Who do you want to see in the Kingdom of God?

"the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 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." (Galatians 5:19-21)

Recently our home group studied this passage. Everyone there knew that they ticked one of the boxes so the plain reading of the text was that they would not inherit the kingdom of God. But it was the newer Christian who asked the obvious question: "How can that be true?"

Faced with that stark piece of 'law' the various 'answers' suggested were perhaps inevitable:

• Perhaps it meant "continue in such things" - so as long as you don't carry on doing such things you'll inherit the kingdom.
• Or perhaps it meant those whose life is "characterised by such things" won't inherit - you may do them, but they are just flashes in the pans when they happen.

It was a rather stark series of attempts to blunt the force of the 'law', which perhaps had missed the equally stark word in verse 24: "crucified". Sin leads to death and there is no way round that because God will never allow 'sinners' in his kingdom. And if a 'sinner' is all we are then it is an understandable defence mechanism to try and soften the sentence and find a way to sneak past the guards.

BUT, if we are also 'saints' by faith in Christ Jesus, then we don't care what happens to us as 'sinners'. In fact we rejoice over our death on Good (!) Friday 2000 years ago, in baptism a short while back, now (when we join in our own crucifixion of our desires and do not mind a little suffering!), and in our physical death in the future.

'Dave the Sinner' has no inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Great! I don't want to see him there frankly. I know he won't like the music or the company anyway.

Just as the plagues on Egypt meant freedom for Israel, so the death of the old me means life for the new me. In awareness of that we can welcome God's judgement - not blunt it - even as it comes down on us!