Day 71: You Are Sanctified In Christ
In Christ, through faith, we have been set apart – sanctified. Everyone who is set apart in Christ is also called a saint. This is not some special designation for a select few; being Sanctified is a birth-right blessing for all who have trusted and are following Christ.
WORDwork:
2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
Notice that Paul says “we ought to thank God always for you…” How does this relate to what we have said about prayer?
For what did God choose the Thessalonians “from the beginning”?
Through what two means did God bring about this salvation according to the end of the verse?
Yesterday, we heard that we have been chosen by God to be holy and blameless. Today, we want to focus on that word holy. In the simplest terms, when God sets something apart for His unique purposes, it is declared to be holy. The process of setting something apart, declaring it to be holy and purifying it so that it actually becomes pure is called sanctification. This is the process that we are now in, in Christ.
Notice also that Paul says the Thessalonians (and us) were chosen by God for salvation from the beginning through 1) the sanctification by the Spirit and 2) our faith (confidence, trust) in the truth. First, take note that it is the Spirit who sanctifies you. Secondly, all of this comes to us by our faith in the truth; we heard about this truth in the Gospel.
Sanctification: Past, Present and Future
Being set apart for God is referred to as being sanctified. This is both a one time event and a process. Take a look at the following chart:
Past: In Christ, you have been positionally sanctified.
When God saved you “in Christ” He positionally set you apart for His use and purpose—and you became positionally sanctified. You cannot become any more positionally holy than you are right now!!! To be set apart means to be set apart. This happens one time at your new birth. Consider the following verse:
Hebrews 10:10
By God’s will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
This aspect of sanctification does not really involve any “moral” component. God simply declares sinners who are morally corrupt to be “holy”—set apart for His purposes. For this reason, we are referred to as “saints” in the Scriptures. Being a saint is not first about living a “saintly life,” but about being declared “holy” by God your Father.
Present: In Christ, you are being progressively sanctified.
As you grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, God will empower you to express more of your true identity in Christ. This learning to express more and more of who you already are positionally in Christ is what we call progressive sanctification. Learning to cooperate with God’s Spirit produces a life characterized by God’s goodness and glory:
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7
For this is God’s will: that you become holy (sanctification), that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4:4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in holiness and honor, 4:5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.… 4:7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.
Positional sanctification occurs in a moment in time whereas progressive sanctification is a process over time. This aspect of sanctification has a moral aspect to it. Now that we have been set apart, we should think and act like Jesus in goodness and purity. This is a lifelong process and will not be completed until we see Him faced to face. This is a process that will conclude in experiencing the full reality of eternal life:
Romans 6:22
But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.
Future: In Christ, you will be made perfect/Blameless.
God will be faithful to complete the work of sanctification that He has begun in us. Some simply call this glorification. Consider the following verses:
1 Corinthians 1:2-9
…to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints,…1:8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
If you know anything about the “saints” at Corinth you will know that they were not exactly models of Christian maturity. They were one of the most immature group of Christ followers in the New Testament. Yet Paul is convinced that even though they had a lot of growing to do, there were still sanctified and called saints and that they would be blameless on the day they saw Christ because God would be faithful to complete the work He had started in them. This should be a great encouragement to us: Father-God will be faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him!!! We will explore this passage in more detail toward the end of this study.
How does it change the way you view yourself to know that your Heavenly Father calls you a Saint – Set apart, holy in Christ?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
