Day 2:  A scripture that brings you hope

I Corinthians 6:11  (ASV) And 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.

This verse follows a blistering list of the types of folks who will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Imagine some of the members of the church in Corinth as they first heard this part of the letter (verses 9-10) read to them -- or read it for the first time themselves.  One realizes that just a year before she had had a shrine with idols in her bedroom.  One remembers the fling that he had had with a harlot.  Another shudders at the memory of the times friends had dragged him home intoxicated, almost unconscious.  And Paul says idolaters, fornicators, and drunkards will be forever separated from God.  They feel crushed by the weight of their sins.

Then comes verse eleven!  An acknowledgement of their past, yes, but, oh! the joy of redemption!  What they did and were in the past and what they are now do not match.  Now they are washed, having been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Now they have been sanctified, set apart for good works.  Now they are justified, made right with God. 

The past is the past, over and done with.  The price for their sins has been paid in full.  And the doors to the kingdom of heaven are open to them. 

And so my past is also in the past, over and done with.  The price for my sins has been paid in full.  And the doors to the kingdom of heaven are open to me.  Why?  God's plan called for my being washed free of sin in baptism, and I answered that call.  I strive to walk in His ways.  When I remember my sins, I also remember this verse.  And I have hope.