Understanding Sanctification: Key Truths for Christians

Sanctification is a diligent pursuit of holiness, empowered by God's work within believers.

### The Seven Key Truths of Sanctification: Understanding Our Journey Towards Holiness
* ❤ The doctrine of justification is cherished because it embodies the **essence of the Gospel**, highlighting that we **cannot earn acceptance with God** and must rely on **Christ's perfect obedience credited to us through faith alone**.
* 🌟 Glorification fills us with hope as we anticipate the **end of our struggle with sin** and the **joy of being in the presence of Christ forever**.
* 🔄 However, the doctrine of sanctification often causes confusion, as Christians debate the balance between **active pursuit of holiness** and **passive waiting for God’s work in them**.
* 📖 Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2:12-13 emphasizes that our pursuit of holiness is shaped by the **example of Christ** and is grounded in our **relationship with God**, urging us to **work out our salvation with diligence**.
* 🏃 Sanctification is marked by **consistent obedience**, not dependent on the presence of spiritual leaders but rather on the **ever-present God who empowers us**.
* 💪 Our efforts in sanctification are not passive; they require **diligent pursuit**, utilizing means of grace such as **prayer, scripture, and fellowship** to grow in holiness.
* ⚡ The power behind our efforts comes from God, who actively works within us, ensuring that our striving is **energized by His divine strength**.
* 🌈 Ultimately, sanctification is governed by **God's will**, aiming to **conform us to the image of Christ**, which brings Him **delight** and fulfills our **purpose as His people**.

well, we love the doctrine of justification. We hold that precious doctrine dear to our hearts because it captures the very essence of the Gospel of God's grace to us, to us sinners who know that we can do nothing to earn acceptance with a holy God. We know that our only hope is to be reckoned righteous on the ground of the perfect obedience of Christ to the law of God, credited to our account through faith alone, apart from any works of our own. We love justification because our goodness and our efforts and our achievements, which we know to be insufficient, are debased, and Christ is exalted as all in all. We also love the doctrine of glorification. We look forward with great joy and eagerness and anticipation to that day when our struggle with sin will have reached its completion, when we will find the rest and the reward upon which we have so steadfastly fixed our hope for all of these years. We look forward to that day when we will finally see our dear Lord Jesus face to face and enter in to the

fullness of joy and the Eternal Pleasures that are at his right hand forevermore. But sometimes the doctrine of sanctification doesn't fill us with the same sense of wonder and appreciation. That may be because we are quickly reminded of how slowly we are progressing in the process of sanctification. Maybe to think of the doctrine of sanctification reminds us of what we ought to be but what we are not. Yet it also might be because there's a great deal of confusion about the doctrine of sanctification. Christians have long debated what the role of the believer in Progressive sanctification is, whether we are to be actively engaged in pursuing Holiness or whether we are to be passive, waiting faithfully for God to work Holiness in us. One Camp says work as if it all depended on you. Another Camp says let go and let God. And so confusion abounds. But if there's one doctrine that we can't afford to be confused about, it's the doctrine of sanctification because it's where we all

live all of us who are Christians live in between the time of our past justification and our future glorification. Ification in the present pursuit of the Holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). And so in order to more adequately understand the doctrine of sanctification, to gain a better grasp on the nature of the Christian pursuit of personal Holiness, so that we may lay hold of it, we turn this morning to a text that Martin Lyd Jones called one of the most perfect summaries of the Christian Life to be found anywhere, one of the most pregnant statements which Paul ever made, and that is Philippians chap 2: 12 and 13 where Paul says, So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to Will and to work for his good pleasure. And this key text on the

believer's pursuit of holiness doesn't appear in Philippians 2 by accident. It comes on the heels of that magnificent hymn of praise which celebrates the gospel, the humiliation, and consequent exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if there was ever a point in scripture to just stop and sit back and bask in the glory of what God has accomplished in the gospel of the Incarnation of the God-man, it's Philippians 2:5-11. I read this marvelous text, and I feel like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration: Lord, it's good for us to be here. Can we just build some tents and stay here for a while? But just as was Jesus' answer on the mountain of Transfiguration, Paul's answer is no. He urges down from the mountaintop of the Gospel not to leave the gospel behind and not to move on to bigger and better things, no, to bring the glories of the Gospel with us as he sets us upon an urgent project.

