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Sanctification, a Continuing Process Infancy passes too quickly into
childhood from the parent’s point-of-view.
Growing out of childhood, however, is more of an exception than the
rule. The body and the mind seem to
develop at a remarkable rate, but wisdom is rare. Why is it so difficult to “get it
together”? Sociologist and Psychologist study
this problem all the time. Is it nature or nurture? More funding, better schools, more tolerance, and better
communications are prescribed as contributors towards the quest for the
normal, adjusted, and happy life.
Keeping busy, but not too busy; being aggressive, but not too
aggressive; being self-confident, but not egotistical are just some of the
recommendations we are encouraged to try.
The goals may vary, but happiness seems to be the primary objective in
this world system and the first priority with most people. God’s purpose for His children is very
different from the popular view. God’s
purpose is achieved through the process of Sanctification. The Purpose of Living The Greek philosopher Epicurus
(342-270 BC.) taught that our life's goal should be to “minimize pain and
maximize pleasure”. In fact, all of our actions
should have that aim, and he wrote: We recognize
pleasure as the first good innate in us, and from pleasure we begin every act
of choice and avoidance, and to pleasure we return again, using the feeling
as the standard by which we judge every good.
[Letter to Menoeceus] In other words, we are told it
makes sense to listen only to our sinful nature. This is the basic philosophy of the world
system. “Live life to the fullest”
they say. Jesus, the Son of God and the
Christ, taught an entirely different philosophy. Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [Matt Endorsing Epicurus’ philosophy
comes naturally, but following Jesus requires the management and control of
The Holy Spirit. The
Spirit Manages Sanctification Learning to follow Jesus is a
process that only The Spirit can implement, which begins after the new birth
and continues “until the day of Christ Jesus” [Phil 1:6]. This teaching of life’s purpose is called
“Sanctification”. After the new birth
the believer is required to live in a state or condition that involves a
continuous series of teaching lessons that are conducted and managed by The
Spirit. This series of
“Sanctification” lessons are both inside and outside of our conscience
awareness. This teaching process is
much like saying the child is now alive and must begin the learning process
found in life. The Spirit led child
will grow towards God’s Purpose [Rom. This particular term, “sanctification”, is not used very often in the Scriptures, but the
implications of growth and the process of developing Faith and growing the
new life in the believer is a major theme throughout the Bible. Feeding the sheep, pruning the vine,
listening to the Shepard are metaphors about growing up in true
righteousness, or sanctification; this process every believer is destined to
experience. Jesus uses this term three
times in His teaching prayer [John This process leads to the
conforming of the believer into the likeness of the Son [Rom. Sanctification and Salvation Have Different
Objectives This term, Sanctification, should
never be confused with or integrated into Salvation. These are two very different subjects. Salvation is the birth and Sanctification
is the growth. Being a newborn infant
is very different from being an adult.
The actions of the child are clearly independent from the event that
is called birth. Likewise, works and
service have nothing to do with the unique event called Salvation. Too often actions like repentance, baptism,
and something called surrender are linked to the event of Salvation when in
actuality these actions occur only in the process of Sanctification. We do not remember our birth nor do we
remember when God chose us to be His child [John Growing In the New Nature From the first moment of the God
given spiritual life, the newly born child is a member of God’s eternal
family. Only God knows when this
moment occurred. We can speculate
about the beginning of the eternal life, but we are told only that The Spirit
gave this life [John 3:6] and we cannot tell where The Spirit comes from or
where The Spirit is going [John 3:8].
