“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.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 6:11 Mean?
Paul delivers one of the most powerful transformation statements in the New Testament: and such were some of you. Were. Past tense. The Corinthian church included former practitioners of every sin on the list Paul just named (v.9-10) — fornication, idolatry, adultery, theft, covetousness, drunkenness.
"But ye are washed" — cleansed. The dirt was real. The washing was real. The stain has been removed.
"But ye are sanctified" — set apart. Made holy. Not by their own effort but by divine action. The ones who were defined by sin are now defined by holiness.
"But ye are justified" — declared righteous. The legal verdict has been rendered. Not guilty. The people who were guilty of everything on the list have been legally cleared.
"In the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" — the transformation came through Jesus (the basis) and the Spirit (the agent). Both persons of the Trinity were involved in turning sinners into saints.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does 'such were some of you' mean for the transformative power of the gospel?
- 2.How do washed, sanctified, and justified describe different dimensions of your transformation?
- 3.Which past identity are you still carrying that the gospel has already changed to 'were'?
- 4.How does knowing the transformation came through Jesus and the Spirit remove performance pressure?
Devotional
And such were some of you. Were. Past tense. That is who you were. It is not who you are. The list of sins in verses 9-10 — every one of them had a practitioner in the Corinthian church. Former. Past. Were.
But ye are washed. Cleaned. The filth that defined you has been removed. Not covered up. Washed. The cleaning is real, thorough, and complete.
But ye are sanctified. Set apart. The person who was identified with sin is now identified with holiness. Not because you achieved holiness. Because it was given to you.
But ye are justified. Declared righteous. The verdict is in. Not guilty. The person who was on the wrong side of every moral standard has been declared right with God. Not because the sins were minor. Because the justification was comprehensive.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. The transformation has a source: Jesus and the Spirit. The power was not human. The change was not self-improvement. It was supernatural — the Lord Jesus providing the basis, the Spirit providing the power.
Such were some of you. The past does not define you. The washing, sanctifying, and justifying do. Whatever you were is not what you are. Three words changed the story: but ye are.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And such were some of you,.... Not all, but some of them; and of these everyone was not guilty of all these crimes; but…
And such - Such drunkards, lascivious, and covetous persons. This shows: (1) The exceeding grace of God that could…
And such were some of you - It was not with the prospect of collecting saints that the apostles went about preaching the…
Here he takes occasion to warn them against many heinous evils, to which they had been formerly addicted.
I. He puts it…
but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified The past tense is employed in the original -ye…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture