Outlier, photo by Robert S. Donovan from
Flickr
The word sanctification means to be set apart or to be made
holy. Sanctification is a process that will take our entire lifetime on this
side of heaven. We are all works in progress, being conformed, or transformed,
more and more into the image of Jesus.
As Jesus said to His followers, “Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew
5:48).
We are not yet as we should be. Our sinfulness and
selfishness has put us in the position of needing of a savior. We need God’s
Power and His Spirit to make right all that is wrong within us in our
selfishness.
From Sanctification
in the Everyday, by John Piper:
Diagnosing My Own Soul
Selfishness is
virtually the same as pride and is the deep, broad corruption that is at the
bottom of it all. I would give it six traits:
·
My
selfishness is a reflex to expect to be served.
·
My
selfishness is a reflex to feel that I am owed.
·
My
selfishness is a reflex to want praise.
·
My
selfishness is a reflex to expect that things will go my way.
·
My
selfishness is a reflex to feel that I have the right to react negatively to
being crossed.
When these responses
happen, they are coming from nature, not reflection. They are the marks of
original sin.
Scripture is clear—we are works in progress. Our sinfulness
and selfishness has separated us from our God. We need a savior. We need Jesus.
The more we come to Jesus, the more we become who we are
supposed to be—a Holy and set apart people.
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet
been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall
be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in
Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1
John 3:2-3).
Download a copy of
Sanctification in the Everyday, by John
Piper here:
My partner and I stumbled over here by a different website and thought
ReplyDeleteI might check things out. I like what I see so
now i'm following you. Look forward to checking out your web page again.
Feel free to surf to my web blog