that requires our undivided attention. Our day-by-day pursuit of practical holiness. Paul expects these wonderful gospel truths to have a life-shaping impact on God's people. You see, the gospel drives sanctification as much as the Incarnation and the atonement and the resurrection and the Ascension and the session of the Son of God at God's right hand in heaven. As much as all of that purchases justification and seals glorification, it also drives sanctification. And so, our task this morning will be to observe in these two brief verses seven key truths about sanctification in order that we might be more thoroughly equipped to live lives, as Paul says in Philippians 1:27, that are worthy of the gospel of Christ. And that first key truth about sanctification is number one, that sanctification is linked to a perfect example. It's linked to a perfect example. Look with me at the beginning of verse 12. You have him start out with so then, or your translation might say

therefore, right away, we see that Paul is linking this new paragraph in his letter to the gospel truths of Christ's humiliation and exaltation in verses 5 to 11. Even as we've said, and you'll notice that a key word that shows up in that great hymn of praise gets repeated here in our text. Verse 8 speaks of Christ being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. In verse 12, Paul says, So then, just as you have always obeyed, go on working out your salvation with fear and trembling. He is calling our attention to the gospel that he has just finished celebrating, and he's saying, In view of our Lord's perfect example of obedience and humility, even in the most extreme circumstances, and in view of the great reward and exaltation that awaits those who are faithful and obedient servants of God, so you also follow his example and press on in obedience and humility, no matter how

great. The difficulty may be, you see, his obedience has purchased your obedience. Now walk in the privileged position that he has purchased for you and even modeled for you in his own perfect life. And so our sanctification is linked to the perfect example of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our example for service and for sacrificial ministry. He, the great teacher in John 13, washes the feet of his disciples and says, Just as I have washed your feet, so you wash one another's feet. I've done this as an example for you. He, the Lord and Master, says that he is among his people as the one who serves. He's our example of generosity as the one who was rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us, enjoying the lavish praise of the saints and the angels of heaven, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich. And Peter tells us that he has left us an example to follow in his steps, an example of patience and of suffering for

righteousness sake. He says in 1 Peter 2 that he committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. And while being reviled, he did not revile in return; while suffering, he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself to the one who judges righteously. And we could go on in every aspect of our pursuit of holiness. Jesus Christ is our model and example because he has first been our substitute and our savior. In fact, in Romans 8:29, Paul defines the process of sanctification as becoming conformed to the image of Christ. John tells us in 1 John 2:6, The one who says he abides in Christ ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked. What a blessing that we are not left in the dark to try to figure out the Christian life on our own. God has given us a perfect picture of what we're aiming at, not merely in the pages of scripture, not merely in the inimitability of the divine nature, but

in his son one who has assumed our own nature the perfect man incarnate Holiness. If we would make progress in our sanctification, we need only to fix our eyes upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the very consummation of faithfulness, of Holiness and Purity, and then follow in his steps. What a gracious gift from our father that sanctification is linked to the perfect example of our elder brother. The second truth about sanctification that we learn in this text is that it is grounded in a present relationship. It's grounded in a present relationship. Look again at verse 12. Paul writes, So then, my beloved, you whom I love. That phrase taps into the deep affection and the unique bond that Paul shared with the Philippians. You see it throughout the letter. In chapter 1 and verse 7, Paul writes, It's only right for me to feel this way about you all because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.

you all are partakers of grace with me, for God is my witness how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And in chapter 4, verse 1, he calls them my beloved brethren, whom I long to see, my joy and crown. And then at the end of the verse, even though he said it already at the beginning of the verse, he calls them again my beloved. The warmth of affection and communion between Paul and these precious friends is unmistakable, and the key thought for us is that Paul taps into the context of that relationship as he begins to exhort them to obedience. It's such a wise, pastoral, sweet, tender, even beautiful thing to do. He is about to give them a serious and weighty command, but before he does, he reassures them of his love for them. This is not the indifferent directive of a cold and distant leader lording his authority over his followers. This is the heartfelt plea of a spiritual father to his spiritual children to make his joy complete by

putting their hand to the plow of Christian Holiness and the Glorious Truth for you and me is Paul is only following in the footsteps of his heavenly father who is our heavenly father as well. The Philippians are not only beloved by Paul as Believers United to Christ by faith; they are also beloved by God. And you and I, as Believers in the same gospel, United to the same Christ by the same Faith, are also loved by God. And as a result, the commands that are enjoined upon us as we follow Christ are also grounded in a present relationship. That's why in Colossians 3:12, Paul writes to the Believers: So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You see, not just put on this heart, but because you're already chosen, because you're already holy, because you're already loved, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. You see that because God has

already set you apart unto himself. Therefore, walk in the Holiness that he has set you apart unto. Our sanctification must be grounded in a present relationship with God through faith in Christ. If you pursue Holiness in order to get into a relationship with God or in order to earn God's love, you know, let me see if I can get myself right, and you know, we'll check off these boxes, and God will show me his favor. No, if you do that, you're going to spin the wheels of self-effort, of moralism, of phony man-made Holiness. We don't try to gain God's favor by our spiritual performance, surely we always aim to please 2 Corinthians 5:9, but we have already received his favor in The Gospel. We fight sin and we pursue Holiness because we have already been forgiven, because we have already been United to Christ by faith, because we already are beloved. We need to battle sin in the strength and in the freedom of that gospel Foundation.

that I can be victorious over sin because Christ has already conquered sin in me by virtue of his work on the cross. He will have what he's paid for, and so I may walk in the freedom of what he has purchased for me. Sanctification is linked to a perfect example and grounded in a present relationship. The third key truth about sanctification that this text teaches us is that it is marked by an upright consistency. It's marked by an upright consistency. Look again at verse 12. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Not only when I'm with you, but even more now that I'm not with you. What's Paul after here? Well, as much as the Philippians loved Paul and admired him and cared for him, especially in his imprisonment, they were tempted to think that the presence of their apostle was essential for their growth in grace. And so, when Paul says, Not as in my

presence only, but now much more in my absence. He's saying, Listen, your gospel-driven pursuit of holiness cannot depend on my being with you. A life lived worthy of the Gospel is not lived in the fear of Paul; it's lived in the fear of God who is always with you. You must work out your own salvation. You must conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel, whether I come and see it for myself or whether I can only hear of it by report. Your lives must be marked by an upright consistency, and so also must our lives, friends, be marked by an upright consistency. The question the Holy Spirit is asking us through His word here is, would you act the way that you do if your pastor was with you all the time? Would you speak the way that you speak and spend time the way that you spend time if another of your elders were along with you? Does your battle against sin and your pursuit of holiness slacken when you're not in the presence of or under the influence of someone?

other than Jesus Christ. Well, if so, your life is marked by inconsistency, and Paul's point is God himself is with you. He does see, he does hear. We all live our entire lives before the Open Face of God, and so true sanctification is not a show that we put on in front of respected leaders or Christian friends. We have an audience of one. It's been well said that if you please him, it doesn't matter whom you displease, and if you displease him, it doesn't matter whom you please. And more than just being the greatest accountability partner that we could ever have, he is not just with us, but he is continually working in us so that we might make consistent progress in Holiness. We ought not to hear this promise that he is with us and think the presence of God is this Stern Taskmaster looking over our shoulders saying, Now be consistent, don't you step arrive there. No, we ought to hear it as the presence of a loving father who says, I am with you, I am working in you to give you all.

