LESSON 2:
Paul cautions the Believers at Corinth to
"be not deceived" about this matter of sin in a
Christian's life!
Don't misunderstand. Christians will slip and fail and
err, sinning in the process. BUT they will not enjoy it,
or plan for it or habitually practice any certain
sin without some eventual form of victory over it!
Listen to 1 John 3:9 --- "Whosoever is
born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him:
and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Wow!
"Born" here is the new birth! The verb "commit" means to
practice or do habitually (present tense) the wrong thing.
The "seed" I believe is the Holy Spirit. And That Holy
Spirit cannot sin! The Greek literally says this Seed has
not the power to sin! (This is a mature view of sin in the
Christian's life!) Yet John also realizes that no saint will be
sinlessly perfect. "If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us." (1 John 1:8) Here's how practical John
gets: "My little children, these
things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
In one single verse (1 John 2:1) he tells us NOT to sin
... then realizes that we will unexpectedly do so ... therefore
he tells us about our heavenly Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ,
our Great High Priest!
Listen to our text verse: "Know ye
not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
Be not deceived ...." 1st Corinthians 6:9a,b
Now Paul loves that expression about not being deceived!
He uses it three times in his extant writings (Scripture).
Of course it's here in 1st Corinthians 6:9 but also in 1st
Corinthians 15:33 and Galatians 6:9.
It is believe that when Paul says this ... he believes the
followers of Christ are (at least partially) being deceived!
The verb for "deceived" is "planao" (giving us our English word
"planet" for example) and means to wonder around aimlessly, to
be led astray, to circle in darkness or to stray away!
It is an imperative here also. Paul is
commanding them to quit being misled! Really saved people do
not do certain things!
Our verb structure here (English = be not deceived ... Greek =
me planao) is used also by James in his Epistle and is
translated "do not err!" Read it with me:
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am
tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn
away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death.
Do not err, my beloved brethren." James
1:13-16
I need to close for today, but I must add this question to our
discussion. HOW is a Christian deceived? Obviously
the devil has that as his goal. He IS the deceiver!
But apparently it is possible for one to deceive himself too!
Again let's let James speak: "But be
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves." (James 1:22) And it also
seems that those who "deceive" fall into their own cesspool of
deception. They become "victims" of their own misleading!
They get hooked on their own venom! They eventually
believe their own lies! Wow! See 2nd Timothy 3:13
where Paul tells us: "But evil men
and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being
deceived." (Those who deceive ... are also
being deceived!)
Paul does not want us wandering about in confusion. He
wants us walking the straight and narrow road of truth!
And that road has many a sign that reads: "If saved,
depart from sin!
I'll close with 2 Timothy 2:19 ---
"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth
them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of
Christ depart from iniquity."
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3:
It's become "popular" in these days
of ungodliness to believe that just about everybody is going to
Heaven!
Well, according to the Bible, that
just is not so!
I remember one passage where Paul
the Apostle lists 10 kinds of folks who will NOT be in that
glorious City!
The verses I have in mind are in 1
Corinthians 6. "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, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1
Corinthians 6:9-10)
I'd say that narrows the crowd
pretty well!
While I can't get into all these
today, would you look at number one on the list please?
"Unrighteous" is a broad
all-inclusive term that describes the whole group. Then Paul
follows with the specifics, the first of which is "fornicators!"
Now that's an old-fashioned word
anymore.
In Greek "fornicators" is spelled "pornos."
This "root" term gives us words like pornography or pornocracy.
It means "to sell!" Strangely, the noun used here is masculine
in gender! The men were more involved in this than the women it
appears! (That already implies homosexuality!) It is
describing sinful illicit sexual relationships between two
individuals.
The blight upon the ancient world
was no doubt its immorality! And the city of Corinth (the
precise location of Paul's new converts) was among the most
ungodly in this category of sin! To be a "corinthian" was to be
among the most low-down in morality! (Not just immoral but
amoral!)