It does not matter to us when The Spirit gives life. The significant fact is that only The
Spirit gives life. We are told that
after this gift is given, the recipient of this gift is forever perfect in
God’s sight. A Position Of Perfect Righteousness [ Romans 8: 8:1 So, now there is no condemnation for those
who belong to Christ Jesus. Reprieved … Free at
last … Praise God … He did it all! The
Plan contained the whole process of freeing the elect from the sin debt. God has solved the sin problem by killing
the root of the sin nature with the painful sacrifice of His Holy Son. All who have been given the nature of Christ Jesus are
alive and perfect in Christ Jesus and freed from the control of the dying and
evil sinful nature. This redemptive
act by God is guaranteed in the eternal now, which is in the spiritual
domain, and it is absolutely permanent. Those who belong to Christ Jesus are perfectly
righteous in God’s sight. This miracle has
happened because: To
Be Born Again Means To Be Eternally Alive [Rom. 8:2] 8:2 For the power of the life-giving
Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to
death. The nature of Christ is more powerful
than any power; this creative force created everything. He is life and in Him life is eternal,
[John 1:3, 4]. The nature of Christ is
The Spirit, who is the new spiritual manager of those who are in Christ. The power of sin, which is in all of humankind,
is nothing compared to the power of The Spirit of life, The Christ. The penalty of eternal death has been fully
paid for all who are “in Christ Jesus”, thus
rendering the power of sin impotent.
Now that the sin debt has been paid the next phase of the creative
process can begin, the creation of a family in the image of The Son. This creative act by The Spirit starts with
a totally corrupt spirit that is transformed during the Sanctification
process into the planned image of Christ. The Spirit Gives Peace Included
with His Control [ 8:6 If your sinful nature controls your mind,
there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your
mind, there is life and peace. It says here that the thoughts in our
mind indicate our current condition in the Sanctification process. If the thoughts are consistently leaning
towards the acts of the sinful nature then our spirit may not be right in
God’s sight, and if we are living like those who are still under the penalty of
death then we should question our spiritual condition. This is not necessarily a permanent
condition, but it indicates a current condition. If the thoughts in our mind are predominately
consistent with the Fruit of The Spirit then The Spirit must be working in us
and we are assured of the promised freedom from fear, ignorance, and the
penalty of spiritual death. In Christ,
the spiritual position in God’s sight is permanent and unchangeable. Peace is a clear indication of the
presence of The Spirit. Peace is not
the absence of conflict; it is the presence of God’s Grace. Without peace, there is discontentment,
which is an indicator of a current struggle with the sinful nature. This can be very painful.
If The Spirit is in us then a simple call for help is appropriate and
His peace is not far away. This verse
is a statement of fact; it is not an offer to accept life and peace. A mere human
cannot control the actions of The Spirit.
This statement is describing only two possible conditions about the
control of the mind: the sinful nature’s mind control, or The Spirit’s mind
control. There is, also, a distinction in this
passage between the control of the mind and the existence, and the influence,
of the sinful nature. None of these
passages denies the presence of the sinful nature, but the emphasis is always
about mind and nature control. Notice
how Paul separates the two conditions when he describes the mind being a
slave to “God’s law” and (his) nature being a slave to sin [Rom. The Spirit Disciplines
the New Nature [Rom. Succumbing to the old desires of the
sinful nature causes pain and suffering; and this sinful nature is even the
major cause of our physical death. The
Spirit always controls the residual temptations within a manageable limit [1
Corinthians Remember our initial and inherent
condition is devoid of the Fruit of The Spirit’s attributes. This is not easy to remember because the
residual sinful nature does not want us to remember, and it uses a lot of
clever ways to interfere with The Spirit’s guidance. One common method the sinful nature
uses is a delusion that maintains we are becoming
self-sufficient and we do not need to trust The Spirit as much as once
thought was necessary. The Spirit will
work with us in this type of temptation but we should always be aware The
Spirit is teaching us to live and our sinful nature wants us to die. The Spirit, over time, develops in our
life a hatred of our sins and a love for God’s righteousness. Having God’s desire for the good and right things is
what “having an abundant life” really means.
It is not about more stuff, but it is about more Fruit [Gal.
5:22.23]. There is an overwhelming
developing desire for the right things, and this desire is a gift from God’s
Spirit. The Spirit’s gift of
self-control is very different from the “self-control” depicted by our sinful
nature’s counterfeit that popularized fictions power known as
self-determination. The Spirit’s fruit
of self-control [Gal. The Spirit Give Freedom
From All Anxiety [Rom. The context of this verse is very
important in appreciating what The Spirit is telling us about the workings
inside of the process of Sanctification.
