Are You Washed, Santified and Justified? - Study 7/28/11
Are You Washed, Sanctified and Justified?
We need to be reminded of who we are and whose we are even in the midst of life problems and issues. It is necessary otherwise we often act strangely when we forget. Some of us have had parents that said things like “Remember you are a Jones (or whatever family name) you may bear. Apostle Paul, like a good father in the faith, reminded the Corinthians of who they are and whose they are in Christ in 1 Corinthians 6.
“You were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God …..15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?... Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price”.
Did we hear that? We are not our own. We were bought at a price. We are going to study and understand some of these big words used by Paul namely “washed, sanctified, and justified”. Let us first notice that all these words are stated in the past tense which means it is already a done deal. It is also continuous in a sense especially the sanctification process. What are the Corinthians (and us) washed of or from? What were they sanctified for? And what crime are they being declared just from? Right in the middle of dealing with the Corinthian Church’s problems, Apostle Paul restates the foundational Truth of the Christian faith and life. We cannot live a victorious Christian life without the correct and proper understanding and comprehension of this foundational truth.
If you have not believed and trusted in Jesus for the washing of your sins, this is not a reminder but a call to repent and believe in Christ to be washed, sanctified and be justified because the wrath of God will surely come on those that are not washed, sanctified and justified. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived”. 1 Cor. 6:9. If you are a believer in Christ, do not be deceived; the Gospel is still the only solution for our friends, family and co-workers, etc to be reconciled to a Holy God. Therefore we must preach Christ the Savior to all. Is it possible that we are not serious about telling others of the Good News of the Gospel because we are deceived even as believers that there may be other ways through self improvement and better economic life here and now? Are you deceived?
1 Corinthians 6
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”[b] 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Last week we studied Paul’s instructions and rebuke on settling disputes among believers in Christ at the Corinthian Church. He said, settle your disputes but do not take it to the unrighteous judges who will make a mockery of Christ. Also, Paul encourages the Corinthians and us to suffer in being cheated if possible for the sake of Christ instead of suing a brother or sister in the circular court. But to the offender, Paul is saying, are you out of your mind in cheating believers in Christ and don’t you know that all the “wicked” or those who practice sin as a lifestyle will go to hell? This is where we pick up for today’s study.
2. For the Corinthians or for us Apostle Paul is saying, “9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” vs. 9-11. It is possible that some of the Corinthian believers had forgotten God’s requirement which is not going to change for dealing with sin. There is punishment for sin and the “soul that sinneth shall die”. Sin must be judged because God is Holy and nothing sinful and unholy can be in His presence. The “unrighteous” (the sinful and those that are not declared just) will not inherit the kingdom of God. Plain language, they are going to hell to burn, so don’t kid yourselves. Paul adds, “And such were some of you”. Hello, can you honestly exclude yourself from the above list? How quickly we forget where we came from.
3. Apostle Paul gives examples of people’s sinful lifestyles that are heading to hell. Of course this is not an all inclusive list. People have debated this list and the words translated especially “homosexuals and sodomites”. You can render it however you want but Paul was not making it up in his time. There were a lot of people living the homosexual lifestyle in Corinthian then especially as part of their worship of the god of Apollo and the other goddesses. But let’s not neglect the other lifestyles listed – fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, covetous people, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. The list is actually endless. The issue is not what is the sin practice but whether one has been “washed” from the sin regardless of the particular one.
4. Are you washed? “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”.(Titus 3: 3-7) We are washed clean from sin by the mercy of God through the blood of Christ.
5. Are you sanctified? In order words, have you been set apart for God, and away from the influence of the world for God’s glory? “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” Hebrews 10:10. We are also sanctified by the word of God and the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Hear Jesus pray for us. 17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:17-19). Our daily decisions manifest how we are set apart for God. Are you deciding issues in your life based on what God wants or what pleases you? Our choices may not be popular but they should set us apart from the norm of the world for God’s glory.
6. Are you justified? The issue is not, “Are you not guilty”? We are guilty. However we have been declared “just” or righteous before God’s court and because of the work of Christ on the Cross. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26. God’s grace through faith justifies us. See also Ephesians 2:8-10 and Romans 3:28. Justification is the Good News. It is not based on behavioral improvement (works) but purely the work of grace and trusting in the finished work and gift of God.
7. As a result, it is clear that we are not our own. We have been purchased or bought at a high price that cost Jesus his innocent life. Paul is saying to the Corinthians and us, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s” vs.19-20. Our entire lives belong to God including our bodies. We cannot glorify God through any sexual union outside of marriage or living uncontrolled covetous credit-card-life of charging up anything and everything. We must live to glorify God.
8. Apostle Paul also reminds the Corinthians that the life in Christ is freeing as we are no longer made righteous by observation of various ceremonial or dietary laws of the Old Testament. However, there is limit to Christian freedom or liberty. Even some things that are not sin may not be beneficial to us. 12 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power”. Abusing our bodies with food is an example. Paul is also saying that satisfying hunger with food is not the same as satisfying sexual desires. You can eat anything you want but you cannot just have sex with anyone you want just because you feel like it. We must exercise self control.
Do you have any other plan of salvation from sin and its consequences? Can we commit to living it out and telling others about the God news of God’s grace? Do not be deceived. This is the only plan for salvation and hell is real and coming soon without Christ.
Lord, thank you for washing, justifying and sanctifying me for your glory and for your purpose. Lord, help me to live life that will glorify you always. Remove every deception of the reality of hell from me. Help me Lord, to tell others about the Good News of your mercy and grace that can save them from hell. May my body and spirit glorify you forever. Amen.
