Sanctification

[Kan]

On 7/4/2016 at 8:29 PM, Riccardo said:

Hello Brother Post,

Thank you for making me look deeper, I went to Biblical Hermeneutics which is possibly  one of the better places to go in this instance. Looking at the content of  Matthew 5: 43-48            Their answer was----you are to love as God loved, with out partiality.

To love is perfect.  

As to what is the heart, I think the point is, we as fallen people are in need a new heart the bible is clear on this point i'm sure you'll agree. Therefore I still stand on my first explanation regarding the definition of sin being an act & not a thought. As for the thought process to be perfect we need a new heart & thats exactly what our LORD has promised.    Ezekiel 36:26.

God bless.

Yes, if we could not love God without partiality, there would be no such thing as genuine obedience, which has to come from a new heart.

Obedience is the test of conversion and it proves that there is no hypocrisy in the heart. Such a harmony is best only judged by Jesus who reads it, and therefore we walk by faith that He is working in us according to His will. It is wonderful that God has given us the Son to do that for us.

[enoob57]

Sanctification can be understood as essence.... when we first believe and come under the realization that all of what we are
can only be condemned by The Personhood of God! In this helpless void we cry out to God 'Who Loves Us' and we by The
work of The Son are made able to have new being called 'born again'... we have eternal perfection placed in us by The Holy
Spirit and we are babies of God... we have all the wonder of growing up into the likeness of Jesus in a place where that will
be hated! Through these fires all must pass through and this is the process of our sanctification ... as each of these fires
burn away the darkness and lies thus leaving only truth to remain we see and become in perfect agreement with God
that He 'IS' the >ONLY< way, truth and life forever... Love, Steven

[Riccardo]

23 hours ago, Kan said:

Yes, if we could not love God without partiality, there would be no such thing as genuine obedience, which has to come from a new heart.

Obedience is the test of conversion and it proves that there is no hypocrisy in the heart. Such a harmony is best only judged by Jesus who reads it, and therefore we walk by faith that He is working in us according to His will. It is wonderful that God has given us the Son to do that for us.

 Yes brother Kan,

We are in agreement as to obedience is the test of conversion, in simplistic terms, it means you are submitting to His will. Once again He is doing the work we are just submitting. I quite ofter get jumped on once I bring up obedience, (:

God bless. 

[post]

On 7/4/2016 at 6:29 AM, Riccardo said:

the definition of sin being an act & not a thought

He saith: 

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

is this an action, or a thought? 

sin is only action? no -- sin is a nature. if you could be sinless simply by behavior modification, then Christ died for nothing, and the scripture lies when it says no flesh shall be justified by the law.
that is not what the law is for. 
the law is a mirror, and a tutor - that sin should be made more sinful, so we would become aware of it - that we would learn that we need a different kind of sacrifice - not one that simply atoned for what we did yesterday, as though today we could be "worthy" of God by modifying our behavior. as though we could be as good or better than Jesus Christ. 
you can refrain from every sinful action your entire life, and still be guilty. no flesh will be justified before God by obedience.
in fact, He constrained everyone to disobedience. 
why? to show us all  . . what, exactly? 

how shall we be saved from our sinful nature? how shall we have an heart/mind in which there is no wrong thought? out of which no lust ever arises? in which there is no vanity? 


"who will save me from this body of death . . ?"

[Kan]

18 hours ago, post said:

He saith: 

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

is this an action, or a thought? 

sin is only action? no -- sin is a nature. if you could be sinless simply by behavior modification, then Christ died for nothing, and the scripture lies when it says no flesh shall be justified by the law.
that is not what the law is for. 
the law is a mirror, and a tutor - that sin should be made more sinful, so we would become aware of it - that we would learn that we need a different kind of sacrifice - not one that simply atoned for what we did yesterday, as though today we could be "worthy" of God by modifying our behavior. as though we could be as good or better than Jesus Christ. 
you can refrain from every sinful action your entire life, and still be guilty. no flesh will be justified before God by obedience.
in fact, He constrained everyone to disobedience. 
why? to show us all  . . what, exactly? 

how shall we be saved from our sinful nature? how shall we have an heart/mind in which there is no wrong thought? out of which no lust ever arises? in which there is no vanity? 


