IS THE MAN IN THE WORLD AMENABLE TO THE LAW OF CHRIST?

In First Corinthians 5:9-13, Paul penned, "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world....I have written unto you not to keep company, if...a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat...do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." Paul distinguished between a fornicator "called a brother" and one that is "of this world." We know how the fornicator "within" became a fornicator: He violated the law of Christ in Matthew 19:9. But, how did the fornicator "without" become a fornicator? He also violated God's marriage law as stated in Matthew 19:9, "...Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery and whosoever marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Someone says, He is not amenable to that law!

Generic, or universal, language is used in the New Testament. There is "all nations" (Mt. 28:19), "all the world," and "every creature" (Mk. 16:15,16). We recognize the universal nature of these statements: they concern all men. The wording in Mt. 19:9 is similar: "whosoever." All men are amenable to the law of Christ on marriage and divorce.

In First Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul wrote, "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 mankind...shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Prior to being washed, sanctified, and justified, some of them were adulterers. How could they have been adulterers? THEY WERE AMENABLE TO THE LAW OF CHRIST.

Someone calls our attention to Romans 8:6,7 which says, "...the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God,..." The words "not subject to" mean "not obedient to;" they DO NOT mean NOT AMENABLE TO. The words "subject to" come from a military term (upotasso) referring to rank. Rank refers to amenability; subjection refers to obedience. One can be amenable to a law but not subject to it.