It is important to notice the two previous verses and the next eleven
verses are in the same context as this popular and often misquoted
verse. God does not work everything
out for what we think is good. In
fact, a lot of the Plan is not what we would call “good” at all. The Spirit helps in our suffering, [Rom. All of this control and management is
restricted and limited to those who have been called according to the Plan,
those who are born again. This calling
produces a love for God that is independent from the inherent hate the sinful
nature advances [ Very often this trap of discontentment opens the jaws for all the acts of the
sinful nature to envelop us and cause us pain. Under
The Spirit’s teaching, we really begin to believe this verse is true and then
we begin to understand God’s Ways. If
we are confused about this verse, we need to review the fundamentals. The fundamentals are simply: (1) God
called; (2) The Spirit controls; and (3) It is God’s Will that matters. The thinking about God’s Will, and not
our desires, is at the center of this verse, and this causes much
anxiety. The frequency that God’s Will
is brought up so casually in conversations has turned this important concept
into a trite phrase. This idea of
everything being God’s Will is rarely believed anyway. The phrase, “Its God’s Will”, is thrown out when there are no perceived alternatives
or reason in an expected or unexpected event.
If God’s “Will” were important to us
then we would not make such a big deal about our “responsibility.” This is one of those words used so often as
an imperative in the Christian’s life; it nearly always implies our will is
what really matters. This term is used
repeatedly in most churches today as a call to perform some duty. In Paul’s time this word,
“responsibility,” was used rarely and never by Paul. In the Scriptural and spiritual sense this
word refers to the condition of being clean or righteous, which has an
entirely different connotation from today’s usage. The God given nature from the Spirit is by
definition clean and righteous, therefore, everyone who is “in Christ” is
responsible, in the Biblical sense. The
“in Christ” nature becomes like Christ [Romans This definition of responsibility is so
very different from the way it is used by motivational speakers who are
referring to a need to do some good works in order to qualify for a
reward. A more correct word relating
to the measuring of our works or actions is accountability [Rom. Using the term “responsibility” in the
colloquial sense is suspiciously like an effort to motivate Christians and
may, also, indicate a misunderstanding about Grace and God’s Sovereignty [Romans
9:12]. Alternatively, it may indicate
the speaker is trying to motivate his listeners for selfish purposes. In any case, the popular emphasis
surrounding this responsibility objective creates a lot of useless anxiety
and guilt. It is God’s Spirit who is
always controlling “responsibility”, accounting for
all obedience and disobedience, and managing Sanctification. Learning about how God trains us in this
new life with the use of blessings and the applications of pain is part of
the growing up in this new freedom.
