Category Archives: Sanctification: Living a Holy Life

Living in view of the Second Advent of Christ

“… live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…” (see Titus 2:12-13 ESV)

In the epistle written to and named after his pastoral co-worker Titus, the apostle Paul aimed to strengthen Titus’s ministry on the Grecian island of Crete, where there were many pagan influences. Titus was to teach all the new converts to become “strong in the faith” (1:13). Paul commented on the primary social relationships within marriages, homes, individual life and work–to be transformed profoundly in the context of the gospel relationship to Jesus Christ from within, via the Spirit informing us how to live as we follow the Word of God.

In the first century AD, the early churches were being infiltrated by false teachers teaching false doctrine–an emphasis in Paul’s letter. However, it is refreshing to notice that Paul focuses not on our outward rules-based motivation but rather on a lifestyle motivated by the love of Jesus Christ. Whereas the false teachers were deceivers (1:10), Titus was to promote the kind of living that reflects correct teaching outside of any misalignment to the Word of God. Through biblical knowledge and acceptance of “correct teaching,” we can navigate a righteous life with the help of the Holy Spirit. However, we can fail if we take our eyes off the Lord when we are upset, tired, hungry, or fearful. When the rubber hits the road, the behaviour should match belief.

Paul gave Titus examples of the proper Christian behaviour expected within the churches. The primary concern of the letter is that correct doctrine leads to appropriate behaviour. Titus 2:1–15 will be our focus as this text describes proper behaviour and that such behaviour must be rooted in the gospel and its teachings–and that our leaders in the church must teach these guidelines with authority.

Middle-age and senior men are an example to younger men
“Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and steadfastness.” (Titus 2:2 ESV)

Older men are the senior community members of the village, town or city, and should be examples of biblical maturity. Thus, they are to exercise self-control, meaning that their lives should show moderation with an absence of extravagance–worthy of respect as “serious-minded” men focused on the promulgation of the gospel.

They are to be sound in their faith, having a personal faith in God by maintaining the Christian truth of the gospel. They should be loving, never displaying anger or bitterness. (see John 13:34).

Middle-age and senior women are examples to younger women
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2: 3-5 ESV)

Just as the apostle Paul noted that Titus was to teach men how they ought to live, he also had the responsibility to guide the churches’ women—their lifestyles should be appropriate—dignified, worthy of honour, Christlike.

Older women are important role models for younger women, desperately needed in society. Today we see loose living as ungodly men prey on young women. Premarital abstinence from sex outside of marriage is not common. What lifestyle are women to adopt? Paul advises a respectful attitude toward all aspects of life and people of all ages, not to go around gossiping negatively about others, nor should they be heavy drinkers.

Mothers, grandmothers, and aunts teach others what is good by observing their lives and sharing their wisdom, knowledge, and faith within family circles and friends. No woman should regard her life as of a lesser value to Jesus Christ. When children have left the nest or after retirement from a career, they should never despair or fear loneliness but actively offer their wisdom, prayers, and examples in the church. Rock-solid women of faith are always needed!

Older women can train the younger women in the church by word and example. Lifestyle is the best teacher of “what is good” (verse 2:3). They can encourage the young women in the church to love their husbands and their children. Women have the closest relationship with their daughters, which carries on into later years.

Many Christian women have won the hearts of their husbands and children simply by showing gentle respect for the father’s leadership in the home and motivating him to love and guide his household safely and biblically in Christ. This often becomes controversial if the husband discerns non-Christian boys flirting with his daughters, or non-Christian boys influencing his sons, if he determines the need to and desires to maintain a hedge of protection in the faith for his household, this can be viewed as overbearing and controlling. However, Christian fathers need God-directed control of their own and their family’s lives.

The lineage of authority in the home
Like older men advising the younger men, older women need to live wisely and “train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure”.

Young women are to be submissive to their husbands. Submission between marriage partners is an often misunderstood concept. This text, for example, cannot be used to promote the general subjugation of all women under all men. For marriage and family relationships to run smoothly, there must be one appointed leader—God has appointed the husband and father to be this leader. The wife should willingly follow her husband’s leadership in Christ, acknowledging his responsibility under God.