the grace necessary for you to walk in what my son has purchased for you. A fourth truth about sanctification comes at the end of verse 12. Number four: sanctification is pursued by a diligent effort. It's pursued by a diligent effort. And here we come to the very heart of the passage. Look again with me at verse 12. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Paul didn't advocate a passive approach to sanctification, where we just yield and surrender or let go and let God. That approach has often been described or ascribed to the Keswick movement of the late 19th century, so-called because of the conventions on spirituality that took place in Keswick, England. Andrew Murray was a popular author from that period of history, considered by most the foremost devotional author of the Keswick Movement. He wrote a book, a classic book, called Abide in Christ, and he gives us a good

representation of this passive quietistic model of sanctification. Murray says what the believer can do of himself is altogether sinful. He must therefore cease entirely from his own doing and wait for the working of God in him. Just as in proportion as he yields himself as a truly passive instrument in the hand of God, will he be wielded of God as the active instrument of his Almighty power. Now that sounds plausible, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to just sit back and wait and have Holiness just happen to you by Divine Fiat? What Murray and the others of the quietus movement were latching on to was the truth that comes in the very next verse of our text, that God is the one who is at work within us, both to Will and to work for his good pleasure. But it's been said that truth is like a Razor's Edge and that error is like a wide and vast plateau. And so in seeking to emphasize the sovereignty of God and the believer's utter dependence upon him for

Holiness, which is a good thing. The quietists have fallen off the razor's edge because they failed to represent the equal emphasis that Paul makes in this very text and throughout scripture that sanctification is to be pursued by a diligent effort, that we are to work out the salvation that God has given us with fear and trembling. Listen to the way that scripture speaks about this. Sanctification is a race (Hebrews 12:1). Let us also lay aside every incumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Not let us sit in the stands and wait for somebody to come along and carry us across the finish line. Let's run with endurance. Sanctification is a pursuit (Hebrews 12:14). Again says pursue peace with all men and pursue the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. There is a sanctification, there is a practical lived-out holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

and we are commanded to pursue it. Sanctification requires pressing on. Philippians 3:12 Paul says, Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. And that word pressing on translates the Greek word dioko, which is elsewhere translated to persecute. It speaks of a hunter in pursuit of its prey. Paul's saying, Track it down. He's saying, Hunt Holiness, persecute this life that has been purchased for you. It's not a passive idea. And so we can make no mistake: we are not to be passive in sanctification. The Christian Life is to be marked by a continuous, sustained, strenuous effort. We are to make diligent use of every God-ordained means of Grace that Scripture reveals to us to make progress in Holiness. You say, What are some of those means? Well, we are to seek the renewing of our minds as we expose our minds to

the word of God constantly reading and meditating on the scripture. Jesus says it plainly in his prayer to the father in John 17:17, sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. We are also to seek God's face in prayer. What a wonderful emphasis for the month of October that our church would make progress in being those who press after God in prayer, relishing communion with him, and asking him to accomplish the work of sanctification in us. The good gifts that God delights to give to his children, Jesus says, including the gift of our progress in holiness, he gives by means of our asking for them in prayer. We're also to expose ourselves to the preaching of the word and in the participation of the corporate worship of the Lord Jesus in his gathered assembly, in the fellowship of his church, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some (Hebrews 10:25), but encouraging one another day after day, stimulating one another to love and good deeds. How do I increase in

love and Good Deeds. Well, partly I'm stimulated to those things by my brothers and sisters in Christ as we live life together week after week after week. And in all these means and more, we approach appropriate all of them. Always by gazing with the eyes of our heart upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is revealed in scripture, the one we pursue and press after in prayer, the one in whom we have fellowship with the Saints. Because as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, it is as we behold with unveiled face the glory of the Lord that we are being transformed into that same image from glory to glory. How do we get transformed? We Behold The Glory of Christ with the eyes of our heart by faith through all these various means of Grace wherein he is revealed to us. And so, sanctification is to be pursued by a diligent effort, but number five, that diligent effort is energized by divine power. It's energized by divine power. Work out

your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Literally, the one who is continually working in you is God. This notion of continual work translates the verb energeia, from which we get the English term energy, right? The power that energizes all our labors in the pursuit of holiness is not our energy, not our power, but God's divine power. John Calvin calls God's powerful, energizing grace the true engine for battling sin. And the word God, though you naturally expected it to occur at the last part of the sentence in the original, is thrown all the way up to the very front for a startling amount of emphasis. Paul does not want to be misunderstood. It is incumbent upon you, believer, to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, but don't forget for a moment, he says, Dear Philippians, that in all your efforts of working out, it is God who is working in you, energizing all of those.

