TRANSFORMATION OF GOD’S GRACE FOR OUR SALVATION(c)

June 3, 2013 at 5:50 pm · Filed under Christian Beliefs and Teachings and tagged: Christ our Lord. Our Father, divas for christ, faithful, favors of the Lord, Grace is sufficient, gratitude, in union with Christ, intercession, Justification, Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary, mediatrix, meditation, rosary, salvation of my soul, sanctification

“GOD’S GRACE TRANSFORMS OUR SOULS”  by Street Evangelist

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – Review Scripture

New International Version (NIV)

9 “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men [a] 10 or thieves or the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Scripture reveals the problems, pressures and struggles of a sinful world. Paul addresses a variety of problems in the lifestyle of a Christian.  He gives words of discipline and gives counsel to the believers. He reminds us that sin has no more dominion over us, because by our Baptism we are under God’s grace.  We have been made free from sin; we are servants of righteousness and are held to higher standard than non-believers.  God forbid we continue to sin under grace. Here He issues a warning that all unrighteousness will not enter the kingdom of God.  Any sin done deliberately without repentance will be shut out. This Scriptures warns people about being deceived that they can sin and still enter into the Kingdom of God and see God’s face…

Paul points out that vilest of men and women through conversion can be converted into Saints (Sanctification). And this is through Grace you receive through Baptism. “You have washed (Baptized); you are sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God.”  

The blood of Jesus, and the washing of regeneration, can purge away all guilt and defilement.  Justification is owning to the merit of Christ; and Sanctification to the operation of the Holy Spirit – but why do they go together.

This Scripture tells us that we have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him.

Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible.

Scriptures says that If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, “Jesus is Lord,” you will be saved from (“judgment”) of our sins, but Paul also said  that through Baptism we are Sanctified and Justified by Jesus and God.  Key is found in Heb 12:14.. We see that you must Pursue…sanctification without it you will not see the Lord (Heb. 12:14) PURSUE…TAKE A CERTAIN PATHWAY…A JOURNEY OF GRACE..

It seems from Scripture that our Salvation depends on a process of Sanctification and Justification.

The two can’t be separated Justification (Jesus Christ) and Sanctification (Holy Spirit).  You can’t have one without the other. Paul believed that there is no salvation without sanctification.  And he seems to link Justification and Sanctification as inseparable. Paul tells us that we must Obey God and the teachings of Jesus?

Many Biblical Scholars have had a problem accepting these terms as part of the Salvation process, because many believe that once you have been Baptized you are Saved, and you will see the face of God even if you sin.  Why? Because our sins have been ransomed, or have they just been Justified.  Paul argue that Jesus Christ is our true (Mediator), and it is through His sacrifice, we now have a relationship with God again. After Jesus, no one suffered as much, and he is our ultimate Intercessor.

Let’s looked at Justification in the Old Testament and how it unites with Sanctification in New Testament.

The concept of Justification and Sanctification unites in the New Testament and in Roman 4:1-8 Paul talks about Justification by contrasting the life of other Prophets

Paul discuss Abraham in Roman 4:1 Was Justified by Faith, Not Works  

Roman 4:1-8)

1 What then shall we say about Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a “gift” but as his due. 5 And to one who does not work but trusts “him” who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. 6 So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin.”

Paul eagerly probed into the ‘roots’ of the Jews. What was the experience of Abraham in this matter of justification? Was he justified by faith or by works? David sinned but repented, and God gave him favor for his faith not his works.

Abraham and David were truly friends of God (James. 2:23) but they were not sinless. We are told that Abraham was untruthful when he had Sarah tell the Pharaoh that she was his sister (Gen. 12:13). This he did lest Pharaoh kill him and take her for a wife. He we see the lie (albeit she was his half-sister. See Gen. 20:12). Also he encouraged her to participate in it.  We see when David was a man after God heart until he sinned with Bathsheba, but through his repentance returned to God’s favor…

The important thing to see in this event is that God does not need perfect men to use for his purposes. Abraham and David were mortal men just like us. They had their weaknesses and sometimes failed to do the right thing (Rom. 3:23). In spite of his weakness and sin, God still used them, and He can use us as well. You will note that God makes a point to tell us of the shortcomings of all the great Bible heroes. Only Jesus was without sin.

The second point to remember is that Our Father (Jehovah) is a God of grace. This means that we can be saved and used even though we are imperfect and sometimes sinful.

