1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God.
As legalism fails to honor God’s love in mercy and grace, so antinomianism corrupts God’s loving righteousness. Both are extremes that redefine the love of God to be other than it is, and subsequently confuses other aspects of His character as He relates to us. As iterated previously, it is never morally acceptable to harbor hatred toward a fellow human being, because our value is shared in the Imago Dei – the core of both what and who we are – and not in our actions, whether sinful or righteous. But this does not mean that sinful actions become excusable, for their inherently destructive and divinely repugnant nature is equally independent of the perpetrator as God’s love for him is of them.
Recall again that sin is defined as a defiance of God, that which is contrary to His character. It starts and endures in the spirit of man, and is expressed in evil action (Mark 7:21-23). Being thus intolerable to God, not by arbitrary standard but according to His Personage established from Eternity, the continued existence of sin of necessity corrupts and harms its environment. To excuse it would not only condemn mankind to suffer its effects, but would require God to deny Himself, which is incomprehensible.
This understood, it should surprise no one that Paul condemns the idea of sin being perpetuated by those supposedly redeemed (Romans 6:1), nor is there any love in excusing the sin of those who claim His saving grace. To continue in sin is to court destruction and hinder sanctification; Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you. (Isaiah 59:1-2) Grace, being the means of salvation, is meant to abolish sin, not shield it.
The unbeliever is even more at risk, being to some extent unaware of sin’s danger or its necessary remedy. Some might argue for them to be left to God’s judgement, as indeed He often allows the sinful to destroy themselves. But as believers are called to minister to others and deliver the message of salvation to all, righteous love will not tolerate such self-destructive tendencies to go unchallenged. We should all earnestly desire to be free from sin, and for all others to be likewise free themselves. 1 Corinthians 6:11 – And such were some of you. 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.
Be righteous. TTT