Jump Start # 1251

1 Corinthians 6:11 “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.”

  One of the hardest things to do in life is to change. Some think that it’s nearly impossible. It’s not. Our verse today illustrates that it’s not. The Corinthians were a mess spiritually and morally until Paul came to town and preached the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The previous verse lists the “such were some of you” sins. Included in that list is: drunkards, thieves, covetous, swindlers, idolaters, homosexuals, fornicators. Those are not the “white sins” as some folks may list sins. Many of those are lifestyles and addictions. I guess the expression, “Once a drunk, always a drunk,” wasn’t true with the Corinthians. They changed. Coveting is a way of life. It gets into the inner fiber and DNA of a person. The taste for wanting stuff and thriving on that want is hard to get out of a person. But they changed. Then there are those sexual sins. Several are listed. Fornication, adultery, homosexuality, effeminate—lifestyles, yet they changed.

I talked recently with a couple about change. They needed to change. They weren’t living right. They weren’t living with Jesus. All of us face changes. Some are just minor adjustments. We catch ourselves getting loose with the tongue or a mean attitude, and we make changes. For others, the changes are huge. It’s lifestyle changes. It means not living together. It means stopping the booze. It means being honest. It means cutting loose sorry friends.

Our verse reveals some thoughts for us to consider.

First, change is possible. When we say “I can’t change,” the reality probably means, “I don’t want to change.” The Corinthians changed. “Such were some of you,” is past tense. You once were, but now you are not. A person can spend a long, long time in the land of sin. It can become a way of life. Not a day passes, without feeding that addiction, telling a lie, or engaging in immoral sex. Every day. For decades. It’s just as normal as breathing. They were not troubled with guilt, shame or a mamma that told them to straighten up. This was the Corinthian culture. Everyone was engaged in it. To be a Corinthian was to be immoral. Then came Paul. Then came the Gospel. Forgiveness. Repentance. Change. Holiness becomes the norm. They changed. They wanted to change. When we want Christ, we’ll do anything to find His favor, even changing our lives.

Second, the Corinthian change was a choice they made. Somehow the drunks straightened up with out an AA program. The homosexuals stopped without an Exit Support group. I doubt they had counselors like we do today. I expect the change was hard on them. I expect they fought temptation daily. The desire to drink or covet or lust can be powerful. Those sins can dominate our minds. Like a drug, a person can’t see straight, think right or move past those cravings. Yet, the Corinthians did. They wanted Christ. So great was their desire for forgiveness that they chose right. It can be done. We have so many available tools to help us today. More than they had. Yet we must have the desire to be right with Christ.

Third, following Christ often isn’t easy. Change is one of the hardest aspects of being a Christian. Romans talked about the “newness of life.” In Ephesians and Colossians Paul described in detail the new man in Christ. A new way of thinking. A new behavior. A new attitude. A new outlook. Those things take effort, determination and energy. The weak can’t do it. The lazy won’t do it. Those who are looking for an easy way will give up in failure. But those who are determined will overcome. They will conquer all things in Christ. We face similar battles. The bottle is still a problem in many homes. Lying is killing the trust in families. Coveting still races through the veins of many people. And the sexual sins are alive and well in far to many homes. Porn, immodesty, indecent thinking, affairs, living together—all too common from college campuses to Main Street in America. “I can’t help it,” doesn’t fly when we see what the Corinthians did. It’s innocent won’t work with God. It’s sinful and it’s wrong. Change isn’t easy. Following Christ demands our best and our all.

Fourth, change isn’t a one time deal. It’s a daily choice. Everyday those feelings come. Everyday those thoughts come. Everyday the choice must be made, back to the world of sin, or onward with Christ. Once the door to sin has been opened, it’s easy to open it the next time. Satan knocks and knocks. He feeds excuses and reasons to open that door to temptation and sin. Sometimes all we hear is the pounding on the door. Baptism doesn’t stop temptation. Baptism doesn’t stop the knocking on the door. It helps, but the key is to choose Christ, every day. Every day. Daily. Is it any wonder that we read of the early Christians studying daily, praying daily, connecting with one another daily. Every day. Feeding the soul. Fighting temptation. Keeping the door to Satan closed. Every day. Some days are good. Other days we slip. Onward we must continue with Christ, getting stronger and more determined every day. The more we stay in it with Christ, the better we become.

Fifth, the change is for the better. There is not much good that comes from being a drunk. Being a drunk doesn’t strengthen the marriage. No, in fact, many marriages have ended because of drinking. Being a drunk doesn’t make one a better citizen. No, too often tax money is spent putting drunks in jail or trying to reform them. The same could be said about adultery. Having sexual relations with a someone you are not married to doesn’t improve your marriage. It is the only cause God will allow to end a marriage. It’s devastating and destructive. Instead, what the Corinthians changed for was the best possible. Better health. Better relationships. Better attitudes. Better outlooks. And, better with God.

There is a place for psychology. But I wonder if too much of that has convinced a society to accept the way you are rather than change. Be happy has replaced be holy. Be yourself has replaced be right with God. Pills, cheap talk, bad advice of today would have never led the Corinthians to change. The word “repent” has dropped from our vocabulary. Love Jesus and stay the way you are is the gospel of the modern church. Love Jesus and party down is very appealing. Many are dancing to that tune. The legacy of the Corinthians is haunting. Those immoral, indecent Corinthians changed. They were washed, sanctified and justified through the blood of Jesus. They became right by choosing to change.

There comes a time when we must tell ourselves and others that you simply need to change. Tell it honestly. Tell it in love. But tell it. You can’t continue on the path you are on. You can’t stay this way. You need to change. If you want to be right with the Lord, you have to change. Those words led a couple to being baptized last night. The spirit of the changing Corinthians is still alive.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Salvation!

Roger