Sanctification may be viewed as Christians becoming in experience what we are already in God’s sight.
God counts us as righteous, having accredited Christ’s perfect righteousness to us, even while He also counts our sinfulness as perfectly covered by Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
Thinking about the doctrine of sanctification is as good a place as any to remind ourselves that good theology is not merely theoretical but also experiential. Heavenly truths must show up at street level in shoe leather. How we behave must correspond with what we say we believe.
Therefore, when it comes to a truth like sanctification, we must give attention not only to “what is” (theology believed) but also to “how to” (theology practiced), that is, to give thought to how God has designed and provided that we should grow in Christlikeness.
In attempting to do this, two key terms come to mind — impetus and enablement.
Impetus
What prompts a Christian to desire to be a vessel “sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21)? The primary impetus for growing in likeness to Christ is what we may term reciprocal love. First John 4:19 expresses this quite succinctly, “We love Him because He first loved us.”
Love prompted God to send His Son to be our Savior. The love we show Him in return helps us become more and more what God wants us to be. Before we can seriously address the “way to” a life of Christlike love, we may have to beg God for the “want to” practice such love.
Thinking about how to experience progress in godliness takes us to some of the very basic disciplines of the Christian life. For example, God has given us the Word of truth, the Bible. Abiding in that Word through regular reading and quiet meditation is an essential provision from God for our spiritual development over time.
God has also provided the Spirit of truth. Second Thessalonians 2:13 brings together the provision of the Word of truth and Spirit of truth with the promise, “God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
As part of the inspiration for leading a godly life, we have the example of Christ. Of this example 1 Peter 2:21 states, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”
If these provisions were not enough, God has also given us further assistance and encouragement through Christian fellowship. The importance of this fellowship lies behind the admonition of Hebrews 10:24–25, “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.”
The enablement for Christian growth has such core provisions as the Bible, the Holy Spirit, the example of Jesus and church fellowship.
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