Externally forced guilt on the part of some motivational speaker will
never replace or compare to the internal guidance of The Spirit. We need to understand that God has set
us free from fear, ignorance, and the power of sin, but He also holds us
accountable, in those times we wander out of His boundaries, because of the
influence of our sinful nature. Our
trial and error excursions are used by Him as part of our training; the
painful part. Studying and becoming
aware of God’s Ways are so important in learning and enjoying the blessings
found only in His new freedom. Growing
As The Spirit’s Slave One of the remarkable things about
Sanctification is the amount of control and pressure, directly and
indirectly, The Spirit exerts on the believer. The Spirit individually directs and very patiently guides in the entire lesson developed during the
Sanctification process. A close
examination of the past lessons teach us about the direction the Spirit is
taking us in His persistent way, and how irrelevant our personal plans and
desires are in His lesson plan. The Spirit Compels Action [1 Corinthians The recognition that The Spirit is
compelling us to do His will at the expense of our own plans is an indication
the lessons are resulting in some spiritual growth. Everyday is a witness to His work, and His
Will is orchestrated in such a way that we learn to rejoice [Ps. 118:23, 24]
in what He is doing. It is so easy to
be distracted by the traps of the sinful nature that we tend to forget to
thank Him for all that He is doing. The idea that God is compelling us is
troubling to many. Out sinful nature
is constantly telling us that we are in control and that we should plan, set
goals, and that God would not compel anyone. After
all, God gave us free will, they say, so we can be responsible for our
lives. Those who are still advocating
this misleading doctrine are missing some very important lessons about how
God works. Avoiding a close
examination of the Scriptures, formulating various arguments, and creating
sarcasm about how we are not “robots” is being disrespectful of The Spirit’s
work. We should not be listening to,
or be troubled by, such deceptions and avoidance of the truth. God’s Way Requires Strict Training [1
Corinthians The training of animals is a good
analogy about how God trains us. No
one thinks that a highly trained horse or dog is a “robot”. Animal trainers use similar techniques that
The Spirit employs. Animal trainers
teach who is in control. The animal
being trained learns what pleases the Master and what does not. The animal is taught how to use its natural
strengths and how to deal with its weaknesses. The animal soon learns that some disobedient
actions result in its pain --- and how its obedient actions result in rewards. Eventually, the animal learns that being
compelled is not such a bad thing; progressively, it is discovered that such
compelled habits are enjoyable. We are very much like animals; in
fact, God calls us sheep. This is not
an insult, but it is a lesson. We are
to think of Him as our Shepherd, be honored by His training techniques. The Spirit Dictates the Right Thing Our sinful nature tells us this
compelling training technique is not always fair; as
evidenced, when we complain about how we seem to be compelled more than others
are, when we view this from a personal perspective. The subject of “rights” starts to enter
into the discussion. As if, our
“rights” have anything to do with anything.
This insertion is usually for creating some emotional reaction that
avoids rational thought and tends to initiate discontentment. The world system and religion spend a lot
of time talking about the “rights” of the individual. The Scriptures are very radical on this
subject: [Matt. 5:3; A soldier makes more
money than a plowman. A novelist usually
makes more money than a historian. A pro-golfer may be paid more than
a heart surgeon. The rules of this system are
variable and dependent, often upon the fickle judgment of the media and/or
the populous, but there are always exceptions and there are ways you can beat
the rules, according to the big buck consultants, if you “think” positive,
plan, and prepare. If you are careful,
work hard, have the right skills, and with a little “luck”
anyone can reach their goals. The
definition of your goal is critical, they say. The plowman only hoped for a piece of the
harvest, while the soldier was looking towards a Roman citizenship. The Spirit Carefully Implements the Training God’s Way is not the world’s
way. God’s Plan is absolute and
unchangeable. Keeping in step with The
Spirit [Galatians May my meditation be
pleasing to Him, As
I rejoice in the Lord. [Ps. 104:34] We are told how this “keeping in step” is
accomplished. Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training [1 Corinthians The process of Sanctification
requires a lot of training. The
methods the Spirit uses are individualized yet they are generally similar to
the training of an athlete or a racehorse.
Procedures like the routine exercises, the practice of basic
techniques, the review of past performance, and lots of competitive efforts
are typical in a training program. The
consistent thing about the training is that it is not easy and there is a lot
of pain. The training is most intense just before a
competition. The achievement awards
are given only after all the games have ended and never during practice. There are periods of rest and
reflection occasionally for concentrating on the purpose [Romans All The Lessons Are Necessary Remembering and keeping hold of the
deep truths of the Faith with a clear conscience, [1Timothy 3:9] is necessary
to break free from the delusions and deceptions of this
world. “No discipline seems pleasant
at the time, but painful.... It
produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained
by it” [Galatians It is well worth the effort to
write down our basic beliefs, read these words frequently, and modify these
words as The Spirit leads. Develop a
critical view of all interpretations and doctrines. Always compare the Scriptures against any
popular avocation or claimed principle.
