Ephesians 5:2-8
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Ephesians 5:3-7
5:3-4. Fornication, which is sex outside of a committed loving marriage relationship, is ungodly and unloving. Sex outside of marriage may be seen either as impure (uncleanness) or as greedy (covetousness; cf. Ephesians 4:19). Such sexual impurity and greed should not even be named among the Ephesian believers, for such behavior is not fitting for saints. Paul also prohibits filthiness, foolish talking, and coarse jesting, sins of speech. He rightly points out that believers should instead use their voices for giving of thanks to God. Words are so powerful that believers must be careful how they relate to others, showing their love for God and for them.
5:5 This verse has caused a great deal of confusion. Some interpretations even cause believers to doubt their salvation. We know that once a person has trusted Christ as Savior he has eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28) and cannot lose his eternal relationship with Christ. There are two ways to approach this verse, depending on how the expression inheriting the kingdom is understood.
Paul may be telling believers to live in their experience consistent with their position as set-apart ones. In this view, inheriting the kingdom means gaining eternal life. Unbelievers in their position and experience are sinners and they lack any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. To inherit the kingdom is to enter it (Rom 8:17). Unbelievers will not enter the kingdom, believers will. So why would a believer who is no longer a slave of sin, live like an unbeliever, who is a slave of sin? Paul is not saying that any believer who is involved in fornication or idolatry will be barred from heaven. He is stressing that believers are not to live the same lifestyle as unbelievers who do not have a part in the kingdom.
Or Paul may be warning believers that if they live like unbelievers they will not rule in the kingdom of God. This view of inheritance refers not to entrance into the kingdom, but to ruling with Christ. Anyone who lives the lifestyle described will not inherit the kingdom of God in this sense (cf. 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26). Therefore believers are not to live this way.
5:6 Some people, even some Christians, say that it does not matter how a person lives. Paul counters, let no one deceive you with empty words. Empty words are those that have no value. It does matter how a person lives. Because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. God deals with those engaged in sin, whether they are unbelievers (Ephesians 2:3) or believers (Heb 12:6). How a person lives effects him, resulting now in blessing or discipline, and resulting in the future in rewards or lack of rewards. The sons of disobedience are those in rebellion against God and His Word.
5:7 Therefore, Paul charges, do not be partakers with them. Paul does not say, "You will not be partakers with them since you are believers." Instead, he warns them not to live that way. Believers are to be different. They used to be dead in sin in darkness but now they are alive and are no longer slaves of sin.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-5)
(Salvation) Interpretation: Those who are characteristically sinful will not enter heaven.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: Believers who sin will not enjoy rewards in the kingdom.
Second (Discipleship) Interpretation: Believers should not sin like those who are unsaved.
These three passages are treated together because the message seems the same. Those who practice these sins will not "inherit the kingdom of God." The lists of sins are different in each passage, and the severity of the sins varies from murder to envy. Those who hold a (Salvation) interpretation take these passages to mean that Christians who do these things will lose their salvation or that people who do these things prove they were never saved in the first place. In either case, they are excluded from heaven or the kingdom of God based on their sinful behavior. This interpretation is contrary to salvation by grace, which by definition, is not by human performance.
The most important interpretive questions are: what does it mean to "inherit the kingdom of God," and who is Paul talking to? In the first (Discipleship) interpretation, some have argued that the idea of inheriting the kingdom of God is more than just entering the kingdom; after all, the author doesn't say, "enter the kingdom of God." They would say that inheriting speaks of enjoying a reward in the kingdom, such as ruling with Jesus Christ. In this understanding, believers who sin like unbelievers will forfeit their reward in the kingdom of God. At least that view sees the obvious, that Paul is writing to believers. However, the idea of inheriting the kingdom of God is best understood here as entering the kingdom. We can see how the idea of obtaining eternal life is used synonymously with inheriting the kingdom when we compare Matthew 19:16 with its parallel accounts in Mark 10:17 and Luke 18:18. The concept of inheriting the kingdom included not only entering the kingdom, but also enjoying the rewards of it, for no one would conceive of entering the kingdom without enjoying its benefits to some degree.
The second (Discipleship) interpretation also considers these passages as truth relevant to believers. In the 1 Corinthians 6 passage, it is easy to see the spiritual state of the readers. They are clearly believers because Paul tells them they should judge matters in the church and rebukes them for taking a "brother" before "unbelievers" in the court system (1 Cor. 6:1-8). The "unrighteous" in verse 9 would be the same "unrighteous" unbelievers named in verses 1 and 6, so the contrast is between believers and unbelievers. After listing the sins of these unbelievers who will not inherit the kingdom of God, he says "And such were some of you. But you were washed... sanctified... justified" (1 Cor. 6:11). This strongly worded contrast makes the most sense if he is contrasting the saved position of the Corinthians (the three verbs are in the passive tense emphasizing position) with those who are unsaved.
The Galatians 5 passage also is written obviously to Christian readers. Paul exhorts them to "walk in the Spirit" in order not to fulfill the lust of the flesh. Either option is possible for Christians (Gal. 5:16). He then lists the sins of the flesh concluding that those who do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God. We should understand the phrase "inherit the kingdom of God" the same as in 1 Corinthians 6:9.
The controlling subject of Ephesians 5 is behavior that is "fitting for saints" (Eph. 5:3). The contrast between believers and unbelievers is prominent in Ephesians 5:1-18. The readers should conduct themselves like the new people that they are in Christ, not behave like those without Christ. Now that they have come out of that darkness, they should "Walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:10). So we have the same contrast of the believer's behavior with the unbeliever's behavior.
In all three passages, Paul's message to the Christian readers is simply this: Do not behave like those who are not going to enter heaven, the non-Christians. Such sinful behavior is incongruous with the believer's new position and new identity. Both of the (Discipleship) interpretations make more sense than the (Salvation) interpretation that says Christians who behave badly will lose their salvation, or that bad behavior proves these people were never saved. The readers' salvation is not in question in any of these passages, thus it fits best under (Discipleship). I prefer the second (Discipleship) interpretation.
It may be hard to accept that Christians could possibly behave as murderers, fornicators, and such, but life experience and the Bible both testify that it happens. King David murdered and committed adultery, and the man in 1 Corinthians 5 had sexual relations with his stepmother. As a pastor and Christian, I have had to deal with believers who had committed horrendous sins. Christians who act like that are behaving no different than the hell-bound unbelievers around them. There ought to be a great contrast between the lifestyles of believers and non-believers.