Life can be tough, unfair and sometimes even ugly. The question is: How do we handle it? God empowers us to stay faithful to His will (Hebrews 13:20–21), and He wants to work purity through sanctification within us, so that the ugly things of this life won’t corrupt us. God wants to transform us into the image of His Son who overcame the world—and He can use the difficult times to do so! The God of peace works sanctification in us to make us complete in Christ. And sanctification brings forth peace.
‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24
Peace and Sanctification
Sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming pure and blameless in His sight, a renewing of our minds and hearts to conform to Christ and God’s will (Romans 8:29; 12:2). Sanctification is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and without it no one will see Him (Hebrews 12:14). God is holy and His people are to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). Purity of heart and conduct are vital for a relationship with a holy God (Matthew 5:8). The promise of God is that He, the God of peace, will Himself sanctify us—body, soul and spirit. Sanctification is God’s work in us. Just as the God of peace empowers us to do His will, so He also sanctifies us to live for His glory. Through sanctification He will preserve us blameless—He is faithful to do it! God is, indeed, able to keep us from stumbling and present us faultless at Judgment Day (Jude 24–25). The Judge is also the Saviour and Sanctifier. His work at the cross has set us apart and sanctified us; we were made perfect in God’s sight by the perfect sacrifice of the sinless Saviour, and are being sanctified by Him (Hebrews 10:14). Christ died for us; God is for us! Sanctification is God’s work for us and God’s work in us.
Our calling is to be holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4), shining as lights in the midst of corruption and sin (Philippians 2:15). We can do so by holding on to the Word of Life (v 15), the lamp unto our feet and light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). No matter how dark the world around us gets, we are to ‘arise and shine’ as God’s glory arises over us (Isaiah 60:1–2). Don’t focus on the darkness; let your light shine instead—by good works for His glory (Matthew 5:16). Light expels darkness. God is light and there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). Christ is the Light of the world (John 8:12). He is the Word that became flesh and in Him was life and that divine life is the light unto all humanity (John 1:4). God’s light of truth and holiness shines stronger than any darkness of sin and deception. His light gives us peace and enlightens us. We no longer have to stumble in darkness. Living in the light as He is in the light gives us peace and clarity. His light shining in the shawods and darkness directs us towards the way of peace (Luke 1:79). Pursue it!
Sanctification and Discipline
God’s guidance gives us light and peace. And so does sanctification: it brings peace—peace of heart, peace of mind. Living in sin, on the other hand, robs us of inner peace and causes confusion. We are to pursue peace and sanctification instead (Hebrews 12:14). The two go together. Living in sanctification is the right path in life and is the way of peace. But it is not always easy to endure discipline and hardships that sanctify and purify us. The author of Hebrews quotes the fatherly words of king Solomon on discipline (Proverbs 3:11–12); discipline is an expression of God’s love, not of His displeasure (Hebrews 12:4–6). Discipline, although unpleasant at times, is necessary—and, more importantly, is ‘for our good’ so that ‘we may share in His holiness’ (v 10). The godly discipline we must endure is to make us true and mature sons of God; we get trained by it and the result is ‘the peaceful fruit of righteousness’ (v 11). Holiness and sanctification yield the fruits of peace and righteousness. The work of righteousness is peace (Isaiah 32:17). And, it is ‘for our good’! Therefore, take the challenges you are facing as a ‘training ground’ to make you better—to bring out the best in you! Hardships can show us not only the weaknesses that we must improve on, but also help us discover our strengths we never knew we had. Sometimes being strong is your only option—and it will show just how strong you actually are!
