Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2661
“Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall 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.
THE Gospel is as holy as the Law. The Gospel is full of mercy to sinners, but it shows no mercy to sin. The Gospel speaks most tenderly to the ungodly, but it speaks most sternly to ungodliness. There is a great difference made, in the New Testament, between the sinner and the sin. And while the sinner is, in Infinite mercy, spared, encouraged to hope, and wooed by almighty love, sin is denounced as a dreadful thing, an abominable thing which God hates and must punish.
Ah, dear Friends, it is not from Sinai, alone, that we have need to shrink if we are lovers of sin, for, if we are resolved to keep on sinning, Calvary also condemns us and, at last, even from the lips of Jesus Christ, Himself, willful sinners, continuing in their sin, shall hear the awful sentence, “Depart from Me, you that work iniquity.” Let no man say, when we proclaim God’s message of mercy to the very chief of sinners, that, therefore, we think lightly of sin! No, it is because of the shedding of the precious blood of Him whom we call Master and Lord, without whose agonizing death not a single sin could ever have been put away, that we are able to freely preach the mercy of God to those who truly repent of their transgressions. But, at the same time, we never hesitate to declare in the plainest possible terms, that God will not spare the guilty ones who refuse to repent, for only through the blood of His dear Son will He have mercy upon the ungodly sons and daughters of men, who turn unto Him, with full purpose of heart, trusting in the great atoning Sacrifice of Jesus!
The highest standard of holiness is set forth under the Gospel. It does not come to cut down the requirements of the Law and to say, “You cannot keep the perfect Law of the Lord, but do the best you can and that will suffice.” There is nothing like that in the New Testament! It does not come to men and say, in a tone of pity, “You are poor ignorant creatures who have unwittingly fallen into sin and, therefore, there is no guilt in your transgression of the Law of God.” Nothing of the kind, for even when our Savior, on the Cross, said, concerning His mockers and murderers, “they know not what they do,” He prayed, “Father, forgive them,” thereby plainly declaring that they were sinners who needed to be forgiven, even though their transgression was a sin of ignorance!
That is the short preface to the discourse I am now to deliver, which will be divided into three parts, the first of which will show us that we have, here, a solemn sentence—a sentence shutting the guilty and unrepentant out of the Kingdom of God. Then, secondly, here is a reminder to some of us—“and such were some of you.” And, then, thirdly, here is a change spoken of—“but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
I. Now, Beloved, first of all, here is A SOLEMN SENTENCE. “Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?” Oh, While I speak of it, pray God, in Infinite mercy, to carry home the words I say to any who are guilty of either or all the sins in this black and shameful list!
“Be not deceived: neither fornicators shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” That is the first set of sinners mentioned in this terrible catalogue—“fornicators”—men and women who have been guilty of unchastity with those who are unmarried. Not necessarily in the bonds of wedlock should we all be, but always in the bonds of purity. And those who sin against that which is pure, in their relations with one another, shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Nothing could be more explicit than this Inspired declaration of the Apostle. If any persons live in lust and uncleanness, God will not permit them to defile His true Church on earth, or to profane His Temple above. It is quite possible that I may be speaking to some people upon whose ears this message grates very harshly—for all sorts of hearers come to this place—and they will be the first to say, “The preacher should not mention such a subject.” My answer to that remark is, Then you should not commit such iniquity and give me cause to speak of it! As long as there are sinners of this character in the world, there must be servants of the Lord Jesus Christ faithful enough to pluck the velvet from their mouths and to speak with the utmost plainness about them and to them! Let there be no mistake concerning this matter—you cannot be Christians if you thus defile yourselves. You cannot be children of God and live in filthy sin. It must not—it cannot be—and God here, by the pen of the Apostle Paul, excommunicates all who pretend to be members of His Church and yet are guilty of the sin of fornication.