Subject: What is my role in my sanctification? |
Bible Note: Emmaus: Thank you for that. With that, may I suggest it that it is better to leave sanctification alone and not entangle it with justification. They are both important in our lives, but when we are perusing our role in sanctification, it is not useful to have them thus entwined. I take it we want to make our role clear so we can play that role to the full. Justification is a legal term and refers to our responsibility before God for our sins. Sanctification is a ceremonial term, if you will, denoting our being set apart for God’s glory and service. As we have noted previously, positional sanctification is accomplished by God on our behalf when we have repented and put our faith in Christ. Practical sanctification is a continuing process in which we are actively involved in taking on the character of Christ. With that, I would like to suggest the following revision of that document: Having, therefore, been justified [1 Cor 6:11] and made the friends of God, [Col 1:21] and having become a part of his family [Eph 2:19] we advance in virtue, [2Pe 1:5] , we present our bodies, as the Apostle says, day by day, [Romans 12:1] that is, “mortifying the members” of our flesh [Col3:5], and presenting them as instruments of righteousness unto sanctification, [Rom 6:13,19] we, through the observance of the commandments of God, faith cooperating with action, operationalize that sanctification received through the grace of Christ and are thereby immersed in the process of practical sanctification, as it is written: “He that is holy, let him be holy still” [Rev 22:1]. The church, by it’s name and very nature, is a called-out people, a holy people. As individuals and as a body we seek to manifest our sanctification by encouraging ourselves and one another to be reconciled to God [2 Cor 5:20] in his will for our lives. We understand that his will for us is practical sanctification [1 Thess 4:3]. Aixen’s suggestions to The Council of Trent |