"The Unrighteous Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God"－Towards An understanding of Paul's Soteriology

"The Unrighteous Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God" -Towards An Understanding of Paul's Soteriology

Shiu-Lun SHUM

With special reference to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, this essay seeks to investigate Paul's soteriology anew. The author concludes that Paul's words “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor.6:9; New English Translation) should be taken literally and represent a full picture of the apostle's view of human salvation. For Paul, like Jesus and early Christian writers (eg, James), faith and works are intricately and inseparably woven together; sinners are justified, in the words of James, “by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24; NET); this means, by faith activated through works of love, on the basis of divine grace (Gal. 5:4, 6).