Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

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There’s an ongoing debate within Christianity about sanctification. Sanctification is a word that simply refers to the idea that we are or are becoming more holy. Some say that once we come to believe in Christ, we are perfect and sinless. Others say that we may not be sinless the moment we come to faith, but we can attain perfection in this life through obedience. Still others say that there’s something about our physical baptism that washes away our sins.

What we believe about this has a huge impact on how we live. If we think we are already sinless, we have less motivation to strive to change. If we think we have not yet been cleansed from all sin, we act as if salvation depends on ourselves, and do not rightly place our faith in God.

John the Baptist knew that his baptism did not wash away sins. It was a symbol of an inward faith in God to wash away sins. But John’s baptism was incomplete. It looked forward to a Messiah who would pay the price for sin. Jesus had not yet died on the cross. Sin had not yet been paid for. John looked forward to a more complete baptism: the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But what does it mean to be baptized in the Spirit?

“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.” (1Co 6:9-11)

We talked last week about being filled with the Spirit; how it’s not something separate from conversion. Being baptized in the Spirit refers to this same event as well. Scripture is clear that when a person believes in Christ, they receive the Holy Spirit at that time.

Though the term “baptism in the Spirit” is not in this passage, the illustration is clearly made. Paul describes two types of people: those who have not received the Spirit, and those who have. The unrighteous will not inherit eternal life (v. 9a). God rules all things, but those who rebel against Him will not inherit eternal life. Paul names many weighty sins (v. 9-10).

But don’t be deceived into thinking that just because your sin is not named, that you’re okay. Apart from the Holy Spirit cleansing us, we are all unrighteous (v. 11a). The phrase “and such were some of you” is an understatement. We were not all all of those things, but we were all some of those things. And we are certainly all capable of all of those things.

Every person in the church has been washed by the Holy Spirit (v. 11b). This happens when we believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are justified before God. Our sin is paid for, and we are righteous in His eyes. The terms “sanctified” and “washed” in this verse both refer to the Holy Spirit cleansing us from all sin. “Washing” is a vivid illustration of our sanctification.

This is significant because the church of Corinth had a lot of problems in it. People in the church still sinned. We, even though we have trusted in Christ, still sin. The initial washing, or baptism, of the Spirit should have had a cleansing effect on all of us. For some, it was dramatic. I think Paul primarily had these people in mind when he listed the sins above, which is why he said “such were some of you.” For others of us, the initial change in us was far less dramatic. For all of us, the process is not over. We still sin, and we are still being cleansed. This will continue throughout our life on the earth.

Being cleansed by fire isn’t always a delightful process for us (Luke 3:16). Jesus will orchestrate the events in your life so that you will have opportunity to grow! You will experience trials. You have to work at it. But don’t give up! The end result it worth it, both for our own sake, as well as for those around us. For ourselves, we will receive many blessings because of the trials we endure. We will have more joy, be more faithful, and receive greater heavenly rewards. For the sake of those around us, they will be more likely give their lives to the Lord as well. They will hear the gospel more, and see a greater example of a life changed by God. This is true for both the believers and unbelievers in your life. Unbelievers will be more likely to get saved. Believers will be more likely to grow in their faith because of your example of faith.

Those who do not accept our testimony will be baptized in another kind of fire (Luke 3:17). Don’t confuse this with Christ baptizing us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The second fire mentioned is not purifying, but unquenchable. The fires of Hell are unquenchable, but the joys of Heaven are unimaginable. We have the opportunity this week during our Vacation Bible School to work on our own sanctification. But we also have the privilege of being used by the Holy Spirit to start a child on their journey of sanctification. Pray that both would be accomplished this week, and in your life.