Grace allows Him to forgive us even though we certainly do not earn or deserve such forgiveness (Ephesians. 2:8-9). When we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus, his son keeps on cleansing us of our sins (I John 1:7). Therefore as forgiven sinners, we serve our gracious God and he uses us to his honor and glory just as he did Abraham.

“It is the Grace of God that brings salvation to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.  We should look for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11-14)

The “grace that brings salvation” is the same grace of which Eph. 2:8-9 speaks.  It is that grace by which “you have been saved through faith.”  Everyone is given Grace at the measures of Jesus Christ.  Paul talks about that we all are partakers of His Grace.

Notice that the grace that brings salvation “teaches us.”  Grace is not a covering for the sin of a person who continues in sin. It is not merely “undeserved favor.” Grace teaches those who are receiving it to change their behavior.

If justification were on the basis of our works, we would face several problems.

(1) Man would have a basis for boasting. Surely this is wrong for we are created and saved in order to praise and bring glory to God, not to boast concerning ourselves.

(2) We would then operate under a system of obligation, rather than under grace. Under grace God is free to give us what we do not in and of ourselves, deserve, while under obligation, God must give us exactly what we deserve—and, who wants that?

(3) It is contrary to both Old and New Testament Scripture, for in Genesis 15:6 we are told, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

What is Justification?  How God has dealt with the sins of Adam and Eve?  Sinful world.

Scriptures tells us Justification is the declared purpose of God to regard and treat those sinners who believe in Jesus Christ as if they had not sinned, on the ground of the merits of the Savior. It is not mere pardon. Pardon is a free forgiveness of “past offenses.”

So, does that mean that after the point of “Salvation” the clock starts to tick again?  That’s scary if you think that you can sin deliberately without any repentance, and that you are automatically forgiven. Most believe that all sins are forgiven and blotted out for all times.

Justification has respect to the law, and to God’s future dealings with the sinner. It is an act by which God determines to treat him hereafter as righteous—as if he had not sinned. The basis for this is the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ, merit that we can plead as if it were our own. He has taken our place and died in our stead; He has met the descending stroke of justice, which would have fallen on our own heads if He had not interposed.  

Roman 6:  Give us a clear understand what was on Paul’s mind, when he talked about Justification

Most notably in his letter to the “Romans 6:9-11, Paul explains that “justification is of God’s doing, and yet through “faith” we accept that status.”

Romans 6:9-11

New International Version (NIV)

9 “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, He lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus Resurrection requires us to rise to “newness” in Christ through Baptism. Through Baptism we are to rise to the “Christ like” lifestyle to be justified.

THERE IS SIX VERSES OF JUSTIFICATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

1. Romans 3:21-26  

21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of “atonement,” through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his “justice,” because in his forbearance he had left the “sins committed beforehand unpunished-“26he did it to “demonstrate his justice at the present time,” so as to be “just” and the one who “justifies” those who have “faith” in Jesus.

Paul points out in this scripture that the Commandment did not give an avenue to repent, and so the laws were a folly for many.  And through our Faith, we are all given “Free Grace.”  We cannot be justified by the works of the law only by the Glory of God and justification of our faith.

2. Romans 4:25  

25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was “raised to life” for our justification.

According to the Scripture, under the law, the sins of one caused condemnation for many, but under God’s grace the righteous of one Jesus Christ have save the entire mankind and given each and every one of us “Free Grace.”

3. Romans 5:1-2  

1Therefore, since we have been “justified through faith,” we have “peace with God” through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have “gained access by faith” into this “grace” in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the “hope” of the glory of God.

Scripture here teaches that the precious benefits and privileges that flow from Justification are such that we should be diligent in our faith, and take comfort in God’s love for you and me.  We should also do the things that are expected of us as children of God, which is to grow our faithfulness to God continuously, because it will lead us through a pathway of righteousness.

4. Romans 10:9-11  

9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and “believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 10For it is with your “heart” that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Now what is a word of faith!!!! It is the sum of the Gospel.  What does it promise to us? Thou shalt be saved.  It is Salvation – saved from wrath and guilt.  

Scripture requires us to do two things as a condition of Salvation: A. Confessing the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior – which means to openly profess a willingness to have a relationship with him, whereby you will depend on Him before all men. B. Believe in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Why? Because it is with heart that man believes. This is more than just an okay I believe, this is a commitment to the suffering that Jesus endured for you to be free. This is about loving Jesus with all your Heart, loving your neighbors and your enemies.

