Christ
Our Sanctification
The cross of Jesus Christ is
a demonstration of the infinite wisdom of God.
Every philosophy of life is
proven by what it ultimately produces in a person’s life. God’s wisdom produces
perfect righteousness.
God made Jesus “who knew no
sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
God in His grace gives a
believing sinner a right relationship with Him based on the substitutionary
death of Jesus Christ. Jesus died in the sinner’s place. “The wages of sin is
death,” and Jesus died that death for us. Christ is our righteousness and for
all who trust in Him as their Savior.
The apostle Paul tells us not only that Jesus
Christ is the wisdom and the righteousness of God, but He is also our
sanctification. “By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom
from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians
1:30, NASB 1995).
The Scriptures presents three tenses of our
sanctification. We have a positional sanctification. Our position in Christ by
faith is true regardless of the degree of our spirituality (1 Cor. 6:11; 1:2;
Heb. 10:10). We have a progressive sanctification, which refers to our whole
life (1 Pet. 1:6). We shall also have a future sanctification because we are not
yet fully set apart. We shall see Christ and be complete in Him (1 Jn. 3:1-3;
Eph. 5:26-27; Jude 24-25).
Christ imputed is not our
sanctification. Christ accredited to the believer by the work of the Holy
Spirit is our sanctification. Our sanctification is a process of development
and growth. It will not be completed until the day of our complete and perfect
redemption with resurrected bodies when Christ returns.
We are to grow up in all
things to Christ. It is a matter of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus
Christ. Sanctification is a process of separation by which our Lord Jesus
Christ is imparted by the Holy Spirit to our daily life. It does take time to
grow spiritually. But it should be a steady and continuous process of growing
in the likeness of Christ.
The bottom line of all true
wisdom is, “Am I becoming more and more like Jesus Christ?” God’s wisdom in
Christ brings us into conformity with Him who was perfectly conformed to God the
Father.
Christ imputed is my
righteousness. Christ imparted is my sanctification. One day I will be
perfectly conformed to God in Christ. That will be my glorification.
"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has
not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be
like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope
fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2-3, NASB 1995).
In the matchless wisdom of God, we are to be in
continual pursuit of holiness. The standard had not changed: “Be holy, for I
am holy.”
In His wisdom God has given us the responsibility
of walking in holiness. He still says, “Pursue holiness, for without holiness
no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). It is a lifelong task.
This practical daily work of sanctification is a
process, and it’s something we never completely attain in this life. As we grow
in our separation from sin and conform to the will of God in one area, the Holy
Spirit reveals a need in another area. We will always be pursuing holiness in
this lifetime.
We are not alone in this spiritual struggle. No
one can attain this goal in his or her own strength. God has equipped us with
the indwelling Holy Spirit and spiritual amour.
God wants us to walk in obedience to Him. As we
obey His Word, we grow in our sanctification. God gives us the power to live
the Christian life, but in His wisdom He expects us to assume our responsibility
in obeying Him.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Click for printer friendly page
SELAH INDEX
CLICK to E-mail SELAH! to a friend.
|
![[Valid RSS]](../gra/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed"){kind=small}
