December 8th - Flesh and Blood

“Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:50)

Note that even Believers (Christians if you prefer)  cannot inherit the reality of the kingdom of God until we are rid of our "flesh and blood” bodies, and not one of us are righteous now - except by faith. 

“There is none righteous, no not one...” (Romans 3:10). 

"Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith, for all, and on all who are believing..." (Romans 3:21-22)

"Therefore, since we have now been justified (made righteous) by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath (death) through Him! For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! (Romans 5:9-11)

Again, the way I understand the Bible, none of us will inherit the kingdom of God in our current bodies of flesh and blood. However, by the GRACE of God, we unrighteous sinners - all humanity - will eventually be changed into a new creation with a SPIRITUAL and IMMORTAL body. 

“The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body…the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual…and just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man (Jesus)”. (1 Corinthians 15:42-49)

Only in that resurrected, immortal, spiritual body can anyone enter and see the Kingdom of God. That kingdom is future. One must remember this in order to understand what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote...

"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, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The bible often uses a literary figure of speech called "prolepsis". It is defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica as "a figure of speech in which a future act or development is represented as if already accomplished or existing." 

We believers speak of ourselves as saved, justified  and sanctified. But we are speeking proleptically. Our actual salvation, justification, and sanctification remains to be manifested in the future when we are "born again", changed into our spiritual and imperishable bodies.  For now we have that expectation (hope)only by believing (having faith in) the good news.

Once God's plan for humanity is complete there will be no murders, thieves, slanderers, homosexuals, bisexuals, self righteous hypocrites, Christians, Muslims, Hindu, etc. Humanity - all of us - will then be completed in the image of Christ, and enter, see, and eternally dwell in the Kingdom of God!