Maturity provides the key to understanding submission. The husband must not be a tyrant, faithless, unloving, or impatient, as previously mentioned in verse 2. He should be worthy of respect.

Likewise, the woman should not undermine or contradict the man which can aggravate disrespect among the children for his headship in the family. However, he may need to learn better methods of such leadership (there is no manual except the example of older men who live by the Word of God). Submission means for both the husband and the wife to accept the relationship that God has designed, voluntarily subjecting oneself to God’s order of authority within the family and fulfilling the responsibilities that come with it (for more of Paul’s advice about marriage, (see 1 Corinthians 7:1–40); men are to love their wives and wives are to reciprocate respect for the husband–and the inverse is also true–women are to respect their husbands and husbands are to reciprocate love for the husband. (see Ephesians 5:22–33).

Many women are happily submissive to their husbands, supporting their husbands’ leadership role in the family (see Ephesians 5:22; 5:23–24). When the children see this they also respect their father’s biblical guidance.

What is the purpose of this instruction?
Every believer’s purpose in following the Word of God is to glorify God. Believers are being watched. If they live righteous and blameless lives, they would not bring shame on the word of God. Paul also urged Titus to encourage the young men to live wisely in all they do:

“Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us” (Titus 2:6-8 ESV)

The advice that the apostle Paul gives in Titus is important training in right living and all Christians should take heed because it prepares us for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ our Lord. This training was to prepare men to become elders and expand the churches reach.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11-14 ESV)

God, by his grace, sent Christ to earth. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, salvation is available to all people, “so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”. (Titus 3:7 ESV)

The grace of God was revealed in Christ, referring to the incarnation. That message of grace arrived in Crete with Paul and Titus and it is still applicable to us today. When the gospel light is turned on in a place of darkness, changes are inevitable. Those who respond are transformed; those who resist and reject the message can do so, but they must face the dire consequences.

The Pursuit of Overcoming sin

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2 ESV)

There is much evidence in the word of God that we are to overcome sin and live holy lives.

We can only achieve this with the indwelling light of the Holy Spirit; with the Spirit permeating our lives united as a church; as the pure Bride of Christ. The sanctification of the Spirit is the key process that brings the church “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2) to meet Jesus Christ face to face at His Second Advent.

Let’s look at ten scriptures presenting John’s teaching of “overcoming” in first John and then his prophecies imparted by Jesus to him for the church today in Revelation:

  1. 1 John 5:4
    “…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith”
    1 John 5:3-5 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter)
  2. 1 John 5:5
    “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God”
    1 John 5:4-6 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter)
  3. Revelation 2:7
    “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”
    Revelation 2:6-8 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  4. Revelation 2:11
    “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death”
    Revelation 2:10-12 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  5. Revelation 2:17
    “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it”
    Revelation 2:16-18 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  6. Revelation 2:26
    “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations”
    Revelation 2:25-27 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter)
  7. Revelation 3:5
    “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels”
    Revelation 3:4-6 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
  8. Revelation 3:12
    “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name”
    Revelation 3:11-13 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
  9. Revelation 3:21
    “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne”
    Revelation 3:20-22 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter)
  10. Revelation 21:7
    “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son”
    Revelation 21:6-8 (in Context) Revelation 21 (Whole Chapter)

To add insight to these “overcoming” scriptures symbolising holy living, let’s look at Pauls view in Romans chapter eight. He makes it clear that the church is made up of true believers engaged in this sanctification process who are freed from any condemnation through their faith in Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee of their salvation:

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

“the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”  (Romans 8:4)

“if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:13-14)

Only those who walk in the Spirit can possibly overcome sin and the world. They are the residents of the Holy City now called the New Jerusalem that John referred to in our scriptural list.

