1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB)
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 by the Spirit of our God.
Here we have a pretty clear description of positional sanctification. In the three fold explanation of "salvation" the first facet is called positional sanctification, whereby a person is transferred positionally from being "in Adam (in the realm of darkness) into the kingdom of His beloved Son. Once "in Christ" the person undergoes the "washing of regeneration." Regeneration is to be made alive from a not alive or dead state. Note everyone not "in Christ" is spiritually dead, and everyone in Christ is spiritually alive.
So the first point to consider is why is everyone initially not in Christ? Because everyone starts our as "made sinners." Romans 5:19. This initial state of separation is the result of the Fall, the consequence imposed by God for the volitional sin of Adam when He partook of the fruit of the tree of good and evil.
Thus scripture teaches that if not in Christ, then the individual is spiritually dead because of sin from conception (conceived in iniquity). And likewise, when a person is placed "in Christ" they become spiritually alive together with Christ, having undergone the "washing of regeneration."
So by the numbers, when someone is transferred into Christ by God's choice alone:
1) They undergo the washing of regeneration which washes them from then on the consequences of sin in their lives.
2) Having been washed, they were sanctified (made holy and blameless in the sight of God)
3) And justified, so that from then on, even when we think or do sinful things, it is Just as if we had not sinned, thus justified from then on.
In summary, Positional Sanctification sets us apart positionally in Christ, and removes us from the penalty or consequence of sin. We still feel sins power as we strive to become more like Christ and sin less, and we still feel the presence of sin both in our fleshly bodies and in our sinful world.
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 by the Spirit of our God.
Here we have a pretty clear description of positional sanctification. In the three fold explanation of "salvation" the first facet is called positional sanctification, whereby a person is transferred positionally from being "in Adam (in the realm of darkness) into the kingdom of His beloved Son. Once "in Christ" the person undergoes the "washing of regeneration." Regeneration is to be made alive from a not alive or dead state. Note everyone not "in Christ" is spiritually dead, and everyone in Christ is spiritually alive.
So the first point to consider is why is everyone initially not in Christ? Because everyone starts our as "made sinners." Romans 5:19. This initial state of separation is the result of the Fall, the consequence imposed by God for the volitional sin of Adam when He partook of the fruit of the tree of good and evil.
Thus scripture teaches that if not in Christ, then the individual is spiritually dead because of sin from conception (conceived in iniquity). And likewise, when a person is placed "in Christ" they become spiritually alive together with Christ, having undergone the "washing of regeneration."
So by the numbers, when someone is transferred into Christ by God's choice alone:
1) They undergo the washing of regeneration which washes them from then on the consequences of sin in their lives.
2) Having been washed, they were sanctified (made holy and blameless in the sight of God)
3) And justified, so that from then on, even when we think or do sinful things, it is Just as if we had not sinned, thus justified from then on.
In summary, Positional Sanctification sets us apart positionally in Christ, and removes us from the penalty or consequence of sin. We still feel sins power as we strive to become more like Christ and sin less, and we still feel the presence of sin both in our fleshly bodies and in our sinful world.
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