1 Corinthians 6:11  

11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Here, Scripture give us another warning against tempting (testing) God again!  He wants us to know that God is faithful and Satan is a deceiver, but our armor is the Lord Jesus Christ and Spirit of our God.  He will not allow us to be tempted from anything we can’t handle, through his grace.

6. Titus 3:5-8  

5He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of “his mercy.” He saved us through the washing of “rebirth” and “renewal” by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become “heirs” having the hope of eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have “trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.” These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Scripture teaches us that whatever you do, do for the glory of God.  These are things that are true, Things that are honest; Things are just, Things that are pure, Things that are examples of love, Things that show praise, Things that are virtuous …. Do everything for the Glory of God, the will of God and for the love of God.

If Justification and Sanctification are inseparable how do they work together?  

Understanding the difference between justification and sanctification can be as important as understanding the difference between salvation and damnation and Heir that is entitled to the Kingdom of God.  Rightly dividing between the two is of crucial importance.  When you understand what they are, you can then draw a line in the sand and say, “This is what saves.  This is not what saves.”

As we have pointed out, Justification is the work of God, where the righteousness of Jesus is reckoned to the sinner so the sinner is declared by God as being righteous under the Law (Rom. 4:3; 5:1,9; Gal. 2:16; 3:11). This righteousness is not earned or retained by any effort of the saved.  Justification is an instantaneous occurrence with the result being eternal life.  It is based completely and solely upon Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and is received by faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9).  

No works are necessary whatsoever to obtain justification.  Otherwise, it is a gift”get out of jail” coupon (Rom. 6:23), that is Justified by faith (Romans 5:1).

Sanctification means literally “making holy”. It also means “consecration” or “setting apart” something for a special holy purpose.

Now it is basic for us to understand some of the more simple elements of sanctification, so we can get a grip on its significance in our life.

Scripture points out that there are three aspects to sanctification, and I want you to understand them.

PAST, FUTURE AND ULTIMATE SANCTIFICATION

1. PAST SANCTIFICATION: Justified at our Justification: Fixed

This aspect of sanctification is fixed. It is fixed. It causes us to desire God’s will, to love God, to hate sin and to seek obedience.  You want to obey.

Hebrew 10: “You have been sanctified” – Official State “Past Tense”

What we can call this is positional sanctification, positional. Or we could call it official sanctification, or sanctification of one’s state before God. This feature of sanctification, this component or element is past…it’s a past aspect.

You say, “What do you mean by that?” Well, when you were saved you were sanctified. At the moment of your salvation you were set apart from Satan unto God. You were set apart from darkness unto light. You were set apart from death unto life. You were set apart from hell unto heaven. You were set apart from the dominion and from the destruction of sin to the dominion and the glory of God. You were set apart. There is an element of sanctification that occurred at your salvation.

Furthermore you received a new nature. “Old things were passed away and behold, new things have come.” You now have the life of God within you. That holy life resides in you; the indwelling Holy Spirit has taken up residence in you. You have the holy life of God within. You have become a partaker of the divine nature. So you have in a very real sense been set apart unto God. You now love what is right and hate what is wrong. You find yourself desiring to obey the will and the Word of God. That is because you have a new standing. You have with that “new standing of grace,” a righteous nature.

Furthermore for the remaining unrighteousness in your life, not to offend God, He covers you with the robe of Christ’s righteousness so that when He sees you He sees you as righteous in Christ. As Isaiah said, “You have the robe of righteousness.” You are now in Christ. “He was forgiven your sins on the cross that you might become the righteousness of God in Him.” So you bear the very righteousness of Christ. You are therefore declared righteous.

You are declared holy and you are set apart unto holiness. That is why you can be called a holy one. Sometimes that word is translated “saint.” It’s the same word. Every true Christian is a saint, you are a saint. When Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter 1 verse 7 he says, “To all who are beloved of God in Rome called saints.” When Paul wrote to the Corinthians he called them saints, sanctified he said, sanctified saints. Now when you think of the Corinthians, you don’t think of a sanctified saint, but they were.  When he wrote to the Ephesians he called them sanctified…sanctified. His second letter to the Corinthians chapter 1 verse 1, again he calls them saints. Now that was achieved as a positional reality through Christ’s provision on the cross.

