The Journey: Part 7 - Sanctification, an Introduction and Motivation

Start here at the Introduction: The Journey Begins

The Journey: Part 7 - Sanctification, an Introduction and Motivation

What is sanctification?

In its basic definition, sanctification is,

• the action of separating or declaring something holy:
• the action or process of being freed from sin or purified:

So, if sanctification is the means of being separated unto God through a process of purification, the next important question to ask is, how are we sanctified? Jesus provides us a concise and powerful answer during a prayer He prayed, saying the following,

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

The way we are sanctified is by being exposed to and changed by the truth. Where in this world do we find truth? The only source of truth today is the written Word of God, the Bible*.

Sanctification is a process of spiritual growth whereby the truth, the written Word of God, is received as knowledge into your mind, (or more accurately, into the spirit of your mind, Eph.4:23), and then, it is believed, and practiced out, in your current life. As this cycle repeats daily, one's spirit grows by the edification of the Word, to bring forth the life of Christ and the fruit of godliness, and your body is sanctified unto God in an ever-diminishing prominence of the flesh, contrasted by an ever-increasing conformity to His Son.

Sanctification starts with knowledge about the death of sin

Romans chapter 6 is the very beginnings of the revelation of sanctification through the death of Christ. No where else in the Bible, before Romans, do we get this revelation and doctrine of death over sin through the death of Christ. If one wants to know what sanctification means in our grace dispensation, we can only go one place for the definitive answer, Romans 6 to 8.

It is interesting to notice how Paul enquires from his readers if they know about their death in Christ before he gets into deeper details regarding the walk of sanctification. Let's take a look at what Paul says,

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

The, "Know ye not" phrase takes us back to what Paul had already written about justification. You see, we are being educated here. Like mathematics, you cannot jump to algebra and geometry without first learning to add, subtract, divide, and multiply. The knowledge we learn regarding sanctification will be built upon the foundation of the gospel and justification. We cannot afford to skip steps! Paul says that we need to draw from our knowledge of justification as we move into the next chapter of this curriculum. Paul reminds us that at our salvation we were buried with Christ into a baptism of death (which is not water baptism!!!), so that by His resurrection we can walk in a newness of life. What is this newness of life? It is a life that is separated and dedicated unto God, a life that belongs to God. You, having died, now allows the life of Christ to be lived through you. 

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

In this statement, Paul reminds us of what died! The newness of life we can live is possible because something had died and was buried. Paul again says, "Know this", and bring us back to the knowledge we should have about justification. If we have forgotten these details, surely it requires us to go back to the lessons of justification before we continue! Right? —Know this, that our old man, the body of sin within us, the seed of Adam, was put to death at our salvation. Sin in our regenerated spirit is utterly removed, nailed to the cross, destroyed, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. From this point forwards we should not serve sin in the flesh, since we are dead to sin and freed from its power.

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul's reminder about our education about justification is not over yet. Again, he draws upon our knowledge of this subject by says that since we know that Christ was raised to life and dies no more, death has no power over Him. In the same manner as this, we are dead to sin and its power, and since this is a fact, we should therefore live unto God instead through the life of Christ within us, that newness of life from verse 3.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Paul adds more emphasis to the fact that this is our duty and new commitment to God. This is in essence what God is expecting from us, since we are sold out to God, since we have died to our life and have chosen to allow the life of Christ to fill us and live out of us. Paul sets us a standard that we are to adhere to; Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body! Yield not your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin! Rather, yield yourself unto God and unto righteousness by that new life that is within you.

As a believer in Christ, the desire to do what Paul asks above is great, but how can it be done. If you are like me, you would have gone through this experience many times, hoping, wishing that more of Christ can live out of us, but it seems to elude us, not so? Something is lacking, or the flesh is too strong, or the cares of life get in the way. So, how do we leap this hurdle? What can we do to get past the point where we have so many times failed before?

I want to, but how?

There is a well-known verse that Paul wrote to the Galatians, 

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We all know the verse, but few have caught onto the hint within it that tells us 'how' to let Christ live in us. Can you find the instruction on how to do this? Read this part,

... the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, ...

Paul says, we are to live by the faith of the Son of God. What is "the faith"? How do we get, "the faith"? Well, first, "the faith" is "the Word of God"! Second, we get "the faith" by hearing the Word, by studying the Word, by gaining knowledge in "the Word of God". Simply put, the life we now live in the flesh is one that is lived in obedience to our knowledge of the Bible. The more we learn and grow in the Word, the more we die to our own will and vanities and the more we start to live according to the will and purpose of God, unto eternal matters, submitting to the life of Christ within us. The Word of God is the Spirit of Christ within us, that knowledge and power unto righteousness, which is the newness of life that Paul refers to in Romans 6:3. 

The concept of sanctification never changes. It is a life that is dying to the flesh and gaining in knowledge and application in Christ. What does change is the progression and intensity of sanctification. It is something that must continue to increase in us from the day we get saved till the day we die or are raptured to glory. It is sad to say that most believers who start this leg of the journey, will eventually stagnate and even regress. The reason for this is that they never get into the written Word. They never read, let alone, study the Bible. The education they get from churches today is barely enough milk to keep them nourished as babes in Christ. There is very little spiritual growth, so the life of Christ within gets stunted and subdued by the stronger desires of the flesh.

As we advance through the writings of Paul regarding sanctification, we will continue to learn how we are to increase in this newness of life. In addition, we will look at what to avoid and what is harmful to advancing in spiritual growth. There is a lot of valuable education to receive which will keep us on course in this ultimate journey towards godliness, towards maturity in Christ, and towards fulfilling the will and purpose of God for the body of Christ.

Let me end with another incredible passage of scripture to encourage you to press on with me in this series. 

Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

There is much more to write about and learn on this topic. I will continue with sanctification in the next post.

God bless. 

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* The bible I refer to here is the untainted King James Bible (1611). All other modern bibles have man-made changes, editing, additions, and subtractions that necessitate copyrights.