Sanctification

Reflecting the glory of the Lord
The process of sanctification in a believer is a work of the Holy Spirit that gradually transforms a sinner to increasingly mortify sin and live unto righteousness. It enables the person to participate in and perform good works. While it is primarily a work from God, a believer can and should co-operate in this process. Living the Christian life by obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ is a way that a believer can do this….“If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15 ). Certainly no person can be perfectly sanctified in this life, but progress toward the goal will be evident in a believer’s life. The Bible is full of warnings of things to avoid (Rom 12) and things to do such as love, forgive, serve, give, etc. These Biblical exhortations to good works are sometimes mistakenly thought to be the means to be justified by God. In reality, good works are the fruit of the justification by God that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. This fruit of obedience and good works always flows from faith in Christ. Quite simply, if there is no sanctification in a person’s life, there has been no justification. James explains this very thoroughly in his epistle. In America today there is a concept that is referred to as ‘carnal Christian.’ It refers to a person that claims to be a Christian but has no inclination or desire to be obedient to Christ. This carnal Christian concept is a myth because, while such a person may profess Christianity, he does not possess Christianity…..