Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a word about sanctification.
Actually, I should say it's several words from I Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 1-3, where the apostle Paul tells us, “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. It is God’s will that you should be holy.”
You know that used to scare me as a new believer. God wanted me to be holy? As a young Christian, I had images of pious saints on high pedestals; believers who lived such exemplary lives that it only made me feel like a bumbling stumbler in the faith. To be holy as God is holy? What did that mean?!
Well, let’s unpack this verse from I Thessalonians. The Bible tells us that we should live in order to please God, and that we should do this more and more. Find out what pleases the Lord, and just do it. And do it more and more. For it is God's will that you should be holy—or as some translations say, be sanctified. To be sanctified is to be set apart. Separate yourself from willful rebellion or the tiny transgressions you tend sweep under the carpet of your conscience – that certainly would please the Lord if you would stop doing that. Separate ourselves from unhealthy habits – know when to close the refrigerator door or when to turn off the TV or when to turn away from your computer. In other words, stop playing Candy Crush, okay?! These are ways you can be set apart; you could be sanctified. Yes, it’s a tall order. But it’s a do-able one.
That’s because you have help from out of this world. The Lord Jesus has undertaken everything – absolutely everything -- that your soul requires to be sanctified. Jesus has not only delivered you from the guilt of sin through justification, but He is right now delivering you – He’s in the process of rescuing you from the dominion of sin in your life through sanctification. You know what justification is, right? Justification refers to your standing in God's sight – God is the one who justifies, reckoning you to be righteous for the sake of another; that is, Jesus Christ. Justification is God's responsibility. But sanctification is the actual making of you righteous through your obedience to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. And friend, that is your responsibility.
When it comes to living a life that pleases God, you are not alone in the struggle. God has placed within you the Holy Spirit, as well as a new principle, a “bent for good” in your heart. Because of the Spirit, you have power to follow through on life choices that please the Lord; and that power is Christ. I like the way Titus chapter 2 puts it, it says, “[God] gave himself for us to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager [I love that] to do what is good.” When you obey, your focus is not on a set of rules or do’s and don’ts; it is on Jesus. You find yourself obeying because you want to please him. You know, all this is only possible – our justification and sanctification is only possible because of the resurrection, which we will be celebrating in just over a week. When Jesus rose from the grave, He was able to secure for us every benefit of the resurrection and the Holy Spirit is now applying those benefits to you and me every day. The resurrection is that key to our daily living. And I’ve got a great booklet called “Evidence for the Resurrection” that I would love to send you. Just visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org and we’ll mail one off to you in time for Easter.
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