Being led by The Spirit to teach the knowledge of truth and to grow
our Faith in love for others [2 Peter 1:5-7] is essential. The development of God’s given love in our
lives is the objective of all this discipline. Learning through discipline and performing
in the competition of this life is only a part of God’s plan and purpose for
our lives. A good slave learns about having
the proper attitude towards the Master.
We are taught, as God’s slaves, to honor and respect the eternal
principles. For example, we learn not
to judge and criticize His Ways. We
learn that we cannot begin to understand the reasons why God acts the way He
does. It is wrong to react negatively
towards any thing that appears to us to be unfair or unjust without first
considering that God has promised He is working this thing out for some good
[Rom. 8:28]. Since we cannot see into
the future, we cannot judge anything accurately. Learning to accept the
insignificant tasks with grace and even with enthusiasm is the expected behavior
for one of God’s slaves. As slaves, we
have to learn that the little things are important if the Master has asked
for them. The tendency to seek the
limelight is part of the sinful nature’s delusion about
self-importance and inherent rights.
“No servant is greater than His master …” [John The subject of humility is often
broached in God’s Word. The only
significant thing in life is learning humility in the presence of God’s
Will. There is nothing more useful in
teaching humility than doing apparently small and insignificant tasks. There is potentially great harm that can
come to the soul in achieving highly esteemed goals if a well-developed level
of humility has not been acquired.
Learning to accept the fact that God is in Control and that He has a
specific plan for each of His children’s lives makes the whole idea of being
a slave much more palatable. Being a slave literally means we
are taught by the Master about how we need to grow our discipline,
compassion, conformance, humility, and thanksgiving all at the same
time. Sometimes the learning is fun,
sometimes boring, and sometimes painful, but always the Spirit’s training is
necessary. Growing In Obedience Philippians 2:13 For God is at work within you, helping you
want to obey Him, and then helping you do what He wants. Very much like physical growth,
spiritual growth is internal and very personal. It usually goes unnoticed until some change
in our lifestyle or attitude can be measured.
Sometimes there are aches and pains, appearing to be unrelated, at the
time, to anything that might be called significant. Our struggles with our sinful nature are
often deemed insignificant or ignored, which includes a painful battle about
control, and is initially misinterpreted.
It may occur when subjects like “rights,” “independence,” and
“justice” are discussed. Our sinful
nature will argue that we have inherent powers to decide such matters and,
therefore, nothing should interfere with our personal space. Often such an attitude as this will lead to
a painful confrontation with the truth.
This very natural reaction leads to the rebelling against various
prohibitive commands or principles. We
like to assume our reactions are permissible acts because we want to maintain
control. Our error in judgment leads
us into some sort of pain. The lessons
learned from this pain can then be applied to the gaining of a more realistic
attitude regarding the subject of obedience.
Next time, we will want to obey. The Spirit Conforms the Born Again to God’s
Plan The process of growing almost
always is accompanied by pain or some kind.
Since, God is working – growth and change is a creative and developing
process. We find ourselves being
changed beyond our control. Adjustment
to the way things are instead of the way we would like them to be is, at
least, uncomfortable. The control of
the process by The Spirit is promised to be for our good. When the sinful nature is battling for
dominance, there is always pain. When
The Spirit is leading us to higher ground, there is pain. Obedience, voluntarily or involuntarily,
will be the results. The process can
lead to more pain or a blessing when we conform. We abide in a state where we are only
partially aware of our progress in the conforming process. The Spirit is in control is the way to run
in this race and in the way we are being conformed, and always, the Fruit of
The Spirit is the prize. Those who advocate
self-determination are often heard quoting the prior verse [Philippians The failure to examine or even
mention this quoted verse without its context tends to indicate a
misunderstanding about the whole subject of Sanctification. Sanctification is not about trying harder
--- it is all about God working on our attitude. The God developed attitude eventually
produces the same attitude of Christ Jesus [Philippians 2:5-8], who took the
very nature of a servant [Philippians 2:7]; He humbled Himself and became
obedient to death [Philippians 2:8].
