"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."
There is both great condemnation in these verses (harsher than we would commonly admit) and great hope. There is condemnation for those who are not in Christ. Those who do not have the righteousness of Christ applied to their account continue unhindered in their sinful ways.
They commit immorality, idolatry, and thievery. They are also guilty of greediness, drunkenness, anger, and deception. This second group of sins is no less serious than the first. Unrepented of, all of these sins (little or small, as we falsely dichotomize) keep a person from being part of God's spiritual kingdom.
But the worst of sins cannot separate you from God, if you come to him for salvation. After the list of condemnation, we read "and such were some of you." There is great hope for the worst of sinners. You can be clean. You do not have to stay in your sin. You don't have to be described that way anymore.
I have heard it said that a person who steals one time is a thief, or a person who is unfaithful one time is an adulterer. There is a sense in which this is true. They have violated the law and are guilty before God. But if they come to God for forgiveness, it can then be said of them that they once were thieves and adulterers, but now they are clean.
When involved in a jail ministry, I spent several weeks speaking with a man in solitary confinement. He was in solitary for his own protection. He told me that if he were released into the general population he would be attacked by the other prisoners because of the heinousness of his crime. I do not know what his crime was. But I know that he could be "washed, ... sanctified, [and] justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Whatever your sin, God can save.
But why would this wonderful truth be located in a passage instructing believers not to take other believers to court before unbelievers? Well, would you like someone fitting the description of the unrighteous judging you? Of course not. Christians should remember what they were like. This will keep them from putting themselves under the judgment of someone who is still that way.
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