From Rags to Riches
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. ~1 Corinthians 6:11
One of our often "referred-to" idioms about successful people is the phrase, “He went from rags to riches.” This refers to someone who started out with a very humble and maybe poverty-stricken background, but later he became financially successful through hard work and wise investing. This morning, I would like for us to consider how every believer in Jesus Christ is a rags-to-riches story after we get saved!
There is our past.
Paul said, “And such were some of you.” In the previous verses, he refers to the horrible and shameful past that the Corinthian believers were saved out of. They were guilty of sins of immorality, idolatry, stealing, drunkenness, and many more. Sin is a terrible master. Sin is a robber. Sin defiles, mars, and ruins. Jesus died for every sinner. He was "the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." We must never forget the wretched past that we have been saved out of.
There is our purging.
“But ye are washed.” Our washing is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He washed us from our sins with His own blood (Revelation 1:5). Nothing else can wash away our sin. Though our sins are as scarlet, they are made white as snow. Detergent cannot wash away our sin. Bleach cannot wash away our sin. Only the shed blood of Jesus washes away our sin. This washing is effectual and everlasting.
There is our position.
We are justified and sanctified. We have attained an undeserved position of righteousness with God upon our salvation. Judicially, God looks at us as if we never sinned – that’s what justification means. Positionally, we have been set apart as His purchased possession. Sanctification refers to being apart. We belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to us! We are sons of God through faith in His name.
There is our purpose.
Sanctification also refers to the fact that we are set apart for a special purpose. Our bodies become the temple of the Holy Ghost. He resides in us at the moment of salvation. We no longer live to the flesh but in the Spirit. We do not allow our bodies to be polluted with the things that we did before we were saved. We live set apart for the glory of God. Our practices are governed by the purpose that we are called to: living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord.
There is our power.
We need a special power to live a life of victory. We are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, but we live in the power of the Spirit of God. When we walk in the Spirit, we fulfill not the lust of the flesh. The power of the Spirit is the difference maker. His power makes us spiritual Samson’s against the many challenges that come our way.
There is the prosperity.
We are no longer spiritual paupers; we are spiritually rich! We have gone from insolvency to solvency. We are no longer in rags, and we have His riches! Amen!
Let us remember that every one of us is a rags-to-riches story. Let us thank the Lord for the blessings of our salvation.
Have an enriched God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Kings 15-17