Daily Devotional August 17 - Please Don't Let The Word Sanctification Throw You

"That I (Paul) should minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:16 and "Then said he, lo, I come to do thy will O God. He taketh away the first that He may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:9-10

Sanctification. Sanctification is misunderstood and mis-taught in many circles. Sanctification has many sides and has much meaning in our lives. But let's set the record straight. Sanctification is a work of God. God sanctifies. You cannot make a list of things you have to do and when you have checked off every item on the list, wallah you are sanctified.

• Sanctification is recognized in one's life by behavior, but it is not won by behavior.
• Sanctification is the external response of an internal work.
• Sanctification is a love fest between the creator and His work.

But you can't earn sanctification nor can you earn salvation. You will never be good enough to be sanctified. Only by grace through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross can you or anyone get sanctified. The Word of God says, "we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Sanctification is taught that it is a second work of grace. Sanctification can only be considered as a second work of grace if salvation isn't a finished work. Salvation is a finished work.

Yet the ongoing product of salvation is:

• Getting to know God better
• Adjusting your lifestyle to accommodate the new light that has been shown in your heart.
• Continuing education by the Holy Spirit as one goes through life making decisions.
• Learning how to pray and how to supplicate.
• Finding solace and peace after doing things differently from the way you used to do them before getting saved.
• Reading the scriptures and finding new truths that replace the old man way of thinking.
• Worshiping and praising God with other believers and finding out how God intertwines the lives of believers together to make one body.

All of these things take place after salvation and all of them are a second work of God and a third and a fourth and on and on until the day you go to meet the Lord.

The main thing is, you can't earn sanctification, nor can you follow a set of rules to achieve it. Sanctification is given to you by God.

Note: I know some religious circles think of sanctification as a badge of honor for having earned the title through much spiritual preparation, certain prayers, doing what so and so said to do, having hands laid on by certain people and/or many other external activities. What folly. All of these things are important and necessary for the spirit filled life, but only the inner man can receive sanctification and no one can give it to you, there is no prize and God sanctifies those who are faithful to Him.