1 Corinthians 6:11 – Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NLT)

I had reached the magic number; I knew what the doctor would say.

Fifty is the age when physical tests of various sorts begin to take place — one of which I dreaded. When I visited the doctor for a regular checkup, he said, "We need to set you up for a colonoscopy." Since my wife has a family history of colon cancer, she had previously had the same procedure. I had seen the contorted face with which she drank the prep fluid. Now it was my turn.

Since we didn't have health insurance when I turned 50, I was able to put the procedure off for a couple of years. But the date finally came. My doctor believed in a thorough cleansing. He wrote the prescription, and I picked up my gallon of lemon-flavoured mixture to drink, half the day before the procedure and half the morning of. Sure enough, the procedure was nothing to dread — but the prep was. By the time the doctor did his part, the medicine had done its part. My colon was completely clean.

Corinth was a wicked city, and the believers who lived there faced numerous temptations — immorality being the greatest. But Paul reminded them that they had been cleansed and made holy when they received Christ Jesus as their Saviour. They didn't have to succumb to the temptations surrounding them. They had power to overcome.

The cleansing and being made holy happens when we accept what Christ did for us on Calvary's cross. Sanctification also occurs. We are set apart from our former way of living. But sanctification is more than an event; it is a process. I had finished drinking the fluid within an hour's time, but it took hours — even an entire day, for my system to be completely cleansed. The same is true for sanctification. I will spend my entire lifetime growing into the person I actually am in position with Christ.

Christians are termed saints, but we aren't always saintly in our behaviour or thoughts. As I involve myself in the spiritual disciplines — such as Bible study, prayer, corporate worship, meditation, and small groups — I learn to be who God wants me to be.

Let's allow God to cleanse us through salvation, and then be patient as He works out the effects of our cleansing through our daily life experiences.

Prayer: Father, thank You for cleansing us through Jesus Christ. Give us the courage to trust You as You work out our sanctification during the course of our lifetime. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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