Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)
What you Were is not Who you Are
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.11 And 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. (NIV)
Based on his recent success as Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man, you may have forgotten that Robert Downey, Jr. had quite a troubled past, having been tangled up with drugs, drinking, and run-ins with the law. Though your mind instantly categorizes him as one of the best to have ever played the game, with six championship rings to his name, the legacy of Michael Jordan has long overshadowed the reality of his having been cut from his high school basketball team. You may never have guessed that Walt Disney was fired early in his career for a lack of creativity, or that Lucille Ball was dismissed from drama class because she was too shy. It’s a shocking surprise from time to time to hear what people once were before we knew them as they came to be.
Even more shocking is the past history described by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. So shocking in fact, that this list has been referred to as the “role call of the damned.” Indeed, such a list leads us to squirm as we hear it read. Nevertheless, individuals that fit such descriptions were sadly not uncommon in Corinth at the time. Corinth was a city teeming with people and opportunity. It’s where business happened and wealth was accumulated. It was educated and trendy. Corinth was the place to be. And, as one can easily see from Paul’s description, it was mired in worldly immorality.
Now try to imagine the struggle of being a congregation of believers surrounded by such a sordid society. The congregation, after all, was made up of members for whom such immorality was not perceived as being immoral at all; rather, it was just a way of life. Restraint was a foreign concept that had long since given way to instant gratification. Serving self was job number one. And Paul had come along with his message of a selfless Savior who called on the Corinthians to virtually turn their lifestyles upside down and inside out. Well, you can imagine the congregation in Corinth would have had some growing pains.
The purpose of Paul’s letter was to address those growing pains. Paul wrote, “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (v.9,10). Paul did not hold back. Notice that he did not tread lightly, wishing to delicately tip-toe around the issue. He wasn’t concerned about hurt feelings or a decline in membership because the message of sin and its consequences was not a popular one. No, Paul had the big picture in mind, the eternal picture, and he simply cared too much to allow precious souls to unwittingly trade in their place in God’s kingdom for a spot in Satan’s; to exchange their inheritance in heaven for an inheritance in hell.
In displaying his pastor’s heart for his brothers and sisters in Corinth, Paul was mirroring the heart of his Heavenly Father, who was not only concerned about sin’s influence on the congregation in Corinth, but about sin’s influence on all of his redeemed children. Why else would God have preserved Paul’s letter, but so that it could be passed down through history? For God knew that sadly, the situation in Corinth would not be a one-time incident in history.
As if to emphasize what he anticipated may some day be forgotten or overlooked, Paul sounded the alarm twice, reiterating the soul-stirring reality that those whose lives are characterized by wickedness will be shut out from the kingdom of heaven. And to carry his warning a step further, he added another warning: “Do not be deceived.” Now why should Paul need to tack on that warning? Isn’t the list of sins Paul drew up both clearly condemning and at the same time obviously offensive to a pure and perfect God? Is there any question that being controlled by such stuff is spiritual suicide?
Brothers and sisters, I don’t believe it is as clear in our day – even to God’s people. There was probably a time in America’s past when the level of depravity evident in Corinth during Paul’s lifetime was shocking. That time appears to have passed us by. For that reason Paul’s warning cannot be ignored. “Do not be deceived,” he says. But how can our society avoid being deceived when it doesn’t even know what qualifies as sexual immorality today? That phrase has virtually lost all meaning in a culture of sex. Living together and having sex before marriage is so normal in our culture that even the church hardly bats an eye at it. Elementary school-age children are engaging in sexual acts, and not even privately, but for others to see. Paul warns that the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God, and his warning falls on deaf ears, because we don’t even know anymore what it means to be sexually immoral. Do not be deceived. “Adultery?” Why should a culture in which everything sexual goes care that married people are having sex with those to whom they aren’t married, and vice-versa? In fact, to aid you in the process of arranging an affair, you can even find websites that will assist you nowadays. And who of us has not heard of the practice of an “open marriage?” Do not be deceived. Ah, now here it is; perhaps the one transgression on this list that the vast majority of Christians can really agree on is wrong: homosexuality. Precious little brings together fellow Christians like the opportunity to passionately condemn the sin of homosexuality. And yes, to be clear, it is sin. But do we really think we can fool God by ignoring the rest of the sins on Paul’s list and making up for it by being ten times as vocal and passionate about condemning the sin of homosexuality? Do not be deceived. What’s more, even that sin is on the verge of being removed from the “restricted” list. Don’t believe it? You would be shocked (or maybe not!) to know that there are a number sitting here this morning who, by virtue of the world’s influence, are really struggling with the question of whether or not God truly condemns homosexuality, even though it is clearly included on this list.