efforts he began that good work of Salvation in you. Philippians 1:6. And Paul says he is absolutely confident that he will bring that good work to completion on the day of Christ. But here we learn that God is at work in you, not only at the beginning when he began that work, not only at the end when he'll perfect it, but at every step of the way in between. It's as the great benediction to the letter of the Hebrew says, Now the God of Peace who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the Eternal Covenant, even Jesus our Lord. May that God equip you in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. So in all of your efforts to put off sin and to put on righteousness, the almighty God of the universe, the creator of Heaven and Earth, is working in you with the same energizing power with which he raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, the God of Peace who brought up

from the dead, the great Shepherd of the sheep. If He can raise the Son from the dead, He can cause you, by resurrection power, to walk in newness of life. Now, no wonder Paul commands us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. There's resurrection power at work in you. I mean, think about the sins that you've committed just since you've woken up this morning, and then grasp the fact that in those moments, the ineffably holy God of the universe, who is too pure to look upon evil, whose name is Holy, was so intimately involved with you that the very moment you began to turn from those sins in repentance, it can properly be said that that holy God was in you, both willing and working repentance for His good pleasure. You wouldn't have turned at all if He wasn't working in you. I don't have words to adequately express that truth, but which of you won't tremble at that thought that you and I are men and women of unclean

lips and the holy God of the universe, the God that Isaiah saw and said, woe is me for I am undone. That holy, holy, holy God is dwelling in us by His Spirit, working for His good pleasure. Has the Holy Spirit of God been pleased to make His habitation in my lowly and broken and corrupt heart? Oh, how hospitable must I make my heart to the Spirit! What a dwelling place I must set in order for one so holy and so... Can you be flippant in your speech? Can you be undisciplined with your time? Can you be impure in your thoughts and actions? Can you be unrighteously angry with and unforgiving of your brothers and sisters in Christ? If the God of Isaiah 6 is in you, can you be carefree in your attitude towards sin? Well, we're all sinners, nobody's perfect, I'm not in heaven yet. Can you be le faire in your pursuit of holiness? Get to it. May it never...

be so far from making you kick back and relax and just wait for God's work to catapult you with the magic zap. No, God's work in you should make you earnest about putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit and pursuing righteousness with all your might. Some of you say, Now wait a minute, first you told me I need to work out my own salvation, now you're telling me that God's the one who's working in me, which is it? Do I work or does he work? And the answer is both. God's working in us in no way cancels or mitigates our need to work out our salvation. In fact, his working is the ground of our working. We labor, we strive, we work out precisely because he is working in us, and without his working, our working would be impossible. We see that so clearly in the text that Tom read for us earlier, 2 Peter chapter 1. Turn back there as we confront this idea another way.

Peter 1 and verse three. Peter tells the believers that God's divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Everything we need has been furnished to us graciously by the working of God's own power. And then in verse four, he tells us that we have escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. And so, not we will escape, not we are escaping now, we are in the process of escaping, but we have escaped. And so, you might think, Well, perfect. God has given me everything I need for godliness. I've escaped the world's corruption. I am going to sit back and relax and yield and surrender and wait for the magic zap. But then you run straight into verse five, and Peter says, Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence in your faith, supply moral excellence and knowledge and self-control, and so on. Now grasp the way the scripture reasons, because we don't reason like this naturally. You've been given everything you need. You've escaped the corruption.

of the world and for that very reason, make every effort in your sanctification. That's not how I think of that. I think of that as, well, God's done it, so I'm good, or God hasn't done it, so I must. Peter thinks that's ridiculous. Almighty God is working within you both to will and to work for his good pleasure, and for this very reason, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. You remember in Exodus 14, Pharaoh's army is hunting down the Israelites in the wilderness, and eventually, Israel is hemmed in by the Red Sea on one side and the Egyptian army on the other side, and the people blame Moses. Hey, we could have died like this in Egypt. Why'd you bring us here for this? And in verse 13 of Exodus 14, Moses says to the people, Do not fear. Stand by and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. Yahweh

