Washed!   1 Corinthians 6.9-11

"Are you not aware that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Make no mistake – neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sensualists, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor rapacious men, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor robbers shall inherit the kingdom of God – and such were some of you.  But you have been washed; you have been consecrated; you have been put into a right relationship with God through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God."

Good Morning~

If someone were to forward this briefing to you, you might think, ‘Geez…that’s uplifting?  Why would she focus on such verses?’  Admittedly, it would be preferable to just move along to more pleasant Scripture, but then we would not have studied all of 1 Corinthians, and that would be a mistake.

That said, reading these verses, I breathe a sigh of relief because Paul sums up the entire gospel message in one sentence: ‘You have been washed; you have been consecrated; you have been put into a right relationship with God through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.’  Hallelujah.  In that one sentence, we also see the Trinity in action, don’t we?  God the Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit.  Each has a function in bringing us into relationship with God, and keeping us there.

Washed.  I take you back now to a dark night which cloaked the passage of one of the Jewish leaders coming to find out more about the Jesus of miracles.  Jesus said to him, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.  To which Nicodemus asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”  “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”  ‘Born of water’ represented cleansing, while ‘born of the Spirit’ rebirth.

‘Born again?’  The expression has suffered great scoffing because of the very thing we discussed yesterday—hypocrisy.  ‘Yeah, the born agains I knew in college partied like all of the rest of us, and then called themselves ‘born again’ and acted like they were better than everyone else,’ my friend said.  The term ‘born again’ was issued forth from Jesus’ own lips, giving us a visual that would help us understand that unless a human being experiences a spiritual rebirth he will not be in the kingdom of God—or ‘inherit eternal life.’  Otherwise, Jesus’ suffering on the cross was superfluous and the machination of a cruel God.

Only Christianity has the power to make all things new.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5.17)  I sat across from a powerful, successful businessman today, and was fortunate to have a deep discussion with him about where he is in his life, and where he is with God.  ‘Really, I guess, I wonder if it is really possible to be happy . . . to be at peace.  Oh, this dear friend I know asks me on a regular basis if I have surrendered to God—

  ‘And how do you answer her?’ I asked him.

  ‘No, not yet—‘

  ‘And what holds you back?’ 

  ‘Fear, I guess.  Fear that everybody might think it is a midlife crisis; fear that it will change me too much. . .’

  ‘Okay, well those really aren’t too risky when you think of the upside though, are they? ‘ Things like Heaven vs. Hell. . . 

  ‘No, I guess not, when you put it that way.’  And he changed the subject.

But guess what?  Before I left his office, we got back to the subject.  I told him about the simplicity of the prayer . . . he took the risk; he prayed the prayer. . . he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.  I know that the angels have been rejoicing ever since.  I am praying he will know the contentment of the Lord, starting tonight even —a peace which cannot even be comprehended in this world.  Washed!  Today, his sins were washed away, and that my dear friends is a very good day for all of us.

Washed!

Christine