1 Thessalonians 5:23
Yesterday we established a definition for Sanctification. We are to strive to separate ourselves from the world around us so that we may have a close relationship with God. Please understand that by separating yourself from the world does not mean to isolate yourself. Jesus was anything but isolated. We are required to live in this world. But, we are not to live of it. Meaning, we must exist in a sinful world, but that does not give us the go ahead to act like the world. This is where we must be salt and light to the world. This is when we, as Christians, must be a beacon of light in the darkness. We are to stand out and stand for the truth that abides in us. I'll post more on living in the world later.
The Scriptural standard of sanctification is expressed in various terms used throughout the New Testament. The following outline some of these terms:
Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
1 Thessalonians 3:13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
1 Timothy 1:5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Philippians 1:10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ
Romans 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Romans 6:2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Romans 6:19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
1 John 3:22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Why is this important? These terms describe the operation of the Holy Spirit through salvation in Christ by which He delivers us from sin's bondage and power (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 6:16), separates us from the sinful practices of this present world (John 17:15-19, Romans 6:13, Galations 5:16), renews our nature according to the image of Christ (John 17:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17), produces in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galations 5:22-23), and enables us to live holy and victorious lives of dedication to God (Romans 6:5, Romans 6:19, Romans 12:1).
So what does this mean to you and to me? These "Bibly" terms do not imply an absolute perfection. But, rather, an ethical righteousness of unblemished character demonstrated in purity, obedience and blamelessness (Philippians 2:14-15, Colossians 1:22, 1 Thessalonians 2:10, Luke 1:6). We as Christians, only by the grace that God has bestowed upon us, have died with Christ and are set free from sin's power and dominion (You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness - Romans 6:18).
This is not our license to sin. But rather we should strive not to sin. Through this we can find adequate victory in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit John tells us that we are able not to sin (My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One - 1 John 2:1; No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him - 1 John 3:6).
We must rely on the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal to us the sins in our lives. From there we are able to repent, turn away from, those sins and ask God for forgiveness. We will never come to the place where we are free from temptation and the possibility of sin, but through the Holy Spirit, we can identify the sin and attempt to avoid it.
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