4D Theology #5 - "What's the Point of My Sanctification?"

     You've probably heard  a Christian described as someone who's "going to heaven when they die," because they "invited Jesus into their hearts." It's a pleasant thought. But, it's also incorrect. It reduces salvation and faith to two points on a line, one at the beginning and one at the end. Unfortunately, it leaves out the  line itself! A person's entire life on earth.
     What happens during that "in between" time is important to God. In fact, He has a plan to make us less like Adam and more like Jesus. We call it sanctification. That's what God wants to do. Have you ever wondered why? What's the point?
     In this fifth and final installment of Fran's "Four Dimensional Theology" series, he pushes out the boundaries of our own transformation and leads us back to the purposes of God for the world and His own glory.

Transcript

One of the advantages…or disadvantages…depending on how you see it, of getting older, is that you get to see things play out. It’s not always pretty, but it is nearly almost always surprising. Teaching high school seniors in two of the best Christian high schools in the country for over twenty years, I saw a lot of human potential. As a thirty-year-old seminary graduate when I started, I didn’t realize that “potential” is bi-directional. It can go both ways. I assumed the best and brightest would eventually become the happiest and the greatest. It never dawned on my as a young Bible teacher that a student could take off like a rocket their senior year of high school, but come down like a stick by the time they finished college. It’s nice now having the long view on the short view. I think that’s called, wisdom.

One of the things I recall, thinking back to those years, was how natural it was for my students to see the world in terms of themselves rather than the other way around. For example, when a senior boy and I were tying steel on the roof of a school in Peroña, Guatemala, he asked me to pray for him. I said, “Sure. What about?” He told me that he wanted to know if God wanted him to go to medical school. Now to be fair, that’s an impressive answer for a 17-year old. But I also saw it as a teachable moment, so I told him that I would for sure pray for him to have wisdom about that enormous idea. But then I said, “You know that there’s something else you’ll need to pray once you have an answer to that, don’t you?” He looked puzzled and said, “No, what?” We stopped working and stood looking at each other. I said, “William, if God leads you to med school, you need to ask him where He wants you to practice medicine. Don’t assume it’s in the suburbs. It might be here. It might be in rural or urban Alabama. The decision to go to med school isn’t automatically a call to the comfort and culture of the suburbs.” We worked in silence for a while, but I knew him well enough to know that he was thinking…deeply.

Welcome to the Road to Shalom, a punctuated investigation into why so many of life’s signposts seem to be pointing in the wrong direction, and what it looks like to get our compass straight. I’m Fran Sciacca, an old guy with a young heart and a passion for God’s people to be restored to the One Story of the One God.

We’ve been swimming in the deep end of the pool of biblical theology for the past four episodes. Looking at words that mean a lot to us from a different angle with the goal of them meaning even more. We’ve peeked at both sides of sin, peace, grace, and righteousness. In the last episode, we graduated from single syllable words to a three-syllable word. You know, I’ve often thought that it’s ironic that we come up with five syllable words like justification to understand a one syllable problem…sin. That’s probably just a coincidence…unless of course it’s symptomatic. Anyway, today we’re venturing out into those syllabic boundaries of five syllables. Yup, a big word. It’s the word, “sanctification.”

Before we launch out into the deep waters, let me just say that this is a complex word. And it’s captured the interest of people from every flavor of Christian spirituality over a very long period of time. From seventeenth century Puritan, John Owen’s writings about the “mortification of sin and the flesh,” to our day with the late R.C. Sproul’s books on “growing in holiness” or N.T. Wright’s on “spiritual and character transformation.” You can always tell if you’re on spongy theological turf when you come across book titles like, “Five Views on Sanctification.” So, as we start, we do so with a sense of being on holy ground that’s not too clearly mapped by those who know more than us.

Okay, buckle up, the next few minutes are gonna be a little like a ride at Six Flags. Bumpy, fast, and a little confusing, but I promise you, just like at Six Flags, we’ll arrive safe and glad we did it.

In the Scriptures, “sanctification” is pretty much inseparable from the biblical notion of “holiness.” In fact, the Greek family from which we get our English nouns, “holy,” “holiness,” “saint,” and the verbs, “sanctify,” and “consecrate” are all built on the same word, “hagios.” You can hear “hagios” camping out in another noun, hagiasmos, which is underneath our English word, “sanctification.”