"who will save me from this body of death . . ?"

I think Ric was talking about thoughts in the term of temptation, being tempted with sin in our minds is not sin, but as the apostle said - when it is followed through then we sin.

But the point that Jesus makes goes even further as you seem to be emphasizing, that the nature to lean towards sin is sinful, and I have to agree that by nature, because of having fallen to sin, our tendencies are to fall into sin.

Here Jesus is referring to the source of our thoughts and actions, over which we don't have any control, but Jesus is able to begin a new life, a pure source of thoughts by His own Spirit within us.

The Holy Spirit is already with the sinner before conversion, prompting, wooing and convicting with love, but the sinner rarely responds, or responds long enough for it to be of any benefit. Conversion is having this bought to our attention and making daily decisions to honor the Lord who has made such a great sacrifice to save us.

Jesus is saying that the very inner source has to be changed, we have to be surrendered to Him.

This where many Christians don't follow through with the work of reformation or sanctification, which is an active, constant dependence and expectation of Christ to be within.

While sin makes us lazy and indolent, Jesus makes us vigilant and trusting, to the point where we will not even sin by a thought. And right at this point is where the devil steps in and diverts the attention back to works. There is no hope that we are able to save ourselves from sin and selfishness. Pride steps in here and says that we are never able to quit sinning, and therefore Christ cannot do that for us. That is a false gospel isn't it?

The truth is, sin has made us detatched from God, we are not humble, so we don't allow ourselves to be loved to the point where we hate sin so much that we don't even want to mention it. We don't want to even think about checking women out, because we hate the self interested destructive and useless motive for it.

Jesus offers a new life of being saved through being loved.

We need to learn to accept this pure love while we are degraded and sinful, and we are not to wait for a change before we live by it. Jesus loves us in our fallen state, and He will do for us what we cannot and will not do, if we accept it.

To be totally honest, I don't have a clue about salvation or how it happens. All I know is that I am being treated with fairness and undeserved grace by the Father.

[missmuffet]

Question: "What is sanctification? What is the definition of Christian sanctification?"

Answer: Sanctification is God’s will for us (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The word sanctification is related to the word saint; both words have to do with holiness. To “sanctify” something is to set it apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make him holy.

Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in John 17. In verse 16 the Lord says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (verse 17). In Christian theology, sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV). The sanctification mentioned in this verse is a once-for-ever separation of believers unto God. It is a work God performs, an intricate part of our salvation and our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10). Theologians sometimes refer to this state of holiness before God as “positional” sanctification; it is the same as justification.

While we are positionally holy (“set free from every sin” by the blood of Christ, Acts 13:39), we know that we still sin (1 John 1:10). That’s why the Bible also refers to sanctification as a practical experience of our separation unto God. “Progressive” or “experiential” sanctification, as it is sometimes called, is the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life. It is the same as growing in the Lord (2 Peter 3:18) or spiritual maturity. God started the work of making us like Christ, and He is continuing it (Philippians 1:6). This type of sanctification is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14) and is effected by the application of the Word (John 17:17). Progressive sanctification has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose for which they are sent into the world: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:18–19). That Jesus set Himself apart for God’s purpose is both the basis and the condition of our being set apart (see John 10:36). We are sanctified and sent because Jesus was. Our Lord’s sanctification is the pattern of and power for our own. The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account we are called “saints” (hagioi in the Greek), or “sanctified ones.” Prior to salvation, our behavior bore witness to our standing in the world in separation from God, but now our behavior should bear witness to our standing before God in separation from the world. Little by little, every day, “those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14, ESV) are becoming more like Christ.

