107. Washed, Sanctified, Justified
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.
We are washed, sanctified and justified. That’s a promise. There are nine kinds of sinners listed as unrighteous; these unrighteous people will not inherit the kingdom of God. We also are included in that category of people: “Such were some of you.” I may not do all the nine sins listed, but my thoughts convict me of such shameful sinfulness: I am unrighteous and not worthy of the kingdom of God.
But then comes the big “but:” but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified. Now you will enter the kingdom of God. Jesus stood on the earth and announced the kingdom of God has arrived; enter into it by repenting and believing the Gospel. The Gospel brings us from exclusion to inclusion, from outside to inside, from darkness to light, from death to life. How far we have come in Jesus!
Washed, sanctified and justified are different ways to describe one thing. Washed points to an inward cleansing by the blood of Jesus. Washed in the blood happens when we are baptized in water and the Word. This is a complete cleansing of all sins past, present and future: every sin. The forgiveness of sins qualifies us to enter the kingdom of God. God now rules our lives as the wise king and we are protected and provided for. Sanctified indicates being made holy, not just innocent, but positively doing good and right things, living and behaving with good works. Sanctification is a developing, ongoing process. Justified means to be declared righteous and just. It is a one time, once-for-all event, and the righteousness endures into the present and the eternal future. All three descriptions of the Gospel promise qualify us to inherit the kingdom of God.
It is the “name of the Lord Jesus” and “the spirit of our God” that does all this for us. Jesus earned it for us; the Holy Spirit applies it to us by faith in the Gospel. This promise of entering the kingdom of God by being washed, sanctified and justified is a present reality, something we can experience now where we live. The present promise guarantees a certain blissful future in the eternal state.