Sanctification now becomes your pathway to Holiness, and we seek to continue along this path to do what?  Achieve the Kingdom.

Let’s look at Future Sanctification, and what role God plays in it.

2. FUTURE SANCTIFICATION: Part of Journey to the Kingdom.

Here we have a part in setting ourselves apart for sacred use, and God has a part in thoroughly cleansing the heart from the sin nature and filling us with the Holy Ghost to enable us to do His work as He wants us to.

Roman 12:1 — Paul says……

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies as a “living sacrifice,” holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

We see here that this offering is to be a “living sacrifice.”

God is looking for those who will live for Him and not themselves, and will glorify God in their body and spirit which are His (1 Corinthians 6:20). We present ourselves in repentance once—unclean, unholy, and in sin. Then God forgave us of our sins and took away our guilt and we began to live for Him. Now we present ourselves in an altogether different condition—“Holy.” The first time we came to the Lord we were full of the world and the love of the world, but as He saved us He transferred our affections from the world to Himself; and now we come presenting ourselves, not being conformed to the world, but transformed and separate from it. All this is done to “prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God”and“This is the will of God, even your sanctification.”* We are not responsible for the “carnal nature,” hence cannot repent of it, but we must acknowledge its existence within us and reach the place where we loath it and refuse it the right to abide in our hearts, and consecrate ourselves before the Lord to permit Him to remove it, that we henceforth should not live unto ourselves but unto Him who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:15). Our bodies and all are turned over unreservedly unto God for His Holy Spirit to take charge of us and use as He sees fit.  Come, Abide, Rest, Trust and Obey.

In justification we forsake sin, the world, and all evil things. In sanctification we forsake ourselves. One who is “justified” is “dead to sin.”  One who is “sanctified” is also “dead to self.”  The seeds of sin find a very fertile seed bed in self. That is the “carnal nature”—to please one’s self instead of God.

In the process of sanctification that nature is removed and the Holy Spirit fills our souls with the divine nature, which is to “please God” and “not ourselves.”

The Apostle Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”* This signifies the death of the carnal nature, which is steeped in selfishness and egotism. Christ suffered so that He might sanctify the people with His own blood (Hebrews 13:12), and Paul had gone forth to Him without the camp (Hebrews 13:13), and actually permitted the same thing to happen to him in spirit that happened there to Jesus in the flesh. He had committed himself to the death of the self-life and all that was within him that was contrary to God and godliness. Everything that had been gain to him in a worldly way and in his self-life, he permitted to be removed from him that Christ might be enthroned within. “I am crucified”—the “I” with all its selfish purposes and personal ambitions was forever put away from him and he testified from henceforth: “For me to live is Christ.” When one is sanctified, the “I” is gone. It is no longer then “I” but Christ; and not mines, but Christ’s. We are all His and all we have is His.

A clear example of this is found in the case of the early disciples at Jerusalem. When they were filled with the Holy Ghost (sanctified) they were all of one heart and one soul and none of them said that the things they possessed were their own, but they sold their possessions and made distribution to those who had need (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37).

I do not say that all who receive the Holy Ghost today will sell all their possessions as these did, but I do say that we should begin right away to use them for the glory of God and the promotion of His cause instead of consuming them all upon ourselves, our affections and desires, but we will be quickly be loosened from the things of this world and set on things above just as theirs were.

We are given Graces from God to deal with any trouble that we encounter….through Justification and Sanctification

Romans 5:1-5

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We see here that two graces: Justified Grace and “Standing Grace.”  

He first says, “Therefore being justified by faith””; then he speaks of another grace: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.”

This second grace, “standing grace” (sanctification) then, is entered into by faith. To obtain it, one must have that living, definite faith in God that counts God faithful and “that he rewards them that diligently seek him.”*

“Standing Grace” also teaches us to live “soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Can it be any clearer? “Standing Grace” changes our behavior in the present age. It doesn’t simply impute Christ’s righteousness to our otherwise wicked lives; it teaches US to live righteously now.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself [now!], just as He is pure. (I John 3:2-3)

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. (I John 3:7-8)

John implies here that there are deceivers who would tell you that you can be righteous even though your life is characterized by sin. Many false teachers are teaching this very doctrine in pulpits across America today. John says, “Let no one deceive you”! Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10)

It is what we DO that shows whether we are a righteous person (child of God) or a wicked person (child of the devil.)  Even Atheists can ascend to Heaven if they have lived a righteous life.

