Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 6:11

"And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." — 1 Corinthians 6:11 (ASV)

Some of the Corinthians at one time participated in such sins. In describing their conversion, the apostle lists three transactions that occurred at the time when the Lord saved them: they were “washed” (GK 666), i.e., they were spiritually cleansed by God in submitting themselves to baptism (cf. Matthew 28:19); they were “sanctified” (GK 39), an expression either amplifying the concept “washed” (cf. Titus 3:5–6) or meaning that they had been set apart as God’s people (cf. 1 Peter 2:9); and they were “justified” (GK 1467), showing God’s act as judge in declaring sinners righteous because of Christ (Romans 3:23–26; Romans 5:1) and in qualifying them for his cleansing. All this, Paul says, was done by God for them on the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.