will fight for you while you keep silent. That sounds wonderful. That sounds glorious, trusting in the sovereignty of God. But then God responds in the next verse, Exodus 14:15. Why are you crying out to me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. What's God saying? Moses, come on now, stop bugging me. I've done all I'm going to do here, okay? You're on your own. No, is he saying, Come on, Moses, work it up, do your best to make the Egyptians disappear? No. The Red Sea could only be divided by God's power. God is saying, I'm going to do it, but he's saying, I'm going to do it by means. I'm going to do it through their walking and through your staff. As one preacher puts it, Moses didn't work the miracle of parting the Red Sea. God worked the miracle. Moses acted the

miracle, and in the miracle of sanctification, God works in us so that by his divine power, we obey. He works the miracle of sanctification. We act the miracle. Jonathan Edwards captured this when he wrote, We are not merely passive in sanctification, nor yet does God do some and we do the rest, but God does all and we do all. God produces all and we act all, for that is what he produces: our own acts. Edward says, God is the only proper author in Fountain; we are the only proper actors. We are, in different respects, wholly passive and wholly active. That is walking the razor's edge of truth, and that reality is everywhere in scripture. Here, the way the New Testament speaks about this: Galatians 2:20, I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me. Or 1 Corinthians 15:10, I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Romans 8:13, If by the spirit you are

putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. So, I put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. In 1 Peter 4:11, Whoever serves as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. I serve by God's strength. So, in all of these passages, I am living, I am laboring, I am serving, but in every case, my willing and working is energized by God's willing and working. So, don't pit these two twin truths against one another and fall off the razor's edge of truth onto the plateau of error. Though sanctification is pursued by our diligent effort, our very effort is energized by divine power. And that takes us quickly to key truth number six: sanctification is measured, number six, in the affections and the actions. It's measured in the affections and the actions. Verse 13 again: God is continually working in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. This is teaching us that God's powerful work for our sanctification

involves his working on us or on us both internally and externally, both in our internal willing and in our external working, which means holiness is not merely a matter of pursuing performing external duties, read your Bible, pray, go to church, sing, listen, go to Bible study, serve others. See, I don't know, that sounds a lot like my life. Well, that is the Christian life, but there are many who go through those motions and have no root whatsoever. It's all outside, it's all external, but God's work of sanctification begins internally. The text says he is working in us. Charles Hodge says sanctification is making the tree good in order that the fruit may be good. It's not taking the fruit and stapling it to the tree. So, that means that the holy person, the truly holy person, does not merely do what God commands, though he certainly does that. No, the holy person first loves what God loves and then acts in keeping with that renewed heart. God inclines our hearts to

treasure the glory of Christ, and as we behold Him with the eyes of faith, our minds and our affections are renewed so that we love Him more and we love sin less. We are transformed then from the inside out. You say, Why is that important? Well, because it properly informs our pursuit of holiness. Because before we can begin making every effort, as Peter says in 2 Peter 1:15, we need to recognize that holiness is not merely behavior modification. Even hypocrites can train themselves to perform external duties that they have no heart to do, but we're talking here about heart transformation that works itself out in our actions. We want to have sanctified affections as well as sanctified actions because God commands us not only to behave righteously. He commands us to be holy. He works in us, even at the level of internal affections and motivations, both to will and to work. And so, holiness is not this clenched fist, gritted teeth, Well, I guess I just

have to do all the things that I hate, and I have to give up all the things that I love. No, by Grace. Holiness is what I love. Holiness is beautiful. Holiness is lovely. It's a delight for me to let go of these sins which so easily entangle me because Holiness is the pleasantest life there is. The life of obedience walked side by side with Christ is the pleas pleasest life there is. Nothing is worth surrendering that for, and that brings us to the final truth about sanctification, number seven. It is governed by God's perfect will. It's governed by God's perfect will, and here we come to the end of verse 13, where we learn that all of God's working in us, both the willing to work, is for his good pleasure. This is the great end of his work. God takes such great pains in striving with his creatures through this process of progressive sanctification because it pleases him to do so, because he delights in Holiness. His goal has always been Titus.

