Devotionary

Be holy! You won’t find two other words like these that are as capable of striking fear into the life of a Christian. Whether you read them in Leviticus 11:44-45 or 1 Peter 1:14-16, they carry the same weight and produce the same impact. In either case, God is calling His people to be holy, as He is holy. That’s a seriously lofty standard that would leave anyone questioning the sanity behind the command and the viability of anyone ever pulling it off. And yet, both the Old and New Testaments call us to be holy. So, what exactly is God’s expectation of us? Is He demanding that we become what we are not, or is He encouraging us to live as who we already are? The doctrine of sanctification has gotten a bad rap because too often we assume that our spiritual growth is up to us. God saved us, but we somehow have to perfect ourselves. But nothing could be further from the truth.      

“He looks just like you!” How many times has a father heard that said of one is own children and felt his chest fill with pride? And God, our Heavenly Father is no different. He receives great joy when His children reflect His character and live out their lives in such a way that they bear His divine image. And in 2 Peter 1:3-4, the apostle reminds us that God has provided us with everything we need to do just that. We share His divine nature. We have His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, and the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. So, we have no excuse if we fail to live godly lives. God has set us apart as His own, provided us with the power to live holy lives, and assigned us the task to bear His image in a world mired in and marred by sin. Adam and Eve lost their image-bearing capacity when they sinned. But, because of our faith in Christ,  we are able to reflect His glory because we share His divine nature.

God has deemed us holy, because of the righteousness we have received from Christ. Then why does the author of Hebrews tell us to “strive…for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord”? Are we holy or not? Have we already been sanctified or is it something we are to pursue? The answer is, “Yes.” As we saw in yesterday’s episode, we have been and are being sanctified. And in Hebrews 12:14-17, we discover that God expects us to strive to live a life of holiness. We are not to rest on our laurels or bask in the joy of our status as God’s child. We are holy, because God has deemed us so. And He has made a life of holiness possible because He has placed His Holy Spirit within us. Not only do we enjoy our status as God’s set-apart ones, we rely upon the power He has made available to us, so that we might live with holiness as our constant obsession.   

Past, present, future. When it comes to your sanctification, which is it? According to 1 Corinthians 1:2, your sanctification is a past-tense reality. But that’s not Paul’s final word on the topic. It seems that the doctrine of sanctification can’t be relegated to the past, present, or future. It is ongoing. In one sense, we have been sanctified. Yet, we are also in the process of being sanctified. And, one day, we will stand before God as completely and finally sanctified. But the one reality most Christians seem to overlook is their status as having been sanctified or set apart by God at the point of their salvation. He has deemed them holy and, rather than seeing them as sinners, He views them as saints. And it is that unbelievable reality that should prompt us to live lives that are in keeping with our new identity in Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, the apostle Paul reminds his readers of their privileged position as God’s chosen people, but he also reminds them that it had nothing to do with them. In other words, God had not chosen them because they deserved it. They had not earned His favor or worked their way into His good graces. Paul describes them as having been weak, foolish, low, and despised. It was because of Christ that they had access into God’s presence. Their faith in Christ was the sole reason they enjoyed a right standing with God. There was no reason for them to boast in their own merit. Their right to come into God’s presence was because they had received the righteousness of Christ.

Salvation is intended to be simple, so that anyone might understand it and enjoy the incredible benefits that come with it. As we’ll see in today’s episode, when the Philippian jailer asked Paul what he must do to be saved, Paul simply stated, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” It doesn’t get any simpler than that. But we would be wrong to think that the Gospel message is simplistic or uncomplicated. Because, while salvation only required belief on the jailer’s part, there was far more involved behind the scenes to make his belief possible and effectual. Salvation is a miracle of God. And without His plan for it and His Son’s obedient role in it, the Philippians jailer would have had no hope of salvation.

As we’ve stated before, sanctification is often described as the process of a believer increasing in Christlikeness. As they mature in their faith, they take on the character of Christ. They begin to act and think like Him. But one of the unique things about the doctrine of sanctification is that Jesus is described as having been sanctified or consecrated by God. So, was Jesus incomplete in some way? Was He in the process of maturing or growing in godliness? No, Jesus was 100 percent God from the moment He took on human flesh – even as an infant. Yet He was sanctified or set apart by God for a purpose. He was sent by God with a specific task to complete and He lived up to his God-ordained mission.

