Ephesians 5:5

“For this ye know of. surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God”

“For this ye know”: The Ephesians had already heard these truths before (Galatians 5:19). “Of. surety”: “With certainty” (NASV). “You know very well” (Bruce p. 371). “Paul insists that he is telling his readers nothing new” (Erdman p. 109). “Moreover, the fact that sinners such as Paul names do not belong to the kingdom belongs to the ABC of Christianity; every beginner knows that” (Lenski p. 598). “In other words, there is no doubt or question about the whereabouts ‘in the after-a-while' of those who engage in those six items” (Spiritual Sword Lectureship p. 182). God will not change His mind, and such sins will not be ignored. “That no”: It does not matter who you are, Christian, non-Christian, rich or poor. If you engage in these sins and refuse to repent you will not make it to heaven. Time and culture do not change the evil of such sins and neither do situations justify them. At the end of time they will still be wrong (Revelation 21:8; Galatians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9). “Who is an idolater”: “While all three types of men may be included, it is especially the greedy person who is identified as an idolater (cf. Colossians 3:5). Barclay has observed, ‘A man sets up an idol and worships it because he desires to get something out of God. To put it bluntly, he believes that by his sacrifices and his gifts and his worship, he can persuade, or even bribe, God into giving him what he desires'” (Boles p. 299). “Hath any inheritance”: “Any share” (Wey). “These vices are not merely improper (v. 3) for God's people; those who practice them have no share in God's kingdom!” (Boles p. 299).

Since Paul is speaking to Christians, it is clear that. Christian could engage in these things, and thus one can fall away. In addition, if. Christian engages in such things they need to be withdrawn from (1 Corinthians 5:9), which means they do not even have. share in God's kingdom here, not to mention God's heavenly kingdom. “In the kingdom”: The present and heavenly kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 5:21). “Of Christ and God”: Jesus and the Father. Since the Kingdom is viewed as belonging to both Christ and the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24; Colossians 1:13), then Father and Son are equal in nature, which means Jesus is also Divine. The Church is also referred to as the "Church of God' (1 Corinthians 1:2) and the "Churches of Christ" (Romans 16:16).