Have You Been Washed?
“… you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV)
I know of no other symbol of our faith so meaningful and descriptive of life change as a believer’s baptism. The apostle Paul emphasizes God’s action in making Christ followers new people in 1 Corinthians 6:11. In fact, a more literal translation of this verse would read like this, “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.” (KJV/NASB)
Did you notice how Paul uses the word “but …” three times to indicate the contrast of the Christian life with the worldly life he had just been describing in the previous verses? Theologians tell us that word is the strongest Greek adversative particle in the language of the New Testament. “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified.” Pastor and author John MacArthur makes this notable commentary to help us understand the emphasis of Paul’s contrast in this passage: “It made no difference what they were before they were saved. God can save a sinner from any sin and all sin. But it makes a great deal of difference what a believer is like after salvation. He is to live a life that corresponds to his cleansing, his sanctification, and his justification. His Christian life is to be pure, holy, and righteous. The new life produces and requires a new kind of living.”
When you look back at this verse, you will notice three aspects of God’s work in our salvation.
Our sins were washed away!
We were sanctified, which means “set apart for special use”.
We were justified, meaning we have been made right with God!
Washed speaks of new life. The Bible calls this “regeneration”. In Titus 3:5 (NASB), the Bible says, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” Other translations render regeneration as a new birth or rebirth picturing a new life! Baptism is a powerful symbol showing on the outside that we have been washed clean on the inside through the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice and by the Spirit of God. When we have been washed by Christ, we have been born again!
Sanctified speaks of new behavior. “To be sanctified is to be made holy inwardly and to be able, in the Spirit's power, to live a righteous life outwardly. Before a person is saved, he has no holy nature and no capacity for holy living. But in Christ, we are given a new nature and can live out the new kind of life. Sin's total domination is broken and is replaced by a life of holiness.” (MacArthur)
Justified speaks of new standing before God. In Christ we are clothed in His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) says, “God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” God now sees us in Christ, and we are declared righteous!
All of this is made possible, the Bible says, “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God!” It is the sovereign work of God celebrated in the sacred symbol of your baptism! Have you been washed? Have you experienced that refreshing symbol of your faith in believer’s baptism? If not, I want to personally invite you to join us for our Super Summer Baptism Celebration this weekend at Woodlands Church. Check out the video of our last one, and register now for your own baptism.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.