For many of us, the doctrine of sanctification is all about movement or progress. We tend to think of it as a process that requires us to move from spiritual infancy to adulthood. We even refer to it as growing in “Christlikeness” or “spiritual maturity.” And it’s not that those designations are wrong. It’s that they are incomplete or insufficient. Sanctification is a much deeper, richer doctrine than most of us realize and, whether we recognize it or not, it is faith-based just like salvation. We have been set apart by God as His own and while we are expected to live in that reality, God does not demand or expect us to achieve holiness on our own. In fact, He tells us to be holy, not become holy. Why? Because He already sees us as holy.

One of the many problems facing mankind since the fall has been our insatiable desire for glory. Because we were made in God’s image and were intended to reflect His glory, we ended up becoming glory grabbers. In a sense, we chose to make ourselves like God. In fact, that’s exactly what Satan said would happen if Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit – “you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” And ever since, mankind has been trying to play god. But the only problem is, God will not share His glory with anyone. And the doctrine of sanctification does not suggest that sinful man can become like God. It teaches that, because of Christ, we can once again do what we were created to do: Reflect the glory of God.

Man was made in the image of God, but something happened that changed all that. And it was sin. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the one tree in the garden He had made off-limits. And their decision to eat the forbidden fruit proved to be a life-changing one. While Satan had promised that, by eating the fruit, their eyes would be opened, they actually experienced a blurring of their spiritual vision. Yes, they now had the capacity to know good and evil, but they couldn’t tell the difference. They went from living in the light of God’s glory to wandering around in the darkness of sin. Which is why God sent the final Adam, Jesus Christ, to bring the light of God’s glory back to earth and restore sinful men and women to their former status as God’s image bearers.     

Everybody is familiar with the story of Adam and Eve. But even some Christians don’t know that Adam was the first model off the assembly line. But, unlike many prototypes, Adam was made without a single flaw, because he was made by God. Even God deemed His creation, “very good!” But something happened. That Adam 1.0 model failed to live up to its creator’s expectations. He developed a glitch in his software. It began with Eve, the female version of this unique species. Made in the image of God, these two chose to disobey Him. In other words, they sinned, and it resulted in their expulsion from the garden and away from God’s presence. But while Adam’s system glitch was passed on to his successors, God introduced Adam 2.0, a totally new model, with the intent of eliminating the problem that plagued the original.  

We all want to make a difference in this life. It’s hardwired into us. In fact, most of us long for a sense of accomplishment and hate the idea of living our life with nothing to show for it when we’re done. And, that sense of impact and influence should be especially true for those who claim to be followers of Christ. We are to live with a sense of purpose and with a desire to leave a positive impression on those with whom we live and interact in this life. Just as Jesus did when He walked this earth. Jesus was an influencer. He made a difference. His life left an impression on everyone He met. And, as His followers, we are to do the same. But to make an impact in this life, we have to model our lives after His, seeking to bear the image of God to those who need to experience the love of God.   

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. And the apostle Paul would say that the imitation of Christ is the greatest form of sanctification. To be like Christ was his greatest desire and his life’s passion. He was so confident in his determination to follow Christ’s example, that he confidently challenged others to step in line behind him. He was not afraid to offer himself as a reliable role model for Christlike behavior. But the secret to Paul’s confidence was his unwavering determination to follow the example of Jesus Himself. Paul lived in lockstep with His Savior, doing everything he could to follow in His footsteps and model not only His behavior but His perspective on life. Paul wasn’t bragging when he said, “Imitate me,” he was simply inviting others to join him in his imitation of Christ.  

What does the creation account have to do with the doctrine of sanctification? Everything. In the beginning, God created the first man and woman – in His image. As the pinnacle of God’s creation, they were meant to reflect His glory. And for a short time, they did. In fact, immediately after making man God deemed His creation “very good.” He was satisfied with all that He had made. But something happened. The image bearers disobeyed the one whose image they bore. And their sin replaced the blessing of reflecting the image of God with the curse of being cast from His presence. Like the moon passing behind the earth and losing its access to the light of the sun, Adam and Eve lost their image-bearing capacity. But God sent another Adam to set things right. 