This sin should be "unthinkable"
after one has been saved by God's Grace! But apparently these
Corinthians to whom Paul is writing, saved out of such a lurid
background of filth and degradation, were having trouble with
it.
Paul is just reinforcing a truth
they needed to hear!
Saved people do not fornicate!
Fornicators are not going to heaven!
When one is born-again, his or her
lifestyle changes!
If you are going to be a citizen of
the Kingdom of God ... you can't do that!
That's pretty plain, isn't it?
Yet, you will have to agree with
me. That old sin has made a come-back! Its wormed its way into
churches again today!
In fact, sexual sins are too seldom
preached against anymore!
In once used the text of David's sin
with Bathsheba and folks looked at me like I was from another
planet! Yet I'll guarantee you in that crowd there was someone
involved in that wickedness!
If someone is "accidentally" reading
these lines and dabbling around in fornication ... better read
our verses again!
They say it ALL!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4:
"Idolaters" will
not go to heaven!
Now, don't
misunderstand me.
I did not say that
former idolaters will not go to heaven! Plenty of
them will!
But folks who are
still committing that terrible sin, worshiping other gods, will
NOT be in Glory.
Not according to
the Bible.
Where?
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters ...." 1st
Corinthians 6:9
The noun here
means literally one who reverences and adores and prays to idols
(of any kind). In Greek it's "eidololatres." The
noun "eidolon" means an image. The verb "latreuo" means a
person who serves another! Put it all together: one
who is a slave to an idol!
This sin includes
much more than just bowing down before a piece of stone or metal
too. It involves any kind of religious system that does
not admit to Jesus (and Jesus Christ alone) being the eternal
Son of God and the only Way to Heaven! And even that way
... by Grace through Faith in His shed Blood!
Anything else is
mere idolatry!
When former idol
worshippers and demon worshippers (such as these new
Christian at Corinth) get saved ... "old things pass away!"
Behold "all things become new" ... including one's very
lifestyle!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5:
Paul immediately adds "adulterers" to his list.
He often preached against sins of the flesh.
Generally speaking, fornication is an illicit sexual
relationship perpetrated by a single person. Adultery
is the same thing but committed by a married person.
Paul is NOT saying that one who has committed adultery can never
be saved!
Many ex-adulterers and adulteresses have been gloriously born
again, their sins washed away!
Paul IS saying that once a person is redeemed and forgiven
(regenerated) ... his propensity for that sin will dissolve.
Those who say they are saved yet practice adultery are deceived
and will NOT go to heaven!
Here are his words again:
"Know ye not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither ... adulterers!"
1st Corinthians 6:9
The word here, "moichos," means a paramour, one who is a lover
to someone else's spouse! (For that matter ... a married
person who loves anybody other than his wife!)
The noun as it appears here in our verse is masculine,
indicating a man. But Scripture often mentions
"adulteresses" as well.
Today this activity is called an "affair!" God still calls
it adultery.
And real saved people do not participate in it.
It's that simple.
You will never convince me that the Holy Spirit of God can live
in a body that is committing adultery!
Something is wrong there!
When Paul insists upon the Corinthians' moral purity here ... he
is introducing something revolutionary to their lives. The
Corinthian culture was extremely permissive in this area!
One of their writers said something like this: Each Greek/Roman
man has his prostitutes for wild fun ... his concubines for
normal sex ... and his wife for proper child-bearing!"
That's the background from which these Believers (to whom Paul
is writing) were saved!
Think of the drastic changes the dear Holy Spirit effects in
hearts and lives every day!
We need to take a stand against sin!
We need to not be as tolerant in our churches!
Either folks are saved (and live for God) ...or they are
deceived (and continue living in sin)! And it is WRONG to
tell them anything other than the truth about this whole
situation!
Listen to the Bible Book of Wisdom as it declares:
"But whoso committeth adultery with
a woman lacketh
understanding: he that doeth it
destroyeth his own soul.