Because the “grace of God that brings salvation” teaches us, it presupposes that the one who receives the grace of God is teachable.  If a person is refusing to learn to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, or not living a soberly, righteously and godly life in this present age, then he is not receiving the grace of God that brings salvation.  He is unsaved.

Does Jesus not say, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…”? The only Savior—and the only one who can give rest to your soul—says you must wear His yoke and learn from Him.

David wrote, “Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.” (Psa. 25:4-5)

God does not give grace to proud people who refuse to learn from Him, but to the humble who are willing to learn of Him.

Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. (Prov. 3:34)

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble; therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:6-7)

When we have made a complete consecration of ourselves and all to God, then we must believe that God accepts our sacrifice and sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts accomplishing the complete eradication of the sin principle and filling the heart with divine love.

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin”*—in nature as well as practice. In order to be eligible for this glorious experience of complete sanctification, one must be walking in all the light he has and be altogether clear with God in as far as he knows. When one is committing sin by failing to walk in the light, he needs to repent and be forgiven of those sins before he can receive the Holy Spirit.

One who is “justified is holy;” one who is “sanctified is perfected in holiness” (2 Corinthians 7:1). In others words, the “justified person is holy in practice or life, not committing sin;” but “the sanctified person is holy in nature, having had the sin nature destroyed out of his heart.”

Through His Grace we have Peace with God; we have access by Faith into His Grace from within we stand and hope in the Glory of God.  Where sin multiplies, grace multiplied even more. That is how we can take a stand against sin and evil……Roman 5:20.

At first though, some are tempted to feel that the “complete surrender of ourselves to God” is too great a sacrifice. “Yet Jesus gave His all for us, and, in all fairness, we should count it only a “reasonable service” to give ourselves to Him.” It could not be “unfair for Him to have possession of that which He has purchased with His own life’s blood.” There has never been a “selfish person” who was happy. Such people do not even make good neighbors or citizens, let alone good Christians. The reason is obvious. “Man was so constructed that he could only be happy in the will of God.” Something in him yearns after God. A godly and heavenly atmosphere is his natural realm. Out of such surroundings “he is just as unhappy and dissatisfied as the fish out of water, and for the same reason.” As one has said, “My soul was made for Thee, O God! and I will not rest until it rests in Thee.”1 But when we fully turn ourselves over to God to do His will and serve others that He might be glorified, we will fully realize the truth of the words of Jesus: “Whosoever will save his life [the self-life that seeks to please one’s self and gratify the flesh] shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life [that is, deny himself and forsake fleshly desires and personal ambition] for my sake shall find it.”* In other words, the surrendered life is the real, true life, and when we have found the secret of complete submission and surrender to God, we have just then found the way of the “more abundant” life and the source of true happiness and pleasure in this world.  God’s part and ours.

In many things in the Christian life God is playing the major role in giving us His Grace. – And yet we have to do our part – which is to respond in faith and obedience to what God is saying.

In sanctification, our part is to offer to God our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) – in fact to consciously offer our whole spirit, soul and body completely to God so that we devote ourselves to forever do His will and not our own. Our sanctification cannot be complete than until we sincerely understand our dedication to God. Many have a hard time getting to this step, and this is where they falter. But with every sin is Grace…

God’s part in our sanctification is to actually change us by the operation of His blood, His Word and His Spirit. We are sanctified by God’s grace – his unmerited favor working in our hearts and lives. We have to trust God to work in us. He is the One who produces godly character in us, the fruit of the Spirit and the ability to overcome sin consistently.

Future Sanctification also relates to emotional healing, or a changed heart. God wants to remove all negative attitudes of despair, fear and rejection from us and give us a hopeful, joyful, faith-filled attitude. He wants to remove all bitterness and resentment from us. A person who is hurt or bitter needs to receive God’s grace so he or she can truly forgive those who have caused the hurt, and get free of every root of bitterness. Wrong heart attitudes such as pride, envy, impatience, resentment, rejection, selfishness, rebellion, independence and so on are the fruit of an unsanctified heart. A full sanctification in God will remove these wrong heart attitudes from us. Sometimes the term “inner healing” is used in relation to the sanctification of the emotions and memories in our soul.