Sanctification is the opposite of becoming willfully stronger in a
“free will” sense. Sanctification is
becoming conformed to the image of Christ [Romans The World System Believes Obedience Is The
Goal The self-determinist strongly
advocates that our purpose in this life is to take hold of our wills and
solve our own problems. “God helps
those who help themselves,” they often say.
This can be done, they tell us, by banding together and sharing
positive thoughts. Be a “uniter” not a divider.
Building a unified effort is our best hope in defeating the evil that
is in this world. This sharing and
working together will grow self-esteem.
This approach has been described as a dialectical ladder by which
humans can climb with ease up to the heaven of self-satisfaction. All of this self-generated positive
thinking is truly reminiscent of those arrogant people long ago who thought
that by building a tower high enough they could reach to the heavens [Genesis
11:4]. The Spirit Changes The Attitude Before
Obedience Is Realized God’s work, through His Spirit, is
always according to His Plan. The
Spirit is working on our attitude, which is inherently disobedient, but our
new attitude is learning how to please Him.
This process seems to wander around in a wilderness of confusion and
contradictions most of the time and for a long time. Our sinful nature is continuously telling
us to take the world’s “proven” path, which seems so appealing and
logical. However, The Spirit is
compelling us to forget our own desires and follow His leading and His
wants. The resulting change in attitude is
usually not even noticed while it is taking place. Over time, we begin to see evidence of the
changes and wonder how could we have been so blind? All those things we once thought were such
insurmountable problems become forgotten trivia. We begin to realize that He is really
working it all out for our good, if we are called according to His purpose
[Rom. Growing in Joy Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the
Lord always”. Joy Is Erroneously Confused With Happiness Joy and happiness are often
confused as being related in some way.
Joy is a soul thing. Happiness
is an emotional thing. These are two
very different things. Happiness does
not produce Joy. Joy is eternal. Happiness is very temporal. Joy is a gift from the Spirit. Happiness is usually a delusion. Happiness can come because of God’s
blessing, but even this is short lived.
Joy can be the source of some happiness. Joy is also present in the mist of trouble
and pain. Joy is associated with God’s
presence. Happiness is generally
associated with selfishness. The very definition of happiness
causes confusion. The definition of
happiness in this world is nebulous and relative to the attitude of the person
at a particular time. “Get happy”, they say. The world system irrationally focuses on the attainment
of happiness and the Scriptures rarely even mention the subject. God’s Word focuses on peace and joy, which
are found in a life that is full of obedience as a product of God’s Plan. Being led by the Spirit produces joy. This joy is only found inside of God’s
Will, which is the source of righteousness or holiness. Therefore, we are called to be holy and not
happy in the popular sense of the term. As we develop, we move towards a
specially prepared place in the wilderness of this world, a place where we
begin to believe that God is Sovereign, and then we can see there is good
reason to rejoice. This place in the
wilderness is not achieved by our determination and by the use of “smart”
tools and techniques. The help and
encouragement of God’s very patient hand causes us to reach this place where
we can truly rejoice. The ability to
rejoice in times of troubles is an indicator that God’s work has developed
our Faith to a condition of real awareness of His Grace. As we become more aware of what God is
doing, we become ready to please Him in any way we can [2 Corinthians 5:9]. Joy Is A Product Of Spiritual Growth Joy is a product produced only by
The Spirit [John Joy Is Independent from Blessings Another area that is often confused
is the state of joy and a time of blessing.
Joy is a blessing, but a blessing may not necessarily be considered
joyous. The old Hebrew word for
blessing, Bārak, can mean to receive or
give praise or it can also mean to be cursed.
It can have another meaning, which is to bend down, kneel, and have
God’s foot to rest on your neck. There
is another word used for blessing, ‘ašaēy,
which could mean happiness or to be spoken well of. The context is very important in how the
various forms of these words are used.