A wound and dishonour
shall he get; and his
reproach shall
not be wiped away." Proverbs 6:32-33
This is serious business.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6:
Next Paul uses the word "effeminate."
You men can't belong to that crowd and be saved!
Let's put it this way: when you get saved, the Holy Spirit Who
then indwells you is NOT effeminate ... and will NOT allow you
to be that way either!
This noun in Greek is "malakos." It means "soft" ... hence
effeminate. ("Soft to the touch") The word is only
found 4 times in the New Testament. Three of those times
it is translated "soft" in our King James Bibles. For
example, Jesus in Matthew 11:8 said of John the Baptist:
"But what went ye out for to see? A man
clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft
clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for
to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a
prophet." John was NOT effeminate!
In Paul's day this word means a soft "sissy" boy who was kept by
a homosexual man as his partner! It was also at times used
of a male prostitute! (It specifically means the passive,
"feminine" member of a male twosome! No, I'm not trying to
make you sick ... just to define the word more precisely!)
Now, this is important.
Paul now is saying that when a young man is saved from that
background (what Grace of God we have here) ... he is changed
and is no more like that at all. His former lifestyle is
gone! In Paul's terminology he actually becomes a "new
creature!" Old things pass away! All things become
new!
That for me pretty well answers all these questions floating
around about homosexuality.
Paul gets right to the point, doesn't he?
I wonder what the "Scripture Twisters" do with this verse?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7:
Paul the Apostle uses some unusual
phrases sometimes!
For example:
"abusers of themselves with mankind."
This expression is found in 1st
Corinthians 6:9-10 where the Preacher is listing ten kinds of
folks who will not be in heaven!
It's an impressive gathering of
sinners, indeed!
Let me show you the whole crowd:
"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, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall
inherit the kingdom of God." Wow!
I wondered, who are they? Those
"abusers?"
The Greek word here is "arsenokoites."
It looks complicated but really is just two short words fused
into one long term. "Arrhen" is the Greek name for "man" or
"male." And "koite" is their noun for "bed" or "couch" (from "keimai"
= to lie outstretched). When put together they picture a man
laying in a bed ... with the strong implication of homosexuality
behind it all. This is the word the Greeks often used for that
particular wicked activity.
Linguists tell us that this word is
used primarily to designate the dominant partner in a two man
relationship. I read in a lexicon that "koite" became the
Greek "slang" word for sexual intercourse.
Now I want you to notice something.
Paul, in the context of 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 is NOT saying
that this sin is any worse than the other nine sins he mentions
... although the word preceding "abusers of themselves with
mankind" ... "effeminate," is also a "code" word for two men in
a love relationship! (One being the "active" member of this
"couple" and the other being the "passive" one.)
What Paul IS saying to the
Corinthian Christians is this: When you got saved ... you quit
all these kinds of lifestyles! You became new creatures in
Christ. You no longer live in this fashion!
And in that list are not only those
who practice homosexuality, but also fornicators and adulterers
and (for that matter) idol worshipers and drunkards and even
"revilers," folks who can't control their tongues!
Paul just bluntly says those people
"will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God!" They're not going to
heaven!
Now ... here's the loveliness of the
Grace of God!
Paul one verse later mentions that
the new Believers (in Christ) in Corinth used to be
members of those sinful groups! "And such
were some of you" he thunders in verse 11!
Think of it!
Ex-prostitutes ... now washed clean
by Christ's Blood!
Vile-tongued old sinners, now saved
by God's miraculous Power!
Ignorant idol-worshipers, now aware
of the TRUE God of the universe!
Yes, they had sordid pasts ... but
no longer do they live that way!
God, Grace, the Holy Spirit, the
reigning High Priest (Jesus) has changed them into new people.
It's as if they have been "born again!"
Dear friend, if you today know the
Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour ... thank Him! Thank Him
for where He has brought you FROM! That Him for His
life-changing redemptive plan of salvation! Thank Him for
Calvary! Thank Him that you're not what you used to be!
Here's the whole verse ...
