Articles
Boy, Do We Owe God!
1 Cor 6:11 contains some of the most re-assuring words we find in scripture. When we talk about the "good news", that encompasses a pretty detailed discussion, but the bottom line is, humans had a sin problem, that sin problem separated us from God, and God did something about it, so that we could be restored. God did this through Jesus Christ.
That verse says, ..."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.". "That is what some of you were...". What were we?
Sexually Immoral in various ways
Idolaters
Adulterers
Thieves
Greedy
Drunkards
Slanderers
Swindlers
God is very clear here, He says people living these life styles unrepentant will not inherit the kingdom of God.
God is clear that these are not the complete list, he says "wrongdoers" will not inherit the kingdom of God. There is no misunderstanding this verse. It is crystal clear, and God repeats the punishment twice. But there is good news!
We are loved by God, to the point He was willing to send Christ to endure torture and death just to save us. Through Jesus’ blood which we contact in our submission to Him through baptism, God says we are 1) washed 2) sanctified 3) justified. Washing would be the removal of our sin, a cleansing, making us clean. Sanctification is a purifying process, a process where God makes us legitimate in His site. Justification is easily understood this way, "justified - just as if I'd never sinned". God makes us just. He makes us right. He renders us innocent.
God goes on in the last part of this chapter to say this, "...You are not your own; you were bought at a price..." We owe God, who makes His dwelling within us. We are to honor Him by our actions and our lives. We render ourselves to Him, because He paid such a great price for us in order to fix our sin problem. Many people today continue to live in sin however. Thank God there is hope for them, there is 'good news'....Praise be to God.