In English, the definition also varies. The word to bless can imply God has
conferred prosperity or the present circumstances are pleasing and full of
contentment. Or,
God is working towards the solution of a problem. These circumstances may or may not bring a
joyous feeling. Since, only The Spirit
gives joy --- this gift, then, is independent of the circumstances. While, a blessing is relative to the
current set of circumstances, which we might at the time not call a
blessing. It is often heard in
Christian circles, “I have lost my joy.”
This comment is a misrepresentation of the Spiritual gift of Joy. The message conferred by such a comment usually
means this person is feeling a sense of discontentment. This, of course, is a trap of the sinful
nature, and it should be treated as such.
These types of feelings are very
common and should provoke an examination into, “What is The Spirit
telling me?” A prayerful inquiry into
this feeling or that should focus on recent thoughts and actions. Such an examination usually yields an
example of a lesson that was not completely learned. Joy is not something that can be lost. Although, it can be covered over by sin. Joy Is Dependent Upon Obedience Rejoicing in the Lord is rejoicing
inside of His Will. There is no
feeling of joy in the midst of disobedience.
Obedience is an absolute necessity in order to have the awareness of
joy. We never lose joy, if we have the
indwelling Spirit. We become unaware
of The Spirit’s presence in our rebellions, and we always feel joyous when we
repent and become His slave again. The
acknowledgment of joy is dependent upon obeying the Spirit’s leading, and
feeling joy is independent of happiness and our perceived blessings. Growing in Hardships Hebrews 4:4:32 Remember those
earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in
a great contest in the face of suffering. Remembering the Past Hardships Facilitates
the Growing Process Sanctification includes a lot of
remembering. The way we use to be, the
things we regret, the things we have learned, and the way we were
taught. The remembering develops further
growth. Making comparisons is a basic
way we learn. Comparing the earlier
days of Faith with the current times helps us to measure the amount and the
rate of growth. Remembering how the
light of truth became a reality in our minds.
This was very much like seeing a sunrise and realizing it was
happening without any personal intervention or choice. Remembering how the questions and the cruel
ridicule came from those who demanded logic and proofs for this new
Faith. Remembering how everything
began to change, the old things have lost their appeal and a new desire to
learn of God’s Ways has developed. Lessons Changes Our Attitude We should think about how old
attitudes began to cause pain and obedience began to give a previously
unknown peace. A new awareness of
God’s Power began to develop in this new life and a confidence in God’s
promises that could not be shaken by confrontation. These changes in attitude and
interrelationships with others also began to cause problems and hardships in
everyday living that were new and puzzling.
The discovery that the new life
given by The Spirit is not automatically peaceful and joyous is often a
surprise to the new believer.
Comparing the changes in the new spiritual life to the experiences in
the physical life is helpful in understanding God’s Ways. Learning to walk is not easy; it requires
many attempts and lots of falls, which can cause bruises and pains. The young child makes many strange sounds before words
are formed and comprehensive verbalization is finally accomplished. All learning in this life requires effort,
discipline, and pain to develop competency. Living by Faith is directly
comparable to this life process. The
Spirit is constantly teaching and His methods are very similar to the
techniques we have become accustomed to in the learning process of this
life. The Sinful Nature’s Response Pain and suffering should not
really be a surprise in the spiritual development of Faith. In fact, the internal battle with our
sinful nature generates a very painful response. We want something, or we think we want
something, and then the Spirit tells us no!
His admonition is re-enforced with pain of some kind. The more we want the greater the pain. When we finally understand this
particular “want” is wrong, then the pain stops. Since,
our original nature is so corrupted it takes a lot of painful learning to
change. This type of learning is
harsh, but it is necessary to defeat the sinful nature. Another type of learning is the
compiled studying of God’s Word, which after a period of practice becomes a
pleasure and not a pain. The Spirit
teaches us that growing up in the Faith is much like preparing for an
athletic event. The Scriptures make
this growth process directly comparable to running a race [1 Corinthians The Spirit is very efficient in
teaching us discipline. This
discipline is taught at a rate that is just right for us as individuals. Then we are grown to a point where the
running becomes a part of the new nature, but all of this conditioning takes
time and lots of pain. Growth Is Compulsory One of the things we learn in our
new nature development is that The Spirit works His Way and we cannot hurry,
change, or impede The Spirit’s training schedule. We learn that obedience is the first
objective. Our understanding of the
meaning of this objective develops as a part of the training. We find that some of those things we once
thought were “right” are not in our best interest. These things are often rituals that are
taught to us by the world system. We find the old habits we were so
comfortable with must go away in order to produce healthy growth. Our old life style begins to disappear in spite of our
efforts to maintain the status quo, and we begin to feel a security in this
new life that was previously unknown.
