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Heaven's Short List

By Phillip Ross

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Published: 25Aug2009
Word count: 900
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Paul created a short list of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God: "neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:10). The list could be longer. If you aren't on that list, you might find yourself on Timothy's list.

"We know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted" (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

Note that Paul tells us that God is so concerned about unbelievers that he has given law for them in particular. And that "whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine" (1 Timothy 1:10) is equivalent to lawlessness.

What is this difference between believers and unbelievers? Paul said that there was no difference regarding sin. Believers are no less sinners than unbelievers. It is not sin that makes the difference. Paul noted that the Corinthian believers were just as guilty of sin as the Corinthian unbelievers, "but," he went on to say, "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) -- washed, sanctified and justified.

Matthew Henry says of this verse, "The wickedness of men before conversion is no bar to their regeneration and reconciliation to God. The blood of Christ, and the washing of regeneration, can purge away all guilt and defilement." Paul mentioned three things: washed, sanctified and justified.

The Greek word translated as "washed" is not an allusion to baptism. It is not the word baptizo. Paul was not talking about the sacrament or ceremony of baptism. He could have used that word if he wanted to, but he didn't. The word here literally means "to wash off." It means to bathe in such a way as to remove something (dirt) that has attached itself to the body. The allusion here is to the cleansing of the body, the "cleaning up of one's act," if you will. It's not merely spiritual thing, it is a bodily thing, a moral thing, a practical thing. He means that one's life, one's habits, one's actions and activities have been cleansed of filth -- that which is offensive to God.

Yet, Paul does not neglect the spiritual aspects of this difference between believers and unbelievers. He simply makes the point that the difference is not merely spiritual. It also manifests in the flesh.

The other two words deal with the spiritual aspects of this difference, one is centered in God and one is centered in the individual. The one centered in God pertains to justification, and means everything that the Protestant Reformers discuss under the title of "forensic justification." It refers to God's act of justification, wherein God transfers the righteousness credit earned by Jesus Christ to the account of an individual sinner. It is an action of God in heaven that transfers Christ's righteousness to believers. It doesn't make sinners suddenly righteous. Rather, it acknowledges the promise and power of Jesus Christ to complete what God has begun. God has adjusted the heavenly balance sheet by transferring the credit earned by Christ on the cross to the debt of individual sinners. The debt of sin has been paid by Jesus Christ. That's what justification is. (Don't miss the point by putting too much stock in this analogy. God doesn't actually have a ledger sheet. The analogy simply points to God's sovereignty in salvation.)

But that's not the end of the process. While the debt has been paid, and God no longer looks upon the sinner as a debtor, God is not stupid. He still knows the hearts of men, and while the hearts of believers have been changed, there is still much to do to bring believers into full possession of the righteousness that is now theirs by faith. The seed of righteousness has been planted, but it has yet to grow to maturity.

And the process of that growth, powered by the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals, is the process of sanctification. It is a process of growth and maturity in Christ, "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Ephesians 4:13-14).

"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). That's the difference between believers and unbelievers. And to blur that difference is to lose sight of the purpose of God and the purpose of salvation. To ignore or confuse the difference between believers and unbelievers is to deny the power and purpose of God Himself.

Phillip A. Ross has been a pastor for over 25 years and is the author of many Christian books. In 1998 he founded http://www.Pilgrim-Platform.org , which is loaded with information about historic Christianity. He published an exposition First Corinthians In 2008 that demonstrates the Apostle Paul's opposition to worldly Christianity. Arsy Varsy -- Reclaiming the Gospel in First Corinthians, Ross's book, shows how Paul turned the world upside down.

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