So, we’ve got a bit of a broad sense of meaning in these words, all orbiting around this notion of “holiness.” And holiness is not moral perfection. Holiness is better understood as distinction; being different from something else. Being set apart from everything else, in a sense. To make things a little more complicated (as if we needed that) the verbs that we do find, range in meaning from focusing on something being totally finished, to a state or condition that a person’s in, to an ongoing process that’s happening to a person, and isn’t completed! So, as we read our Bibles we see things that seem like sanctification is a done deal, like Paul’s opening comments in this letter:

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:” (1 Corinthians 1:2)

Then, in other places, we’re presented with the fact that sanctification is still going on, like what Paul says in his letter to Rome: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (Romans 6:22) Something leads to sanctification, and sanctification has its own end…eternal life. So, which is it? Is your sanctification finished or is it still going on? The answer to that question is yes…and I’ll let you think that out on your own. I want to get in deeper to what in the heck sanctification is anyway? What’s involved in my sanctification and yours?

Well, we’re in luck…I know I’m not supposed to use that word, as a believer, but I also don’t feel comfortable always having to say, “well, we’re fortunate because of God’s providence and common grace…” In any case, the good news is the Scriptures are full of teaching that points to and unpacks hagiasmos, or sanctification as we’ve christened it.

One of the things involved is the continual extermination of what Paul calls our “old man” and I call our “Adamic residue.” That part of us left over from Genesis 3, that loves self and sin, and hates God. You hear it in Paul’s voice, first the problem then the solution: 

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:18–20)

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:12–13) 

In other places, it compares this process to changing our clothes:

“But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:20–24)

There’s also abundant scriptures that talk about our lives bearing fruit, because we are people in whom the Spirit of God dwells. Right after Paul gives a long list of sins that are typical of those without the Spirit, he says this:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22–23) 

So there’s this progressive transformation that’s supposed to characterize those who profess to be sons and daughters of God, or Christians as we glibly call ourselves. Any of you who’ve been around me a bit have heard me describe sanctification as the Great Reversal; God making each of us less and less like Adam, and more and more like Yeshua. Like Jesus. That’s pretty much the inescapable meaning staring at us from verses like:

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29)

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) 

And there’s a sense in which this isn’t going to happen while we’re in the shower. Or during our daily devotional time for that matter. There’s a cooperation required on our part. Beloved, it ain’t automatic. This isn’t like justification where my guilt is just gone…swoosh. Forever. We talked about this in the first of this series. That’s our guilt. It’s gone forever. Jesus took it behind the curtain. Sanctification has to do with the flipside of our sin. The corruption. And it ain’t gone till this body’s been replaced. So, in the meantime, according to Paul, we “press on to make it our own because Christ Jesus has made us his own.” (Philippians 3:12)

So Paul can tell the Philippians, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

And Paul’s statement here about “working out” is a never-ending command in the Greek. Don’t stop till your heart stops, in other words. Why? For goodness sakes, GOD is working in you to change your desires to match His.

Okay, so once God takes away our guilt, He has a life-long plan and program to make us less and less like Adam and more and more like Yeshua. You realize, right, that this dismantles the notion that a Christian is someone who has invited Jesus into his heart and is going to heaven? That view of Christian identity needs a proper funeral. It reduces faith to a moment at the beginning, and a twinkling of an eye at the end, and leaves out everything in between…our entire life on earth! Getting this right also lays to rest the notion that the gospel is, “God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life” Sanctification, if you haven’t noticed, is surely a good thing, but it ain’t fun. Getting Adam out of me has taken God 51 years, and there’s a ton of him still in there. If you can’t related to this, you need to take your most honest friend out for coffee and ask if they see any areas in your life that could use some serious attention. Just sayin’

Alright, that was fun. But let’s get to the point of this episode. We need to ask the question: “Why in the world would Yahweh want to make me more like Jesus in this life?” I mean, what’s the point of that? Have you ever thought about why in the world God wants to transform you, to increasingly resemble His Son…in this life?

Is it for you to have more joy, more peace, a better prayer life? Is it so you’re a wonderful person to be around at church? Is it so you’ll be more generous, more patient, less angry, less prideful? Well yeah, of course. There are personal and parochial benefits to sanctification. You and I are much happier when we’re living the way God originally designed us to live…in fellowship with him and everything around us. Or put another way, there is great fulfillment from living shalomically. There’s also tremendous corporate benefit when God’s children act more like their elder brother, Jesus, than their ancient father, Adam. We all benefit when each of us is cooperating with God in the Great Reversal. Unfortunately, that seems to be the primary focus when it comes to teaching and learning on this topic. Listen to this summary at the end of 17 pages on sanctification in a major systematic theology textbook:

“It would not be right to end our discussion without noting that sanctification brings great joy to us. The more we grow in likeness to Christ, the more we will personally experience the “joy” and “peace” that are part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22), and the more we will draw near to the kind of life that we will have in heaven.” [Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p.758]

But, that’s the front side of sanctification. What’s on the other side? Is there even another side? What if your sanctification wasn’t for you? What if there was a purpose in you becoming like Jesus that had to do with the needs of others and the glory of God at least as much if not more than your own peace and joy?