We begin to see the wisdom in just following the Shepherd and
forgetting about those self-deterministic doctrines, we had been taught in
our earlier years. We begin to see
that The Spirit’s lesson plan is very natural, and it is individualized,
working all things for our good [Rom. The Sinful Nature’s Resistance There are those who disbelieve that
harsh discipline is necessary. They
tend to believe that they are in control of their life and that by exerting
their own will they can gain the obedience needed to achieve righteousness. A large philosophical movement advocates that it is wise
to minimize pain and maximize pleasure.
There are so called Christian scribers who endorse this
philosophy. They maintain that God
wants everyone to be happy. They
portray pain as something the devil administers and the solution is to “take
hold” of our life and “resist the devil.”
This precept of self-determinism has become a cult form, and it is
found particularly in the mega church fad.
The theme that is taught in this
world comes down to the simple-minded conclusion that the individual is
responsible for finding personal happiness and defeating the internal “demons.” The method prescribed for this feat is to
join and support, mostly monetarily, the mega church or the author of the
self-help book. After all, they claim
everyone is a “free” moral agent who is responsible for his or her destiny.
If anybody believes that discipline
is purely self-inflicted then we should consider what the Scriptures say
about this attitude, “If you are not disciplined then you are
illegitimate children” [Heb. 12:7].
This passage also says, “The Lord disciplines those He loves, and
He punishes everyone He accepts as sons” [12:6]. A life of effort, discipline, and pain is
necessary in order to conform us into the likeness of His Son [Heb. Summary – Sanctification Is
Necessary [James 1:1-4] Life Is Like A Pilgrimage Therefore, Sanctification is like a
pilgrimage where a detailed travel record log is kept. The trip always starts from total
corruption. The path towards the
joyous life is narrow and uniquely different for every traveler. The road is rough and bumpy. The weather is always threatening; with
maybe, some short periods of clear skies and maybe some rest stops are
included. Every turn brings a new
lesson about the past and an encouragement about the future. The steep hills are not necessarily
followed by an easy grade. We are
given almost no information about the road ahead, only about the City at the
end of this road. The Spirit Navigates Our Journey At times, we feel alone, but then
we are given the assurance we are not alone; we have a guide who keeps us on
the road no matter how dark it seems to be.
Our guide, also, gives us a view of others who are traveling their own
road, as an encouragement. Although
this trek becomes more difficult the longer we travel, the trip seems to
become easier to negotiate. The lessons become more difficult,
and yet they seem to be easier to understand.
Just following becomes more natural than the old aspiring use to
be. There is a growing peace and a joy
that is developing as we proceed. The
moment becomes more precious than any future dream. We are different from when we first
began. This change is the reason for
this pilgrimage. The change is the
reason for this life. The change is
the purpose in living. The Spirit’s Joy Makes It All Bearable Learning to appreciate the abiding
joy alongside the hardships is also a natural part of the Sanctification
process [James 1:1-4]. These times of
hardships contribute to a strict training schedule much like the games of
competition or the running of a race, which measures the current skill level
and ignores the past failures. We should examine ourselves and test
our Faith [2 Corinthians 13:5]. We
will always find in any true examination that we need more training and that
God is being very patient with us. The understanding
that this training is a process that God is managing for our good through His
Spirit is an encouragement. This
training and the resulting growth in Faith is our purpose in this life [Rom.
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