Staying in Rhythm, Part Nine: That’s What It’s All About
In the last chapter, we talked about growth in grace. In this chapter, we are going to talk about sanctification. Sanctification is related to spiritual growth but distinct from it.
Sanctification and Christian growth are not the same things. Christian growth is ongoing and will last throughout eternity. It will always be possible and necessary for us to grow in Christ-likeness, in our spiritual maturity, and in our ability to live a godly life. As Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” – Philippians 3:12. Sanctification is about giving God our whole selves, unreservedly, holding nothing back.
Few people make such a commitment to Christ when they first become Christian. They surrender most but not all of their lives to Jesus. The problem with offering only some to Jesus is that it limits the degree to which we can grow in grace. As long as we are holding something back, there will be areas of our lives that will not develop under the Holy Spirit’s care and direction.
Some of us have been in a relationship where the other person was holding something back. When this happens, the other person is always looking for someone better, not giving themselves fully to the one they have. Perhaps you have worked with a co-worker who was not fully devoted to the company or the task at hand. You had to carry more of the workload because the other person was not doing his/her share.
My family and I love basketball. Each year, we wait eagerly to see who the recruits will be for the next season. It is especially exciting to see the team draft an All-American. It is fun to see how the coaching staff will help gifted athletes achieve their potential as they raise their game to the next level. Sadly, some of the best recruits never reach their potential. Their heart is just not in the game, and they never give it their all. They hold back, giving only 70% effort, and the fans are left wondering what might have become of the player if he had given everything to the game.
Sanctification is about surrender. It is about giving one’s self entirely to someone or something. Ultimately, sanctification is a loyalty issue. So long as something is kept back, persons will never know what it would look like to reach their potential.
But it is possible to make a complete surrender. It is possible not only to be partially sanctified but entirely sanctified. Paul ends his first letter to the Thessalonians with these words. “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
Entire sanctification is one of the most precious gifts of the Holy Spirit. But it is not the end of the journey. In some ways, it is the beginning. Until we surrender ourselves fully to Jesus, we will find that spiritual growth occurs very irregularly, in fits and starts. One will experience frustration because of the inconsistency in his/her spiritual development.
Our full surrender to Christ removes the main barrier to exponential growth in grace. It unlocks our potential. Sanctification allows God to fill our lives with the presence of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians, we read, “I pray that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:19. We also read, “Be being filled with the Holy Spirit.” – Ephesians 5:18. #filled #sanctification #entiresanctification #secondblessing #holiness
But what does it mean to be filled with God’s Spirit? It doesn’t mean that we have some, as opposed to more, of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a substance, like water of which we can have a little or a lot. Remember: The Holy Spirit is a person. And, unlike us, he never holds something back. He always gives entirely of himself. Therefore, the only way for us to have more of the Holy Spirit is for the Spirit to have more of us; because we do hold back. But the Holy Spirit desires to fill us completely with his presence.
Therese of Lisieux, known as the “Little Flower,” is one of my favorite Saints. She lived only 24 years, yet her life has made a massive impact on the church. She was no great scholar like Aquinas or Augustine. She was not a missionary like Mother Theresa. She was not a super talented artist or musician. She simply loved God with her whole heart and gave God everything so that God could fill her with his presence.
She used the analogy of a cup. Like Aquinas or Augustine, some people are like very large containers, while Therese was a small vessel by comparison. Yet, whether we are a large cup or a small one, full is full. It doesn’t matter what our capacity is. Each of us can offer our self fully to God. And that is all that God asks of us. He simply wants all that we have to offer. #thomasAquinas #ThereseLisieux
And so, the issue of sanctification comes down to loyalty. Sanctification is about settling the loyalty issue. Have we settled it or not? As the old gospel song says, “I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back.” Is this true of you? Has the loyalty issue been settled? Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62. He also says, “Some people are like seed sown among thorns. They hear the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things come in like weeds and choke out the seedling.” – Mark 4:18-19.
Throughout this book, I have been talking about dancing. I know that not everyone is cut out to be a great dancer. But some have never developed any ability to dance because they have been afraid to get out and join in the dance. Fortunately, I know of a dance that can help with this problem. It is called The Hokey Pokey.
It starts like this:
You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out,
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about,
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That what it’s all about.
Gradually, you put more and more of yourself into the dance until you finally put it all in.
You put your whole self in,
You put your whole self out,
You put your whole self in,
And you shake it all about,
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That what it’s all about.
And just like the dance, until you put your whole self into the task of following Jesus, you will never fully understand what it’s all about.
The issue of entire sanctification is about having the loyalty issue settled. It is not about being a perfect Christian. It is not about no longer growing as a human being. It is about giving a complete “yes” to God. And it is a gift of God’s grace. He offers it to us, and we can accept it by faith, once and for all settling the issue of loyalty to God.
The book of James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” – James 1:5-8 #fullsurrender