The Work Of Sanctification

 

 

This morning, I want us to look at a title The Work of Sanctification. I will firstly define what Sanctification is, then we examine three sub-headings: The Centrality Of The Holy Spirit In Sanctification. The Cooperation of The Believer In Sanctification and  The Consequences of The Absence of Sanctification. All through this series, we have examined from various angles The Work of Justification, that is how sinners are made right with God. We have come to the conclusion that the only way by which sinners are made right with God is through faith in Christ (2:15-16). The verdict is that you become a Christian by faith in Jesus Christ alone: not by what we do, not by a moral lifestyle, not obeying ten commandments . All human beings are born sinners, separated from God and condemned to eternal damnation if they do not believe in Christ by faith who God has given as a propitiation for sin.

The question is that when you become a Christian or when you have been justified by faith, what next? That is what we will be addressing

I am sure we all know the sports tug of war. Nowadays they say we should call it tug of peace. But the thing is called tug of war and everybody knows it is a peaceful sport. But because of societies over sensitivity over everything, they say we should call it a tug of peace. I won’t call it a tug of peace. It is a tug of war and that’s what it is. If you call it tug of peace, the sport loses its significance. In case you are wondering what tug of war is, it is a sport where two opposing sides are at both ends of a rope, with a line drawn and they are struggling for dominance to pull the other team across the line to win the game.

Now in every believer, there is an intense ongoing battle between the desires of the  indwelling Spirit of God in us and our sinful nature for dominance. A tug of war for dominance over your soul between the desires of the Spirit and your flesh. That’s really what the text is about. 

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do (Galatians 5:17).

The Christian still has residues of the sinful nature hanging around waiting to strike at the least opportunity. Some may deny this ongoing battle and teach a sinless perfection, but the Bible doesn’t know anything of that. Every Christian worth the name Christian knows this fact by experience. They may deny it by so-called faith or positive confession. But the reality is that there is a battle raging on. A battle for dominance over your soul: “to keep you from doing the things you want to.” 

This is quite an intense picture. 

No matter how long you have been a Christian. You can testify to this. You are pulled on every side. You have the indwelling Spirit with new desires according to the new nature and sin still lingers on with its desires according to the old nature. And all are opposing each other so that you will not succumb to any. The desires of the Spirit of God in you  won’t allow you to succumb to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the flesh are opposing the desires of the Spirit. Do you have a sense of this struggle? As a Christian, are there sins you are struggling with? Can you identify yourself somewhere in v.19? So long as we live in this fallen body, in a fallen world, we would have things to deal with in the flesh. And we have to deal with them. This is called indwelling sin. 

When we believe in Jesus Christ all our sins are pardoned; yet the power of sin, albeit that it is weakened and kept under by the dominion of the new-born nature which God doth infuse into our souls, doth not cease, but still tarrieth in us, and will do so to our dying day. It is a doctrine held by all the orthodox, that there dwelleth still in the regenerate, the lusts of the flesh, and that there doth still remain in the hearts of those who are converted by God’s mercy, the evil of carnal nature (C.H. Spurgeon, Sermon 83: “Indwelling Sin”)

Here is a good place now  to define sanctification

Sanctification

Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life (WLC 75).

“That they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life” This simply means we are growing in holiness. We are having a distaste for sin. Sin is not having dominion and victory over us. Is this your testimony? Are you living a  victorious life over sin? Obviously, this doesn’t mean perfectionism, but this means a progressive growth and evidence of spiritual fruit. As opposed to the works of the flesh, in sanctification, we see a bearing of fruit of the spirit. v.22. Are these evident in your life?

How then can we be partakers of this work of Sanctification

The Centrality Of The Holy Spirit In Sanctification

Look at our definition of sanctification: “through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God” The first thing to note in this journey of sanctification is that it is a work of God applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s desire is to sanctify us. It is to conform us to the image of Christ. It is to make us Holy. Sanctification therefore is first and foremost the work of God through the Holy Spirit in us. If we look at the text, we will see how this is clearly portrayed.  Look at this recurring phrase “by the Spirit (v.16;18;25). There is also another variant “with the Spirit 

“By the Spirit…” the word “by” is a preposition which identifies the means by which something is done. Or the agent through which it is done. So the Holy Spirit here is presented to us by Paul as the agent and means of our sanctification. Nothing can happen in this journey of sanctification  without the Holy Spirit. The word desire as used in the text simply means “longing for”. So the Holy Spirit produces these longs for sanctification in the believer. As Christians, there are new desires in us for holiness. The desire to be holy, the desire to please God, the desire to be honest in your dealings, the desire to stay away from sin are not things you have produced by yourself. These are desires according to the workings of the Spirit of God. “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). God’s Holy Spirit is at work in you dear believer: not by might nor by power but by my Spirit (Zachariah 4:6)

In Christianity today, the subject of the Holy Spirit brings about all kinds of  teachings, the most predominant is that tongues speaking is the evidence of the Holy Spirit. Dear friends, reject that lie.  Every Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This means every Christian has the Holy Spirit. To begin with, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin. And nobody can become a Christian who does not have the Holy Spirit. So let’s not be confused by anybody who seeks to convince us that something else must happen before we receive the Holy Spirit. No this is the testimony of Scripture. Every believer is born of the Spirit of God. 