"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." 1st
Corinthians 6:11
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8:
Paul (in this 1
Corinthians 6:9-11 text) even says "thieves" can't go to heaven!
"Nor thieves ... shall inherit the Kingdom
of God!" (1 Corinthians 6:10)
Now the exact
Greek noun used here is "kleptes." It just means "a
stealer." The dictionary says "to filch," to casually take
as one's own!
This is not the
word for forced entry or armed robbery!
It even includes
what today might be called "petty theft!"
This Greek word, "kleptes"
gives us our term kleptomaniac!
In all its forms,
our word occurs 16 times in the Bible.
Judas, the unsaved
Disciple, was called a "thief" in John 12:6 ... a "kleptes!"
The amazing thing
is that of those 16 uses they are predominantly used by Jesus
Himself!
I am so glad God
saves old sinners, including thieves!
Then, they are
thieves no more ... but rather "givers" (instead of "takers")!
Listen to Paul in Ephesians 4:28!
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour,
working with his hands the thing which is good, that he
may have to give to him that needeth."
Now that's a
change!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9:
The Bible is particularly "hard" on
the sin of covetousness.
This word appears in Scripture
dozens of times (along with its cognates, 41 times).
Paul goes so far as to say that when
one is really saved, he quits this activity!
What would one "covet" if he has
Jesus?
"The Lord is
my Shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1
A Preacher at Church last night
sang: "I'd rather have Jesus ... than silver or gold!" That
line alone explains the Christian view of contentment, the
opposite of covetousness.
Now this does not mean that when we
were still "lost" we never coveted.
On the contrary!
We did!
In 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, where
Paul specifically condemns covetousness, he says
"and such were some of you. but ye are ...
justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus." We used to
covet (and a whole lot more too) ... but being "washed" in the
Blood took care of that!
Additionally, in the middle of that
1st Corinthian text, Paul more than implies that those who
habitually covet ... really are just not saved!
"Know ye not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be
not deceived: neither ... (and here comes a list of 10 groups)
fornicators nor idolaters ... nor COVETOUS ... nor drunkards
...." 1st Corinthians 5:9-10
What's so bad about "coveting?"
The noun here, "pleonektes," is
constructed from two Greek words. "Pleion" means MORE! And
"echo" means TO HAVE OR HOLD! See the meaning? To have MORE in
my hand! To possess more and more! Never satisfied! Always
longing for MORE! (More in quantity, more in quality, more in
number, even "the major portion!")
Such lusting for more and more of
the world's goods ... suggests that one is not fulfilled in
Jesus! That HE is insufficient!
In 2nd Corinthians 3:5 Paul clearly
reminds us that: "Our sufficiency is of
God."
He told some young preachers once:
"And having food and raiment let us be
therewith content." (1st Timothy 6:8) In fact, one of
the many "qualifications" for a real Pastor is to be
"not covetousness!" See 1st Timothy 3:3 for Bible proof.
But this next
"key" verse may give us the essence of it all:
" Be content with such things as ye have:
for He (Jesus) hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee." Hebrews 13:5
In other words,
He (Jesus) is enough!
You will find it
true. Salvation, knowing Jesus, causes "the things of this
earth to grow strangely dim ... in the light of His glory and
grace!"
Amen!
No wonder Paul so
boldly and truthfully said ... "Christ is my very life!"
"When Christ, Who is our life,
shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory."
Colossians 3:4
That truth alone
will dissolve any wicked covetousness in our lives!
The Psalmist said
to God: "All my springs are in Thee."
That is the equivalent of saying, "Lord, you are all I need!
You are my everything!" (Psalm 87:7)
And even Jesus,
through the miracle of Bible prophecy, said to His Father: "All
My Goodness (Life Meaning, Joy, Fulfillment, Purpose, Delight)
is found in Thee!" See Psalm 16:2.
Therefore ... to
all you former "coveters" out there this Thursday, let's thank
God that in Christ Jesus we have
everything!