Okay, put on your floaties, we’re going back in the deep end. I want to introduce you to a concept that will make perfect sense once we’re on the other shore, but I suspect you haven’t heard before, or haven’t thought much about this before. Now, disclaimer here. Teaching something that folks haven’t heard before doesn’t make it true just because it’s novel. I’m not a fan of novelty when it comes to Bible teaching, so this isn’t some gnostic teaching that I found written on a cave in Qumaran south of Jerusalem. It’s from the pen of a one-of-a-kind scholar. He was a little controversial in his day. His name is Paul:

“Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” (Romans 6:13) 

Paul’s use of the word, “members” here needs to be understood as our body parts, or at least our physical bodies. This is a startling and powerful metaphor. Paul a few verses down will drawn in the metaphors of marriage and the fruit of marital unions. In this large section of Romans 6 and 7, Paul is teaching that believers can bear fruit for God, or bear fruit for Satan, in a sense. What do I mean? Well, we beloved, are current incarnation of Jesus. We are God’s children, filled with God’s Spirit, tasked with God’s shalomic mission. We are the dwelling place of God in real time. I’m not going to try to explain that. It gives me a cerebral hernia. But, it’s true.

This is incredibly important because it means—now hang with me here—that you and I, when we are walking in fellowship with God, are able to bring into the world of space and time; the world of people and pain, the very works of God. The unseen, invisible intangible God becomes seen, heard, and felt. The justice of God gets expressed in space and time. The mercy of God takes on flesh. The love of God takes on hands. The voice of God speaks out. God becomes in the world of people what He is in Himself. “Father of the fatherless, and protector of widows, IS God in his holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:5) The Kingdom of God is again in our midst. That good news is announced. Do you see this? As you and I are progressively transformed into the likeness of the one who touched, taught, and healed, the world is affected. Fruit is born, and God is glorified. That’s the point of our sanctification, beloved. God’s not interested in purifying and transforming a bunch of folks so they can hang out together and slowly begin to become suspicious and critical of everyone who’s not part of the group.

I think one of the best verses on the relationship between my own sanctification and the lives of others is an obscure statement Paul made to a depressed young pastor named Timothy:

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy (hagiazō) , useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21) 

The word “cleanse” there is a word for purification. Akin to this whole notion of sanctification. And the endgame is being a sanctified vessel (the word, hagiazō is there) to be put into the hand of the master for every possible good work.

Beloved, God’s desire for you is His Great Reversal, that you’d resemble Jesus, that Jesus would truly be the firstborn among many brethren. But His larger desire is the restoration of shalom to all the places from which it has been stolen or vandalized. His method is us. His desire is that your life would become an uncluttered conduit from the unseen realm of God Himself into the space time world He created and is now captured and tortured by sin. That world of people who bear His likeness but do not know it. That world of people who desperately need shalom with God and in every other area of their lives, but do not know it.

Sanctification isn’t for sissies. It’s an upstream journey in a downstream world. But beloved, it also isn’t just about us. Becoming more like Jesus enables you to handle the grace given to you to give to others, with greater skill, less ownership, and a whole lot of joy. 

Well, that’s the end of our journey to the flipside. Five words, all connected, all important. Sin  has two sides: guilt and corruption. Grace has two sides: grace that saves and grace that serves. Peace has two sides: peace taking and peace making. Righteousness has two sides: that which is credited to me, and that which freely flows from me. And sanctification has two sides: transformation within me and ministry from me.I hope this series has pushed you into some uncomfortable spaces that for some odd reason, have helped make sense of what you’ve always known to be the case.

The next few episodes we’re going to leave the classroom and get out into the street. I’m going to interview a series of people I love and respect who’ve given themselves to shalomic restoration. To living on the flipside because they understand the front side. And the first will be Tracy Hipps, who directs the Christian Service Mission here in Birmingham. And you’re going to discover that God intends to use our pain to restore shalom. Don’t miss it. See ya next time.