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3)

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:5-6)

When we are saved and born again, the Holy Spirit then  works  in our lives to produce his desires in us. God at salvation redeems us to himself and then works to conform us to the image of Christ. And the Spirit of God is the agent of this conformity. The Spirit’s desire therefore is our Sanctification, our holiness and our conformity to the image of Christ.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29).

For this is the will of God, your sanctification:[a] that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body[b] in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct (1 Peter 1:14-15).

The Cooperation of The Believer In Sanctification

Now in as much as Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit, the believer is not passive in this work. The believer actively engages with the Holy Spirit.  The believer responds outwardly to God’s inward work of grace. You will notice right from the opening of the chapter, the believer’s sanctification is in view. Paul outlines certain responses the believer must have towards the work of Christ: Stand firm, don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery (v.1) don’t use your freedom as opportunity for the flesh (v.13), serve one another (v.13).

As we come into the texts we read also, again, we see these clearly outlined. Sanctification is  a call to action. The believer is called upon in sanctification to cooperate with the Spirit of God to be conformed to the image of Christ. In sanctification, the believer is a partner together with the Holy Spirit. J.I Packer, in his book concise theology says “God calls his children to sanctity and graciously gives what what he commands.” 

In the sames verses where we see the centrality of the Holy Spirit at work in the believers life, we see the necessary cooperation of the believer with the Holy Spirit: Walk by the Spirit (v.16,) Led By (v.18, Led by shows we follow), Live by, keep in step with  (v.25). All these are verbs that calls us to do something. We are not passive in the work of sanctification. 

“Walk by, Live By, Keep In Step” These verbs are a picture of an ongoing process. It means that you and I must not be stagnant in our Christian walk. We must grow. We must mature. And how are we going to do this. Brethren, there are nothing new here I will propose. Avail yourself to the ordinary means of graces God has given us to grow. 

Pray

Prayer is the means by which we commune with God. Prayer is the means by which we express our dependence on God. A non-praying Christian is a self-dependent Christian. There is a car sticker out there which says A Christian who doesn’t pray for one week is a weak Christian. I believe that. In prayer we draw on strength from God. If you are not constantly in prayer, then you are relying on your own strength. Look at how it was said of Christ that he rises early before everyone has risen to pray. He is the one who commands us to pray without fainting (Luke 18:1). His apostle Paul picks same up and says pray without ceasing. Peter says submit to God. James says if you lack wisdom, pray. Dear friends, prayer is a mighty weapon God has given us to draw on his strength. Do you pray? Are you a praying Christian? If no, I call upon you to turn to God in prayer. 

Repentance

We are not to make a practise of sin. Rather we should be repenting of our sins. Dear friends, the Christian life is a life of daily repentance. The one who has the Spirit of God in them knows how sinful they are. The standard is not your fellow human being. But the standard is the Holiness of Christ. You are a new man. Turn away from your sins. Confess them and the Spirit will give you strength.

Bible Study/Reading

The Scripture is described as the sword of the Spirit. It is by the Scriptures we will know what pleases and displeases God. David asks a series of questions in How can a young man keep his way pure? By the word. It’s by the word that we live by the Spirit.

Obedience

After all I have mentioned, we actually have to live a life of obedience. We are to make choices in choosing what pleases the Spirit. We are to choose holiness over sin. We are to choose obedience over disobedience. As believers, we will constantly be making choices and those choices must be in line with what the Spirit desires.  Are there things in your life that predisposes you to disobedience? Deal with those things:

If you are walking by the Spirit, then you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (16). That is you will not give in to the desires of the flesh. This is an active process of choosing obedience over disobedience. Look at v.24 also. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires. This basically means we have tamed the flesh. We have put it under control. We have killed it. John Owen calls it mortification of sin. The word mortification meaning kill. 

put to death;” a metaphorical expression, taken from the putting of any living thing to death. To kill a man, or any other living thing, is to take away the principle of all his strength, vigour, and power, so that he cannot act or exert, or put forth any proper actings of his own; so it is in this case. Indwelling sin is compared to a person, a living person, called “the old man,” with his faculties, and properties, his wisdom, craft, subtlety, strength; this, says the apostle, must be killed, put to death, mortified,—that is, have its power, life, vigour, and strength, to produce its effects, taken away by the Spirit. (John Owen, Mortification Of Sin)

The Consequences of The Absence of Sanctification

If there is no evidence of sanctification in your life, I am afraid, you may not be saved. If you are giving in to the desires of the flesh joyfully, it may be a  sign that you are not saved or you have received wrong teachings about the Christian faith “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passion and desire” (Galatians 5:24)…” 

Dear believer, here is a word of encouragement for you if you find yourself in any kind of struggle with your sinful nature. The Spirit of God is on our side. And victory is ours. The flesh shall not have the final say. The flesh shall not win. 

 

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