Who Will Inherit the Kingdom?
Something jumped out at me the other day as I was
reading Corinthians in a translation that was unfamiliar to me. Isn't it great
to do that sometimes? Shades of new meanings give your mind some stretching over
familiar verses.
Here's the verse in NIV:
"Do you not know the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters,
Now a quick run through that verse is usually all I do....those are some pretty
heavy hitting sins. In another translation the word "reviler" is used in place
of "slanderer" - but I really didn't have a deep understanding with either word.
What is a reviler? However, when looking at this translation I was really taken
aback:
"..nor those who are greedy, drunkards, nor those who wound with words."
Yikes! Wound with words? That seems to be to be a pretty far cry from my
understanding of slanderer - which seems to carry a purposefully harmful, public
use of words. - But when I looked it up in the Greek dictionary I found that the
word does mean to be abusive with your words and to taunt, to chide, to upbraid.
In the name of religion men have 'upbraided', have hated, have tortured, and
even killed with completely pure consciences toward God. We look back and shake
our heads over injustices in the past, amazed that men have gone so far and been
so deluded. Oh, but men are men, and we are no different today. We 'wound with
words' anyone we feel is not in agreement with *us* and gloss it over as
contending for the faith.
I really worry about doctrinal discussions because due to our carnal nature
they, and especially e*discussion lists, THRIVE on sinking to the level that God
says keeps us out of the Kingdom. Looking at the list in Galatians 5 - we see
that contests, quarrels and wranglings will keep us from a share in the
kingdom.
Being poor in spirit is the first step on the Beatitude journey toward being a
Kingdom member, and the attitude of a slanderer or wounder is certainly not
exhibiting that total destitute personal worth that God demands before HE has
room to move in to our hearts.
We can proudly say "by the grace of God I am not an idol worshipper, a
homosexual nor a swindler"... but can we say we don't wound one another with
words? It's a scary thought that an activity used so freely among those in the
Kingdom, but according to God, it will keep us out!
Let's encourage one another to LOVE and good works.
Alice
