“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 homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Paul lists several life choices that will disqualify people from inheriting the kingdom of God. Then he indicates that those to whom he was writing may have practiced those things in the past, but they had repented and changed their life choices— “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified.” It is similar to what he wrote to the church at Ephesus, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Eph. 2:1-3). The indication in both these passages is that the individuals had once practiced that lifestyle, but they had repented, been made alive in Christ, and were now walking in the truth of God’s word.
The United Methodist Church is meeting again, and they are still struggling with the issues that have snared them for the past several years. The congregations in the United States want to sanction homosexual lifestyles, while the congregations in Latin America and Africa still understand enough of God’s word to oppose such measures. So, they are trying to work out a compromise. “Pending delegates’ decisions next week on the remaining regionalization-related petitions and proposals to remove anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions, the U.S. church may be able to move in a more LGBTQ-affirming direction while keeping in place stricter policies on same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy for more conservative parts of the world” (tennessean.com, April 25, 2024). Basically they are proposing to keep all the property and assets of the UMC intact while allowing some of the regions to chart a different course regarding certain issues.
These kinds of religious conferences are nothing new. King Henry VIII severed ties with the Pope in Rome. In 1533 Henry married Anne Boleyn who was one month pregnant. When she failed to produce the male heir he desired, he had her executed and married Jane Seymour who dutifully gave him a son. The whole pretext of this maneuvering was a male heir. The Bible had nothing to do with it.
Over the years men have met in religious conferences and made decisions based on what they want regardless of what the Bible teaches. When the Bible stands in direct contradiction to their desires, they vote to discredit the Bible and declare that it is not inspired.
Would we be okay with ordaining fornicators, idolaters, and adulterers and passing regulations sanctioning their life choices? Is it okay for them to refuse to repent but to continue in their sin with our sanction? Jesus said we cannot serve God and mammon, but men confer and conclude otherwise. God is not pleased!
L Scott Gage