Spiritual Infidelity: Such were some of you

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: 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. And such were some of you. But 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 Cor. 6:9-11

Such were some of you. Were. Sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and homosexual men and women will not inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you. Were.

What if the word "were" does not really apply to you and your current situation? What if you were sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and/or homosexual before you were a Christian, and now you are still struggling with these sins today as a Christian? As someone struggling with sexual sins or temptations, it can be disheartening to hear Paul use the word "were" rather than the word "are." Paul seems to be drawing the line in the sand. On one side, you have the unrighteous and on the other side you have the righteous. The unrighteous are men consumed by lust; lust for sex, money, drink, esteem, and power. If you are struggling with sexual sins or temptations, then it would seem that Paul is drawing the line and telling you that, until you put these things behind you, you have no right to cross the line and join the righteous.

So it would seem. If you stopped reading the passage there, then you would have great reason to be disheartened and fear God and His wrath towards the unrighteous. However, Paul does not stop there but continues on: "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Amen and hallelujah! Paul does not say, "But you put all of that behind you, you cleaned up your act, and you overcame your sinfulness all by yourself. Now you may enter the kingdom of God." Nor does he tell us that, "You were unrighteous because you were sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and some of you practiced homosexuality, but now that you stopped doing all of that on your own, God can love you, wash you, justify you, and sanctify you."

Brothers and sisters, if you are struggling with sexual immorality, find great hope in this passage rather than a loss of hope. Right before your very eyes is the glorious truth of the Gospel. What separates the righteous from the unrighteous is not the deeds of the flesh but the finished work of Christ Jesus! We are not made pure and holy by overcoming our own sin, but having another's righteousness and holiness imputed to us despite our most deplorable sinful record. We were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God!

Before, the word "were" seemed disheartening because at times it can seem that you still are all of these attributes that Paul lists off as unrighteous. You are still struggling with sin now and today. You are still struggling with sexual temptations as a Christian, and you still fall. Find solace, brothers and sisters, in the fact that you are now struggling with these things. You are struggling because the Holy Spirit is at work within you. You are now consecrated as a holy temple to the Lord, and the Holy Spirit is sending the money changers packing who still desire to desecrate the house where He now resides. Remember, before you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ there was no struggle. You were immersed in the path of unrighteousness without a care in the world. In fact, you found enjoyment in succumbing to temptation. It was not a fall before, but rather an indulgence. Rejoice, brother and sister, that you are now struggling because you have been washed, sanctified, and justified by the Spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Once again, Paul uses the word "were" as he tells us that our regeneration, justification, and sanctification happened in the past. You were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified. It is a classic case of the already but not yet. Notice that you are not yet glorified. That is to say, your redemption is not yet complete. In Christ and by the work of the Holy Spirit, you have left the valley of dry bones where sinners are not able not to sin, completely dead in their trespasses and sins. Nevertheless, you have only just begun your journey to a promised land where you will be sinless and not able to sin, glorified in the perfect image of God almighty. You are a pilgrim, now. You are a justified Christian who is now able not to sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, but you are still able to sin just as well. You are now able to overcome temptation, but tempted you will be, nonetheless. Paul had just written to the Corinthians upon this very subject:

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. (1 Cor. 10:12-14)

The Christian walk and pilgrimage is not marked by an inability to stumble, an inability to get lost along the way, or an ability to overcome each and every obstacle that gets in our way. The path is now more narrow than ever. The path is now more difficult to travel on than the path once taken. The gate we approach is narrow, and the path is treacherous. The Christian walk and pilgrimage is marked by faith, and faith in Christ and Him crucified. It is one thing to continue to struggle with certain sins after you have been washed, justified, and sanctified. However, it is another thing entirely to turn to yourself for a solution to this struggle. We are not made righteous by what we do, brothers and sisters, but we are made righteous by Christ's atoning sacrifice upon the cross for our sins, those before our justification and those after. After our justification, we are not made unrighteous by what we do, but by placing our faith in ourselves or other false hopes. And those who continue down the path of self-righteousness were never justified to begin with, because true saving faith points us to the true Savior and to none other (1 John 2:19).

Your righteousness rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ and none other. So much as you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of our God, then you are now righteous. The determining factor in your inheritance in the kingdom of God is not whether or not you struggle with sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, and/or homosexuality. The determining factor is whether or not you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

You were sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, and perhaps homosexual. But now, having been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ, you are Christ's. "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19-20). That is the call. That is the command. You were not thrown a life preserver as the waves overcame you, but you have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit that allows you to walk on water. The call is not to use what you now have and to save yourself. The call is to have faith in the Savior that stands before you, standing upon the waves of temptation and struggles with sin.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Heb. 4:15

Salvation lies on the other side of this terrible tempest of sin. There is a great sea of death and sinfulness that separates us from eternal life in the eternal love of God the Father. No man can swim across this torrent because its length is unimaginable and every wave that crashes upon us sends us deeper and deeper into its unfathomable depths. Man's current nature makes it impossible for him to overcome this obstacle. However, faith in Christ Jesus makes man able to walk on water as if it were dry land. As Israel crossed the Red Sea and Peter walked on water out to his Lord, we too traverse over this sea to a land flowing with milk and honey. Christ told Peter to "Come" and Peter obeyed. The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel to "Go forward." Peter walked on water. Israel traversed upon dry ground. They did not do so by their own strength but by resting in the power and glory of God by faith. All others who seek to traverse these waters apart from the power of God will meet the demise that the Egyptians did.

