The Birth Process

1 Corinthians 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul was writing to the church at Corinth. They were one of the strongest Christian Churches at that time but Paul still thought it useful to preach against sin. In other words, many of the believers served two masters.  Apparently, within the church were all types of sinners: the sexual, cheaters, homosexuals, the self-destructive, thieves, the lustful, drunks, rabble-rousers, and manipulators. Surely the list goes on! It would seem that many of the "Christians" served another master - Satan. Because of their sinful lifestyles, they were not candidates for eternal life. I'm sorry for those who live a life of sin but Heaven is not for you. You would feel very uncomfortable in the presence of a Holy God!

On the other hand, some were washed clean, of course by the blood of Jesus, sanctified and justified. My Nazarene upbringing taught that "sanctification" is a second-work of grace akin to the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. However, we can't put God in a box, and require that He do things our way.

Paul does point out that cleansing, sanctification, and justification are through the Spirit of Jesus - He who we call after Pentecost, the "Holy Ghost". I would think that there is an "order" implied with that verse: cleansing, sanctification, and then justification.

"Cleansing" is the removal of all the iniquity imbued in the soul at the time of the new birth.

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

The blood for the cleansing was shed at the time of Jesus's death. Henceforth, it is ours for the having. Jesus referred to His blood as "living water". Why so? It is what washes away the sins and provides eternal life. Jesus's blood took away all the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). That was Jesus's purpose in coming into this world (1 John 4:10).

The "detergent" was purchased centuries ago. The currency was Jesus's own blood, and it was paid for on the cross. Now it's available to anyone who would with sincerity ask for it:

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

On the three occasions the term "living water" was used, it was by Jesus Himself. He was the "well" from which the blood would spring but it had not sprung yet.  At Calvary it flowed freely, and enough for everyone to drink. The lady at the well was given a chance to taste the living water as several were in the New Testament. Her thirst would have been satisfied later when Jesus died.

Once Jesus died, it was no longer "living water" which was sacrificed but the actual blood of the dying Jesus. There is salvation by no other means - it must be by blood. 

Leviticus 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

It turns out that the detergent is the blood of Jesus. It is what cleanses from sin (Hebrews 10).

Right after the cleansing, then sanctification occurs:

Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Drinking of the "living water" cleanses us. We are Jesus's laundry and it is His blood which does the cleansing. Once we are cleansed of sin, then God puts us in the "clean flesh" laundry basket. That basket is labeled "SANCTIFIED". He sets us apart for holiness. Both God and us have a role in this scene. We quit doing sinful things as scripture tells us:

1 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Our part as washed new babies is to avail ourselves to God. Rather than our soul being our vessel, it becomes God's. That's presenting ourselves a bride to Christ, pure and clean, and free of fornication with others and other gods. I would sum our part up as making a commitment to live holy, and not looking back at the pleasures of sin. Scripture refers to that as "a living sacrifice" which is our "reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

It's not over yet. The new birth has labor pains because Satan fights to the finish. When he sees the new head "crown" he bears down hard. You may be clean but he doesn't want you to be holy! Most people self-abort at that moment. Being sanctified is like the head passing through the maiden's womb. It is heady, and defies change. As the new creature tries to emerge from the maid, she squeezes hard, the babe is crowned but defies delivery. There it remains  stuck between the world and the Kingdom of God - believing in deliverance but not quite delivered. Satan has aborted many budding spiritual babies. Some, if they are delivered are spiritual dwarfs - always remaining babies.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As you are trying to squeeze through the spiritual birth canal, the maid holds back, but the Deliverer comes to your rescue. You've done your part; now He does His! God takes you and sanctifies holy. Note that as a baby, you must cooperate in Him making you a new person. Once you're washed and sanctified, justification comes about. 

God looks at you, and asks Himself: "Is this a real Christian baby?" If the rebirth is in sincerity, He "justifies" - sort of a spiritual baptism that circumcises the baby in Christ - this time of the heart. God declares the baby righteous. After all, the old person has been washed, set apart from the dirt in the world, and declared a "new person" because "living water" - the spiritual blood of Jesus flows in the person's spiritual veins. 

All that can happen in an instant or over time. For me, I was cleansed long before I was sanctified. Perhaps this is where Nazarenes get the second work of grace. I prayed to be set apart. Some are set apart immediately. It's just a matter of how tired we are of being that "old person"! As a baby, I was sanctified gradually. My old father didn't want to give me up, but my adoptive Father demanded that I was His. That was my sanctification. When I was ready to be "new", God then declared me "new". At the moment God made me so, I was reborn, or "born again" as Jesus called it.

There is sort of a process for being born, and there is a process to being reborn. In the rebirth, we are active but God is the One with Power. When the water expunges us, the blood washes the afterbirth away. Let's look at the four-stages of birth (Kaiser Permanente; "The Four Stages of Birth"):

Stage 1: In a clean environment birth commences, Early stages of labor followed by physical preparation for the birth.

Stage 2: Labor intensifies as the baby moves down the birth canal. Mother's body is ready for birth. The head crowns and the baby is born.

Stage 3: As the baby is washed, the afterbirth is delivered as the placenta is discharged.

Stage 4: Recovery and elation and nursing.

Compare that to the rebirth: 

Stage 1: The Word of God prepares us. He convicts the sinner that change is needed. The labor pain is induced by conviction from God, and the labor itself is guilt. We push back as guilt pushes forth until we tire of laboring.

Stage 2: As the guilt increases, we can bear it no more. We submit and move down the spiritual birth canal. We crown but it's painful. The unseen "muscles" restrict and the head seems not to crown. The mind causes the head to be so big that it just won't pass through. God relaxes the muscles. The spiritual baby is eager to enter the Kingdom of God. The Light is seen at the end of the tunnel, and those desiring rebirth scurry down the spiritual birth canal. That is that they need to be reborn of God, and cannot do it themselves. However, they often try hard to deliver themselves. Only after seeing the light that they can't can the rebirth be successful!

Stage 3: As quickly as possible, the products of the world are washed from the new person. As the spiritual washing is done. God sets the new born person in a clean basket. The Good Doctor weighs the infant, sees the filth being washed away with the afterbirth process, and declares "a new person".

Stage 4: This is recovery. The labor and pains of childbirth are over. The new person is "safe" and is protected by God's feeding and sanctuary in His Kingdom. As the baby matures, its hope keeps it safe. It remains a spiritually healthy baby all the days of its life. ("It" - boy or girl). Satan keeps his eyes fixed. He often tries to steal the baby form the nursery. As the person matures from babe to mature, Satan can carry the weight! The Word protects the new person from the barbs of Satan.

That us the process of being born-again. Some include the washing - baptism of the baby as part of the process. That's okay but before the washing takes place the new baby needs circumcision - this time of the heart. That is part of the recovery process, and signals to the Doctor: I'm okay. I'm a healthy new born person!

God declares you His son as you are adopted immediately. He protects and comforts until the hope is fulfilled.