Paul
the apostle told the church members in Corinth, “the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God”,
and they were not to “be deceived”
because “neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves
with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
In chapter six and verse eleven of First
Corinthians, Paul told the church members, “such
were some of you”
where we read:
And
such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified,
but
you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of
our God.
The verse begins, “And
such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified,”
Paul began
with the words, “And such were”
which means
“and the same kind of these used to be” “some
of you”
which refers to “certain ones of the church members”: “but”
which is a
disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written
takes precedence over what was just stated “you
are washed”
which means “have been remitted away and cleaned”, “but”
which is the disassociation conjunction employed again “you
are sanctified”
which means “rendered or acknowledged to be venerable or hallow,
consecrated and dedicated people”. Some of the people within the
church of Corinth used to be involved in the evil practices he just
named, but they were now “cleansed” and “set apart” for God's
kingdom.
The
verse continues, “but
you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of
our God.” Paul
added the word, “but” which
is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “you
are justified” which
means “rendered righteous or such as they ought to be, just and
righteous” “in the name”
or “everything which the name covers, everything the thought or
feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing or
remembering” “of the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah” “Jesus” whose
name means “Jehovah is Salvation” and is “the Son of God, the
Savior of mankind and God incarnate”, “and
by” which
means “and with” “the Spirit”
or “the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit who is
coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son” “of
our God”
which means “of Paul and the church members' Godhead bodily and
trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the
Holy Spirit”. Paul added that the church members were also in a
state that is “just as if they had never sinned” “in Jesus'
name” and through their relationship with God's Holy Spirit.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we see the change that was
made in the church members in Corinth. Paul noted how they “used to
be” like those he listed who would not “inherit the kingdom of
God”, and now they are “justified” which means
“just-as-if-I'd” never sinned. They were “sanctified”
which means “set apart” and “consecrated” for and “in
the name of the Lord Jesus”. This was accomplished by a work of
“the Holy Spirit of God” who brings conviction and
persuasion that aligning with Jesus Christ is the way to change.
Jesus Christ came to “seek and save that which was lost”,
and those who receive Him as “Savior and Lord” shall not only be
with God eternally, but shall also “inherit” His kingdom
forever.
Next
time Paul shares with the church members how “all
things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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