Saint
“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
This identity of being a Saint makes me giggle a tiny bit. I’m far from being a saint…but in Christ? I’m a saint! This will be a stretch for me to wrap my head around, but let’s check this out.
WASHED | verb | cleaned | rinsed, freshened up, lathered
We were washed is similar to our past lesson about being Washed Clean. Isaiah 1:18 reads: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Instead of imagining a dirty kid covered with mud, it’s a freshly washed and dressed in white clothing…pure and innocent.
SANCTIFIED | verb | free from sin, purified | holy, blessed, consecrated, sacred
Ohhh…this is a good one. Sanctified is not a daily word we use in our vocabulary, but it’s a good one. Look at the definition…free from sin and purified. We are holy, blessed, consecrated and sacred. Whew! Let’s further this knowledge in the word. Read Hebrews 10:10, “By God’s will we have been sanctified once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah.” I love the expression, “once and for all.” I’ll be honest…I truly lack in faith in this area. Christ died…it’s done. Why do I keep acting as if I need to sacrifice Him daily? Our my sins too much for Jesus to bear? No way. I’m thankful that the closer I become to the Lord, the more I see my blemishes and feel inadequate. Although, this should lead me to a spirit of worship and praise…not defeat!! Let’s look at the last part of this verse, “we were justified.”
JUSTIFIED | verb | declared or made righteous in the sight of God | proven right, reasonable
We were made righteous when Jesus died on the Christ. Done and done. What is awesome, is the piece of the verse which follows all of these declarations of being washed, sanctified and justified.
“in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God.”
It’s in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is how we are able to even approach God…to do anything.
Read Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
I worked in the medical device space for most of my career, and saw surgeons doing amazing things to heal the sick and wounded. They were gifted, being used as instruments to save God’s people, but few would do this “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s okay…God is still going to use their amazing gifts for His glory, but the difference is giving credit, to where credit is due.
I don’t want to leave out the last part of the verse, because it states, “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ AND by the spirit of our God.”
I Corinthians 12 is a good one to read in regards to the Holy Spirit, but let’s focus on verse 13: “We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink.”
Thankfully, Jesus didn’t leave us here on earth to fend for ourselves, He sent us the Holy Spirit to help us, guide us and lead us. Okay, so let’s actually define Saint, which is our identity in Christ:
SAINT | noun | a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death
We are holy and virtuous in Christ, and will be heaven after death.
Read Romans 8:10: “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.”
We are saints! Let’s rejoice! If you have any type of fear about death, let’s pray together in confidence.
Lord, thank you for your son who died on the cross, so that we are saints…washed, sanctified and justified in his name and by the Holy Spirit. I believe this with all of my heart, and want my every move to give you glory. I want every thought, every step, every second, to be in the name of Christ. I don’t want to live “on my own” and without giving you glory. Walk close to me, and don’t ever let me go. Thank you, that isn’t even possible, but may my eyes and ears be open to you. I don’t want to walk blindly. I want to walk in confidence in who I am in Christ! and it’s in His name that I pray. Jesus Christ, the name above all names. Amen.
