1 Corinthians 15:50
“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”
1 Corinthians 15 is the resurrection chapter. It talks about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and also the resurrection of human beings. What does it mean that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God?
We, as perishable creatures cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. This is because of our fallen nature in our flesh. Sin has brought death to us, and so we cannot inherit the Kingdom. 1 Corinthians 6:9 explains it saying “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,”
When you are of this world, in your flesh and blood, there is no way you can enter into the Kingdom of God. Jesus teaches this to Nicodemus, who declares that Jesus was from God. So to help him understand the way to the Kingdom, Jesus says in John 3:3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Friends, this means if you are still in flesh and blood, then you cannot enter the Kingdom. According to John 3:3, you need to be born again. Not in the flesh, but of the Spirit. John 3:6 says “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
You need to understand that this whole process is not your doing, but it is the gift and will of God. John 1:12-13 says “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
When you are born again in the Spirit, you no longer do the actions of the flesh; instead, you take on the characteristics of the Spirit. This means you are no longer slaves to sin, but you are slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18), that you have died with Christ and rise to the newness of life (Galatians 2:20), that you have put off the old man of flesh and put on the new creation after the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:22-24), that you repent, in other words, experience a change of mind that causes you to turn from your sinful ways to complete faith in Christ Jesus and God’s mercy (Acts 2:38). These are the characteristics of your new birth.
So, you must repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ. Everything changes when you are born of the Spirit. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
Friends, examine yourselves and determine if you are still in flesh and blood, or if you are born again in the Spirit? If you are still in flesh and blood, then you cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Instead, if you are born of the Spirit, then you will inherit the Kingdom of God.
So commit yourself to Christ for he has saved us that we may be holy and devoted to all the things that bring glory to Christ and Christ alone. Titus 2:14 says “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
In conclusion, I encourage you to put off your old self of flesh which is corrupted and let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes, for the glory of God.
God bless.
