and purifying our hearts (Jas. Lesson 5 - Sanctification What is sanctification? (3) In addition, God uses hardships to train us in godliness. near to God (Eph. Lord's Church, Interactive Which have you benefited from most? Potiphar was the Captain of Pharaohs Guard. in 1971. The process of sanctification, however, is what Paul describes in chapter 5 as the outworking of the Holy Spirit in the believers life. When we glorify God in our bodies, we are being sanctified and we glorify God by our decisions to not sin against Him. And in 1 Pet. Life is not fair and during such times our growing in holiness or sanctification can be increased. We will face bumps and we will all blunder along the way. Study 9 SANCTIFICATION - Words of Life Ministries For this lesson, I will have the bottle represent the teacher and therefore use the pronoun I to represent the bottle. 3) Future Sanctification: separation from the presence of sin. sactify, Because of His work in us, we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Yet I can still know Him and the Holy Spirit will still work in my life to shape me into being as Christ-like as I can be while living here on earth. 119:11; Acts 20:32; 1 Pet. Pursue sanctification urged the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 3; Romans 6:19 and notes 19. If we submit to God and serve Him, we become His slaves. 8:29). Some might even call it a tricky question. What are the two parts of final sanctification? All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added. Grace is God's unmerited favor. Again, Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) says. What Does the Bible Say About Sanctification? The Bible teaching on sanctification - Largely misunderstood and abused, sanctification (a setting apart for God's worship and service), as taught by the Scripture, is in three aspects: past, present, future. The call of the gospel is the call to repentanceto change. 12:11 ). If I am this bottle, then before I came to Christ I lived apart from God. Point out to the children how the bottle and the tub of water are separated. Lisa and her husband, Stephen, a pastor, live in a small Ohio village with their crazy cat, Lewis. Sanctification takes a lifetime. But, the longer I am a Christian the more like Christ I will become in my attitudes and my actions because the Holy Spirit will be changing my heart., Now imagine if this tub of water was the ocean! The word walk reminds us that sanctification doesnt roll effortlessly down a superhighway; it treks resolutely up a more arduous path, steadily progressing toward the goal but never arriving until that day we see him as he is (1 John 3:2). At times like these, the work of the Holy Spirit is indispensable, able to convict us of things that we know are clearly wrong. , Just like this bottle, I will never be able to fully know God while here on this earth for His greatness is far too big for me to know. 10:10) and (2) the work of Gods Spirit in us. How is it possible to become sanctified? This overlaps with justification; it is when God calls us sanctified or saints, as though we are holy, even though we are not. We follow His example. We as Christians must grow theologically, ethically because one cannot occur without the other. 10:10) and (2) the work of God's Spirit in us. This is sanctification, and this is foundational to the teaching of Galatians 5. Our works of rightousness are like filthy rags before God. Since the term sanctify means to set apart, sanctification means setting apart to holiness or making righteous. God is the primary one who sanctifies believers. 2. Learning by imitation is a vital course of sanctification (1 Cor 4:16; Philippians 3:17; 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:9). I then had a personal relationship with God. 1:1; Col. 10:10, 14; 13:12 ); (2) progressive sanctification, which is ongoing throughout life ( 2 Cor. Several years ago I visited a young woman in the psychiatric ward of a Dallas hospital. Therefore the saints are in Christ (1 Cor. I dont see anything about me and my efforts here but we do see in Josephs example that he did have to flee temptation and resist evil, so its not like we dont participate in the process at all. 13:12; 1 Pet. Helpful Not Helpful Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. A hostile heart may search the Scriptures to know Gods Word and yet be completely closed to accepting its message., Jesus healed the child, and He heals us who believe from our sins (. This involves the putting off of the old habits of lying, stealing, backbiting, etc., and putting on the Christ-like qualities of honesty, mercy, and love (cf. The Three Phases of Sanctification - Biblical Resources On the contrary, Christ-like character is the measuring stick of growth in sanctification. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. The Bible reveals several positions of prayer. Not only are there theological or positional reasons why the Christian cannot continue to live in sinthere are practical reasons as well. From ungodly to godly. Some believe that sanctification is monergistica work that only God does. Sanctification cannot be produced through revivals, consecrations and dedications. It does not give us the full solution to the problem of sanctification; it merely presents the need for sanctification. Bible Study, Links: Sanctify Peter wrote to his readers in 1 Peter 3:13-15, "And who will harm you if you are deeply committed to what is good? Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. Five Important Facts, 25 Encouraging Bible Verses About Strength, Words of Encouragement: 30 Uplifting Quotes. John the Baptist declared, As for me, I baptize you in water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not even fit to remove His sandals; He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). . As we've seen (in earlier messages on 1 Thess. Paul highlighted the Holy Spirit's role with repetition of the phrase "by the Spirit" in Galatians 5:16,18,25. Lets park on that five-word verse for a moment. And we are assured God hears our prayers (1 John 5:15). All rights reserved worldwide. Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. It also means to make holy or to purify. Not a change which we initiate, but a change with which we co-operate. But Scripture also teaches that believers have a role in their sanctification. Lesson 19: Justification Part 2 and Sanctification Part 1 | The What Does The Bible Say About Death? Finally, let us not seek some kind of formulaknow, reckon, yield,which all too easily is perverted into a kind of work which we perform in order to be sanctified. We are sanctified by obeying the word of God (cf. We must place our trust in Christ to save us and have faith in the Savior. 1 Thess 4:16-17). But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:12-14). 3:18; 7:1; Phil. in baptism (Rom. In this case, Joseph sanctified the name of God, even in private, where there would have been no eyewitnesses. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. Webster defines it as "the act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose; the act of making holy." 2. It's His loving posture toward all people. If you can imagine that you are a parent and you leave your teenager at home; what that teenager does at home alone is a revelation of their true character. This means that sanctification is God's free gift (Ephesians 2:8). The goal and measure of sanctification is Christlikeness. for a sacred purpose. How, then, could we continue to live in sin? Is There a Sin That Leads to Death? Every kids church ministry deserves the very best resources for teaching Gods Word, even when they dont have the financial resources. In Christ we are dead to sin. Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ, by purifying our hearts and minds, through repentance, prayer, and spiritual practices. Herein, we find not the method of sanctification, but the motive for it. When the expression May it never be occurs in Romans, it is Pauls vehement response to an improper conclusion based upon a proper premise. The origin of this word is from the Latin sanctus which means holy or to consecrate. In the theological sense, things are sanctified when they are used for the purpose God intends. Used by permission. The Holy Spirit came to live inside of me. Point out to the children how the empty bottle is now filling with water from the tub. This is the process of sanctification. Our old self, what we were as a son of Adam, died to sin. TheologianJohn Framedefines sanctification as Gods work within believers to make them holy. To be sanctified and to grow in holiness for God says, Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy (Lev 19:2). Copyright 2010-2023 Telling Ministries LLC. All rights reserved. This question would surely occur to the opponents of Pauls gospel: If salvation is all of God, all of grace, and appropriated on the basis of faith alone, without any human effort; if all of our sins necessitate and promote the grace of Godthen why not continue to live as we always have (in sin), so that Gods grace may continue to abound?. Some people really do listen to what I say and attempt to practice it. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.. 1:2; 1 Th. While the language of sanctification in theological terminology has focused on the progressive aspect of growing holiness in the Christian life, the Bible uses the term sanctification to point towards the status as consecrated and holy that we have in Christ through our union with him. Photo credit: Getty Images/Prostock-Studio. We can pick up the hurdle, wipe off the dirt, and continue our march toward holiness, albeit by Christs power that He so powerfully works in us (, About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 28. Those are all the things that he did and Joseph did too. 1:1; Col. 1:2) and holy (Rom. (On the weekly envelope was a checklist: Sunday School attendance, Bible brought, lesson studied, giving, worship attendance, daily Bible reading, number of visits, and number of other contacts made. 6:3; Gal. And the best to come is to be with Christ in glory. We were not saved by our works but by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Scriptures. His books are include: Teaching Children The Gospel/How to Raise Godly Children, Do Babies Go To Heaven?