Sanctification and holiness also means the development of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and other qualities of Godly character. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:23,24). The most important of all here is love. In fact, growth in God means growth in love, for God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is the greatest and most important quality that a Christian can have (1 Corinthians 13:13). A definition of Christian love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

Comparing our lives with this description of love can give us an idea of how far we have really progressed in sanctification as God defines it.

It is worth mentioning that the truly sanctified or holy person has the fruit of joy. To think that gloominess and sadness is a mark of holiness is to be deceived. The Bible calls us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16).

Future Sanctification produces other qualities of godly character such as courage, endurance, truthfulness, honesty and many others. Sanctification is rooted in humility – the correct view of God and oneself which leads one to hear correction from God and others, to put down selfish desires, and to obey God from the heart. The more truly humble a person is, the more God’s grace will work in his or her life to produce all the other elements of godly character.

Sanctification means overcoming sin. As God comes in and fills the life, darkness and deception and evil desire is rooted out and cast out. The process of sanctification will change our motives, our thinking, our speaking, our behavior and our actions. The old nature will be crucified (Galatians 5:24) and what it produces will be stopped. But most of all God will manifest Himself through a sanctified life.

A sanctified person will be like God in His character and personality.

Sanctification is an ongoing work in the life of the Christian. There may be moments of special consecration and powerful change worked by God, but a Christian could easily deceive himself if he considers he has “arrived” already as far as sanctification is concerned. We should always be diligent to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). The salvation of the soul – the mind, will and emotions, is usually never quite completely wrought in any Christian before he or she dies. But it is important that we receive as much of this work of sanctification in this life as possible. To oppose or resist this process is to choose sin and rebellion against God’s will.

Like “justification,” sanctification is an essential part of the overall work of salvation. It must be noted again that scripture teaches that sanctification cannot be separated from justification. There is no salvation without sanctification. No one can be justified who is not at the same time being sanctified for the God who justifies also sanctifies. Hebrews 2:11 states: ‘For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.’ Christ himself says: ‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven’ (Mt. 7:21). The apostle John warns us that a profession of salvation will be proved by a life of obedience to the commandments of God, i.e. a life of sanctification (1 Jn. 2:3–6). Paul teaches that only those who have forsaken sin and are walking in holiness of life will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9–11; Eph. 5:5–6; Gal. 5:19–21). James says that a profession of faith without any accompanying works of sanctification is a dead faith and therefore non–saving (James. 2:14–21).

3. THIRD SANCTIFICATION: Ultimate: Glorification

A third aspect of Sanctification and probably the most important of all aspects is Ultimate Sanctification.

Ultimate sanctification is a future aspect. Positional sanctification was past, Future was our Pathway and the Ultimate is Glorification.

Our Ultimate Sanctification is established at our glorification. The first was established at our justification. Second was established at our Sanctification. The Third is by our Glorification.

The moment we are translated out of this world into the presence of God, we enter into ultimate sanctification. That’s…that’s when we lose this vile flesh, this unredeemed fallen humanness and we are absolutely sanctified body and soul and spirit, in every part. That is when this mortal puts on immortality, when this corruptible puts on incorruption, according to 1 Corinthians 15:52 to 54. That is when, to borrow the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:21, “God will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.” That’s when we become like Christ for we see Him as He is. That’s at that glorious moment when we are presented as a bride without spot and without blemish, glorious in holiness, to our bridegroom. That’s the Ultimate.  IT can’t be any clear than that.  That is the ultimate Goal…

So today, we must strive for holiness everyday even if we falter; we must remember that you have “Standing Grace” to get you back on your righteous pathway.

By faith we grasp Christ’s righteousness, by which alone we are reconciled to God. Yet you could not grasp this without at the same time grasping sanctification also.  For he ‘is given unto us for righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption’ (1 Cor 1:30). Therefore Christ justifies no one whom he does not at the same time sanctify. These benefits are joined together by an everlasting and indissoluble bond, so that those whom he illumines by his wisdom, he redeems; those whom he redeems, he justifies; those whom he justifies, he sanctifies. Christ is contained in both.  You have an inseparable bond with Christ and the Holy Spirit during your Pathway to Holiness.

The unrighteous must first possess Christ; and you cannot possess him without being made partaker of his sanctification, because he cannot be divided into pieces (1 Cor. 1:13). Since, therefore, it is solely by expending himself that the Lord gives us these benefits to enjoy, he bestows both of them at the same time, the one never without the other. Thus it is clear how true it is that we are justified not without works yet not through works, since in our sharing in Christ, which justifies us, sanctification is just as much included as righteousness.

