10 March 2008

Now, But Not Yet

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Now, but not yet. I found much comfort in these three words last week as I vented to one of my dear friends about my frustration in my desire to have a Christlike attitude and my consistent failure to do so. She said this, "We are called to be holy...but are still in the process of sanctification. We have experienced the sweet communion with our Lord Jesus, and yet we still live in these sinful bodies which separate us somewhat and temporarily from Him."

I wanted to look more into what "sanctification" actually means, and this is what I found:

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7:

3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
"Sanctification" means “to set apart, consecrate, dedicate, sanctify.” Based on the New Testament, there are three phases of sanctification:

1. Positional or past - a position of being set apart to God in Christ, which every believer has at the moment of his salvation
*1 Corinthians 6:11 - And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God.

2. Progressive or present - a progressive growth in holiness of life that ought to be true of every believer
*see above: 1 Thessalonians 4:3

3. Prospective - ultimate or future - the believer’s future condition in heaven, when believers will be “without blame”
*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.
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I often find myself frustrated in my short comings and falling short. Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (All have sinned...believers and nonbelievers both.) But... (Romans 5:1-2): 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Despite my sins, my relationship with Christ makes me justified. When God looks at me, He sees Christ! And this is where I find my hope, this is why I rejoice in the glory of God.

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