The metaphor of our prefacing verse indicates that the church is prepared as a Bride, prepared to meet and enter a long-term allegiance of loving transparent, honest oneness with Him. This is in contradistinction to the people walking in the flesh in the Old Jerusalem who turned their back on Him. In God’s plan, the old Jewish ways were going to be transformed anew into spiritual allegories depicting greater truths; an abiding relationship with Jesus (with His Father) in the Spirit (see the metaphor of  Abiding in the Vine, John 15)

Jesus reveals in Revelation that His angel is trying to inform us of this important message to allow His Spirit to indwell our hearts. Listen, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches” (Revelation 22:16).

The New Covenant transcends the Old Covenant

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39 NIV)

There are many faith-building stories in the Old Testament (OT) – a redemptive narrative of God’s salvation, particularly for Abraham’s children, the Jews, had become the most perceptive to the Word of God speaking to them. Abraham was one of the first men in his era to begin to discern the presence of God, His principles, and His leading via prophetic insight. He was asked to leave the Ur of the Chaldeans and move to an entirely new land in Canaan (see Genesis 11:31;12:1; 12:1 ESV)

Those living in that time, before Christ, were recorded by the prophets in the OT narrative. They were not entirely aware that some of their major stories and symbols were revelatory of the coming cross and death of Jesus Christ. The narrative of their life did not hold a lot of value as epistemological tools (ways of knowing) for them. They did not then know about the New Covenant (NC) truth that would be unpacked from their story after the event of the cross when the redemptive ransom would be paid by Christ for the true atonement for all man’s sin.

How they knew, what they knew, why we now know, was not as evidently true for them then, because the symbols and shadows about the future reality took time and guidance by the apostles to apprehend.

The cross of Jesus Christ brought awareness to Jews and all of mankind, as the New Testament (NT) prophets compared the old narratives beyond the limits of that historic knowledge. Apostle Paul was the man chosen by the resurrected Jesus to reveal to the world, first, the importance of the cross and secondly, a new way of comprehending the past in light of the arrival of Christ. In the letter to the Ephesians he confidently wrote of his inspiration given to him from Jesus, fully aware that a new perception, not previously made known, was dawning in the kingdom of God:

“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” (Eph. 3:4-5 ESV)

As we look at the Old Testament narrative, we find that many of the symbols are types of the progression towards a fuller understanding of principled thinking – as mankind was led by God to see life through the paradigm of love – the basis of a new inner motive operandi – a new process of reformation of the character of mankind motivated by love.

Prior to the New Testament, when Jesus came on the scene, there were many true events depicted as living symbols of Jesus Christ acted out in real life such as:

  • Abraham obeying God, ready to offer his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah replaced by a lamb caught in a bush;
  • The sacrificial lambs being killed morning and evening in the Jerusalem temple;
  • The day of Atonement once a year where bulls, goats, and sheep were slaughtered to appease the sins of the Israelite as guilt offerings.

These living symbols were revealed as Bible stories  – narratives, later to be revealed by the apostles as shadow-types designed to lead us to understand fully that the advent and mission of Jesus Christ was to redeem man. This plan was established even before the ancient narratives were enacted in life: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:3-4 ESV)

The plan to redeem man had begun before sin entered. Jesus came to fulfill the ancient symbols by offering His life, as the anti-typical atonement for sin: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith” and “He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Rom. 3:25 NIV; Eph. 1:9-10 NIV)

Paul made it clear that the purpose of Christ was only to be understood much later, “to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment” (vs. 10) The priesthood of the temple would bring Jesus before Pilate with the intent to have him killed. What they did not understand was that the narrative of the priesthood was coming to a climactic ending in actionable reality. The “Lamb of God”, as the Apostle John referred to Jesus, was about to be slain in the place of all sinning mankind to “take away the sin of the world” and make the final at-one-ment for man – to free man from the penalty of death – to openly reconcile him to God, His Father.

Jesus said “it is finished” on the cross just as He died. The curtain to the Most Holy place in the Jerusalem temple, into which only the High Priest could enter once a year, was torn in two. This indicated the winding down of the Old Covenant period – the closing of the educative narrative for that period that had been used as a tutor – as a guide to lead us to Christ.

