1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
One of the signs of an unrighteous life is the lack of surrender. Always will be.
My husband recently had a hard conversation with a friend. Although a fellow believer, the man’s words and actions revealed a waning faith. He admitted he had stopped attending church regularly and even though he prayed daily, he seldomly read the Bible anymore. Not long after their conversation, the man came back to Chip and thanked him for loving him enough to tell him the truth. He was ready to make some changes.
When did he stop surrendering? Why?
The pull toward un-surrendered lives challenges all of us who follow Christ. In the sixth chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul confronts the church with questions that surface whether their will or God’s will directs their lives. Whether righteousness or unrighteousness defines them. He asks:
“Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” (v. 7). Brothers were bringing lawsuits against each other before unbelievers. He chastises them for not seeking wisdom from fellow believers in settling their disputes. Wouldn’ it be better to be wronged than bring shame upon the body of Christ by showcasing their greed, their lack of faith?
In regards to sexual immorality, he asks: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (v. 19). They practiced homosexuality, prostitution and adultery. Raher than using their bodies to glorify God, they chose to satisfy their own sexual desires. And so dishonor God.
Paul includes idolaters, thieves, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers among those who will not inherit the kingdom. Although they had once surrendered to God, they were falling back into the same sins he had freed them from.
Make no mistake. Un-surrendered lives show up in what we do with our bodies. Un-surrendered lives show up in how we spend our money. Un-surrendered lives show up in how we see other people. When we forget that our bodies, our money, our time, is not our own, we begin down a path that eventually forgets God altogether.
I pray you don’t let the white flag of surrender that once waved from your heart get ripped and torn by life’s temptations. Resist the pull of your will over his. Stay surrendered.