There is a third sense in which the word sanctification is used in Scripture—a “complete” or “ultimate” sanctification. This is the same as glorification. Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV). Paul speaks of Christ as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and links the glorious appearing of Christ to our personal glorification: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, a total sanctification in every regard. “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

To summarize, “sanctification” is a translation of the Greek word hagiasmos, meaning “holiness” or “a separation.” In the past, God granted us justification, a once-for-all, positional holiness in Christ. Now, God guides us to maturity, a practical, progressive holiness. In the future, God will give us glorification, a permanent, ultimate holiness. These three phases of sanctification separate the believer from the penalty of sin (justification), the power of sin (maturity), and the presence of sin (glorification).

http://www.gotquestions.org/sanctification.html

[Willa]

There are some who believe "entire sanctification" means that we can be perfect and no longer sin in this life.  I can't agree with this doctrine.  In fact, the people who boast as having arrived at this state are usually people in which other people can see great imperfections.  So being blind to our imperfections does not indicate perfection.  Only God can make us perfect and that will happen when we go to be with Him.  Till then we are all set aside for His use and sanctified by God.  And we are all being changed to be more like Jesus through the reading and the washing of the Word by the Holy Spirit.  We are putting on the mind of Christ.

[Kan]

17 hours ago, Willa said:

There are some who believe "entire sanctification" means that we can be perfect and no longer sin in this life.  I can't agree with this doctrine.  In fact, the people who boast as having arrived at this state are usually people in which other people can see great imperfections.  So being blind to our imperfections does not indicate perfection.  Only God can make us perfect and that will happen when we go to be with Him.  Till then we are all set aside for His use and sanctified by God.  And we are all being changed to be more like Jesus through the reading and the washing of the Word by the Holy Spirit.  We are putting on the mind of Christ.

Yes, being perfect does not guarantee sinlessness anyway. Adam and Eve were perfect, Lucifer was perfect as were almost half the angels.

As far as I have read, sanctification in the Bible sense means to be set apart or ordained for a purpose.

When we recieve Christ we immediately agree to be set apart as God desired. There is no progress in sanctification, no ladders to heaven. Either we are sanctified or not. There is no greater or lesser state of being set apart.

Everyone who walks with God is sanctified/set apart. 

 

 

 

[Willa]

There is an ongoing cleansing and changing that takes place through the Word of God.  It is a conforming of our minds to God's Word that takes place as we bathe in it daily, meditate on it and walk in obedience to it as we follow after the Holy Spirit.  This involves our love for the brethren, the invisible church.  Through the Spirit working through God's word we put on the mind of Christ.

Rom 12:1  WEB  Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.  :2  Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1Pe 1:22  Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently:  1Pe 1:23  having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever. 

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

 -- Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,   Eph 5:26 NKJV that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,   27  that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

God's Word is a powerful vehicle of the Holy Spirit to cleanse our minds and transform them to be more like Christ.  We are to be renewed and empowered daily in God's Word to put off the ugliness of our former lives and put on the mind of Christ.  We do this by bathing daily in God's Word and by applying it daily to our lives.  We do it by looking at the world through Christ's eyes, seeing the needs in people and ministering to them in love.

Eph 4:22  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts  :23  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,   24  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

2 Cor 3:18  But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

This process of growing more loving and Christ like and avoiding the lusts of the flesh is what some people call our progressive sanctification.   

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,  This is one verse that indicates sanctification is something that we also need to do.  We also dedicate our bodies and minds to God's use as in Romans 12:1-2, [which is the first verse quoted here].

 

There are misunderstandings of doctrines.  Believing once saved always saved does not give anybody the "freedom" to keep sinning.  Instead, changed attitudes about sin is a product of having been saved.  All people who are born again grow to hate sinful thoughts and behavior, especially when it occurs in ourselves.  This is what makes us confess it and turn from it.  And ceasing from sin should give us compassion for those who still struggle and not make us self righteous or judgmental toward them.  Moreover we need to give each other room to grow.  Not everyone is convinced the same things are wrong, so people who are weaker must avoid more things to avoid being tempted.  

 

 

[Behold]

Jesus is your sanctification when  you become "born again"... ..  1st Corinthians 1:30

You are "in Christ", and thus become ..."as Jesus is so are we in this world"... .. 1John 4:17

God's Grace (Salvation) imparts to you both forgiveness and righteousness.

Understanding Salvation, is to see ourselves as God sees us once we are "saved".

God sees you as redeemed, and righteous......and this is because He has GIVEN you, "the gift of Righteousness".

That is God's viewpoint of you, once you become His blood bought Child.