He is ALL we
need!
Tell Him so
today!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 10:
The Bible tells us that no "drunkards" will
be in Heaven!
Of course our current text says this plainly!
"... nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." 1st
Corinthians 6:10
Now this tells us nothing about former
drunkards!
There are going to be plenty of them in
Heaven!
Ex-drunkards! (But now sober
sinners saved by Grace!)
Paul here in emphasizing how our lifestyles
changed when we met Jesus!
That noun "drunkard" is "methusos" and means
intoxicated ones! The Greek verb "methuo" means to drink
until one is inebriated!
Now don't start "splitting hairs" with me
here!
One could then argue (and many have) that if
he or she does not then get "drunk" ... alcohol is acceptable!
I don't think so!
Listen to Proverbs 20:1 ---
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink
is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Or Proverbs 23:1 which definitely is talking
about intoxicating drink: "Look not
thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in
the cup, when it moveth itself aright."
It seems that wild drinking (excessive wanton
"partying" along with it) was common in the ancient world
(Corinth included).
When these folks got saved, Paul wanted them
to know that such activity had to go!
It seems the Lord wants His people to be
"sober" at all times!
Paul, to be sure he had adequately covered it
all, adds in 1st Thessalonians 5:22 this further specific
instruction --- "Abstain from all
appearance of evil." This is expressed as a command
too!
No sir!
A Christian needs nothing but Jesus ... to
lift the burden of one's problems! To make one joyful!
To add to the "atmosphere" of life! To give relaxation!
To be the catalyst of any legitimate social function! To
enhance meaningful fellowship with friends and family! And
to do anything else wine or beer or liquor or so called "social
drinking" is said to do!
To the Christian, Jesus is Everything!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 11:
What is a "reviler?"
Whatever or whoever they are
... they can't go to heaven!
Paul said so in 1st
Corinthians 5:9-11.
"Nor
revilers ... shall inherit the kingdom of God." 1
Corinthians 6:10
Now this is getting more
serious!
Likely your church has none of
some of the earlier categories that we have studied ... but this
group is a different matter!
The noun "reviler" is spelled
in Greek "loidoros." It is derived from their word for
mischief ("loidos")! It means that which is verbally
abusive! It means "to rail." To rail means to use
harsh abrasive language.
It is only used twice in the
New Testament. In its other location (1st Corinthians
5:11) it is translated "railers."
It is the opposite of such
traits as is described in Proverbs 31:26, in which the wise,
godly, virtuous lady is said to have the "law of kindness" in
her mouth! "She
openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."
It also is opposed to Paul
description of the godly Preacher in 2 Timothy 2:24-25.
"And
the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all
men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that
oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth."
These Corinthians lived in a
background that was rife with such language.
But, this being Paul's point
here, they are different now! They have been saved by
God's Grace!
They no longer destroy with
their tongues!
They are not guilty of
practicing the "wounding" verbal jabs Solomon describes in
Proverbs 18:8 --- "The
words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the
innermost parts of the belly."
And do remember ...
"The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of
the lips increaseth learning."
Proverbs 16:21
Thank God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 12:
"Nor
extortioners!"
This is an interesting word.
It is the Greek word "harpax"
and is (King James Version) translated exactly as it is here ("extortioners")
4 of its 5 times in Scripture. The other time it is
rendered "ravening!" (Let me show you the "ravening"
usage: "Beware of false prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves." Jesus said that in Matthew 7:15.
Preachers, here's an
opportunity to preach about "wolves" that infiltrate the church
flock!
It just means a robber ... but
in a violent sense. (Not stealing in a quiet sneaky
manner, but at knifepoint with threats and dangers!)
In English "extort" means to
obtain from a person by threat, intimidation or undue legal
power!
It has a Latin background,
meaning "to twist" (torquere) out (ex)! To squeeze
out! To force!
I read just this week that
thieves were everywhere in Corinth! They stole one
possessions at the public baths and and the many gymnasiums and
often robbed on the highways and streets too! (When caught
they were often executed also.)
