Friday, 28th August, 2.00pm
Theme:
Sanctification
Verses:
Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Question:
Sanctification is a theme which is occasionally mentioned, but doesn’t occupy a central part of our belief. The Romans verse shows how Paul is keenly aware of the sinful state in the choices of what he does. Yet in the second verse he also calls on the Thessalonians to be completely blameless in every way.
What does sanctify / sanctification mean to you?
– What is your experience of it
– What are we meant to be doing?
– How do we reconcile these two verses?
Reflection:
Sanctification means to be made holy, to be set apart by God for His good purpose:
1 Corinthians 1:2, “… sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy”
It also refers to being transformed by the Holy Spirit to become like Jesus. So, there are many related verses which talk of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. but don’t use the term sanctification;
2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
We are declared righteous and freed from slavery to sin when we place our faith in Jesus;
Hebrews 10:26-29 … the blood of the covenant that sanctified him
1 Corinthians 6:11, “… you were washed, … sanctified, … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
But the verse from Paul in Romans 7:18–19 shows we are still very imperfect. The work of the Holy Spirit is not complete until we enter eternity with Christ.
On Paul’s confession, I suggest one result of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit is a gradual increase in our awareness of the depth and extent of our sin, and the need to separate ourselves from worldly standards.
Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
Like faith and belief, sanctification is not something we achieve, it a work of God, as shown by our second key verse which talks of God sanctifying us and keeping us blameless.
1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:16, “… sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13, “…saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
Immersing ourselves in God’s truth in the bible is also part of the sanctification process. The more I am immersed in the bible, the more easily I see through the myths of our age, and discern the dishonesty of much of the print and news media.
John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
Acts 20:32, “… the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.“
We are being set apart by God for His good purpose –
Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
While sanctification is the work of the Holy Sprit and not us, we can rebel and reject that gift. So, being called to “be holy” means accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit that frees us from the power of sin and enables us to do God’s will.
1 Peter 1:15–16, “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
Our sermon on Sunday shed some light on this process. While we might think that correction by the Holy Spirit could be painful, in Nehamiah the people who wept over their sin, failures, and miserable circumstances were told to celebrate with great joy! Romans 7:18–19 shows we are imperfect and also live in in-between times, but we can celebrate God’s promises to us. He has promised us forgiveness and real life, He will never abandon us, and will use us to bless others, And we have joy in sharing who Jesus is, and in worship.
And as we learn to follow God’s will that frees us from the painful consequences of sinful choices.
Thanks be to God!
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