Are you living the truth of sanctification? Do you seek to grow in the things of God? Are you entering into environments of discipleship and studying God’s Word? Are you seeking to live out a life that surrenders all you have to the Lordship of Christ? As followers of Christ, sanctification is not optional. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (Colossians 1:29).
Two weeks ago I planted some vegetable seeds in the egg carton pictured above. For two weeks I’ve been making sure the seeds are in a warm place, getting plenty of sunshine and spritzing them with water multiple times a day. I get excited every morning that I see new growth. Our lives as we walk with Christ are no different than these seeds. God has planted in us a seed of righteousness through justification that He wants to grow through the Holy Spirit.
Sanctification is the process of making someone holy, or set apart for God. It is the lifelong journey of the follower of Christ to always be maturing by becoming more like Christ. According to Paul in his letter to the Colossian church, we toil, or work extremely hard, for our own maturity as well as the maturity of those around us (Colossians 1:28-29). So why do so many Christians not prioritize their own personal growth and discipleship? I believe it’s because a lot of self-proclaiming Christians are seeking to follow Christ without God’s Word as their guide. The result is lukewarm Christians that look more like the world than like Christ.
Lukewarm Christianity
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16
These words haunted me as a self-proclaimed Christian who didn’t know God. I was faced with the truth that God is not satisfied with people who proclaim salvation through Christ, but refuse to submit to His Lordship. As a matter of fact, He views it as worse than someone who denies Christ all together. And yet a lot of what we see in the world today are people who profess to know God, but they deny him by their works (Titus 1:16). This was me for 30 years, and I would argue that my life suggested that my faith was not genuine.
Thankfully, God used a woman who knew and loved Him to give me the desire to have what she had. I prayed that God would give me the same kind of faith that she lived out, and He answered my prayer in a big way. Last week I talked about church hurt, which my pastor also happened to talk about on Sunday. In my community group I heard so many stories about the struggle to find a good church. I felt blessed that when God showed me my great need for a Savior, He brought me to a church that equipped me to be a disciple who makes disciples.
However, I meet so many people who are members of churches that don’t prioritize personal growth or discipleship. These churches don’t encourage their members to study God’s Word on their own and with others. They just go to church on Sunday and go home to lives where God is only mentioned during grace, prayer time or when tragedy strikes. They don’t seek God with all their hearts, abide in His Word and live out lives that surrender to His truth, and they don’t teach their children to either.
Proof of Justification
Last month we talked about justification, which is the important doctrine that says because of what Jesus has done, I no longer have to live a life separated from God the Father. When I trust in Christ as my Lord and Savior, God credits the righteousness of Christ to me and cancels His judgement on me. A person who is justified has a changed will. They no longer live by the flesh, they live by the Spirit. Therefore, our sanctification is actually proof of our justification (James 2:18).
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. John 17:17-19
Jesus prayed before the cross that His disciples (that includes us) would be sanctified in truth, and He clarified that God’s Word is truth. A person who is justified understands the truth with his mind, desires the truth with his heart and submits to the truth with his will. This work is done through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). The reason I believe that I’m justified is because I now desire to be obedient to God no matter the cost. I still know what my flesh desires, but every day I choose to deny the flesh in order to be obedient to the Spirit. For the first 30 years of my life, I didn’t have the strength or desire to do that.
The Lies
Many falsely believe that there are some believers who are just more religious, have a greater calling or are more gifted spirituality. This is a lie. There is no such thing as super Christians. We are all called to turn from our sin towards Christ on a daily basis. We are all commanded to take off our old self in order to put on our new self in Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24). The reason I believe so many struggle with this is because they love and enjoy their sin.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:20-23
Our faith doesn’t stop at justification. Yes, Christ has done all the work that you need to be justified, but He calls you to be sanctified. The one thing that stands between you and your sanctification is sin. Sometimes that sin is simply refusing to do what God has called you to do or refusing to surrender any part of our life to Him. We live in a world that doesn’t take sin seriously, refuses to acknowledge it and even celebrates it. As a result, there are many within the church giving the false hope that you can follow Christ and follow the world at the same time. We should reject this lie because Scripture tells us that when we follow Christ, the world will actually hate us (John 17:14).
Anchored To Truth
If I refuse to water the plants pictured above and give them sunlight they will not grow. They will be just seeds in dirt. However, with a little bit of effort, I will soon be able to move them into larger pots and put them outside where they will yield fruit (or vegetables). We are the same way. If God has planted His seed of justification in you then He has called you to water that seed through the study of God’s Word, prayer, the local church, and environments of discipleship.
Also, like those seeds above, we all grow at different rates. Don’t compare yourself to others, focus too much on your past or feel defeated when you stumble. Instead, pick yourself up and press on. I believe sanctification is a privilege and an honor, that the God of the universe would equip me to grow to be more like Him. I encourage you to seek God with all your heart, abide in His Word, and live His truth in order to be sanctified in His truth.
To be sanctified we have to be anchored to the truth of Scripture. Be sure to download the FREE Anchored To Truth Bible Study and Reading List. I would love to hear what you thought of this Bible Study. Email me through my Contact Page. Also, check out my Resources Page for more FREE resources to help you study God’s Word and spend time with Him in prayer.