But while some of these new
Believers in Jesus (in that Corinthian Church) might have once
been extortioners ... they were no more! In fact,
according to 2nd Corinthians chapters 8-9 they had become rather
generous givers to the needs of poor Brethren in the Lord!
That's Grace in action!
And about 99.9% of the
Christians I know are extremely generous too!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 13:
We have now come to my
"favorite" part of the text!
After listing all 10 of those
terrible categories of sin ... Paul advised the Corinthian
Christians that he KNEW some of them once belonged to one or
more of those groups!
"And
such were some of you" he said!
"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." 1st Corinthians 6:11
Notice the verb.
Such WERE some of you!
Not ARE ... but WERE!
They quit being that wicked
kind of people when they got "saved" ... and have kept on being
"quit" ever since!
For example, Paul said
"let him that stole steal no more!"
(Ephesians 4:28 --- "Let him that stole
steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to
him that needeth.")
Or ...
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it
not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither
filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not
convenient: but rather giving of thanks."
(Ephesians 5:3-4) Did you see that? "Not
once named among you!"
They will not go back to the
practice of such filth! Never again!
Why? Because of the Holy
Spirit living within them! The Seed of God!
"Whosoever is born of God doth not
commit (continually commit) sin; for his Seed remaineth in him:
and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1st
John 3:9) There are some things the Holy Spirit just will
not allow!
That's why John can so
confidently say of those who enter heaven ...
"Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and
may enter in through the gates into the city (heaven). For
without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and
murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a
lie." (Revelation 22:14-15)
Habitual, enjoyable, on-going
"pet" little sins are OUT when you get saved!
You can't practice them!
Oh, you may accidentally fall
into that slimy ditch called sin ... but you won't stay there
long! Or if you try it, you will be in for one more
"whipping" from your Heavenly Father!
This may be part of what Paul
has in mind when he writes: "For
if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of
the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a
certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,
which shall devour the adversaries." (Hebrews
10:26-27)
"And such WERE some of you!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 14:
What lovely words flow from the pen
of Paul as he writes in 1st Corinthians 6:11.
Encouraging those new Christians,
the great Apostle says: "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."
What a thrilling string of verbs!
We too, as Believers in Jesus, have
been "washed and sanctified and justified!"
A short investigation into those
words will be necessary.
Paul lists them in the order needed
to solve the problem at hand! The Corinthian converts had some
"background" issues to overcome.
Earlier in the Epistle (1st
Corinthians) they had been fighting among themselves over which
"preacher" they would follow!
After that they had tolerated
blatant immorality within the church fellowship! (A man living
with his father's wife!)
Then they had brought lawsuits
against each other in front of heathen judges!
To help them out of this carnality
Paul boldly names ten classes of sin that Christians will NO
LONGER habitually commit!
He told them that if they did such
things, they would NOT inherit the kingdom of God! In other
words, such lifestyles betrayed them! Those wallowing in those
sins (happy as they could be) had NOT really been born again!
BUT Paul believed better things than
that of the real Christians in the group!
True, they had been saved out of
some of those sordid backgrounds ... BUT now they were
"washed and sanctified and justified!"
Hence he uses the order of verbs I
just quoted.
Washed ("apoluo") means to bathe or
be thoroughly cleansed! "Louo" means to bathe the whole
person! "Apo," the prefix and a preposition, simply means
"from" or "away from." I believe Paul here is simply saying
that these folks had been freed from the filth of such a sinful
past and must NOT return to that garbage again! He here is not
talking about being washed in the Blood of Jesus or about being
baptized (as many of the "experts" say)! He IS talking about
clean godly day-by-day living! "Unspotted
from the world" as James would say.
"Washed" here is also an aorist
verb. This cleansing has been done and completed in the past!
It is NOT necessary to repeat it. They should NOT again get
into the cesspools (10 of them) that Paul mentioned in verses 9
and 10! (Occasional accidental sinning, which makes the
Believer feel terrible, is discussed and remedied in 1st John
1:9.)