Realize that we haven’t even started covering the non-sexual sins yet. But we don’t really need to spend much time on them, do we, since they aren’t as bad, right? “Do not be deceived: Neither … idolaters … nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (v.9,10). We brush past the warning about idolaters because that’s just an old-fashioned term for something people in the Old Testament did. If I can call myself a Christian today (the definition of which, by the way, is as generic as it’s ever been!), then certainly I am not an idolater, because I have done due diligence and at least acknowledge there’s a God somewhere. Never mind that he doesn’t generally tend to have first place in my life, but is a distant second, third, fourth, or somewhere else on my list of priorities behind the things that actually matter to me. Do not be deceived. Thieves and swindlers are admired today (unless we personally happen to be the victim!) and celebrated in movies that spin what they do as “cool.” It has become so that we rationalize our own stealing – if we don’t get caught, then sole blame resides with those who failed to catch us. It’s on them, not us. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission, right? Take first, ask later. Do not be deceived. We’ve heard of anonymous support groups to assist those who struggle with drugs or alcohol, but who of us could honestly deny that we ought to be in a similar group for those infected with greed? “Hi, I am ‘insert-your-name-here,’ and I am a greedy person.” Sometimes we even mask our greed, or at least think we do, by giving a little more to the Lord for the wrong reasons, failing to admit that such giving may merely be an attempt to ease our own conscience when the credit card bill comes each month. We take out loans to remodel and expand our homes, update our furniture and electronics, and add a new car, but fail to see the disconnect when we drive that new car over a cracked and crumbling parking lot on the way to God’s house. But greed isn’t really a problem for us, is it? Do not be deceived. Drunkards and slanderers? Not if I make my own definition of what “drunk” is. Not if I think I can cloak slander with the truth so that it somehow ceases to be slander. Do not be deceived. At stake is our inheritance in the kingdom of God. We simply cannot ignore God’s warning. We cannot continue to let ourselves be deceived by denying, disregarding, or downplaying the harsh and damning reality of sin.
I don’t know if there is a section of Scripture in which the writer so thoroughly rails against sin as Paul does here. But perhaps for that very reason, I don’t know if there is a section of Scripture in which the joyful words that follow are so eagerly awaited, so desperately longed for, and so openly welcome. Hear the full blunt force of the law at work, and then feel the full effect of what Jesus has truly done for you and me. “And that is what some of you were” (v.11). “Were” is to say “no longer!” “Were” is to speak of the past! “Were” is to imply that there has been a change!
And Paul states clearly and beautifully how that change came about. “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” (v.11). See how Paul knows what terror and dread is wrought by the law that he is compelled to proclaim what has been done for us through Jesus Christ in a way that is bursting with images of grace. You were washed – but not just washed – you were sanctified – but even that isn’t the end of the matter – you were justified!
In this part of the country we know how quickly a new layer of dust and dirt can coat the outside of our cars. Would you appreciate the shine and sparkle of a recently-washed car if not for the filth that previously covered it? So it is with our hearts – when God’s Word reminds us how utterly filthy and disgusting our hearts were previously, having been washed in a bath of forgiveness makes all the difference in the world. And is there any way the word “washed” does not instantly frame in our hearts the picture of our baptism? At the font of forgiveness is where what we were became who we are.
And this because the Holy Spirit has made us holy – sanctified us – and set us apart as his holy and special people. He did this by counting the perfect life and the holiness of Jesus to us. Paul’s list of transgressions never touched Jesus’ heart. They never wormed their way into his mind. They never materialized into outward actions. Jesus was free of such a list. It does not apply to him, for in holiness he did what we could not, and he did it so that we could be what we otherwise could not apart from him: holy.
Now God can rightly declare that we have been set free from sin. Do not be deceived: your sin is paid for and you will not die. May we now live, not according to what we were, but according to who we are: washed and cleansed, holy servants, living guilt-free lives for him who made us who we are. Amen.
“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)
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