214 to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for Good Deeds. His stated purpose from before the foundation of the world Romans 8:29 is to conform his people to the image of his son. God has always been in the business of forming and shaping his people into looking exactly like Jesus. Why? Because his son is the perfect image of God himself. He is the image of the invisible God. He is God of very God, the perfect representation of God's own holiness in human flesh. The pleasure of God in his own holiness is what drives him to sanctify his people. I hope that lands on you. The pleasure of God in his own holiness is what drives him to sanctify his people. And so, you know what that means? It means you can be sure that he will accomplish that purpose. He has put his name upon you, the high and exalted one who lives forever, whose name is Holy Isaiah 57:15. And now he pursues the holiness of his people whom he's put His

holy name on with the same passion that he has for the honor of his own name. God is not going to let his honor fall by the wayside. Isaiah 42:8, I am Yahweh; that is my name. I will not give my glory to another, he says. I will have my glory. He says, I'm a great king, and my name will be feared among the nations. And friends, do you know what that means? It means that we who struggle so mightily to look like our Father, we whose family resemblance of the God whose name is Holy, our family resemblance is all too faint, are the objects of omnipotent zeal for God to get what he is worthy of in his people. Father, I can't give you what you're worthy of. I can't be what Christ deserves to have from his people. My worship is so cold, my sins are so great and so numerous, but my great sustenance and hope is that you will get what you are worthy of out of me because you love holiness more than I.

ever could it makes sense then that Paul could write in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 for this is the will of God your sanctification. So many professing Christians drive themselves crazy trying to discover what's God's will for my life. What's God's will for my life? Should I go to this school? Should I marry this person? Should I get colgator Crest Spirit help me here? Is God's will for your life your sanctification, your ever-increasing holiness? And I think that we can find a great source of strength and motivation in our battle against sin if we consistently remind ourselves that that battle is governed by God's perfect will. That at any given moment in which I am fully engaged in the mortification of my sin, which is painful, which is emotionally wearing, but when I'm fully engaged in working out my own salvation with fear and trembling according to the power of God working within me, in that moment I am right in the center of God's

will for me. I am right where he wants me to be, pursuing him, fleeing from sin, fleeing to him. And that leaves the question: are you in the center of his will, which is your sanctification? Is the almighty God of the universe at work within you, directing both your desires and your actions in conformity with his good pleasure? Do you have any sense of the Divine strength that energizes you to gladly and joyfully and reverently work out your own salvation? Are you making progress in holiness? If you're outside of Christ here this morning, your answer to those questions must be no. Rather than pleasing God, all of your efforts to perform good works and righteous deeds are an offense to him. You say, Really? I mean, trying to be a good person is an offense to God? Well, yes. Isaiah 64:6 says that apart from Christ, all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment. Sure, our good deeds might look good when you compare them to other people's deeds on this horizontal human

level, but God's standard of righteousness is according to his own character, and he is perfectly holy. And so, any hope of attaining righteousness by your own works is like trying to purchase a brand new car with a dirty rag. And so, if you're outside of Christ, God's word to you this morning is not work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Friend, you've got no salvation to work out. God's word to you this morning is repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that you might be saved. God's word to you is put your trust in someone else's works, put your trust in someone else's righteousness, someone else's obedience, the perfect obedience of the God-man, our substitute, who, as we've heard, obeyed God perfectly in every aspect of his life, who humbled himself in obedience to death on a cross to bear the curse of God's wrath that was due to you, in order that the penalty of your sin should be paid in order, and who then rose again on

the third day in triumph over sin and death so that you may walk in newness of life. Dear friend, he did all of that precisely because you could never be holy enough, you could never be a good enough person. And so, I ask you to receive the gift of righteousness. Don't earn it, don't labor for it, receive it with an empty hand this morning by believing on Christ, by laying hold of Christ, by the empty hand of faith alone. And for my brothers and sisters, as you faithfully battle against sin and pursue holiness in your life, be reminded of these seven key truths about sanctification. Meditate on them, make them the object of your contemplation, keep an eye to the perfect example that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that you fight not as one seeking to earn God's favor, but as one who is already beloved for the sake of Christ. Pursue holiness consistently, no matter who's watching, because the Lord is always watching, and because he is our

