I Corinthians 6:9 · Bible study
1 Corinthians 6:9 Commentary: Warning for the Unrighteous
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul's list of sins that exclude from the kingdom, and the surprising hope in verse 11 that those very sinners can be washed and justified.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul warns that persistent unrighteousness excludes from God’s kingdom, then immediately offers hope in Christ’s cleansing power.
- Key words: ἄδικοι (unrighteous/unjust); μαλακοί (effeminate/submissive partners); ἀρσενοκοῖται (homosexuals/males who lie with males).
- Main debate: The exact meaning and application of μαλακοί and ἀρσενοκοῖται in contemporary contexts.
- Theological theme: The kingdom of God requires righteousness; yet that righteousness is received, not earned, and transforms those who receive it.
- Best use: A sobering but hopeful call to examine one’s life and trust in the gospel’s power to wash, sanctify, and justify.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,
WEB World English Bible 2000
Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,
KJV King James Version 1769
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
have ye not known that the unrighteous the reign of God shall not inherit? be not led astray; neither whoremongers, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Do ye not know that unrighteous [persons] shall not inherit [the] kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who make women of themselves, nor who abuse themselves with men,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¿ No sabéis que los injustos no poseerán el reino de Dios? No erréis, que ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los afeminados, ni los que se echan con varones,
Ou não sabeis que os injustos não herdarão o Reino de Deus? Não erreis: nem os pecadores sexuais, nem os idólatras, nem os adúlteros, nem os sexualmente efeminados, nem os homens que fazem sexo com homens,
Ne savez-vous pas que les injustes n’ hériteront point le royaume de Dieu? Ne vous y trompez pas: ni les impudiques, ni les idolâtres, ni les adultères, ni les efféminés, ni les infâmes,
Wisset ihr nicht, daß die Ungerechten das Reich Gottes nicht ererben werden? Lasset euch nicht verführen! Weder die Hurer noch die Abgöttischen noch die Ehebrecher noch die Weichlinge noch die Knabenschänder
Of weet gij niet, dat de onrechtvaardigen het Koninkrijk Gods niet zullen beerven?
Non sapete voi che gli ingiusti non erederanno il regno di Dio? Non v’illudete; né i fornicatori, né gl’idolatri, né gli adulteri, né gli effeminati, né i sodomiti,
Azaż nie wiecie, iż niesprawiedliwi królestwa Bożego nie odziedziczą? Nie mylcie się: ani wszetecznicy, ani bałwochwalcy, ani cudzołożnicy, ani pieszczotliwi, ani samcołożnicy,
Или не знаете, что неправедные Царства Божия не наследуют? Не обманывайтесь: ни блудники, ни идолослужители, ни прелюбодеи, ни малакии, ни мужеложники,
你們豈 不 知 不義 的人不 能承受 神 的國嗎？不 要自欺！無論 是淫亂的、 拜偶像的、 姦淫的、 作孌童的、 親男色的、
Have you not knowledge that evil-doers will have no part in the kingdom of God? Have no false ideas about this: no one who goes after the desires of the flesh, or gives worship to images, or is untrue when married, or is less than a man, or makes a wrong use of men,
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I Corinthians 6:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the main thrust of this verse. Paul reminds the Corinthians of a truth they already know (οἴδατε, oidate): the unrighteous (ἄδικοι) will not inherit God’s kingdom. The word ἄδικοι covers anyone who acts contrary to what is right, especially the injustice Paul has been rebuking (lawsuits, fraud). The list that follows, fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, the effeminate, homosexuals, and others, names specific forms of unrighteous behaviour. Calvin, Barnes, and Henry note that Paul is describing persistent, unrepentant sin, not isolated failures. The warning “Be not deceived” (μὴ πλανᾶσθε) is crucial: it exposes the danger of self-deception, the idea that one could indulge these sins and still be saved. Yet all the supplied sources place this warning within the wider context of verse 11: “Such were some of you, but you were washed.” The point is not that past sin is unforgivable, but that a life defined by these practices is incompatible with the kingdom.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Traditional view: Holds that the list refers to all forms of sexual immorality, including active and passive homosexual acts, and that these exclude from the kingdom unless repented of.
- Revisionist view: Argues that ἀρσενοκοῖται probably referred to exploitative same-sex relations (e.g., pederasty or male prostitution) and may not directly address consensual, committed same-sex relationships.
- Lifestyle vs. identity view: Emphasizes that Paul targets unrepentant behaviour, not identity or temptation; the same person who did these things can be transformed and inherit the kingdom (v. 11).
