sanctification...

theseldomscene · Banned Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 7817

by: revjp...

A Lifetime of Holiness

Romans 12:1-3

A new believer is sanctified when he places his faith in Jesus Christ. He’s set apart for God’s purpose. Salvation takes place in a single moment, but sanctification is a lifetime process. Those who trust Christ as Savior and allow the Spirit to control their lives are being sanctified. It doesn’t matter what we may feel or how our actions appear to others. We are progressively maturing in our faith.

If we’re growing, we must be working our way toward something. In Romans 8:29, the apostle Paul explained the Christian’s mission. He said, “For those whom [God] foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” The believer’s character, conduct, and conversation should reflect Christ. On our own, we’d place too much emphasis on conduct. We’d get caught up following rules and rituals that look “Christian” yet don’t truly reflect Christ. But God has given each believer His Spirit as a teacher and guide. The Holy Spirit transforms our minds and hearts so our character is much different than unbelievers’. Only when we’re under the Spirit’s control can we speak and act according to our true identity as God’s children.

Our heavenly Father wants His children to be living examples of Him. God doesn’t expect perfection from us. He knows we can not be totally sinless in our human body. Instead, He shows us how to think and act. That way, you and I can live the command of Ephesians 4:1: to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”

Sanctification: The Process

2 Timothy 2:19-21

Imagine walking into a room and noticing two ceramic vessels. One is a gracefully curved gold pitcher. The other is a plain pot. Which would catch your eye and draw you in for a closer look?

In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul used this metaphor to explain how some Christians honor the Lord with their life and service. Others bring shame to the Gospel through selfish living. Scripture commonly uses the vessel image because believers should be “filled with” the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says the Holy Spirit trains us in righteousness and strengthens us in suffering. His work begins on the inside, where He adjusts our thinking to align with God’s Word. Our beliefs affect our actions. The Lord wants our behavior to conform to the perceptions the Holy Spirit places on our spirit.

If a person cooperates with the Lord in removing ungodly actions and attitudes, then he becomes a “vessel of honor.” He can be used for God’s kingdom. As believers, our responsibility in the sanctification process is to work with God to eliminate sin from our lives.

The believer’s job is to deal with sin. We must flee from it, or confess and repent when necessary. When we’re vigilant about keeping a sinless life, then the Holy Spirit can work to mature our faith. This makes us golden vessels who pour God’s love upon the world

The Tools of Sanctification

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Through sanctification, God conforms believers to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. In Scripture, the writers use images that describe how the Lord shapes the lives of His children. Isaiah 64:8 portrays Him as a potter. The verse says, “We are the clay and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” Like a potter, God uses tools to perfect His creations.

The Bible is one tool the Lord uses. According to Psalm 119:105, Scripture functions as “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The Holy Spirit illuminates the verses so we, in turn, can come under conviction and grow in our faith.

God also uses the church as a tool to mold believers. Pastors and teachers minister the truth about the ways of God. Also, in Hebrews 10:25, God calls His children to fellowship together. He wants believers to encourage and uplift each other during the sanctification process. Church provides the opportunity for fellow Christians to encourage each other and hold one another accountable.

Suffering is another tool God uses for our good. A suffering believer runs directly to the heavenly Father for comfort and aid. God freely offers us comfort and help. But He also uses our painful circumstances to shape us even more. When we submit to His work, we exit our suffering by looking more Christ like than ever

God’s transforming work goes on all the time. If we wish to glorify our Lord by faithfully reflecting Him, we must yield to His sanctification tools.

pastor2022 · Moderator Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 693

This is a great post from RevJP! The process of sanctification is a very misunderstood one in too many circles today.

The only thing I might add is that another tool of sanctification is the Holy Spirit. According to I Peter 1:2 "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." I know in my own experience the Spirit works within me to bring me into that place becoming more like Christ. I believe that that is also what is meant by the "Fruit of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Again, a great post!

Silver Surfer · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 4:52 am Post subject:

Sanctification is obtained only in obedience to the will of God.
Many who are willfully trampling upon the law of Jehovah claim holiness of heart and sanctification of life.

But they have not a saving knowledge of God or of His law.
They are standing in the ranks of the great rebel.
He is at war with the law of God (Revelation 12:17), which is the foundation of the divine government in heaven and in the earth.

These men are doing the same work as their master has done in seeking to make of none effect God's holy law.

No commandment-breaker can be permitted to enter heaven; for he who was once a pure and exalted covering cherub was thrust out for rebelling against the government of God.

With many, sanctification is only self-righteousness. And yet these persons boldly claim Jesus as their Saviour and Sanctifier.
What a delusion!
Will the Son of God sanctify the transgressor of the Father's law--that law which Christ came to exalt and make honorable?
He testifies, "I have kept My Father's commandments." God will not bring His law down to meet the imperfect standard of man; and man cannot meet the demands of that holy law without exercising repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

"If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1). But God has not given His Son to a life of suffering and ignominy and a shameful death to release man from obedience to the divine law. So great is the deceptive power of Satan that many have been led to regard the atonement of Christ as of no real value. Christ died because there was no other hope for the transgressor. He might try to keep God's law in the future; but the debt which he had incurred in the past remained, and the law must condemn him to death. Christ came to pay that debt for the sinner which it was impossible for him to pay for himself. Thus, through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, sinful man was granted another trial.

Satan's Deceptive Work on Christians

It is the cunning of Satan that the death of Christ brought in grace to take the place of the law.
The death of Jesus did not change or annul or lessen in the slightest degree the law of Ten Commandments (Matthew 5:17,18).

That precious grace offered to men through a Saviour's blood establishes the law of God.
Since the fall of man, God's moral government and His grace are inseparable. They go hand in hand through all dispensations. "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psalm 85:10).

Jesus, our Substitute, consented to bear for man the penalty of the law transgressed. He clothed His divinity with humanity and thus became the Son of man, a Saviour and Redeemer.

The very fact of the death of God's dear Son to redeem man shows the immutability of the divine law.
How easily, from the transgressor's standpoint, could God have abolished His law, thus providing a way whereby men could be saved and Christ remain in heaven!

The doctrine which teaches freedom, through grace, to break the law is a fatal delusion.
Every transgressor of God's law is a sinner, and none can be sanctified while living in known sin.

The condescension and agony of God's dear Son were not endured to purchase for man liberty to transgress the Father's law and yet sit down with Christ in His throne.

It was that through His merits and the exercise of repentance and faith the most guilty sinner might receive pardon and obtain strength to live a life of obedience.
The sinner is not saved in his sins, but from his sins.

What Sin Is

The soul must first be convicted of sin before the sinner will feel a desire to come to Christ. "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). "I had not known sin, but by the law" (Romans 7:7).

When the commandment came home to Saul's conscience, sin revived, and he died.
He saw himself condemned by the law of God.
The sinner cannot be convinced of his guilt unless he understands what constitutes sin. It is impossible for an individual to experience Bible sanctification while he holds that if he believes in Christ it is immaterial whether he obeys God's law or disobeys it.

Those who profess to keep the law of God and yet at heart are indulging in sin are condemned by the True Witness.
They claim to be rich in a knowledge of the truth; but they are not in harmony with its sacred principles. The truth does not sanctify their lives. God's Word declares that the professed commandment-keeper whose life contradicts his faith is blind, wretched, poor, and naked.

God's law is the mirror presenting a complete reflection of the man as he is, and holding up before him the correct likeness.

Some will turn away and forget this picture, while others will employ abusive epithets against the law, as though this would cure their defects of character.

Still others who are condemned by the law will repent of their transgressions and, through faith in Christ's merits, will perfect Christian character.