with forgiveness of sins. It may not appear to some that forgiveness of sins is God’s blessing until we understand the alternative to being forgiven of sins is being held accountable for sins before God. If God holds us accountable for our sins, then the result would be eternal destruction. Forgiveness of sin is the basis for God’s dealing with us, so it is a blessing that a person’s sins are forgiven. A person who does not understand this, or that does not see this blessing, is a person who lacks understanding of the weight and penalty of sin. David understood the weight of sins and so he declared it a great blessing for God to forgive a person’s sins and not hold him accountable, as we read in Psalm 32:1-2:
1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Now that we know that forgiveness of sins is a great blessing, the question is; how is this related to the kingdom of God? The relationship is seen in that Jesus Christ in explaining the kingdom of God linked it with the issue of the forgiveness in Matthew 18:23-35:
23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. 29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' 30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Another blessing of the kingdom of God is described by Apostle Paul as peace and joy in Romans 14:17:
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
Many spend countless hours and resources looking for peace and joy. But according to this statement of the apostle, it is impossible to find peace and joy outside the kingdom of God. In effect, peace and joy belong to those who are in the kingdom of God. Here is the point; when sin rules over a person, it brings nothing but pain and misery but when God rules over a person then that individual would experience peace and joy. The apostle also indicated that there is no benefit for being enslaved by sin other than death but when a person is under the rule of God then that person enjoys life in its fullness as indicated by righteousness and holiness as the apostle stated in Romans 6:20-22:
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
It should be clear that there is no benefit to living in slavery to sin. Many have not discovered this truth; hence, they continue to be enslaved by sin. However, if a person ever comes to recognize that there is no benefit to living under bondage of sin, that individual would certainly seek relief by turning to Jesus Christ to obtain deliverance. When a person turns to Jesus Christ by faith that individual has demonstrated his willingness to be ruled by Jesus Christ hence the person comes under the rule of God or the kingdom of God.
By the way, no one can be under God’s rule until the person first believes in Christ and then obeys His instructions. This obedience is described in terms of doing God’s will, as we read in Matthew 7:21:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
You should be aware that the phrase the kingdom of heaven is the same as the kingdom of God, so what our Lord says in this portion of His Sermon on the Mount is that no one could accept the rule of God without doing what God requires. There are many who claim to know the Lord and so claim to be under God’s rule, but Jesus Christ says that only those who do God’s will are indeed those that would come under God’s rule. Now, there is only one way to do God’s will; it is to live in obedience. There is no substitute for living in obedience to God’s word. Hence, if you think that you are under God’s kingdom, the easiest way to confirm your thinking is to see if you are living in obedience to the Lord. Talk is cheap but action is what determines the truth of one’s claim as to the individual’s relationship with God. Anyway, fact one is that the kingdom of God is a rule in which there is a great blessing. We will continue with fact two in our next study before we answer the question of what the apostle meant by inheriting the kingdom of God.
10/11/19
[1] René A. López, DOES THE VICE LIST IN 1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10 DESCRIBE BELIEVERS OR UNBELIEVERS? Biblotheca Sacra 164 (January-March 2007): 59-73