Jesus remains our greatest example to endure and resist sin and its destructive power—Jesus the author and perfector of our faith endured the cross, despised the shame of dying publicly rejected and beaten, and was rewarded by taking the seat at God’s right hand (Hebrews 12:1–2). We are to look to Him so that we can ‘run with endurance the race set before us,’ having also historical examples of people of genuine faith who witness to suffering and God’s help and reward (Hebrews 11). We should strengthen what is weak (12:12–13) so we can pursue peace and sanctification (v 14). Bitterness, immoral and godless behaviour will cause the grace of God to be in vain (v 15–17). We are not to be like Esau who sold his birthright and therefore lost it irreversibly (see Genesis 25:29–34). We lose what we despise! Sanctification teaches us to value what is of God and helps us let go of what is not. We learn to discern (Hebrews 5:13–14; cf., Jeremiah 15:19). As we learn to live God’s way, we can embrace the ‘newness of life’ Jesus died for (Romans 6:1–4). As we learn to live by the Holy Spirit and life in Christ, the law of sin and death no longer controls us (Romans 8:1–4). We start to taste true freedom and have life and peace in Him (v 6)!
Life has many trials—but James says that we should rejoice in them! Why? Because ‘the testing of your faith produces endurance,’ which, once achieving its ‘perfect result,’ will make us perfect, mature and complete, ‘lacking in nothing’ (James 1:3–4). We become whole people through sanctification forged in trials. God gives us wisdom in handling life’s challenges and trials as we ask Him in faith (vv 5–8). Persevering ‘under trial’ brings great blessing and reward: the crown of life! (v 12) This type of testing is positive: it makes us discover our strengths! The wisdom God gives us in trials will teach us how to handle them well (v 5) and His wisdom is peaceable and brings forth the fruit of righteousness sown in peace (3:17–18).
‘God is faithful,’ Paul wrote, who will provide ‘a way of escape’ from temptations, but He won’t allow more than we are able to handle, and He empowers us to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). The immorality and rebellion of sinful people leads to harm—such bad examples serve as warnings to us (vv 1–11) and we should take heed not to fall ourselves (v 12)! Sin can, indeed, easily entangle us (Hebrews 12:1), but focusing on Christ our good example is crucial (v 2). He Himself endured temptation—and overcame! And so can we.
The Temptation of Jesus
Jesus Himself, while on earth, was ‘tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15). He, therefore, has sympathy and compassion for us. He knows what we are facing. God is for us during hardships and temptation—He wants to empower us to overcome! Remember, temptation is not sin, but it can lead to sin if we give in. But we shall remain faithful to God and confidentially draw near to ‘the throne of grace’ where the Lord of grace wants to give us mercy and grace in time of need (v 16). Cain didn’t master over the sin that was lurking at his door, and he failed terribly (Genesis 4). Jesus, in contrast, had no sin. He learned obedience from the things which He suffered; He was perfect and became the source of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:7–9). Even the beloved Son Himself had to go through suffering: by the chastisement He carried, we can have peace (Isaiah 53:5). It’s redemptive love!
Jesus resisted the temptations of surrendering to the devil’s plan and refused to bow to his lordship by obeying God’s Word—what is written. Jesus was uncompromising in His obedience to God’s will. The words ‘it is written’ and ‘not as I will, but as You will’/’Your will be done’ were the weapons that empowered Jesus’ obedience unto victory over the devil (Matthew 4:1–11; 26:36–44). There was nothing of sin or the devil found in Christ—He was the perfect sacrifice and is the blameless Saviour! The One who overcame is the One who lives in us—and He who is in us is greater than the one in the world (1 John 4:4). We can overcome by faith (1 John 5:1–5) through the One who loved us (Romans 8:37). If God be for us, who can be against us? (v 31) He gave His Son and with Him all good things (v 32). Those who overcome will be blessed!
Sanctification is the ‘Straight and Narrow’
There’s a certain lifestyle God has prepared for us, and part of that is living in sanctification: a life dedicated to God and His renewing process to become like His Son. Not choosing sanctification as a lifestyle will eventually bring us away from ‘the straight and narrow’ (Matthew 7:13–14) unto a false path. The lurking deceptions everywhere are never to be underestimated (see Matthew 24). Pride so easily makes us fall. Humility keeps us within God’s grace (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6). Walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Choose the right path and the right way to walk on that path. Say ‘yes’ to sanctification; embrace the process. Seek God’s will and do it God’s way.
Sanctification yields good fruit: peace and righteousness. And remember, it is for your good. The God of love and peace wants us to live in peace (2 Corinthians 13:11) and will lead us in peace (Isaiah 55:12).
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