one and true audience apply all diligence in the fight of Faith, avoiding the snare of passivism and quietism, and yet make certain that all your striving is in conscious dependence upon his power, the one who mightily Works within you and energizes all of your efforts in the pursuit of Holiness. Don't forget that Holiness aims first at the heart and then at the hands, and that God is working both in you and then rejoice in The God Who takes pleasure in purifying his people, which is our greatest benefit and our greatest joy. Let's pray. Father, we would be bold to ask you to make our joy complete by pursuing in us the Purity and the Holiness that you love, that you take pleasure in. Lord, we confess we take pleasure in it as well, but oh, not as we ought, not as consistently as we must, and so we pray for grace to be what you have purchased for us to be by the sacrifice of Christ, what the spirit of God works in US day by day. We pray that you would

pour out that Spirit. Fill us with your spirit that we might be led by him, that we might walk by him, and so not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Father, make Grace Church a holy people, not so that we might look down our noses at others, not so that we might delight in our holiness but yours, that we might delight in your holiness, that we might see clearer and clearer illuminations of the face of Christ on the path of obedience, even as you promised. The Lord Jesus promised in John 14, The one who keeps my commandments is the one who loves me, and I will love him, and my Father will love him, and disclose himself to him. We want greater disclosures to the eyes of our heart, the glory of Jesus, because he is all our hope, all our joy. He is the marrow of this life, the glory of everything in this world, the one whom we press after and long to see in heaven. Would you send heaven into our hearts and conform us to the image of your Son?

that he might have the first place in everything we desire. That he should increase even while we decrease. We pray in his name. Amen.

The Truth About Sanctification - Mike Riccardi

Grace Community Church

The Importance of the Doctrine of Sanctification

The doctrine of justification is cherished for its emphasis on God's grace and the perfect obedience of Christ.

Glorification is eagerly awaited as the completion of the struggle with sin and the fulfillment of eternal joy.

Sanctification, however, can be confusing, with debates on the believer's role in pursuing holiness, but it is crucial for living a life worthy of the gospel.

The Role of Jesus Christ in Our Sanctification

Jesus Christ is our perfect example for sanctification, modeling service, generosity, patience, and suffering.

Paul's deep affection for the Philippians highlights the importance of a present relationship in their spiritual growth.

Our pursuit of holiness is grounded in God's love and grace, as we are already chosen, holy, and beloved through faith in Christ.

Sanctification is rooted in Christ's victory over sin, allowing believers to walk in the freedom He has purchased.

It is marked by consistent obedience, emphasizing that spiritual growth should not depend on the presence of a leader.

Diligent effort is essential in the pursuit of sanctification, as believers are called to actively work out their salvation with fear and trembling.

Sanctification requires a continuous and strenuous effort, as emphasized by Paul's call to "press on" in Philippians 3:12.

This pursuit involves actively using God-ordained means of grace, such as reading Scripture, prayer, and participating in corporate worship.

Ultimately, the effort to grow in holiness is energized by God's divine power, who works in believers to will and act according to His purpose.

God's resurrection power is at work in us, enabling us to walk in newness of life and turn from sin.

The Holy Spirit's presence in our lives should inspire us to take sin seriously and earnestly pursue righteousness.

Both God's work in us and our own efforts are essential in the process of working out our salvation.

The Role of Divine Power in Sanctification

God instructs Moses to take action in parting the Red Sea, emphasizing that while He will perform the miracle, it will be through their efforts.

Sanctification involves both God's divine power and our active obedience, as seen in various New Testament passages.

True holiness is achieved through heart transformation, leading to sanctified affections and actions, rather than mere behavior modification.

Sanctification is driven by God's perfect will, aiming to conform His people to the image of His Son, Jesus.

God's pleasure in His own holiness motivates Him to sanctify His people, ensuring He will accomplish this purpose.

The battle for holiness is central to God's will for our lives, and true progress in sanctification comes from being in alignment with His desires and actions.

The Gift of Righteousness and Pursuit of Holiness

God's standard of righteousness is perfect, and any attempt to attain it through our own works is futile.

The message for those outside of Christ is to repent and believe in Him for salvation.

For believers, the pursuit of holiness should be consistent, dependent on God's power, and aimed at the heart, with the ultimate goal of reflecting the image of Christ.