/Why Does God Allow Suffering?, "The Great Omission; Reaching the Lost for Christ," and Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?, Empirical Methodologies & the Bible.". Scripture Guide, The This question is somewhat prompted by Pauls statement in chapter 5: but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more (Romans 5:20b). We see that it involves sanctification in the Spirit (1 Pet 1:2) and it is sanctification by the Spirit (2 Thess 2:13) that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word (Eph 5:26). When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we are new creations in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17), but we will not reach full sanctification (holiness) until the Lord calls us home or He comes for His church. We must leave the life of sin behind and seek to offer our bodies to God so that His righteousness may be lived out in us. We can not see much of our own progress until we start looking back at last year, and the year before and then ten years ago. Exodus 34:28-29; Materials. Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. prayers to God. This is to live God's way. For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. Many parallels can be made between a caterpillars transformation into a butterfly and our Christian journey to holiness. Photo credit:Getty Images/olegbreslavtsev, If we could choose just one verse to communicate our definition of the sanctification of believers, it would have to be (in this authors mind) 2 Corinthians 3:18, which reads, And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. There is great freedom in Christ (Galatians 2:4), freedom the world will never understand or accept. In Christs work of justification, He delivered us from the penalty of sin; but in the death of Christ was also accomplished our sanctification whereby He delivered us from the power of sin. As we practice spiritual disciplines, we grow. Study Books, Churches The process of sanctification is an amazing act of mercy on Gods part, for if we came to a complete knowledge of what we will know once we get to full glory, our heads would explode. The beautiful message of Romans 8 is that what we cannot do in and of ourselves, God has already accomplished through the work of His Son, and this is appropriated through the Holy Spirit by faith. He also served as a U.S. Navy Reserve chaplain until his retirement in 2022. He died in our place as our substitute. Weve all read and/or heard about butterflies and how God, in His perfect and glorious will, transforms something ugly into an incredible thing of beauty. It is almost as if this bottle is a part of the ocean, but it is still a bottle. But this must be the big picture for Counseling God's way. In 2 Thess. Sanctification is a new-life process of stutter-steps where we sometimes take bounding leaps forward and at times wane because of unbelief or disobedience. Is It Biblical to Plead the Blood of Jesus? What Does the Bible Say About Sanctification? - OpenBible.info Thanks for stopping by! Knowing and loving the Lord causes us to grow in Him so we will be more like Him. Appropriate Age: K-6 (will be best understood by the older children) When we turned to God by faith in Christ and accepted the gospel, we were freed from servitude to sin and made servants of God. And our level of understanding is related to our level of trust and obedience. As such, sanctification is an ongoing forward process within each believer that begins at the moment of conversion. 1. She acknowledged that she was totally frustrated in her attempt to follow the teaching of Romans 6. 3:12-14. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it. In Gods perfect process of making us more and more into the image of Christ, He helps us work through these questions and doubts (2 Corinthians 3:18). What is Gods will for your life? & Religions, Dictionaries This is exactly the goal of every believer in Christ. It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of Goda mature person, attaining to the measure of Christs full stature. We should not expect to find water every time the word baptism occurs, for there are numerous examples of waterless baptism.. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. The caterpillar soon forms a chrysalis, which protects the creature as it becomes what God intends. I can think of no better way to spend my time than by getting to know Him better and becoming more like His Son Jesus Christ!. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast." We are not saved by our works. All Rights Reserved. The person can be yourself or a child in the room to make the object lesson more realistic and personal for the children. We may sit in periods of despondency or disobedience, but if we consistently go back to the truths God has given us in His Word and through His Spirit, we regain our ground and flourish. It is the process of becoming what we are in Christ. I believe true character is revealed when no one is watching. We believe that God is the loving Father of all kids. 1:2). (1 Corinthians 11:1). A monarchbutterfly, thought to be one of the most beautiful of its species, is a flying display of striking orange wings with black stripes and white spots. The sixth chapter begins with a question: What shall we say, then? BibleStudyGuide.org The Process of Sanctification . James said when we are tempted we must resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7) but Paul said we must flee from sexual temptation, indicating we shouldnt just resist but run (1 Cor 6:18)! The definition, which fits nicely with what the Bible teaches, is that it means to be set apart for holy use. Tips and retrospectives that help you improve your teaching . 5:23; Heb. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. Youll not find the word sanctification in Pauls Letter to the Galatians. Mans sin does occasion the manifestation of grace.
