Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Paul wrote to instruct and direct believers who had
already undergone the change. His remarks were intended to aid the faithful into
becoming more faithful. Sometimes he accomplished this by means of positive address
and sometimes by defining what a person "in Christ" was not. Paul's remarks in 1 Cor
6:9-11 are one example of both positive and negative address. Other examples are:
Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 1:29-32, 6:17-18, 7:4-6, 8:5-11, 13:11-14.
All biblical quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.