Paul uses
hope for inheritance of the kingdom of God as a spur for the Corinthians to act
in accordance with the righteousness they have been given.
In 1 Corinthians 6:11, the apostle states that the Corinthians have been made
righteous in the name of Christ. He warns that the αδικοι (“unrighteous, wrongdoers”) will not
inherit God’s kingdom (6:9). It is those who have been made righteous who will
inherit the kingdom. It is not necessary for the purposes of this investigation
to discuss whether αδικοι refers to those who are within the church, yet act unrighteously,
or to those outside the church. (L. Ann Jervis, Paul and Time: Life in the
Temporality of Christ [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2023], 53,
emphasis added)