What is clear: Paul warns that persistent, unrepented unrighteousness — sexual and otherwise — excludes a person from God’s kingdom, but the gospel offers forgiveness and transformation to anyone who repents and believes in Christ.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'unrighteous' | Refers to those who habitually act contrary to God's justice, including the injustice Paul was rebuking. | Some traditions emphasize that it applies only to those who persist without repentance; others stress that even a single act of unrighteousness, if unconfessed, excludes. |
| Interpretation of 'effeminate' (μαλακοί) | The word means 'soft' and in moral contexts refers to men who assume a passive or submissive role in homosexual acts. | Some scholars argue it includes any form of self-indulgence or moral softness, while others limit it to the passive partner in same-sex relations. |
| Interpretation of 'homosexuals' (ἀρσενοκοῖται) | Combines 'male' and 'bed', meaning men who have sex with men. | Debate exists over whether it covers all same-sex acts or primarily exploitative/abusive practices (e.g., pederasty or prostitution). |
| Relationship to salvation and grace | Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. The unrighteous can be saved if they repent and believe. | Some traditions teach that a life marked by these sins proves a person was never truly saved; others emphasize that Christians can fall into these sins and yet be restored. |
| Application to church membership | Churches should not discipline members for past sins that are confessed and forsaken. | Traditions differ on whether someone who continues in these sins should be excommunicated or if ongoing pastoral patience is warranted. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Corinth was a wealthy port city known for its moral looseness. Calvin notes that “wealth has luxury as its attendant, the mother of unchastity and all kinds of lasciviousness.” The city housed the temple of Aphrodite with its ritual prostitutes, and sexual immorality was woven into daily life. Paul writes to a congregation that had recently come out of this environment. Some members continued old habits, even dragging fellow believers before pagan courts to settle disputes (1 Cor 6:1, 8). This context explains the blunt list: Paul names the sins that were most tempting and most tolerated in Corinth.
The apostle’s phrase “the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” echoes Jewish teaching. Gill cites a Talmudic saying: “Know thou that the world to come is made only for the righteous.” Paul adapts this to a Christian setting. “Kingdom of God” here probably refers to the final, consummated kingdom (as Cambridge Bible notes), but it also has a present dimension: the church on earth is to be a community that reflects that future reality.
Paul’s rhetorical question, “Or don’t you know?”, is not gentle. It carries a note of shame, as he earlier said: “I say this to move you to shame” (v. 5). He assumes they do know these things, so their behaviour is inexcusable. The list is not mere information; it is a diagnosis meant to rouse them from complacency. At the same time, the whole passage leads to the great “but” of verse 11, which holds up the gospel as the only way out.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Greek text is stable across major manuscripts. Differences in English translations (e.g., “effeminate” vs “male prostitutes”) reflect different interpretations of the same Greek words, not variant readings.
Reception History
This verse has been used throughout church history to define the boundaries of Christian conduct. Early church fathers cited it in catechetical instruction and church discipline. Medieval penitentials listed these sins with prescribed penances, often treating them alongside theft and idolatry. The Reformation saw this verse as a clear statement that works-righteousness cannot save, yet also as a warning that cheap grace is a deception. In modern times, 1 Corinthians 6:9 is central to debates about human sexuality, with some Christians arguing it condemns all homosexual practice and others arguing that the original context targeted specific abuses like pederasty. The verse continues to be used in evangelism as both a mirror of sin and a doorway to the gospel of verse 11.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- You know this. Paul starts with a question that assumes knowledge. The Corinthians already know that the unrighteous won’t inherit the kingdom. Your congregation knows too. The danger is not ignorance, it is self-deception.
- Don’t be deceived. The list of sins serves as a mirror. Each term names a concrete way people try to separate behaviour from salvation. Paul blocks every loophole: you cannot live this way and inherit the kingdom.
- But such were some of you. The gospel appears precisely here. Those sins are not the final word. Jesus Christ washes, sanctifies and justifies those who repent. The list becomes not a trap but a rescue mission.
Five-point outline
- The setting: Paul confronts lawsuits between believers before pagan judges. He names their root problem, injustice, and broadens it to a full list of sins that disqualify from the kingdom.
- The rhetorical question: “Or don’t you know?” Paul appeals to shared Christian teaching. The answer is obvious: yes, they know. So why do they act as if they don’t?
- The warning: “Be not deceived.” Self-deception is the biggest threat. People can persuade themselves that grace covers ongoing, unrepented sin. Paul will have none of it.
- The catalogue: Ten specific sins, from sexual immorality to extortion. All of them destroy the community and the individual. None of them can coexist with the rule of God.
- The hinge: Verse 11, “And such were some of you.” Past tense. Conversion changes the direction of a life. The same power that raised Jesus can wash anyone clean.
Illustration hooks
- A person who thinks their church attendance or good behaviour earns them a pass on a secret habit they refuse to give up. The list forces them to see the gap between profession and practice.
