Title: Sanctification (Romans 6:12-14)
Contents
The Christian gospel is the gospel of justification. Justification means being justified by faith. What else does it mean to be justified by faith? This means that the secret to being justified by God is in faith. What, then, is the opposite of being justified by faith? The opposite of being justified by faith is believing that you are justified by works.
Then, what is belief and what is action? Faith is the word of God's grace that we are justified, and works means that I have the power to justify. Christianity does not take the actions of its saints lightly. The Bible continues to teach us to live the right life, and it gives us lessons in many ways.
But why is it wrong to say that we are saved by works? If salvation can be obtained by works, then Jesus Christ has no reason to die for us. Not only that, but salvation comes not by God's grace, but by our efforts. All the religions of the world are instilling in people the teaching of salvation through works. What makes Christianity completely different from the religions of the world is that we cannot obtain God's salvation by our actions.
It is important to note that works are important, but not conditions of salvation. To understand this easily, it is important to know what role faith and works play in salvation. The Bible says deeds are like clothes. Jesus Christ is speaking of life. Clothes and life are necessary for each other, but they cannot replace their roles.
Clothing plays an important role in protecting life, but clothes cannot be life. Conversely, clothes are just as important as life. Because clothes exist for life. Applying this verse as it is, we can say: The clothes of works are important, but that does not mean that they cannot replace Jesus, who became life.
In Christianity, works are not a condition of salvation, and works are not taken lightly. The Christian gospel must put on the clothes of works. The Bible tells the world to show your good deeds to the glory of God the Father. The clothes are not life, but they serve to show the life wearing them through the clothes. Actions play an important role in making us look to Jesus, who is the life of our lives. So, the Bible is a schoolteacher for the law, and it plays a role in helping people look for salvation.
Today's verse is about how believers who have been saved should live. In theological terms, this is described as sanctification. The life of faith is similar to the way a life is born and grows. Just because you are saved by faith is not everything. It is as if a life was born. Just because a life is born, it cannot lead to a perfect life. It's something you have to grow. Sanctification is the same as growth.
Saints need the process of spiritual growth. The Bible says that there are believers like children. Some even said that there are mature believers. Because physical growth occurs naturally, some people think that spiritual growth also occurs spontaneously. However, spiritual things are saying that you can spend your whole life as a believer like a child. (Hebrews 5:13) He said, "For everyone who feeds on milk is a child, and has never experienced the word of righteousness."
However, in today's Word, we are talking about fighting against two things that hinder the sanctification of the saints.
One is the exhortation of sin, and the other is the character of the flesh, which has not been changed.
Sin seeks to be our king. And after making life a slave to sin, it is ultimately about dragging life to death. The process of sanctification of life is ultimately about fighting sin.
We must not allow sin to be carried away by temptation and greed. Sin is what ultimately leads to destruction in life. Sin not only hinders spiritual growth, but also kills life. The deadliest things to life are disease and death. Sin is a spiritual disease. That is why the Bible tells us to fight to the point of bloodshed when we fight sin.
Next, we must fight against the nature of the flesh, which has not been changed.
The lusts of the flesh fight against the lusts of the Spirit. They try to lead us to hopeless places. The Bible says (Romans 8:13) ?쏧f you live according to the flesh, you will surely die, but if you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit you will live.??In today's message, I said, Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Because He said to present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.
There are three backgrounds that help sanctify the saints.
First, the beginning of sanctification is the blood of Jesus Christ.
Sanctification in life does not start from self-effort, but from receiving the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are sanctified by the blood of the Lord. No matter how hard we try, we cannot live a holy life unless we are washed away from our sins by the blood of Christ. The Bible tells me to be holy because I am holy. Sanctification is not holiness that begins with me, but holiness that begins with God. (1 John 2:12) ?쏞hildren, I am writing to you that your sins are forgiven on account of his name.??
Sanctification begins with gratitude for the grace of Jesus Christ. It is possible for us to overcome sin only when the Lord's crucifixion is believed in our hearts. Sin cannot be overcome without the power of the cross. Without God's grace, we cannot overcome the power of sin. We are victorious because no matter how great the power of sin and how great the power of death may be, it cannot harm us in the love of the Lord Jesus.
Our children will never live on their own. It is living proudly with the authority of parents. It is not because of one's own abilities that a saint can be morally dignified. I am proud because the Lord has forgiven me. Children are not proud because they are morally good in front of their parents, but because they believe in their parents' love.
The second process of sanctification is the Word of God.
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth, for your word is truth. Life is to be cleansed by the word of God. The Lord also said that you have been cleansed by the words that he has already told you. To become sanctified as a believer means to live according to the Word of God. For the saints, holiness means getting closer to the Word from a life that is far from the Word of God.
A believer is not only sanctified by the word of God, but also protects himself by the word of God. The Word is like the whole piece of armor that protects us. Therefore, believers must believe in the authority of the Word of God. The Word reveals more wonderful power than reality to those who believe. The Bible tells us to nurture with the Word when we were young. Because that is the ability to protect children.
Third, the power of sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:16 that he might be sanctified in the Holy Spirit for acceptance. Man cannot achieve the holiness that God wants by his own efforts. Life is darker than trying to be holy by your own efforts. This is the real face of man. We think we can become quite holy if we make up our minds. no. The Holy Spirit must help you.