1 Corinthians 6:9-14
What Are Sinful Lifestyles? (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
In this passage Paul shares with the Corinthian Church (who had sinful lifestyle problems) that if they continued living this way, they were proving that they were not of Christ.
His Saving Love (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Notice the past tense Paul stresses to the church in verse 11. “And such were some of you.” God transforms lives. He’s showing a destination between the old and new self. One may always struggle with certain sin, but when one justifies it and says that God is ok with it, that is proof they are not saved. Believe me, easy believe-ism is a real problem in the American Church. It all stems from a repentance-less gospel. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “There, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
His Securing Longevity (1 Corinthians 10:13) “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Also look at 1 Cor. 6:14. There is nothing He cannot do!
His Salvation is Linked to Repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-11) We can’t repent apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, but the power of the Holy Spirit causes us to repent. Repentance is the number one fruit of salvation. Listen to what John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” We also see this in Galatians 5 in which we’ll look at next.
4 Ways the Holy Spirit Helps us Repent From Sin
- The Spirit Fights. “For the desire of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do, but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the laws.” Gal 5:17-18, If there is no struggle, conviction, fight, there is no Holy Spirit. If there is no Holy Spirit, there is no Christ!
- The Spirit Reveals the Flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal 5:19-21
- The Spirit Produces Fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Gal 5:22-23
- The Spirit Empowers Us to Kill the Flesh. “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Gal 5:24-25 Repentance of sin is a sign of the working of the Holy Spirit!