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.
— 1 Corinthians 6:11

I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. “ ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!
— Ezekiel 36:23-32

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. …
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
— Romans 6:1-7, 11-18

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Holy Vessel, Handmade
By Jennifer Kane

                     Formed from
               dust, held by divine
       design—His hands mold what
   once was cracked, sin-stained, gray
clay. Grace gathers fragments, turning
failure to faith, shame to shining hope. I tremble, yet I’m treasured—His vessel of
mercy, still being made. The Potter does
  not discard what He calls His own. He
     refines, reshapes, restores— until
            His likeness glows in me.

~~~~~

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:11, Ezekiel 36:23–32, Romans 6:1-7, 11-18

There was a time when sin defined who we were. Paul reminds the Corinthians, “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” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Through faith in Jesus, we have been cleansed from the guilt of our past and made new creations. God Himself took our stony hearts and gave us hearts of flesh—living, responsive, and able to love Him (Ezekiel 36:26).

Our sanctification is the work of the Spirit within us. It is both a finished act—set apart for God—and an ongoing journey—being shaped daily into Christ’s likeness. God does not save us merely to forgive us; He saves us to transform us.

Romans 6 declares this truth boldly: having died to sin with Christ, we no longer live in it. Though temptation still calls, we are not its slaves. Each day is a decision to present ourselves as instruments of righteousness, not of impurity. Our old ways no longer suit the new life we have received.

True Christians aren’t perfect—but we are being perfected. The mark of genuine faith is not flawlessness, but faithfulness: the humble desire to grow, to repent, to persevere in holiness.
We stumble, yet we rise again because the Spirit within us does not let us remain in the mud of our old life.

We aim at purity.
We persevere in holiness.
We abandon our former pollutions.

Until the day of glorification, we live between “already” and “not yet”—already justified, not yet perfect. Yet if I am in Christ, I have been changed. I no longer belong to sin, but to righteousness. The Spirit that sanctifies me is faithful to complete what He began.

~~~~~

Lord Jesus, thank You for washing me clean and setting me apart for Your purpose. Remind me daily that I am no longer bound by sin, but alive to God through You. Teach me to aim for holiness in all that I do, say, and think. When I stumble, lift me again by Your mercy, and strengthen my heart to walk in the newness of life. Let my life reflect Your sanctifying grace— until the day I stand before You, perfected in glory. Amen.

October 7 2025