Sanctification By Truth

The greatest need in the Christian church today I believe is that of sanctification as was discussed in the previous post.  This sanctification is the process of being set apart from the world and growing in Christlikeness.  It is a growth in faith that changes or transforms us from being in the flesh to walking in the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit can transform us from our sinful nature in faith and obedience through our hearts.  Yet it takes our minds to be engaged in the Scriptures to discover its truth and power for us to be transformed into the image or nature of Christ.

Sanctification is multifaceted in that it comes through faith and it is also by truth.  We see from John 17:17 that Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth."  This is his high priestly prayer to the Father before his trial and crucifixion for his immediate disciples and for those of us who would follow later.  Depending on the translation of the Bible we see it is rendered "by your truth" or "in your truth," but either way, it comes from the truth of Scripture.  Our sanctification is also enabled by something outside of us, from the Holy Spirit as we find in the Bible.  Jesus promised the Holy Spirit in John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."  We have a teacher and a helper to understand the Scriptures.

In John 17 we see that Jesus is first concerned with the glory of God, and then he is concerned that his disciples would be protected from the influence of the world.  Jesus prays in v. 15-16, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."  In the same way, we too need to be set apart from the world even though we are to be in the world.  Because of our brokenness, we need to be reminded constantly of his truth and to follow after him through the Word of God.  We need to be set apart both Spiritually and mentally so that we are able to think outside of our culture, and so we will also seek to do all things to the glory of God.

From the world's perspective, there are many teachings of Jesus that do not make sense.  Both the Jews and the Romans did not understand who he was.  And even his disciples often did not understand his purposes, as he was seeking to glorify his Father.  When Jesus was on trial before Pilate he declared in John 18:37, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."  This led to Pilate's great question, "What is truth?"  Jesus gave him no answer, probably because he was the Truth and he was standing right before him.

Yet we see that those who are of the truth listen to Jesus' voice, to his words, to his testimony, and to the Word of truth.  All through the Scriptures, we see that to grow in Christlikeness it takes both our heads and our hearts, our minds must be open to discovering the truth in Scripture.  Paul teaches us in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."  This transformation of our mind from the ways of the world to the truth of Scripture is the key to sanctification.  Here we can learn how to think biblically and gain a Christian worldview.

In Colossians 3:1-2 Paul also describes, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."  We are called to think 'vertically' or 'theocentrically' about the truth of Christ so as to live in faith in the constantly changing world.  Paul gives a reason why we should set our minds on things above because that's where we find the greatest reality.  We see in vs. 3-4, "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."  This ultimate reality in heaven is the truth that can sanctify all of our lives even in our everyday struggles in the here and now.

We are called to be set apart from the world so that we can grow Spiritually, and so we can bring the truth of Christ into the world as the Light is brought into the darkness.  We first need to acknowledge the Scriptures as Truth, and then be inspired and strengthened by the Word of God to know God personally.  Through the truth of Scripture, we can know God in our hearts and minds and live in his Spirit and walk in Christlikeness.  Knowing God and living for Christ transforms us from the brokenness of this world into Spiritual maturity, fruitfulness, and peace.  In this sanctification by truth, we discover a true Spiritual life and become new people in Christ, which also glorifies God.

FAITH TODAY:  John 17:3, "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Sanctification By Faith

One of the most overlooked teachings in the Christian faith is the doctrine of sanctification.  As a Protestant, Reformed Evangelical I've heard many messages about justification as our heritage is inseparably tied to the sixteenth-century Reformation.  At that time there were two primary aspects of the protest in the "formal debate" and the "material debate" with the Roman church.  The formal debate was that of "Sola Scriptura," that the Bible is the ultimate authority of all church and faith issues.  The material debate was that of "Justification By Faith Alone."  The Reformers believed that the Bible was key and that we are saved or justified before God by faith, as a gift by grace from God in Christ alone.  There are no good works that contribute to our justification.

