First Corinthians 6 Part 4 Are You Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb?

After addressing the issue of failing to love one another as Christ commands us to do, Paul turns to the subject of holiness and separation from things that pollute our soul.

No unrighteous sinners will ever be part of God's kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10)  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

The Spirit of God guided Paul to list some specific sins committed by unrighteous (unsaved) people. 

God makes it clear that no unrighteous sinner will ever have a part in the kingdom of God. 

He lists the sins of idolatry and immorality. All who worship false gods are unfit for God's kingdom. 

All who commit sexual sin including same sex relationships that God condemns in His Word, have no part in God's kingdom (See Romans 1:18-31). 

Those who steal or commit extortion, or who covet things that belong to others, or seek to extort money from innocent victims, have no part in God's kingdom.

The righteousness of God or lack thereof, is what sets apart a believer in Christ from an unbeliever. 

We are saved by grace when we respond with repentant faith in Jesus Christ after hearing the gospel.

Abraham was justified by faith not by works.

Romans 4:1-8  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2)  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3)  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4)  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5)  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6)  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7)  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8)  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Romans 4:20-25  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21)  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22)  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23)  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24)  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25)  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.  

Paul tells us how Abraham was counted righteous before God. It was not by works but by his faith in believing the promises of Jehovah.

Imputation is an accounting term that means to credit our account with righteousness from God. 

God imputes His righteousness to a repentant sinner who by faith turns to Christ for salvation. 

He removes the guilt and condemnation of sin. This is justification. 

We are born unholy, unrighteous sinners without any spiritual life in us.  

We need a Savior and our Father provided a Savior through the sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. 

How are we saved? Jesus said "Ye must be born again."  

We must hear the gospel of Christ and call upon the name of the Lord to be saved and He will save us (Romans 10:8-17).

Scriptures says that the just shall live by faith and Abraham did just that. 

A blessed man or woman is the one to whom the LORD imputes His righteousness because they by faith accept His provision of salvation. 

At that point in heaven's courtroom, God declares the repentant sinner fully justified and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to that man or woman.

Thus, a believer in Christ is robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and this is all the saving work of God on our behalf.

The best that a person can do is like filthy rags in God's sight. 

Isaiah 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

An unbeliever does not have any righteousness, even those who seem to be morally good. 

Why? Isaiah tells us that the best human righteousness humans can muster is like filthy rags in the sight of Holy God. 

Filthy rags were contaminated by human blood or other unclean bodily fluids.

The sin nature we inherit from Adam's fall causes the poison of sin to flow in our veins. 

Even a morally disciplined, well meaning person cannot work righteousness into his or her soul. 

Heavenly righteousness must come from God for He is righteous in His being. Thus, it is a salvation by grace freely given to all who hear and heed the gospel of Christ. 

Each Christian used to be a sinner condemned and unclean.

1 Corinthians 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 

Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit to record words of truth and beauty, a balm for the troubled soul of man. The apostle describes the sins committed by unrighteous sinners.

Then he says to the Christian "And such were some of ye". The horrific sins Paul wrote of described many people who came to saving faith in Christ. 

What changed? Paul says that when a sinner repents and calls upon Christ for salvation, he or she is washed clean through the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God. 

We are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are brought into a right relationship with God by faith (See Titus 3:4-6). 

I too, was a vile sinner, devoid of righteousness and desperately in need of salvation. 

When by faith I responded to the gospel, Jesus saved me and began changing my life. 

My old manner of life began passing away and I began to learn how I could walk each day in newness of life (See 2 Corinthians 5:17).

This is the same testimony of countless believers through the ages. God saves sinners such as us and He gives us a new heart and a new spirit!

God rescues repentant sinners from their misery and depravity by the power of the gospel (See Romans 1:16-17).

Such words highlight the beauty of Jesus Christ our Savior, and are a message containing great, eternal hope to tell all the world. 

This is why Jesus suffered, died, rose again and ascended to His Father, to take away the sins of the world (See John 1:29).

Repentant faith in Christ makes us washed clean by His blood.

Revelation 1:4-8  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5)  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6)  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7)  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8)  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The glorious things seen by the aged apostle John stir our hearts. To read about our risen Lord, King and Savior thrills our inner man. 

We bow down to Jesus because He washed each one of us clean through faith in His blood. 

He lifts us up and gives us a place in His eternal kingdom. He has work for us to do here and now, and work waiting for us when we go home to heaven.

Romans 3:21-26  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22)  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23)  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24)  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25)  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26)  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 

Let us praise our Lord for His glorious salvation. 

Let us seek to honor God in all that we do, knowing we will stand before Him one day, to give an account of how we used our time, resources and energy for His kingdom purposes.

Let us be humbled by the humility of Christ putting aside His glory in order to come as the lowliest of men, because He loved us enough to take our sins upon Him, on His cross.

Let us be filled by God's Spirit and determine in our heart to faithfully serve God until He calls us home. 

Bob