John Zain said:
God’s strength is perfected in our weakness, our inability to obey His commandments in our own strength.
He calls us to a life of holiness and separation. He tells us we can be free from the bondage of sin.
His Word comes to us with some impossible challenges:
"Resist the devil. Walk in the Spirit. Come out from among them. Love your enemies.
Leave behind all your fears. Put down your lustful desires. Let no sin have dominion over you."
When you think honestly about how little you can do on your own to fulfill these challenges,
you realize how very weak you are. Your heart begins to cry,
"Lord, how can we do such great, holy things?"
That is when our Lord takes over! He comes with such a comforting message:
"Lay down your weapons. Quit trying to be so self-sufficient and strong.
I am your weapon and your strength. Let Me do what you never can do.
I will give you My righteousness, My holiness, My rest, My strength.
You cannot save yourself or please Me in any way other than by
receiving the blessings of the cross by faith.
Let Me be in charge of your growth in holiness."
… David Wilkerson … April 23, 2013
This is IMHO the best post on this subject John. What is difficult though for me to comprehend is how you can believe this and head the thread with the title you gave it.
God is the one in charge of our sanctification, not us. This is not to say we are to be complacent or noncompliant. We repented at the beginning of our belief and we are to continue in that repentance, yet if we fail we have an Advocate to pray on our behalf.
I suppose I might view things a bit differently than you do. Scare tactics, again IMHO, do not work, especially in light of this verse.
Romans 2:4
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
Personally I am constantly learning, repenting of my sins, fighting to stay on the narrow path, not looking to the left or right but to Him that is both the just and justifier. I know it is Him that sanctifies, and this is my joy. To think I am being conformed into the image of Christ is something to behold indeed. From this what love is there for this world, when the one to come is so much greater?
Now to challenge your idea a bit, I do not believe the new creation can or will have desire to stop the sanctification process. I believe that once God has begun His work in you, it is Him that will bring it to completion. We are exhorted to cooperate with that process, in this we can all agree, yet we can not thwart God's plan or process because He is greater than the sin in us.
Romans 8:29-30
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined
to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
This calling is not the generic gospel call given to everyone, but is the calling of the new creature. Notice the tense that is used, aorist. Once we are the new creature we are sealed with the HolySpirit until the day of redemption and none can snatch us from the protection of God. Yes we will be judged, yet we will be judged under the blood of the Lamb.
It is through belief we are made into the new creature, not works. It is through belief that He works in us allowing us to perform every good deed prepared for us by Him before hand. Now when it comes to sanctification lets again look to the word of God.
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
We can see it is Christ that sanctifies the church, and He presents the church to Himself. Remember it is three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Being cleansed by the washing of water with the word, sprinkling with the blood of Christ, and obtaining the gift of the HolySpirit.
1Peter 1:2-5
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to
obtain an inheritance
which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our protection is through faith not works, and it is the very power of God that protects us. The sanctifying work is the HolySpirit's. It is only by the HolySpirt's work that we obey. Being born again we are born to a living hope, an inheritance that is undefiled. You are not your own, but purchased at a price, a price that God will never deem unworthy.