With this framework the Reformed Christian faith still emphasizes both the centrality of Scripture and the justification by faith alone.  But these are not the only doctrines of Scripture, and to maintain faithfulness to the formal debate of "Sola Scriptura" we need to always be going back to the Bible to understand all its truth and applications to our lives.  Sanctification is one of the key doctrines that the modern Christian church needs more than anything else because of the highly secularistic world we live in, and our Spiritual growth is greatly enhanced by studying the Bible.  Sanctification through the Scriptures can bring great blessings to our lives.

Sanctification is the process of being set apart from sin for our growth in godliness.  Paul speaks about this process of Spiritual growth in Romans 8, beginning with v.1 as he first pronounces that there is no condemnation for those "in Christ."  Here we see that we are first set free in Christ by the law of the "Spirit of life" from the law of "sin and death."  In v.6 we also see that there is action to take in our new Spiritual life, "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."  In Christ, we must begin to set our minds, hearts, and souls on the truth we find in Scripture.

The chapter develops a comparison of having our minds set on the Spirit or on the flesh.  In v.9 we see Paul pronounce that we are not "in the flesh" but "in the Spirit" if "in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you."  He then describes in v.12-14, that, "we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."  We can be set apart and filled with the Holy Spirit when we turn away from the sins of the flesh and set our hearts on Christ to walk in faith.

Paul continues in v. 26-27 and we see, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."  The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers as we need to be strengthened in our hearts to trust him.  We can trust God that all things work together for the good of those who love him, (v.28).  God is working in a masterful way to bring all things together for his glory.

Further in v.29, we see that those God "foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son."  This 'conformity' is the process of sanctification, of being set apart unto God, and being changed from our sinful nature to the Spirit-filled nature by faith.  And further in v.30, we read, "those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."  God is directing his people from predestination to justification and then to glorification.  It is the Holy Spirit who is working in us and through us as we follow his prompting from Scripture.  The life of faith is also filled with the good works that come from grace as we are "led by the Spirit of God."

Our sanctification follows our justification, therefore, and our Spiritual lives should grow into Christlikeness.  It is not unlike a child that is born and then begins to grow physically.  But in Spiritual ways, it is not always automatic, and we must remember from Romans 8:12 that "we are debtors" to God to live by faith.  Sometimes this requires great sacrifice, yet we will always grow Spiritually when we follow Christ in faith.  The great blessing to us, and to our families and friends, is that we will be transformed more and more into the image of Christ.  And this in turn will bring glory to God.

FAITH TODAY:  Romans 8:12-13, "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

The Shema Prayer

In the book of Deuteronomy Moses takes the time to teach, and repeat, to the Israelites many of the basic doctrines that the Lord God has given them.  One of the most well-known and important teachings that became a paradigm for their lives was the "Shema" prayer.  It is found in Dt. 6:4-6, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart."  It is a prayer and a calling to live for God in all aspects of life.  It is a command to set Him above all other priorities and practices so as to be guided in His will.

The entire sixth chapter of Deuteronomy shows us that God is intimately concerned with the well-being and faith of the Israelites.  He wants them to follow him in a faith relationship and so he instructs them how to live for him.  This paradigm is to be for the Israelites and their families, for their good and for their blessings as they prepare to cross over the Jordan River to the Promised Land, which at the time was filled with people who did not have faith in YAHWEH.  Moses is helping the people to remember who they were by remembering who God is.

Moses describes in Deut. 6:1-3, "Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey."  Moses emphasizes that these instructions, these words of faith, are given so that it "may go well with you."

Moving fast forward to the New Testament and the life and ministry of Jesus we see that the Pharisees and Jewish leaders put him to the test.  They were concerned with the integrity of his teachings and to see if he would proclaim what they knew to be the central doctrines they had received and upheld.

In Mark 12:29-31, we read, "And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  Here Jesus upholds the Shema Prayer of Moses from Deut. 6.  It was no coincidence that he affirmed this as all the Israelites knew the importance of this prayer from their youth.  This was their theocentric affirmation, the paradigm they were taught by Moses to keep their faith and fidelity to God, especially in an unbelieving and pagan land.

