Be Not Deceived

By Dan Bailey

Be Not Deceived — (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 —Article #4)

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. "

There is a list often sins in this passage from God's word. Those who engage in any of these sins are lost and Paul says that they "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." In other words, they shall be excluded from the Holy city of God. The fourth and fifth sins that are listed are similar. The fourth is the effeminate. The Greek word translated in this scripture as effeminate means, "soft, soft to the touch. " In the bad or sinful sense it refers to "a catamite, a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness" (Thayer, p. 387). The Greek word is defined in Arndt & Gingrich, Greek Lexicon as: "1. of things: clothes — soft garments, soft clothes." In reference to persons it means, "soft, effeminate, esp. of catamites, men and boys who allow themselves to be misused homosexually" (p. 489). The fifth sin in the list is "abusers of themselves with mankind." In the Greek language there is one word which is translated by these five words. The Greek word is compound; that is, it is actually composed of two words: the first word meaning "male", and the second word meaning "bed." The word is defined in Thayer's Greek Lexicon as: "one who lies with a male as with a female, a sodomite" (page 75). There were some in Corinth that had been guilty of these sins before they repented. "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (verse 11).

Paul also used this word in a list of sins in I Timothy 1:8-11 where he said, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that define themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."

These sins were prominent in Greece and among the heathen. Today, many unrighteous individuals participate in the same sins. Sodomy or homosexuality is sinful in the sight of God. It is contrary to sound doctrine or the glorious gospel. Those in Corinth had to abandon such sins in order to become Christians. Let us beware lest Satan deceive us concerning any of these sins. Let us teach those in error and pray that they will repent and turn to God and righteousness before it is too late! As Paul said, these " .... shall not inherit the kingdom of God. "