The New Covenant entirely replaces the Old Covenant

The New Covenant period was instituted at the cross as Jesus noted at the last supper to his disciples: “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Lk. 22:20 NIV) It had been prophesied by Jeremiah: “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.” (Jer. 31:31 NIV)

Paul confirmed this: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 11:25 NIV)

  • The new covenant is superior to the old Christ was the antitypical ransom offering, High Priest and mediator for man before God the Father: “the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.” (Heb. 8:6 NIV)
  • The new covenant makes the old covenant obsolete: “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” (Heb. 8:13 NIV)

Christ died to ransom mankind from the sins of the ancient and prior generation and our current lives: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15 NIV)

The new covenant is not a mere continuation of the old covenant, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” (Heb. 8:7 NIV) It is “not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant.” (Heb 8:9 ESV) It all comes down to the arrival and death of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all the symbols of the ancient children of God from Abraham on: It is now to the new covenant – the new agreement – “to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (vs. 12:24)

New principles, new thoughts expressed in new action supersede historical narrative. Nobody worries that a child is ignorant of the numerous laws of physics allowing him to suspend himself vertically while happily pedaling his new bicycle.

The life of Christ and His teachings, and His unwarranted death were instrumental, moving us radically from the historic dependence on the OT narrative of living symbols into functional realities with simpler principles for mankind’s more abundant life. This requires a new motivational drive to enable us to live freely by a new maxim of love. Love informs the New Covenant between God and mankind and leads the renewed man to care for his fellow man. The child, while riding his bike does not review the laws of aerodynamics or propulsion. He just engages in life, lives joyfully, loving his new experience, and thankful for his new gift.

A Covenant means an Agreement

It was prophesied that a new agreement was coming in the future, “not like the agreement I made with your forefathers.” At the Cross, upon His death, the curtain was torn in two, symbolizing that the old Jerusalem with its priesthood with the daily sacrificial slain lambs (symbolic of the coming death/ransom of Christ) now had been replaced by the New Jerusalem temple of the New Covenant, now a Spirit-led temple of united minds in Christ: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 ESV; 2 Cor. 6:16; Rev. 3:12 ESV) This took the prophetic insight of men like the apostles Peter, Paul, and John, to see the deepest unrecognized historic epistemological value.

The kingdom is predicated on united like-minds who can fathom the love maxim Christ taught in His Royal law, which had always been latent and prophesized by a few yet misunderstood in the OC era: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts [i.e. minds], and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Heb. 8:10, 16) Further: “But now that Christ has come, we don’t need those laws any longer to guard us and lead us to him.” (Gal. 3:25)

Love is the maxim of law that guides the balance of right action, justice and mercy. Jesus taught that “on these two laws”, love for God and love for man – hang all the OT moral laws – the Decalogue (10 commandments), and the OT’s forward-looking prophetic books. Jesus taught that “all scripture” (symbolically: the Rock from which poured water for the Jews in the wilderness, Lion, Lamb, Father, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor, Life, Water of Life, Spirit as the Wind, Wisdom, Messiah, Teacher, etc.) revealed insights about Him and His coming final Atonement and the New Covenant.

God put into effect a different plan

The essence of the new agreement, which I refer to as the Manifesto of God’s Love, was to help men realize that they cannot base their lives on exterior laws and check-lists and must evolve out of this fear-based bondage to written law into a love-based covenant (the Jews had 613 laws, the 10 commandments being central). Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders added many interpretations and burdens such as “you cannot carry your mat on the Sabbath”. To avoid legalism, we must understand that we are not saved by keeping the law. We will express the Spirit-led guidance that fulfills the law of God when we agree with the Spirit to engage our will to obey; and if we come short of obeying, immediately repent of any sin. Christ our Advocate is ready to hear our confession of sin, and our turning from sin: “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John  2:1).

And our walk with Christ will indicate that the Spirit is achieving grace within us, acknowledging that the law is holy, just and good: “the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”. (Rom. 8:4 ESV) Any obedience to the law of God is achieved in us only if and when we submit and cooperate to obey God’s Spirit, as the Spirit does the work within – not by legalistic efforts, works or braggadocio that we keep the law. Even if you worship on the 7th-day Sabbath – the 4th commandment – give the Spirit of Jesus Christ the glory – Sabbath-keeping will not save you, only Jesus does that for you, first on the cross, and ongoingly He saves you from desiring to commit sin (if you allow Him to achieve this work within by obeying without hesitation).

