"This is the will of God, even your sanctification." 1Thessalonians 4:3
It is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me; is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me all that has been made possible by the atonement? Am I willing to let Jesus be made sanctification to me, and to let the life of Jesus be manifested in my mortal flesh?
Beware of saying—Oh, I am longing to be sanctified. You are not, stop longing and make it a matter of transaction—"Nothing in my hands I bring." Receive Jesus Christ to be made sanctification to you in implicit faith, and the great marvel of the atonement of Jesus will be made real in you.
All that Jesus made possible is made mine by the free loving gift of God on the ground of what he performed, my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness), a holiness based on agonizing repentance and a sense of unspeakable shame and degradation; and also on the amazing realization that the love of God commended itself to me in that while I cared nothing about him, he completed everything for my salvation and sanctification. {#Romans 5:8} No wonder Paul says nothing is "able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in him one with God, and it is done only through the superb atonement of Christ. Never put the effect as the cause. The effect in me is obedience and service and prayer, and is the outcome of speechless thanks and adoration for the marvelous sanctification wrought out in me because of the atonement.
These words (from the devotional "My Utmost For His Highest", by Oswald Chambers) sound so much like the messages we've been hearing at Harvest of late. A Gospel-foundation has been faithfully and firmly laid, and thus, the outworking of the Gospel is being made evident in lives!
"Evidence". Our behavior isn't the reason we are righteous. It is evidence of having believed and gratefully accepted the fact that we have been made righteous.
Here is the thing about grace, and churches that "do the hard thing" and preach and teach a pure, New Covenant grace - these churches have the same sin and struggling people that legalistic churches do. But these struggling ones feel safe enough, in an atmosphere of true Gospel, to come out into the light, so that they can be restored. If you have ever "restored" anything, you know it takes time.
Law drives sin underground. Make no mistake. In a law-driven home or church, sin is there. Hidden. Grace will eradicate sin by creating a safe place for people to learn how to live in identification with Righteousness, without fear of being shamed.
Part of restoration is to teach about what sort of life best brings glory to God, for the grace we have been so lavishly given! When someone messed up, Paul put it this way, in the New Covenant:
"You have not so learned Christ..."
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