What You Were and Are
1 Peter 2:9-12
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 and by the Spirit of our God."
(1 CORINTHIANS 6:11)
What a powerful argument for personal holiness summed up in these words: "You are not the person you once were; so do not live as you once lived." That is essentially what Paul is saying.
In the preceding verses Paul describes the lifestyle of the ungodly and then adds this profound reminder: "That is what some of you were." Looking back on how much we have been forgiven is simply staggering. Knowing what we were makes us immensely thankful for what we now are.
And praise God for the next little word in the passage - one of the most important in Scripture - the word "but." That is what you once were, but... something has happened to change you. Paul says you were washed (your sins no longer mark you), sanctified (made holy) and justified (declared blameless). This radical change surpasses any kind of cleaning we ourselves could accomplish. Christ has made us what we are!
That radical change took place in my life when I received Christ as my Savior. I am not the person I once was, and I thank Him for it.
INSIGHT
"LORD, HELP ME WHEN I SLIP BACK INTO MY OLD STYLE OF LIVING. HELP ME KNOW THE ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE YOU'VE MADE IN MY LIFE."
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
2 Kings 5-6
Proverbs 13
James 4-5
1 Peter 2:9-12
New Living Translation (NLT)
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[a] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
10 “Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”[b]
11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.[c]
Footnotes:
a. 1 Peter 2:9 Greek a royal priesthood.
b. 1 Peter 2:10 Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23.
c. 1 Peter 2:12 Or on the day of visitation.
SONG OF SONGS THROUGH THE JESUS LENS
with Dr. Michael Williams
The Song of Songs is unlike any other book of the Bible. A poetic book about the love between a husband and his new bride, the Song of Songs is also a book that leads us to Jesus.
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