With today’s episode, we’ll be taking a detour from our normal approach of unpacking entire books of the Bible, verse-by-verse. Instead, this will be a topical study on a singular issue that will explore various passages of Scripture from both the Old and New Testaments. The topic I have chosen to explore is sanctification. While the word may be unfamiliar to you, the topic won’t be, especially if you are a follower of Christ. All of us, regardless of whatever Christian denomination or church we grew up in or currently align ourselves with, will have a perspective on this critical topic. At its most basic, sanctification has to do with the spiritual growth or ongoing maturity of the believer. But as we will see, there is far more to this word than we might imagine. And we will be unpacking its rich and significant meaning in the weeks ahead.

Mankind was made to bring glory to God. But the fall threw a wrench into that plan, placing mankind under a curse and incapable of glorifying God in any way whatsoever. So, God raised up a people, the nation of Israel, and set them apart as His own. They were to have been His royal priesthood, a holy nation who represented Him on this earth and whose lives were intended to reveal the glory of God as they lived in submission to His will and in obedience to His law. But they failed to live up to their calling. In fact, they proved to be just as wicked, stubborn, and rebellious as the rest of the world. And in Isaiah 66:15-24, the prophet of God wraps up his book by revealing a future day when God’s people finally do what they had been set apart to do: Bring Him glory. They will declare His glory, through their actions and their words. The chosen people of God will finally accomplish the will of God by declaring the glory of God with their lives. And the entire world will sit up and take notice. Psalm 19:1 says

Everyone enjoys rejoicing. We like to celebrate, whether it’s someone’s birthday, a victory by our favorite team, the marriage of a friend, or the achievement of some life milestone. But the thought of rejoicing without a tangible reason to do so sounds crazy. It makes no sense. And yet, in Isaiah 66:7-14, the prophet calls on the people of Judah to rejoice – even though their present circumstances were far from rejoicing-worthy. They were facing the judgment of God in the form of the Babylonian empire. Their destruction was eminent, and their future looked far-from-appealing. But here was God’s prophet telling them to “rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her.” They must have thought he was crazy. Somewhere along the way, he had lost his mind. Or had he? Isaiah was speaking on behalf of God, revealing to the nation of Judah the plans He had in store for them. And while the majority of those plans would not take place in their lifetimes, the people of Judah were still expected to rejoice in all that God w

God hates pride because pride is a form of self-glorification. It is an unhealthy and undeserved glory in one’s own worth or accomplishments. And God, as the Bible reminds us, is a jealous God who will not share His glory with anyone or anything. In Isaiah 66:1-6, we’re going to see that God will not even share His glory with the temple, which had been built by Solomon to contain His glory. The people of Judah had missed the point behind the temple and the sacrificial system and ended up putting far more value in the rituals and rites of their religion than they did in God Himself. And they wrongly believed that as long as the temple of God stood in Jerusalem, they had the approval of God. After all, it was His house, and His shekinah glory hovered over the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. His presence was a permanent fixture among them as long as the temple stood in Jerusalem. But they were about to learn a very painful lesson. There was no place for pride among the people of God. And neither the temple or

When God made the universe and all it contains, He repeatedly stated, “It is good.” At each phase of the creative process, He deemed all that He created as worthy of His seal of approval. That included the sun, moon, planets and stars, as well as all the plants and animals. And the crowning achievement of His creation was man, whom He made in His own image. All was good. All was unblemished and without any kind of flaw. Then, sin entered the scene, and everything changed. The sin of Adam and Eve put mankind and the rest of God’s creation under a curse. And it has been that way ever since. But the day is coming when God will make all things new, and in Isaiah 65:17-25, God presents a picture of what that marvelous day will look like. God is going to redeem and restore His wayward people, but He is also going to remake the heavens and the earth. He is even going to create a new and much-improved city of Jerusalem, where He and His Son will dwell among men. It will be a place marked by perfect righteousness and

The Old Testament talks a lot about the concept of the remnant. And we see it demonstrated time and time again in the history of the Israelites, as God sovereignly spares a small number of His chosen people in order to keep the nation alive. When they deserved to be destroyed because of their unfaithfulness and unrepentant sin, God preserved a remnant, in order that He might keep the covenant promise He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And in Isaiah 65:8-16, God reveals that there is yet another remnant He is going to spare and, this time, because they had remained faithful to Him while all their friends and neighbors had turned to false gods. This faithful few had stood against the rising tide of disobedience that had flooded the nation of Judah. And God was going to reward them for their courage and tenacity in the face of overwhelming pressure to capitulate and compromise. And, as we will see, God also has plans for another remnant of His chosen people, a group who will one day witness the restoratio