It is important to note that Jesus not only acknowledged the Shema prayer but also added to it.  Moses gave the Israelites a threefold aspect to loving God, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."  But Jesus taught, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."  Jesus added that they must love God with all their mind.  He turned it into a fourfold love for God instead of a threefold love for God, that we need to love God with our minds, with our thoughts and thinking.  This is a key to our sanctification and faithfulness in our culture.

It has been rightly said before that nobody loves God like this perfectly, we are unable even in our redeemed state of grace to love God completely in this life.  But, this is still the paradigm, this is the theocentric calling that every Christian has, to be God-centered and to love God, not just to acknowledge him, as we live in the unbelieving and pagan world of our day.  This is a tremendous help to remember and know this great calling to love God for our lives of faith.  And also, along with the Israelites of Moses' day, to 'remember who we are' because of who God is and what he has done for us.

Even more though, Jesus took the opportunity to expand the Shema prayer and to add to it.  Jesus made an important addendum, "The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  Here Jesus gave a new teaching and a new commandment that we also see in other parts of his ministry.  Jesus did not take away from the Shema Prayer's theocentricity, its God-centeredness, but he expanded it.  He reinforces the priority on God as this is always central.  But he also includes the important requirement of doing something with this love for God, in that we should love other people, to love our neighbors as ourselves.  To love our neighbors would begin with those closest to us, those of our own families, and then the family of faith we are connected to in our own churches.  And also those neighbors who we live near and know, even reaching out to get to know, for the purpose of sharing the grace and truth of God that we have learned in Christ.

The Shema prayer is a tremendously sanctifying prayer, it is a four-fold love for God that is more than anyone could possibly accomplish on our own because we are so self-centered.  It takes the Holy Spirit working through our human spirit to love God and thus love other people.  And then, when we are filled and even saturated with the love for God, we in turn will be able and willing to love our families, friends of faith, and neighbors in our communities with the same love that we have been given in Christ.  It all begins with a command to love God with a four-fold love, so that we, and our neighbors, would know the great Agape love from God in Christ by faith.  All this is to our benefit so, "that it that it may go well with you."

FAITH TODAY: Deuteronomy 6:6-7, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Changes and Time

It's been 26 years since I started flying at that fly-by-night shipping company.  It's hard to remember when I began.   The world has changed drastically in that time.  It's also been 28 years since my daughter Valerie was born.  And now she is married and has two of her own children.

The world has changed drastically in that time as technology has brought an avalanche of change.  And in our country, the changes in morality have been monumental.  Technology is up, but morality is down.  It's so easy to accept change in technology and be progressive in our new computers or cellular phones.  But the "progress" stops right there as morality is from God, and progress in immorality leads us into more and more ungodliness.  Immorality can only lead to regress with God.

Some changes are good and some are not good.  It's good to grow in the sanctification of faith and the transformation from grace to grace into the image of Christ.  This is how God seeks to lead us over time, to grow up into maturity in faith.  These are the changes that are good.

Some day there will be no more changes and no more time.  God is immutable and he lives in eternity, yet he seeks to lead us all the time.  For now, we have to keep on seeking the faithfulness of our upward calling in Christ in this constantly changing world.  It is so good to grow in sanctification into Christ even as the world is changing all the time.

FAITH TODAY: Ecclesiastes 3:1, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."

True Spirituality

In 1964 Francis Schaeffer began a teaching series on true Christian living or the true Christian life, which was published as, "True Spirituality."  This is a great review of the doctrine of sanctification in the Christian life.

Often we hear, especially in Presbyterian circles, of the doctrine of justification as it was a huge aspect of the Protestant Reformation.  We understand that it is our justification in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone that brings us redemption and a right relationship with God.  But sanctification is equally important in that is so relevant for our faith and lives here and now and day by day.  It is our sanctification that we need to develop in faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  And this will change and transform our lives to become more and more Christ-like.

We all live especially busy lives in this technological era that is unraveling before our eyes.  And our culture is even more depraved than it was in the second half of the twentieth century.  So we need all the more to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and to encourage one another in this life of faith.

It's been a while since I've published a post as I've been busy going through a training program for a new airplane at my company.  But, the day-by-day life of faith is absolutely essential for me, I need Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit every moment of every day.  True Spirituality has been a great reminder again of how to grow and thrive in sanctification.