Disciples Paul and James agree that both “faith” and “works” are essential parts of Christian life, although they have different roles. Paul and James also agree that salvation ultimately comes from God and from Jesus Christ, not from us or anything that we do.

However, since Paul and James wrote to different audiences in different situations about different problems, their letters have different presuppositions and different emphases. To combat the opinion of some people that circumcision and other “works of the law” were necessary for Gentile converts to early Christianity, Paul stresses that the foundation of our salvation is the death of Jesus, not the laws of Moses. To combat the opinion of other people that professing faith in God is enough for salvation, James stresses that Christians must put their faith into concrete action.

Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:28, James 2:24, 26 sum up these two great Spiritual minds of Paul and James.

Galatians 2:16 – “Yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in/of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in/of Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.” (See all of Gal 2:15—3:14)

Romans 3:28 – “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” (See all of Rom 3:21—4:25)

James 2:24, 26 – “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone… For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (see all of James 2:14-26)

The common but incorrect interpretation, leading to an apparent contradiction between Paul and James:

Paul supposedly said:  Justification comes not by our good works, but by our faith in Jesus alone.

James supposedly said:  Justification comes by our good works, not by our faith in God.

Paul is not talking about “good works” in the sense of “charitable acts”; rather, he says “works of the Law” (Gal 2:16; 3:2-12; Rom 3:28), which refers to the Jewish/Mosaic laws on circumcision, sacrifices, dietary restrictions, etc.

When James says “works,” he means acts of charity = care for widows, orphans & the poor, love for neighbors, etc. (James 1:27; 2:8; 2:15-16)

Paul is not opposed to “good works” or “charitable actions”; he sees them as necessary consequences (although not the foundation) of authentic Christian living (see Gal 5–6; Rom 12–15).

Conversely, James is not opposed to faith; he presupposes it, and then stresses that authentic faith must be put into action (James 2:14-26).

Paul is not talking primarily about our “faith in Jesus,” but rather the “faith of Jesus” in God (i.e., Jesus’ own trusting in God; see Gal 2:16, 20; Rom 3:22, 26); based on this foundation, our faith in God/Jesus is a necessary (but secondary) response.

In contrast, James does mean people’s faith, primarily believing in God (2:23) but also believing in Jesus (2:1).

Paul does not presuppose the same definition of “faith” as James does; for Paul, “faith” means “trusting” God, or “entrusting oneself” to God’s plans (Rom 4:3-22).

For James, “faith” is more of an intellectual assent to theological truths, e.g., “believing that God is one” (2:19; even demons can “believe” in God’s existence).

James does not write “by works alone” but stresses “not by faith alone”; he maintains that both have to go together.

If you wondering about this, Jesus vision to John in Revelation 22:12 Jesus makes it very clear

In Revelation 22:12 -“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me (Glorification) to repay all people according to their deeds (not sins but deeds).

Revelation 2:23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds (Love Christ with all you heart and did you surrender to heart and mind), and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Revelation 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown (Heir to the Kingdom).

Revelation 22:7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who “keeps” the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” (Ten Commandments and Gospel of our Lord).

SO WHERE ARE YOU IN YOUR TRANSFORMATION OF FAITH?  

It is clear that having faith in God and believing in Jesus Christ has risen from the grave is essential for our Justification, but to be sanctified we must live a Christ –like life to be sanctified and to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and our ultimate sanctification is the Glory of God through Glorification.

PRAYER FOR SANCTIFICATION AND SALVATION OF YOUR SOUL:

“Father God, Sanctification is the goal of my Christian living. It is the very core of my life. Help me to proceed from past sanctification at Baptism, to future sanctification (through your “Saving Grace”, by decreasing the frequency and incidents of sin and increasing holiness. And to Ultimate Sanctification of your Glorification, I ask you to come into my presence in the body of the Divinity and give me your saving graces, whereby my heart becomes Holy and I am made in the image of your own heart.  Let me not just bear your name but your image.  Call me on the basis of my holiness to do your will and provide the gifts of the Holy Spirit to possess your new nature in Jesus name we pray.  Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Praise God, In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Street Evangelist: Ida R. Muorie, JD   email: christianbibleandverses.wordpress.com

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