1 Corinthians 6:11

Good Morning!
Today is a typical fall day, except that it's still summer. Chuck's knee is still bad and the company he works for is wrangling over what to do about getting him medical help; bureaucracy at its finest.
Lately I've felt that the Lord wants me to learn more about sanctification. He's brought this before me a few times and today's scripture talks about it and more.
1 Corinthians 6:11: "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." So, after you peruse the verses before this one to get the full context, come join me....
Reading the prior verses you find out that these folks that Paul is talking to were in trouble and Paul is lowering the boom on them. There had been lawsuits, bad witness before non believers. Then he gives a list of those who will not inherit the the kingdom of God; what a list it is.
So, when he says: and that is what some of you were, he's talking about their lives before they were saved. He implies that even though they were once lost and followed the worlds example, it was time for them to stop and follow God's example.
They were washed in the blood of Christ: saved. Then they were sanctified: to make holy. By Christ and the Spirit, we were made holy. Holy means: living a life of purity. Purity is be be free from moral guilt. Justification is: to declare to be free from the penalty of sin. Don't you love word searches?
So what's the summary? We are saved by the blood of Christ and in the process, Christ and the Spirit make us holy, pure; free from moral guilt and justified from the penalty of sin. Because of all these wonderful things that the Lord does for us when we surrender and are saved, we have freedom not to live in the past, cling to guilt from our sins and to live for God, serving Him freely, fully and wonderfully.
Our responsibility then is to study the Word, apply it and grow more like Christ so as to please our heavenly Father. He has qualifiers: be obedient and He will bless. So, search your heart and see if there is unconfessed sin, a need to study the Word, possibly more and spend time with Him in prayer, not just for yourself, but for others too. Then watch how He blesses your obedience. And watch how the evil world will try to stop you..... Cling to Him and He will hold you close.

In His arms,
Sandy