And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
Exodus 14:13-14

Like Peter, you too may have moments where you are sinking into the ocean depths below you. Undoubtedly, Peter began to sink like a rock in the ocean as fear, doubt, and sin began to overcome his faith. There Jesus stood right before him on the same waters that he thought were impossible to stand upon. He has already made several steps toward Christ when a strong wind diminishes his faith. He sinks into the waters below. What would Peter do? Surely he would place his faith in Christ who stands before him, still standing on the waters. No, perhaps like the rest of us, he might fall into the water and try his best to start swimming. The storm would still rage around him, and waves would come crashing down upon him without ceasing. He would flail around, struggling to keep his head above water, but no matter what he did,  he would no longer able to walk on water without faith in Christ. No matter how hard he tried on his own, he could not keep his head above water, let alone restore his stance upon the surface once more.  But Scripture tells us that Peter never had to react to dropping into the dangerous waters below. He hadn't the chance before God intervened.

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Matt. 14:31

If you are struggling with sexual immorality, and you feel like you started to walk on water but a great temptation has overcome you and you find yourself sinking, are you flailing around like someone who does not know how to swim? The point I wish to convey is that Christ does not teach you to swim so that you can swim these dangerous waters in order to inherit the kingdom of God, resting on the other side. Christ gives you an ability to walk on these waters, following Him every step of the way by faith. Therefore, when you lapse in your faith and you begin to doubt the work Christ has done on your behalf, it is not a matter of swimming on your own in order to restore you above the waves. If you begin to sink, Jesus will immediately reach out his hand and take hold of you lest you drown.

Brothers and sisters, truly truly, such were some of you. Some of you were sexually immoral, adulterous, idolatrous, and homosexual. You were drowning. But you were also washed, justified, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. You were drowning in the sea of sin and you did not even know it. Now you have been made to walk upon it by faith in Christ. Like Peter, you too will doubt at times. But your reaction should not be to try to restore yourself by your own works, but resting by faith, knowing that Jesus will immediately reach out his hand and take hold of you lest you perish.

There is more to be said upon the passage before us in 1 Cor. 6:9-11, and we will come back to it. Currently, I want to emphasize these key points from the passage, however: 1) The righteous are not set apart by their own works but by the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit. 2) A struggle with sexual sins after having been washed, justified, and sanctified is not a disqualifying mark but rather a bittersweet assurance that we are now struggling with the sins in which we once flourished in without regret. 3) Our ability to overcome sin and temptation does not depend upon ourselves (i.e. swimming) but upon the finished work of Christ our redeemer (i.e. walking on water). 4) Finally, when we fall to temptation as Christians, and if we still continue to struggle with the sins that we once were prone to, then our reaction should be to depend upon Christ taking hold of us rather than trying to restore ourselves above the water by attempting to do that which we were never capable of doing in the first place (swimming).

The work begun by faith is perfected and finished by faith. I want to establish that first and foremost before I delve deeper into this subject. If you are struggling with sexual sins today and you are reading this now, hoping that I am going to provide a step by step program that will help you overcome sexual temptation and sins,then you will be sadly disappointed. As Paul reminded the Galatians:

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Gal. 3:2-3

You must have this attitude going into this battle with sin. If you truly desire to mortify sin in your life, then you only must remain silent and let the Lord fight for you. It is good that you struggle with these sins, but how are you struggling? Are you waiting patiently on the Lord, or are you flailing around like a person who cannot swim? Like quicksand, trying on your own will only immerse you deeper and deeper into the depths below. Wait on the Lord and He will snatch you out of the quicksand and restore you to dry ground above the seas.

My hope is not that these blogs spell out steps that you can take to overcome sexual sins in your life as a Christian. My hope is that if you are struggling with these things, that you will stop doubting Christ's death on the cross on your behalf, but, instead, rest in it. Know that lest Christ reach out and save you, you will drown no matter how hard you struggle to keep your head above water. Know that Christ will never let you drown. Know that, like Peter, you too will be restored above the waters by the firm and loving grasp of your Savior who alone makes you able to walk on water. I close with these encouraging words from Octavius Winslow to Christians who are struggling with trials and temptations:

That heart of yours belongs to him- he bought it at a costly price; it belongs to him- he conquered and subdued it by the omnipotence of his Spirit; it belongs to him- he has sealed it with his precious blood. And he would have you know this, too, by deep and sweet experience. He would have you know how he has loved you, and loves you still; he would have you know that you are his; his by eternal election; his by gift- by purchase- by conquest- by a covenant that all your departures, all your unfaithfulness, all your unworthiness, all the changing scenes through which you pass, shall never, and can never alter. All this, it is his will you should experience.