Also let me mention that the verb
"washed" is in the "middle" voice, indicating that the subject
somehow helps in the action! Technically, he performs the
action upon himself! Now, don't get upset! This is why I say
our "washing" here is NOT being saved by the Blood of Jesus! We
do NOT do that for ourselves! Jesus saves!
This washing is something in which
we help. We individual Christians must assist the Holy Spirit
in godly living. Some of it is up to us ... like obeying His
daily promptings!
Then Paul next works "backwards,"
telling those folks that they also have been "sanctified!" That
action (once for all ... aorist again) was effected for us by
the Holy Spirit of God! This verb "hagaizo" is NOT in the
middle voice, but the passive! This is done for us and upon us
by God the Spirit.
Paul's point: We could have never
been cleansed from the putrid stains of our sins had we not been
sanctified (by His indwelling and filling) through the Ministry
of the Holy Spirit! "Hagaizo" literally means "set apart" or
"made holy" or "consecrated!" (Cleanliness ON us is
possible because of the Holy Spirit IN us!)
But we could have neither cleansed
ourselves nor been sanctified by the Holy Spirit either one ...
if we had not first been justified by the Lord God
Almighty ... through the shed victorious Blood of Jesus Christ!
"Justified" means "legally put into
a right relationship with God!" Or "declared and treated as
straight before God!" Of course it is also an aorist verb
(action completed, finished) and is in the passive voice (this
was done to us ... we did not/could not save ourselves)!
"Washed ...
sanctified ... justified!"
Now when we look at salvation and
its fruit from God's perspective it goes in the opposite
direction ... like this: We first were "justified" ... then
immediately "sanctified" and then followed our being "washed!"
Changes in lifestyle had to be put into effect through the
Power of the Godhead first and then the responsive obedience of
the new Believer. (And this godly living is not a question of
IF ... it's a sure thing! Clean living follows true salvation!)
How very "blessed" we Christians are
today.
We too have been
justified by God the Father through
the Sacrifice of Jesus the Son! We were passive recipients!
All we did was believe!
We too have been
sanctified by the Holy Spirit!
Again, we just trusted! The Holy Spirit set us apart from the
world!
And we too have been
washed (middle voice now)! We are
now new creatures who will not (by nature) live in sin!
There is no reason for us Christians
not to live in victory!
Look what God has done!
Or to put it in the words of an Old
Testament preacher: "What hath God
wrought!" (Numbers 23:23)
Amazing Grace!
Everything has been done to make
possible our pursuing a growing holy Christian life!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 15:
Did you ever stop to think of all
that was involved in your salvation?
I mean all God did to save your
soul.
He justified us the moment we truly
believed.
He sanctified us too.
And He has washed us from the stains
of past sin on top of all that!
I base these three "acts" of God on
the Truth of 1st 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."
The thrust of Paul's Passage here is
that since God saved us ... we will undoubtedly stay away from
the habitual practice of sin! (He even lists 10 sins which are
absolute "markers" of the old unregenerate life!)
Here's the whole paragraph. Read it
carefully: "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, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of
God. 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."
Wow! Look at what glorious
salvation Truth emerges! I have deliberately highlighted three
Names in red! This text, in connection with our being redeemed,
mentions God as Triune! See God (the Father), the Lord Jesus
(God the Son) and the Spirit (God the Holy Spirit) all involved
in our justification and sanctification and washing!
The Triune Godhead completely
involved in our being brought from darkness to light ... from
death to life!
Glory to God!
He was (and still is) totally
committed to our salvation!
Also notice that three
"prepositions" are used of this great Plan of Salvation (in our
King James Bibles).
The Kingdom
OF God the Father! (No preposition exists in the
Greek Text ... but the proper noun "God" is in the Genitive
Case, making it a possessive. Therefore the "of" must be
translated.)
The Justification occurs
IN the Name of the Lord
Jesus!
