“Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:10-11
We are all born into this world enslaved to sin. Like a seed in the earth, sin lives in our hearts. As we grow up, that seed of sin begins to sprout and bring forth fruit of unrighteousness. Without Jesus we would have no hope, no remedy, and no chance at change. This world would be a miserable place, and we would be destined for something worse to come. For one day, the husbandman will come and desire fruit from his garden, only to find none. However, God loved us and sent His Son Jesus to save us. He is our hope, our remedy, our chance at change.
One may ask, how? How does Jesus take something that is corrupted and make it incorruptible? How does he take a person who is dead in sins and make them alive? It is all by grace through faith. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8) Grace is the unmerited favor whereby God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit operate in this world. These three as one, work together to bring about redemption to the willing soul (such grace is received only through faith. Faith is the active agent). First, there is God the Giver. He gives life, gives His Son, and gives the Holy Spirit. Second, Jesus the redeemer. He settled the debt, won the war, and sends the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost. Third, the Holy Ghost. He is the sanctifier, the power, the life. He does the leg work, taking the merits of Christ and applying them to the heart of faith. Giving us a sure witness that we have passed from “death unto life.” Filling you with Christ himself and the power of God. God desires us to be sanctified, and for simply this reason we should desire it too. However, what is certain is that we will all die one day, and when we die, we will meet judgment. The husbandman will judge us by our fruit and if we have good fruit, we will be accepted, and if not, we will be hewn down and cast into fire. Only by faith can we hope to be sanctified, and only by sanctification can we hope to bear good fruit. So, how to become sanctified? Further, how to live sanctified? First, you must repent of your sins. Turn away from the evil you have committed and trust in the merits of Christ. It is because of Christ’s death and resurrection that God can pardon the guilty. If you do this with all your heart God will, he must, forgive you. Once you know you are forgiven (and you know when you know), you must continue in seeking until you are sanctified by the Holy Ghost. By this I mean you welcome Christ coming through the Spirit with all your heart knowing that His coming into your heart means that he will take full control of your life. Once Christ sanctifies you, there will be no more sin within, which given your obedience, will result in no more sin without. Some will seek God to be free of their past sins, but it is few that will seek Him to be free of all sin.
My favorite analogy of salvation that I find in scripture, and in this world, is marriage. Christ is the groom, you are the bride, repentance is the wedding dress, and sanctification is the union. The dress prepares you to be received by the bride. The union changes you from your old life to your new life, binding you to Christ. The entire ceremony is accomplished by faith and is motivated by love. After the union you are now one and you go out into the world to live a life together. A life with Christ as the leader. What better life could be? This is the sanctified life.
