This portion of Scripture excluded Israel Folau from playing rugby for Australia and has been outlawed by the Victorian government since February 2021. Martin Luther: ‘The law reveals the disease; the gospel ministers the medicine.’ Samuel Bolton: ‘The law sends us to the Gospel, that we may be justified, and the Gospel sends us to the law again to enquire what is our duty being justified.’
- Sin deceives us.
- 6:9a. We easily deceive ourselves – 1 Cor.15:33; Gal.6:7; Gen.3:6. Those terrorists who hijacked the four American planes on 11 September 2001 and suicided by crashing them apparently believed that Islamic martyrs receive favours from 72 virgins in heaven.
- God’s holy law.
- 6:9b-10. There are ten in this vice list, although the ESV only lists nine as it combines two words for homosexuals. Grace abounds e.g. Manasseh in 2 Chron.33:1-9, 12-13. But we ought not kid ourselves that we can believe in God and live as we please.
- Noah got drunk, and David committed adultery and murder by proxy, but there is no such thing as a Christian drunkard or a Christian adulterer. See Hab.1:13a; Heb.12:14.
- God’s amazing grace.
- 6:11. See Matt.9:13. There is hope. That is why the recent Victorian legislation is so cruel; it locks people up in their darkness. But three things happened to some of you Corinthians:
- you were washed. Tit.3:5; Ezek.36:25-27.
- you were sanctified. The word means ‘set apart’. See Luke 7:44-48 for the woman who was a sinner.
- you were justified.