We need to be reminded of who we are and whose we are even in the midst of life problems and issues. It is necessary otherwise we often act strangely when we forget. Some of us have had parents that said things like “Remember you are a Jones (or whatever family name) you may bear. Apostle Paul, like a good father in the faith, reminded the Corinthians of who they are and whose they are in Christ in 1 Corinthians 6.
“You were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God …..15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?... Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price”.
Did we hear that? We are not our own. We were bought at a price. We are going to study and understand some of these big words used by Paul namely “washed, sanctified, and justified”. Let us first notice that all these words are stated in the past tense which means it is already a done deal. It is also continuous in a sense especially the sanctification process. What are the Corinthians (and us) washed of or from? What were they sanctified for? And what crime are they being declared just from? Right in the middle of dealing with the Corinthian Church’s problems, Apostle Paul restates the foundational Truth of the Christian faith and life. We cannot live a victorious Christian life without the correct and proper understanding and comprehension of this foundational truth.
If you have not believed and trusted in Jesus for the washing of your sins, this is not a reminder but a call to repent and believe in Christ to be washed, sanctified and be justified because the wrath of God will surely come on those that are not washed, sanctified and justified. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived”. 1 Cor. 6:9. If you are a believer in Christ, do not be deceived; the Gospel is still the only solution for our friends, family and co-workers, etc to be reconciled to a Holy God. Therefore we must preach Christ the Savior to all. Is it possible that we are not serious about telling others of the Good News of the Gospel because we are deceived even as believers that there may be other ways through self improvement and better economic life here and now? Are you deceived?
1 Corinthians 6
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”[b] 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Last week we studied Paul’s instructions and rebuke on settling disputes among believers in Christ at the Corinthian Church. He said, settle your disputes but do not take it to the unrighteous judges who will make a mockery of Christ. Also, Paul encourages the Corinthians and us to suffer in being cheated if possible for the sake of Christ instead of suing a brother or sister in the circular court. But to the offender, Paul is saying, are you out of your mind in cheating believers in Christ and don’t you know that all the “wicked” or those who practice sin as a lifestyle will go to hell? This is where we pick up for today’s study.
2. For the Corinthians or for us Apostle Paul is saying, “9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” vs. 9-11. It is possible that some of the Corinthian believers had forgotten God’s requirement which is not going to change for dealing with sin. There is punishment for sin and the “soul that sinneth shall die”. Sin must be judged because God is Holy and nothing sinful and unholy can be in His presence. The “unrighteous” (the sinful and those that are not declared just) will not inherit the kingdom of God. Plain language, they are going to hell to burn, so don’t kid yourselves. Paul adds, “And such were some of you”. Hello, can you honestly exclude yourself from the above list? How quickly we forget where we came from.
3. Apostle Paul gives examples of people’s sinful lifestyles that are heading to hell. Of course this is not an all inclusive list. People have debated this list and the words translated especially “homosexuals and sodomites”. You can render it however you want but Paul was not making it up in his time. There were a lot of people living the homosexual lifestyle in Corinthian then especially as part of their worship of the god of Apollo and the other goddesses. But let’s not neglect the other lifestyles listed – fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, covetous people, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. The list is actually endless. The issue is not what is the sin practice but whether one has been “washed” from the sin regardless of the particular one.
4. Are you washed? “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”.(Titus 3: 3-7) We are washed clean from sin by the mercy of God through the blood of Christ.
5. Are you sanctified? In order words, have you been set apart for God, and away from the influence of the world for God’s glory? “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” Hebrews 10:10. We are also sanctified by the word of God and the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Hear Jesus pray for us. 17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:17-19). Our daily decisions manifest how we are set apart for God. Are you deciding issues in your life based on what God wants or what pleases you? Our choices may not be popular but they should set us apart from the norm of the world for God’s glory.
6. Are you justified? The issue is not, “Are you not guilty”? We are guilty. However we have been declared “just” or righteous before God’s court and because of the work of Christ on the Cross. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26. God’s grace through faith justifies us. See also Ephesians 2:8-10 and Romans 3:28. Justification is the Good News. It is not based on behavioral improvement (works) but purely the work of grace and trusting in the finished work and gift of God.
7. As a result, it is clear that we are not our own. We have been purchased or bought at a high price that cost Jesus his innocent life. Paul is saying to the Corinthians and us, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s” vs.19-20. Our entire lives belong to God including our bodies. We cannot glorify God through any sexual union outside of marriage or living uncontrolled covetous credit-card-life of charging up anything and everything. We must live to glorify God.
8. Apostle Paul also reminds the Corinthians that the life in Christ is freeing as we are no longer made righteous by observation of various ceremonial or dietary laws of the Old Testament. However, there is limit to Christian freedom or liberty. Even some things that are not sin may not be beneficial to us. 12 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power”. Abusing our bodies with food is an example. Paul is also saying that satisfying hunger with food is not the same as satisfying sexual desires. You can eat anything you want but you cannot just have sex with anyone you want just because you feel like it. We must exercise self control.
Do you have any other plan of salvation from sin and its consequences? Can we commit to living it out and telling others about the God news of God’s grace? Do not be deceived. This is the only plan for salvation and hell is real and coming soon without Christ.
Lord, thank you for washing, justifying and sanctifying me for your glory and for your purpose. Lord, help me to live life that will glorify you always. Remove every deception of the reality of hell from me. Help me Lord, to tell others about the Good News of your mercy and grace that can save them from hell. May my body and spirit glorify you forever. Amen.
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