Paul tells the Corinthians, the Gallatians and the Ephesians, each in
nearly the same language, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God. Of fornication, wrath, strife, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like, Paul says: I tell you plainly, they who do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, goodness, temperance, etc. Again, he says the kingdom
of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.[142]

By Paul's whole teaching those who yield the fruit of the spirit--love,
joy, peace, &c., are the inheritors of this heavenly kingdom and the
unrighteous are rejected.

Again Paul says: Some of those Corinthians who were once unrighteous
were washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and
in the Spirit of our God. He said they were not inheritors of this
kingdom while they were unrighteous.[143]

Membership in the visible church at Corinth did convey this
inheritance.[144] They had to be washed, sanctified and justified (not
in water, but) in the name or power of the Lord Jesus and in the spirit
of our God. They had to be washed in the Spirit of our God before they
could enter his kingdom.[145]

In four of Paul's epistles he recognizes the Spirit at the door of
entrance to this kingdom. He mentions it seven times in ten verses in
this connection, but nothing whatever about water baptism.[146]

Paul knew of no door to this kingdom by way of water baptism or he would
have told us of it, for this door and how we may enter is just what Paul