The Gift of Salvation – 7. Sanctification
In the previous blog,
we saw how God graciously adopts us into His family; all Christians have God as
their Heavenly Father and can be confident of His love.
God’s loves us as
we are, but too much to leave us as we are! He is constantly working in us to
restore His image in us, this is sanctification.
We are like God’s work of art. He is at work to complete the work that
He has begun in His church and its members. Michelangelo, when questioned
about his masterpiece David, answered that the sculpture had always existed
within the stone. He had simply chiseled away the rock around it.
Sanctification is God adding and taking away elements of our character
that don’t conform to the image of Christ.
Wayne Grudem
summarised sanctification as,
‘Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes
us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.’
Sanctification is the
gift of God – it is He that is working in us; but it is a gift that we have to
receive by active participation. How does God sanctify us:
·
The
bible and teaching – As we read, are taught and apply the bible
·
Christian
fellowship – The church community helps us to grow
·
Worship
and prayer – As we spend time with God, He transforms us
·
Experience
– God uses the experiences of our lives to train us
Be encouraged: however you think
you are doing; however life is going, if you love Jesus, God is ‘working all
things together for your good’. What is that ‘good’? To be like Jesus!
Be challenged: change is not easy.
You need to apply diligent application to grow. Do you have bad
habits, broken relationships, ungodly attitudes, a lazy approach to
your spiritual life...? Let's respond to God's call,
'But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3:13-14)
A couple of great quotes
‘Some object to saying that God and man "cooperate" in
sanctification, because they want to insist that God's work is primary and our
work in sanctification is only a secondary one (see Phil. 2:12-13). However, if
we explain the nature of God's role and our role in sanctification clearly, it
does not seem inappropriate to say that God and man cooperate in
sanctification. God works in our sanctification and we work as well, and we
work for the same purpose. We are not saying that we have equal roles in
sanctification or that we both work in the same way, but simply that we
cooperate with God in ways that are appropriate to our status as God's
creatures. And the fact that Scripture emphasizes the role that we play in sanctification
(with all the moral commands of the New Testament), makes it appropriate to
teach that God calls us to cooperate with him in this activity.’ (John Murray)
“We need not despair
even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to
sit down content with anything less than perfection.” (C. S. Lewis, Mere
Christianity)
To memorise/meditate upon
Romans 6:19 Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to
impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves
to righteousness leading to holiness.
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the
Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always
obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence –
continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it
is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good
purpose.
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