Ephesians 5:5

“For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person - such a man is an idolater- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

The warning against sin here is particularly strong. Paul certainly wants us to understand that these sins which may not seem to be so grave as, for example, murder or robbery, they are still subject to God's wrath .

“For of this you can be sure” means there is no doubt, no equivocation, none of those “ grey areas” which we like to insert into God's black and white judgements.

no immoral person can inherit God's Kingdom. Any form of marital infidelity or sexual misconduct is anathema to God. All of the sexual deviations that can be imagined undermine the sacredness of marriage and the stability of families.

The world condones, even celebrates, such sins of the flesh, but God condemns them. They elevate the flesh about the spirit, sensuality over spirituality.

the message of Ephesians is that we are holy people, set apart for God. To be holy means that we must turn away from sexual sin.

likewise, impure people will not enter the kingdom of God. Impurity suggest a mixture. We want a little bit of the world and a little bit of religion. impure people like to think they can have Christianity as an added extra to their lives without giving up the pleasures of the world.

God is constantly seeking to refine us or purify us. He is looking for a people who are totally dedicated to Him. He will use any means possible to burn the dross out of our hearts.

life can be hard, but for christians there is always a purpose in suffering. Often it is the fire of refining.

God cannot stand impurity, half-heartedness, or lukewarmness. This is a state of heart that deceives us into believing that sin is not so big of a deal for the christian. After all God will forgive. But God will only forgive when we can come to repentance, and if we justify our sin we will see no need to repent of it.

a greedy person will also have no part in God's Kingdom. To be greedy is to be an Idol worshipper. A greedy person trusts in the power of their money or other possessions to keep them safe.

Jesus referred to the god of mammon. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with being wealthy, but when our heart is captivated by money or when our trust or our identity is in our wealth, then we have turned material possessions into a false god.

A greedy person finds it hard to let go of their money, to give to the poor, or to support the mission of the church. Such greed can be fatal as Ananias and Sapphira discovered (see Acts 5). Dependency on money stopped a rich ruler from following the way of Jesus.

the people that are described in this verse have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God and of Christ.

we might think that Paul is saying that these people who have presumably professed faith in Christ will get to heaven, but only by the skin of their teeth. They will have no inheritance so they will be like homeless people on the streets of Heaven.

in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul talks about the things Christians build being tested by fire. He says that some people will enter the Kingdom with nothing of value. However, these are not greedy, impure, or immoral people. They are born again christians who have failed to build anything that is of value in eternity. They were not so much greedy or immoral as misguided or lazy or selfish.

this verse simply restates what is a common theme in scripture. A heart that is truly united to Christ will result in a changed lifestyle and a change of focus.

do we have to be perfectly sinless to enter God's Kingdom? No, but we do need to be pursuing God, heeding the Spirit of God, and obedient to the word of God.

key points in this verse

• immorality impurity, and greed are condemned by God

• greed is a form of idolatry

• people who follow these things have no part in God's Kingdom. They will not enter Heaven