And the whole salvation miracle
occurs BY the power of the
Holy Spirit!
Here they are: OF, IN, and BY!
If that's not a picture of
"all-inclusiveness" ... I've never seen one!
I'm a possession OF God the
Father!
I've been placed IN God the
Son! ("In Christ" is one of Paul's most often used phrases!)
And it's all be done BY the
precious Holy Spirit! (He's the Agent of our salvation!)
My conclusion this Saturday in
March: NO WONDER we no longer wallow in sin!
We have been ... not re-worked ...
but re-born by an Almighty God!
As Paul later writes to this same
Corinthian Church: "Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new." 2nd Corinthians 5:17
Oh, how God loves us old sinners!
What He did to save our souls!
Again I say, praise His Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 16:
Paul not only
disparages the way of life that's indicated by those 10 sins
(verses 9 and 10) ... but also goes further that that!
(Fornication, idolatry, adultery, effeminacy, homosexuality,
stealing, covetousness, drunkeness, abusive talk, and robbery!)
How do I know he
despises such behavior?
By the grammar he
uses in verse 11!
The pronoun "such"
(in Greek = "tauta") is deliberately placed in the neuter
gender! Such sins (and those who commit them) are not even
viewed by Paul as humane! These wicked deeds are not "he"
sins or "she" sins ... but "it" sins! They are
terrible things NOT to be mentioned in the lives of Believers!
Paul will not even
dignify them with life! They are inanimate! Neuter!
Or should I say "dead?"
Additionally, Paul
not only teaches that a real Christian will NOT do such things
... he also commands that we are not even to fellowship with
those who do! Here's exactly how he words it:
"But now I have written unto you not to
keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a
fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a
drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."
1st Corinthians 5:11
If someone says he
or she is saved ... and persists in those sins ... stay away
from them! Do not "keep company" with them! "Sunanamignumi"
is the verb. Its meaning: sun= with! ana = again!
mignumi = to mix! Do not associate with them!
And just in case
the Corinthians did not get the message yet ... here it comes
one more time. Do not even eat with them!
(He's not talking
about lost people now. See 1 Corinthians 5:9 and 10 in
conjunction with verse 11. He's talking about people who
"say" they are saved and have not broken with that old
lifestyle!)
This three verse
Text (1st Corinthians 6:9-11) is as good a "separation" from sin
text as you will find in the New Testament!
I thank God for
it!
I doubt it is
preached much in America today!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 17 ... WRITTEN SATURDAY AFTERNOON,
MARCH 5, 2005:
I close this
series of Bible Studies with a little note about conjunctions.
Actually about what our Grammar teacher called "contrasting
conjunctions."
A conjunction is a
part of speech that links or connects other words or parts of
sentences into a cohesive unit.
The "conjunction"
I have in mind this afternoon is the little thrice appearing
word "but" in the last verse of our text.
In Greek it is
spelled "alla."
"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." 1st Corinthians 6:11
"Alla" is an
extremely strong Greek term showing antithesis ... or the
difference between what these new Christians USED to be and what
they are NOW!
Now Paul could
have written this sentence with only one conjunction linking all
3 verbs (washed, sanctified and justified) ... but he
deliberately chose to use 3 conjunctions. The Holy Spirit,
God's Divine Grammarian, knew we needed the emphasis all 3
"buts" give!
Also this
three-conjunction business makes each verb stand in the sentence
with equal value!
The thought looks
like this grammatically:
Past life .......
BUT I'm washed!
Past life .......
BUT I'm sanctified!
Past life .......
BUT I'm justified!
"Alla" is the
strongest Greek adversative particle Paul had available to use!
He is really highlighting the DIFFERENCE the Lord makes in one's
life!
Thank God for that
difference!
Paul never got
over it!
Neither should we!
Changed!
Converted! Once dead in sins ... now alive in Jesus!
Once blind ... now with sight! Once hell-bound ... now
already citizens of Heaven!
Glory to God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
