Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from July 24, “Such Were Some of You”
Our text is from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Recently some good things have happened for our country, but there is still a battle raging. The forces of evil have not given up. Though they have been slowed on one front, they continue to advance on others. How is the Christian to respond? We must stand and even fight for the truth, but we must do so with love and humility. We must remember that the true enemies are not the people who oppose us, but the spiritual forces behind them. (Eph. 6:12) We must speak the truth of God’s word, because to do otherwise would not be loving. It would be closer to the hate of which we are often accused, because without the truth they will be lost forever. It will also help to remember that we were once just as lost, and it is only by God’s grace that we are saved from the same judgment. (Eph. 2:8-10)
So, we come to one of those controversial passages that some might prefer to leave out or explain away, but if we finish the thought, we find the grace of God. Paul reminds the church at Corinth that sinners don’t get into God’s kingdom, and he lists a number of offenses specifically. (1 Cor. 6:9-10) Then he concludes the thought with this, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11) There are two ways to read the first part of this statement. Doubtless there were some there who did not practice any of the listed sins. However, everyone is covered by the word “unrighteous” until they repent and follow Jesus. Therefore I think the proper understanding, based on the issues Paul was addressing in the church, is that there were some there who had not repented. Thus, only some of the people to whom he wrote would be among those to which the rest of verse 11 applies.
It is no secret that many who appropriate the name of Christ are not really His. When we see churches embracing some of the very sins Paul lists in verses 9 and 10, we can only conclude that these are not true churches at all. They may contain sincere believers, but the churches have gone astray and no longer follow Jesus. Let us be devoted to the truth, humbly loving each other and those who need to know what true love is.
