"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. 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." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV)
If God were to expose the innermost thoughts of my heart I would be exposed as guilty of many of these sins daily. Some of these sins make their way out of my heart and into practice. The idolatry thing alone would be enough to sink my ship. If this be true, and it is, on what grounds do I inherit the kingdom of God? Paul said explicitly that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom. If it were up to me to refrain from these sins I would be in a lot of trouble. However, I stand solidly on the grounds that Jesus was completely innocent of committing any sin, and His righteousness has been imputed to me. It is for that reason alone I am justified in God's eyes. It is His perfection that qualifies me as a joint heir with Christ and not my ability to refrain from sinful behavior. I am justified by faith in Christ's finished work alone. Praise God and the Lamb forever!!
Chris Connally
Romans 8:28
