The Work of the Spirit: Sanctification

February 27, 2024

Why does the Holy Spirit dwell within each one of us who are in Christ?  When you were baptized into Jesus, you received the gift of the Spirit within your heart.  Why is He dwelling there?  What is His function?  Generally speaking, there has been a lack of teaching in the church on the role of the Spirit in our lives.  Because of this, some of our brethren would say, “I don’t know why the Spirit lives within me.”  This is an acceptable answer.  There are many things I myself do not know and we’re all trying to learn.  But sadly, some brethren have become convinced that the answer to this question is, “The Holy Spirit does nothing at all today.”  They would argue that the Spirit gave us the word of God (which is certainly true), but if pressed, they would suggest that the Spirit does nothing in the lives of Christians today.

But the Spirit of God is still at work!  The scriptures are filled with this vital truth, and to not understand this is very detrimental to our spiritual health and growth. 

One of the major functions of the Spirit today is to help us with sanctification.  Sanctification is the idea of holiness, of being set apart for God.  It is about living a life of purity and of dedication to the ways of God and abstaining from sin.  It is very important to God that we live a sanctified life.  God has said, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16b NASB95) God has said, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14 NASB95) Without sanctification we will not see God! But are we alone in our pursuit of holiness?  Is it by our own strength and ability that we will overcome sin?  Has God left us alone in our struggles?

Thanks be to God that He has given us His Spirit to help us live sanctified lives.  Sanctification is the work of the Spirit!  As Peter wrote, we have been chosen “… by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 1:2 NASB95) Or as Paul wrote to the saints in Thessalonica, “… God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13b NASB95)Sanctification is an ongoing process in our lives, a process that God is empowering in us through His Spirit.  Listen to these words of Paul which carry great encouragement and hope for us in our struggle to live holy lives: “For 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.” (Romans 8:13 NASB95) Putting sin to death is something we must choose to do continually, but notice carefully that it is by the Spirit that we can put to death the deeds of the body.  It is not by our own power, but by the Spirit’s power.  This should give us great encouragement in our struggle against sin!  God dwells within us to help us!  We are not alone!  May God help us realize the Spirit is at work within us, and may we learn to draw from the Spirit’s power in our pursuit of sanctification.

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

What is Faith?

February 27, 2024

Since the wages of sin is death, it is very important to know how to receive the free gift which is eternal life. Paul begins Romans with this great statement of his theme: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV). The gospel is clearly offered to all, but faith is a condition for receiving the gift. If the gospel was not offered to all, Paul could not claim, “For God shows no partiality” (Romans 2:11, ESV).

So what is faith? In English, we speak of belief, faith, and trust. Greek had one word group that covered that range of meaning. Belief or faith includes intellectual assent. Intellectual assent can especially be seen in phrases like “believe that”.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV)

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder!” (James 2:19, ESV)

The last quote clearly indicates that intellectual assent is not enough. The Bible also speaks of faith in the sense of trust. This can be seen in phrases that say believing in or on someone (e.g., “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” Romans 3:22, ESV).

Paul is also clear about how we acquire faith. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17, ESV). Faith is a response to testimony (see also John 20:30-31). Those who would argue from Ephesians 2:8 that faith is a gift have missed the point. The “this” in the passage points back to the whole process of salvation by grace conditioned by faith as clearly seen in the Greek grammar of the passage.

In Romans, Paul contrasts faith/trust with works/merit. We are either going to earn salvation by perfect law keeping, or we are going to have to trust in the saving work done for us by Christ. But perfect law keeping is only hypothetically possible since we can’t live it perfectly. “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20, ESV). We must trust what Jesus has done for us.

As Paul explains this faith/trust, it does not exclude but includes repentance (Romans 2:4). It does not exclude but includes baptism (Romans 6:3). It does not exclude but includes confession (Romans 10:9). Given the argument of the letter, these things that Paul includes cannot be meritorious works but must be expressions of trust/faith. Finally, also note that for Paul faith/trust leads to obedience (Romans 1:5, 6:17, 16:26). Obedience is produced by faith. The person who trusts God will want to obey God.

—Russ Holden

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Posted by Russell Holden