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Paul says
to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom
of God?”
(1 Corinthians 6:9). But who are the unrighteous? They are those who, having
a matter against another brother, go to law before the unbelievers and not
before the saints (1 Corinthians 6:1-9); those who have plenty of material
things but they don’t want to help the needy; those who show favouritism,
thus they honor the rich, the nobles and the wise after the flesh by speaking
to them good and favourable words and are very attentive toward them, while
they despise the poor, those who are of low position and the unlearned, by dealing
violently and harshly with them and by showing complete indifference toward
them (James 2:1-13); those who are racist, thus they treat well those who
belong to their own race, while they deal badly with all those who belong to
other races because they despise them or because in their own country they
can oppress people of other races since they go unpunished or almost
unpunished for their racist behaviour; those who belong to a particular
denomination and despise all those who do not belong to that denomination
looking on them as a sort of second-class Christians or just ‘Christian
friends’ and not ‘Christian brothers’ and thus they show that if one enters
their denomination he will have the right to be called by a more noble name;
those who exalt those who are corrupt of mind and lovers of money calling
them ‘servants of God’ and ‘servants of the Lord’ and despising instead those
who pursue holiness and make every effort not to give any offence to anybody
(Ezekiel 13:22); those who have become rich and get rich keeping back by
fraud the wages of their workers (James 5:1-6) or giving them much less than
what they deserve to receive, not paying the taxes to the State or paying
much less than what they ought to; those who are ready to resort to all kinds
of illicit means (lies, threatenings, violence, falsehood, bribes, etc.) in
order to reach the pulpit of a Church.
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It is
evident, therefore, brethren, that you must flee each one of the above
mentioned improper behaviours, lest you be counted among the unrighteous.
Pursue righteousness, knowing that God “loves the righteous” (Psalm 146:8 –
NKJV) and surely rewards them for their righteousness. Of course, you will be
persecuted by men, even by some brothers, but do not give up, look to your
reward which is before your God, who is in heaven.
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