Whose work is it anyway? Sanctification changes things.
inspired by A Spiritual Clinic by J. Oswald Sanders
Complete In Thee by Ben Everson,
Yea, justified, oh, blessed thought,
And sanctified, salvation wrought.
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified I, too, shall be.
Justified – declared righteous in God’s sight
Sanctified – set apart from sin, holy
Glorified – finally eternally separated from sin and it’s stain, our eternal state of being remade in the image of Jesus
Paul and paradox go hand in hand. Merriam-Webster defines paradox as: a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true. Sanders list a few of them at the start of his chapter on sanctification.
“Paul asserts that we have died, and yet we live. He claimed to be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. Having nothing, he yet possessed all things; he was poor, but made many rich.” Now all of those are worth exploring on their own but the one related to today connects us to God.
Phil. 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.
Sanctification is an interesting topic of study but it carries three aspects. We have been positionally sanctified. God right now sees you as righteous and holy because of the blood of Jesus applied to you though faith. You will be eternally righteous, forever separated from sin. But right now you are in the process of being sanctified, growing in obedience to the Word of God and being release from the stranglehold of sin in your life.
It is this last one that gives us the most problems, being firmly rooted in the here and now. One is done, one is future, but I’m stuck in today in a real battle with sin. God has promised to accomplish his work in our life, we are expected to be the vessels He uses to do that.
Sanders points out that it is difficult to find the point where God’s work ends and out begins. I think they overlap considerably. God does the work in unison with us, using our lives as the workshop for eternal change. We are both the object being changed and the tool the master creator is using to change us. It is the work of a lifetime to submit to the Creator’s awesome work of making us what He always intended for us to be. It is a shame that we are too often distracted by lesser goals and focus on temporary projects with no eternal value when God is doing something glorious in us and in our church family.
The mission of Jesus to take the message of reconciliation to every person and to build His church is both the worthwhile end and the difficult process that He uses. Broken people helping broken people is the plan A of a disciple making Savior. The Holy Spirit provides power, wisdom, a uniting bond that ties us together in the storm and a constant presence in trouble. We surrender to His work and His will, being changed from day to day into His likeness.
Sanders gives a good example of the work in that of the farmer. God provides the sun, water, created the seed and soil, but the crop also requires the farmer to plow, sow, weed and reap. God supplies what we need but provides it in such a way that our labor is part of the gift.
Sanders writes, ” On on occasion that shrewd saint, George Mueller, was approached by a somnolent young man who asked his prayers that he might be able to rise in the morning for a quiet time. ‘Young man, ‘he replied. ‘if you will get one leg out of bed, I will ask the Lord to help you get the other leg out.’
God works in our will and through out action to change us. Our obedience is often the vehicle for real change. God is sure to do His part, but He invites us to apply genuine effort to do our part.
So why is it so hard? The Bible clearly tells us that God is preparing an eternal home for us, He promises to be with us in the here and now and to provide strength and wisdom for every trial along the way, and yet we resist full surrender to Him. Preferring to struggling along trying to change ourselves, avoiding investing our gifts in His family, pursuing the empty promises of the world with all our might. Why?
I think in part we have accepted the lies of the enemy. Bigger is better, more will make you happy, you are too busy to sacrifice any time for real spiritual exploration and your friends are all just like you so you don’t see the disconnect with what you say you believe and what you live every day.
Or maybe that’s just me. . .
The end is worth the journey. Don’t take your eyes off of the prize. Encourage each other and never stop pursuing the Savior who bought you with His blood.