1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
So, should we receive all of them with full acceptance and trust or only some of them, such as have done what we have or might have, and leave the others as untouchable? Are all true believers new creations or only some? Are all really washed and cleansed by the blood of Christ or only some? Are we all equal in Christ or only those whose past sins are not as bad as others? If Christ should accept them on equal grounds with us why shouldn't we? If Christ should use them why shouldn't we? After all, Paul was a murderer and persecutor of the church, Isaiah filthy mouthed, Manasseh the evil king of Judah (2 Kings 21and 2 Chronicles 33), Samson a fornicator, David an adulterer and murderer, Peter a Christ-denier, and the list goes on. Would we trust them with those we most love and are the most vulnerable? Would we let them be the communicators of God's word to us and even administrate the church we belong to? For the most part we would. Certainly with Peter, David and Paul. Consider all those not noted in scripture who had exceedingly bad backgrounds before conversion whom God used greatly. What of Chuck Colson? What of Augustine?
Are there issues we must consider? Of course. If one's past is close to the present time one must be careful as to what allowance one gives to him. But if his past is well past and out of the practice of his life and there are no questions regarding his current life there is no reason to lack trust in him, no matter what the nature of his past is. To do so is to disregard God's work in his life and prefer one's own suspicions rather than God's words or the individual's consistency of life. That is sin and quite hypocritical. Without exception not one person is of any better natural moral quality than anyone else. We are all sinners made of the same dirt, possessing the same corruption. There is not one thing anyone can do that one's own self cannot do, excepting the heart-felt denial of Christ for the Christian. Whatever anyone else has done or can do so can I. It is the self-righteous person who thinks differently. Remember the saying "Except for the grace of God, there go I?" And please, let me restate what I have said many times—self-righteousness is the worst sin of all. It was only the self-righteous whom Jesus scoured. He scolded and corrected many, including His own disciples, and sometimes strongly. But He scoured only the self-righteous. Their venom is worse than the venom of anyone else of any other sinfulness. That doesn't mean we should treat other sins lightly, but let us not be self-righteous hypocrites. And just because one lived a very sinful or even perverted life in the past (though in reality all sin is perversion), doesn't mean that person will in any way affect others to the same lifestyle. Not everyone has ulterior motives or are more prone to falling back into a past lifestyle than one's self. Each case must be determined separately.
2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
*Interpretation: We no longer see and judge others or even Christ from a fleshly, unredeemed point of view. We not are to see them with the eyes of God, in truth and verity.
Luke 18:9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
2 Peter 3:17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness.
(Scripture citations from the NASB95)
