Why Does Paul Say Some People Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God?

The Short Answer

Paul says that people characterised by certain forms of unrepentant sin will not inherit the kingdom of God because the gospel calls people into a new allegiance under Christ. His warnings in 1 Corinthians 6 and Galatians 5 treat conduct as spiritually serious.

The language of inheritance points toward participation in God’s coming kingdom. Paul also speaks to churches whose members still struggle with sin, so his letters call believers toward repentance and a life increasingly shaped by the Spirit.

The warning therefore belongs inside Paul’s wider teaching about grace and transformation. He directs Christians away from complacency and toward a life that reflects the kingdom they hope to inherit.

Why Paul Uses Kingdom Inheritance as a Warning

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul names patterns of conduct that contradicted the life of the church. Verse 11 then reminds the Corinthians that some of them had lived in those ways and had experienced cleansing through Christ.

Galatians 5 places a similar warning inside Paul’s teaching about walking by the Spirit. The concern is a settled direction of life that follows the flesh while resisting the Spirit’s work.

Related free study: What Does It Mean to Inherit the Kingdom of God?.

Study This Question in More Depth

For a complete study connected with Why Does Paul Say Some People Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God?, see CAN I KNOW I AM SAVED? Assurance, Doubt and the Bible’s Hardest Warnings (available to our members also).

The Extra Study below takes Why Does Paul Say Some People Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God? further through the main Bible passages, their context and the response they call for in Christian faith.