- A Christian who struggles with same-sex attraction and feels condemned by verse 9, but has never heard verse 11, the hope that identity is not fixed by desire but recreated by Christ.
- A congregation that tolerates gossip, greed, or a litigious spirit as “minor” sins, while focusing only on the sexual sins in the list.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If I have committed one of these sins, am I automatically lost?
- What does “effeminate” mean? Are traditional masculine roles part of the kingdom?
- Does this verse mean all homosexuals are excluded, or only those who refuse repentance?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with a hard truth: some behaviours are incompatible with the kingdom of God. But the same passage also offers the most freeing news in the Bible, that people who were exactly these things can be transformed. As you discuss, keep verse 11 in view. It is not a loophole; it is the gospel.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Corinthians 6:1, 11. What connection do you see between the lawsuits in verses 1, 8 and the sin list in verses 9, 10?
- Paul says “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom.” What does the word “unrighteous” mean in this context? Is it only about sexual sin?
- The verb “be not deceived” (μὴ πλανᾶσθε) is a present imperative, “stop letting yourselves be led astray.” What kinds of deception were the Corinthians vulnerable to? What deceptions are Christians vulnerable to today?
- Why does Paul list “idolaters” right between “fornicators” and “adulterers”? What does idolatry have to do with sexual sin?
- Verse 11 says “such were some of you.” What changed? How do washing, sanctification, and justification work together in a believer’s life?
- How does this passage challenge the idea that God’s grace gives us permission to keep sinning?
- If someone in your group struggles with a sin from this list, how can the group offer both truth and hope, following Paul’s pattern?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 19:5 | They called to Lot, and said to him, “Where are the men who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us, that we may have sex with them.” |
| Exodus 23:1 | “You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness. |
| Leviticus 18:22 | “‘You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. That is detestable. |
| Leviticus 19:15 | “‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness. |
| Leviticus 19:35 | “‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity. |
| Leviticus 19:36 | You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. |
| Leviticus 20:13 | “‘If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon themselves. |
| Deuteronomy 22:5 | A woman shall not wear men’s clothing, neither shall a man put on women’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh your God. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke stresses that the Greek word for "unrighteous" means those who act contrary to what is right, so they cannot inherit a kingdom where inheritance is a matter of legal right. Only children of God have that right, and being guilty of even one of the listed sins excludes a person from that inheritance entirely.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses the warning "be not deceived" as a threefold point: believers were in real danger of being misled by false opinions, they could know the truth plainly, and eternal loss was too vast to risk. He then clarifies that the Greek terms for "effeminate" and "abusers of themselves with mankind" refer to specific sensual vices common in pagan Corinth.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that those who persist in sin without repentance cannot inherit God's kingdom. He clarifies that the wicked can still inherit, but only if they first turn to the Lord in genuine repentance, even though conversion itself does not earn their pardon.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This verse is the apostle's summation of his teaching in the previous chapters: those who persistently do wrong have no part in God's final kingdom. He narrows the point to two kinds of self-centered living — sensual indulgence and greed — both of which forfeit the inheritance that comes only through faith in Christ.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses the dire warning against self-deception: those who practice such grievous sins will not inherit God’s kingdom. The list is not empty threats but a sobering reality meant to shake believers out of complacency.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the warning about the unrighteous not inheriting the kingdom serves a double purpose: to dissuade believers from bringing lawsuits before unbelievers, who themselves have no share in that kingdom, and to reprove the Corinthians for their own deceitful and sinful behavior. He insists that only Christ’s righteousness, not human effort, can admit anyone into heaven.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
unrighteous —Translate, "Doers of wrong": referring to 1 Co 6:8 (compare Ga 5:21 ). kingdom of God —which is a kingdom of righteousness ( Ro 14:17 ). fornicators —alluding to 1 Co 5:1-13 ; also below, 1 Co 6:12-18 . effeminate —self-polluters, who submit to unnatural lusts.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry warns that the unrighteous cannot inherit God's kingdom, listing sins that exclude people from heaven. He insists that knowledge alone is not enough, for many deceive themselves and fail to apply this truth. Heaven is not meant for those who persist in these sins without repentance.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights that "fornicators" reflects Corinth's persistent struggle with sexual sin, noting how often Paul returns to it. For "effeminate" (malakoi), he points out the word could mean luxurious and dainty but might also refer to something much darker. He ties "abusers" back to his earlier note on Romans 1.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that the list places idolatry between fornication and adultery because these sins often went together. His sharpest point falls on the effeminate: those who take up no cross and endure no hardship. Such seemingly harmless people are ranked with idolaters and sodomites, proving that no sin is little and every sin is a step toward hell.