I Know I Was But So Were You

A friend shared this passage with me not too long ago and it struck me to the core.  I realized that this was a very harsh statement by the Apostle Paul and I thought... "whoa... that is about as clear as it can be and yet it hurts to read."

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV) 
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

It amazes me that when we "rank" the levels of sin and try to decide which things are worse than others yet this passage clearly puts us all on the same level... If the end result is heaven or hell.  If the end result is eternity WITH God or eternity APART from God then someone that places anything in his heart before God   [idolater] or someone that is habitually drunk or even lives a greedy lifestyle or someone that says something mean against someone else are all going to lose!  I may think one is worse than the other but ultimately they all result in the SAME negative reward.
So I read this and wonder.  How am I doing at being a part of planting seeds and watering seeds that allow for God to cause the gospel message to come alive in the hearts of these type of people that I know?  Secondly, I ask myself, How many of these people do I know?
Am I avoiding these types of people because I do not like being around them?

Maybe - just maybe - I see them and am reminded of myself... before... and I do not like being reminded of who I once was....

In fact, the very next verse in that passage smacks me upside the head with a 2 x 4 statement!

1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV)
"And 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."

I was an idolater, I was sexually immoral in my thoughts, I was a thief. I was greedy. I was a slanderer.
I was many more things, too.  All of which were focused on myself and my desires and not focused upon pleasing God with my life.

But PRAISE THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE AND HIS ONLY SON, JESUS!  By His name, I now am:

• washed - my sin was not just covered over or hidden or overlooked - It was washed away!
• sanctified - my life is now set apart to serve God and Him alone!  
• justified - my standing before God was made right through the name of Jesus and now I am seen as innocent  - my guilt has been removed!

I know that I was a lot of bad things (and so are you or so were you) but in the name of the Lamb of God and through the blood of that Lamb that was shed for me, I was made clean when I  made the decision to surrender myself to the Only One who can wash it all away and change me.  

I know I WAS but so were you.  

Do you want a change?  Ask, in the name of Jesus Christ, to be changed today.  So you, too, can say "I WAS... but I no longer am. Now I am washed, set apart and made right before God."