1 Peter 1:2 – You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure. (GW)
As you walk through life with Christ, a word you might hear often is – Sanctification. While this word is often used in ways that can make it seem intimidating, it is really just a big word that means being clean or pure. Ultimately, sanctification is a process and it involves work, but the rewards and peace that comes with it are amazing. This idea of “work” usually becomes frightening to the believer who knows we are saved by grace and not by works. We confuse the work that God has already done for us on the cross with the work that God wants to do in us presently.
The truth is, the work which saved us is a work that Jesus did all by Himself. The pain and suffering He endured on the cross was the work that accomplished God’s wrath on behalf of all who place true faith in Him. By grace through faith we have been saved and now, because we are saved, we partner with our Father to do “work” that sanctifies us.
This work is the unlearning of ways of the world which displease and dishonor God, and the learning of ways of His kingdom which He deems holy and worthy of the price that Christ paid for our sins which made us righteous before. In John 15:3 it says that we are already clean so what remains left to be cleaned is the part of our soul (thoughts, emotions, habits, and character) that is still vulnerable to indulge or enjoy sinful pleasures. This is a work that the Holy Spirit does with our involvement as we choose God’s way daily over our own way.
If Christ has really saved us from our sin and the power of our flesh/worldly desires (this is salvation), then our lifestyle of salvation must be consistent with the price paid and the product delivered. In Christ we have freedom from vices, sins, patterns of living, behaviors, as well as attitudes that don’t reflect Christ. These things are no longer excusable because Christ has delivered us a package that allows us to be clean & pure — THIS is sanctification.
PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the love that you showed me, even when I was your enemy, through the sacrifice of Christ for my sins. Teach me to honor the sacrifice of Christ. Father, the way Christ sanctified Himself for us, from a place of love, give me the heart of Christ to live in a place of sacrifice and help me sanctify myself for you and those who are yet to know you. Help me live a life that does not deny You, but points to you and the hope in Christ. Forgive me for any way I have misunderstood sanctification in the past, teach me the right understanding. Help me die to the power of sin and death, carnality, and lack of faith so that Christ in His perfection can live through me for all the world to see.
I ask this for your glory. Lord, sanctify me daily all the days of my life. I receive it by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!