“We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours—except that ours are sinful—and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins” (Rom 8:3 TLB) and “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (vs. 14) The secret is to be led by God by His Spirit every moment and yield your will to obey on whatever point Jesus Christ speaks to you via your conscience.

The problem with human nature is that man wants to interpret how others should live. The Jews had prescribed additional add-on laws as to how to keep the Sabbath, for example, even though Jesus debunked these additional commandments of men, referring to Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath…made for man” (Matt. 12:8) His purpose was to create one new humanity based on love and living in peace. And this New Covenant was accomplished “by setting aside…the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity…thus making peace” (Eph. 2:15 NIV)

Jesus lived out love in the now

Jesus displayed love in action among His disciples and the people right up to the cross, precisely to show the effect of love on mankind to motivate them differently in the heart and mind and conversely, to reveal the injustice, blind sightedness, sin, scheming and gross deceit expressed in the intense hatred of those who tried to block and discount Christ’s New Covenant teachings. Why? To protect their priestly system, pontifical life, popularity, and prestige and their economic survival with large temple incomes extracted from the people.

We need to look at Jesus as a man to see His glory as our creator (Col. 1:15-19) who came as an incarnated man to this earth to express the character of the Father’s love to man plus and show His new agreement of reconciliation to man. We must look at the entire OT bible leading up to His arrival on the scene, only through NC eyes, else we see it as a gory mess, and get trapped in the old narrative.

We must transcend the tutoring narrative of the old covenant once we are led to Christ and through His life and teaching to be reconciled to God as One people united with Him via His Spirit.

Sanctification message of the New Covenant

glen001-sm By Glen R. Jackman

“To those who are elect…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” (2 Peter 1:1-2)

What do the theological terms justification and sanctification mean? Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing in righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us. The Apostle Paul taught that our righteousness continues as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He leads us in life:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”. (Romans 8: 1-4 ESV)

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Clearly continued walking with Christ led daily in the Spirit is the only way to be distinctly separated from and saved from the corruptions of the world and the flesh and enter into the process of becoming holy, recognizing that we have inherited eternal life, demonstrated firstly in our lifestyle here and now:

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ”. (Romans 8: 6-9 NIV)

The either/or choice is clear We need to allow Grace  to reign in our life, not sin. Paul has formed a clear message: “just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (Romans 5:21) John impresses us with the importance of knowing the source of Life personally. Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6) Salvation is only experienced in our lives while we remain in Christ and live our life through Him led by the Holy Spirt in a born again experience.

In the parable of the vine, Jesus makes this clear as He teaches the dependency of union to our life link just as the vine is necessary for the life of the branches: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NAS) A Christian life is unrealistic if not submitted entirely to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

God has numerous legal and judicial terms regarding the potential of falling into apostasy and into judicial scrutiny in the New Testament as taught by the Apostles. He has revealed throughout the entire Word, that He sees everything that resides in our heart. He often calls us in scripture to listen, repent, return to Himself, be born again, and submit to the Holy Spirit and be reformed unto personal spiritual obedience in godliness (some call it victory over temptation with the Holy Spirit of Christ leading in our lives). We see this with regard to Christ’s call to the Laodecian Church in the Book of Revelation to which many Christians can identify:

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. (Revelation 3: 15-22)

Many scriptures advocate the necessity of forming a disciplined approach to responsible sanctification only achievable by the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are cautioned of the need to be one with God while one with Christ (read John 17).

I believe the entire Word is sufficient to lead us to eternity via the Spirit actualizing the Word in our submitted obedient lives. This is the sanctification teaching of Christ in the New Covenant.

If we walk in the Light we are safe and we can enjoy Peace and Life now even in this world: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

Holiness is a lifelong journey of letting God lead instead of Satan

Aiming at holiness and living a sanctified life is a process that we are to persevere towards as Paul notes: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 12-14)