Salvation Part 2: Sanctification

Sanctification

“Free from the power of sin.”

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

- 1 Thess.5:23

When a person places his or her faith in Jesus, at that moment he is justified. The penalty of sin has been paid in full and now the individual is as assured of heaven as if he were already there. This fact does not negate the fact that there is still a life to live in the world. The world is tainted and filled with temptations to sin. Opportunities abound for the wayward believer to thrust himself into sinful activity. However, there has been a fundamental change within the individual which will not allow him or her to indulge in sinful actions with the same reckless abandon as he had once done prior to salvation. There is new dynamic within. This dynamic is the person of the Holy Spirit who has now become the guiding, comforting, driving force in the believer’s life. The Holy Spirit, upon the occasion of person’s justification through faith in Jesus, immediately begins the work of ‘sanctification.’

The word ‘sanctify’ literally means to set apart for special use or purpose. Sanctification, therefore, refers to the state or process of being set apart or made holy. This process is accomplished through divine conviction, confession, correction and direction. The Spirit of God convicts the believer of sinful behaviors or thoughts. The believer confesses (agrees) and seeks God’s forgiveness. The Spirit then corrects our actions or attitudes and directs us further along the journey of life. Confession breaks the power of sin in the believer’s life. This is why sanctification can be summed up as ‘free from the power of sin.’ Whatever God convicts the Christian of can be overcome by the power of God through confession. This is a process that will be repeated over and again throughout the believer’s life. This is because sanctification is not a destination, but rather a journey; a life-long walk with God as the Christian discovers deeper and more wonderful wellsprings of God’s mercy and grace.

The beauty of it all is that Sanctification is not a work of legalism or religion, but rather of the Spirit of the Lord. While the letter of the law may be difficult to fulfill and sometimes even seem overwhelming to the believer, the Spirit of God is gentle and never reveals to the believer what the believer cannot handle on the way to spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness. An oft quoted phrase is, “God never called us to do what He will not equip us to do.” This means that whatever the Lord is leading the Christian to do in the way of holy living, He will also supply the power to accomplish it. This is the path of victory and usefulness in the kingdom of God.

One powerful passage of Scripture that assures us of the believer’s sanctification is Ephesians 2:10. There we find these words, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” This passage is a simple statement of God’s ongoing work in our lives. The term ‘good works’ refers to doing the right thing(s). This means not only fulfilling a long term task that the Lord has pre-planned for us, such as a life calling, but it also means that we will live lives that are in keeping with the life of a follower of Jesus. In other words, we will live holy lives; lives sanctified, set apart, unto the Lord’s service; lives that look a little more like Jesus each day.

Pastor Kenny Ballard
http://www.freedomfellowship.info
Psalm 22 Ministries
http://www.psalm22.net