The Narrow Path Ministries

My question is how do you reoncile, Jesus and Paul mentioning in the New Testament that Drunkards will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but you have a man that genuinely ask Christ to save him and believes in Christ and never stops believing in Christ, but a year later, he falls back into drinking alcohol and eventually dies as a drunkard? Is he still saved or not? Thanks.

Mazx67 wrote:My question is how do you reoncile, Jesus and Paul mentioning in the New Testament that Drunkards will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but you have a man that genuinely ask Christ to save him and believes in Christ and never stops believing in Christ, but a year later, he falls back into drinking alcohol and eventually dies as a drunkard? Is he still saved or not? Thanks.

Here's more of the passage for reference:

1Co 6:9 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,
1Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.

The context reveals that Paul was trying to persuade his audience to stop their infightings. So he was reminding them of their previous guilt before God.
1Co 6:8 Nay, but ye yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Now verse 8 shows Paul to increase the pressure by showing the believers as acting like the unrighteousness. Verses 9 to 11 builds upon that concept of unrighteous. But Paul was making an argument, not stating doctrine.

If we look at verses 9 to 10 a little more loosely (than strict doctrine), we should be able to see how obvious the statement is.

The idea is that we are made righteous in Christ and are not considered to be fornicators, thieves, etc. So the list of violations doesn't properly apply to those made righteous, at any time after having been saved.

Then another aspect is that the believers receive a spiritual body at that moment. Such spiritually-changed body then gives an existence without the flesh, at which point those actions are no part of the believer's nature. And then they receive the inheritance of the kingdom.

But in saying this explanation, some reservation has to be made in light of the eschatological division described by Jesus that some people would grow weary in tribulation and get drunk and start beating on the other servants

Mat 24:45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
Mat 24:48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
Mat 24:49 and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50 the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
Mat 24:51 and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

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Neither one of these responses clearly answer my question. I knew a guy that was a drunkard, but he called upon the Lord to save him, but went back to drinking a lot, and he died about a year after that because his liver was ate up. Was the guy saved or not? I am wondering?

Mazx67 wrote:Neither one of these responses clearly answer my question. I knew a guy that was a drunkard, but he called upon the Lord to save him, but went back to drinking a lot, and he died about a year after that because his liver was ate up. Was the guy saved or not? I am wondering?

Mazx67 you are asking a question that ultimately, if answered honestly, can not be answered with any surety by the mind of man. I can only offer my opinion, as can others. The Lord reads hearts and minds and knows first hand the effects of sin on the human body. They're are some who will say your friend had his chances. They're are some who will say that it is ultimately in God's hands.

I prefer to believe in a God that love's His worst enemy better than we could ever hope to love are most precious friends and family. Suffice to say your friend paid for his sins in his death."The wages of sin...." We have no idea how he responded to the calling of the Lord and the Holy Spirit. You say he called upon the Lord. I say in that case let us leave it to the Lord. I know that probably isn't much better of an answer but I'm of a mind to believe heaven will be filled with all sorts of folks that we never would have expected to be there.

Mazx67 wrote:
Neither one of these responses clearly answer my question. I knew a guy that was a drunkard, but he called upon the Lord to save him, but went back to drinking a lot, and he died about a year after that because his liver was ate up. Was the guy saved or not? I am wondering?

RND wrote:
Mazx67 you are asking a question that ultimately, if answered honestly, can not be answered with any surety by the mind of man. I can only offer my opinion, as can others.

This is a remarkable response from you, RND. Where is your spirit of discernment in this?

Mazx67 wrote:Neither one of these responses clearly answer my question. I knew a guy that was a drunkard, but he called upon the Lord to save him, but went back to drinking a lot, and he died about a year after that because his liver was ate up. Was the guy saved or not? I am wondering?

The scriptures show God as being greater than our sin. So I would say that a man remains a believer despite the battle with the flesh.

Another situation I see is where people take drugs (for sickness) that affects their mental that makes them behave differently. It isn't logical to expect that God would then forsake them after a lifetime of being a follower.