Washed
You were washed, but you were sanctified,
but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:11
Some years ago, when I was preaching in a village chapel in Oxfordshire, UK, a man named Gerard became a believer in Jesus Christ. Through tears, he repented of his sin and gave his life to Christ. Afterwards, one of the Elders asked Gerard how he felt. Wiping away tears, he answered simply, “Washed.”
What an amazing response! That is precisely the essence of salvation, made possible through faith in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus for us on the cross. In 1 Corinthians 6, after Paul gives examples of how disobedience against God leads to separation from Him, he says, “That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (v 11). “Washed,” “sanctified,” “justified,” these are words that point to believers being forgiven and made right with God.
Again, in Titus 3 we read more about this miraculous thing called "salvation." In Titus 3:4–5. the Bible says, “God our Saviour . . . saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth.” Our sin keeps us from God, but through faith in Jesus, sin’s penalty is washed away. We become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), gain access to our heavenly Father (Ephesians 2:18), and are made clean (1 John 1:7). He alone provides what we need to be washed.
Bible Reading
Titus 3:3–7.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned against You. And I realise that the penalty for my sin is separation from You, death and hell. Thank You for the salvation You have made possible and for drawing me close to You forever. Amen.
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