Schaeffer describes in the first chapter some key ideas of spirituality in repentance, contentment, giving thanks for all things, and loving our neighbor.  He says,

"These are the areas of true spirituality.  These are the areas of true Christian living.  They are not basically external; they are internal, and they are deep, they go down into the areas of our lives we like to hide from ourselves.  The inward area is the first place of loss of true Christian life, or true spirituality, and the outward sinful act is the result.  If we can only get hold of this - that the internal is the basic, the external is always merely the result - it will be a tremendous starting place."

The book describes much more about our spiritual sanctification and Christ-likeness.  We can see how to be released from the bonds of sin, many of which we may not even be aware of.  It is an excellent book for every Christian.

PS - I have been rereading this book and just now realized I also made a post on this in March 2015.  It's a good one, well worth rereading!

FAITH TODAY: Philippians 3:12-13, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Wedding Day!

We have a daughter getting married today!  What a blessing it is that our daughter Alison, is marrying a fine young Christian man.  Alison and Cameron, "Ali & Cam," have known each other for three or four years as they worked at Lost Valley Ranch together over the summers during college.  They both have faith in Christ and love for one another.  I have some encouragement for them from the Bible.

Philippians 2:3-7, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

The whole book of Philippians is wonderful as Paul also talks about the joy that we can have from this faith in Christ.  And joy is a great strength to carry us through all the seasons of life.  We rejoice with Ali & Cam on this, their wedding day!

FAITH TODAY: Ph.4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say, rejoice."

A New Year, and Time Eternal

Here we are again with a new year.  Happy New Year 2016!

It's now 2016 and today I'm stuck in a hotel in Dallas when I was supposed to be in Lubbock, TX.  The weather yesterday in LBB prevented us from getting in as it was below our minimums and we had to "go around" twice, once on an approach from the east and once from the west.  We are heading back to Lubbock early tomorrow morning to try again.

It's a new year, and yet just yesterday before work I went to a funeral for a good friend, Darryl Hannah.  He was a fellow pilot of mine at FedEx and he retired about three years ago.  But just about fifteen months ago he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  He went through surgery, and much chemotherapy but to no avail, as it had grown too large for too long.

Darryl was a Christian and we had many good lunches together in the last year as I tried to encourage him in his battle against cancer.  He was sixty-eight years old and left his wife, two daughters, a son-in-law, and grandchildren.  He often left me more encouraged, and oh, how he could laugh.  We really had some good laughs together as a result of stories he told or experiences we could both relate to in flying.  We prayed together for his healing, and he asked for prayers that he would be healed.  Even though we both knew it may not happen we still prayed for healing, which was a great encouragement in itself.

Each new year reminds me of the "new life" in Christ.  It's just like a new opportunity to start over with a whole new chance at a brand new year.  Our new life in Christ however is a Spiritual life that is given to us in faith as we realize we can be forgiven for our sins.  We can be healed from a sinful nature although our complete healing comes in the next life.  Spiritual life brings transformation to us so that we have new desires and goals, new priorities and values.  We desire the Spiritual peace that comes from being right with God and then getting right with people.  And we desire to know we are going to heaven, for the longing for eternal life to be satisfied, which we can know in Christ.

With the new life in Christ, we also see our time here on earth as very temporal.  Yet we know that His grace is new every morning, His truth is like a glorious light each day.  We know His love endures forever, He is God and He can make all things new.  Someday though we will cease to count the years and there will be no "Happy New Year" for there will be no calendar and we will live in eternity with Christ.  That's awesome to think about, it's beyond our experience and even our imaginations.  But God has promised this to those who love Him.

I am reminded of the faith today because we celebrate a new year but we are all temporal.  Heaven is the realm where there will be no time and then we will be with God forever.  And I thank God for my good friend Darryl Hannah who has gone on before me.  He was a great encouragement in many ways.  He also asked for John 5:24 to be used and highlighted at his funeral.  Eternal life in Christ is what we rejoice in at a Christian's funeral.  Amen.

FAITH TODAY:  John 5:24, "Jesus said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.  He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.'"