Forget Who You Are And You’ll Act Like Who You Were | 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

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Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

When believers forget who they are, they start acting like who they were. That’s exactly what was happening in Corinth. The lawsuits, the fighting, the mistreatment, the “me-first” mindset—none of it fit who they had become in Christ.

So Paul brings them back to the foundation:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. 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 6:9–11

Paul’s list is not gentle. He names sins the Corinthians once embraced—sins they preferred not to talk about—sins that defined how they lived, what they desired, and who they believed they were.

Then he hits them with four words that change everything: “Such were some of you.”

Past tense. Former identity. Old life. Dead self. Not who you are anymore. The Corinthians were living as if their old identity still held power over them. Paul reminds them of the supernatural reality that reshaped their entire existence:

First | You were washed.

Your filth is gone, not managed. Christ didn’t rinse you—He cleansed you.

Second | You were sanctified.

Set apart. Made holy. Placed into a new category of belonging.

Third | You were justified.

Declared righteous. Given a new standing before God. Not because you earned it, but because Christ secured it.

This was Paul’s entire point: Believers acting unrighteously had forgotten they had been made righteous. Their behavior didn’t match their identity. Paul is not saying, “Try harder.” He’s saying, “Remember who you are.”

Identity fuels obedience. Identity kills sin. Identity restores relationships. Identity corrects foolishness like lawsuits, bitterness, pride, and division.

And identity always begins with what Christ has done—not what we achieve.

Paul drags the Corinthians out of their petty battles and back into their eternal status:

• Washed from who you were
• Sanctified for who you are
• Justified for who you’re becoming

The gospel didn’t just change your destination. It changed your definition. And when you remember who you are, you start living like who you truly are.

DO THIS:

Slow down today and say these three truths out loud: Washed. Sanctified. Justified. Let your identity shape your obedience.

ASK THIS:

1. Which part of my old identity tries to pull me back the most?
2. Which truth—washed, sanctified, or justified—do I struggle to believe today?
3. How does remembering my identity change how I treat others?

PRAY THIS:

Father, thank You for washing me, sanctifying me, and justifying me in Christ. Help me live from this identity, not from my past. Let my life show who You’ve made me to be. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

“Who You Say I Am”