Growing in sanctification

​Growing in Sanctification (Read time ≈ 10 minutes)
2 Timothy 2:21 (ESV)
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
 
            It seems there are two types of sanctification for us as Christians. Between the Biblical definition and the dictionary the word sanctification means, “the action of making or declaring something holy / the action or process of being freed from sin or purified / the action of causing something to be or seem morally right or acceptable / to make holy or sacred to be set apart for special use or purpose”.
 
                The first type of sanctification is something that can ONLY be done by the Blood of Jesus Christ that He shed for you and me. We cannot take even just one step towards sanctification without first being cleansed by the Blood of Jesus (Hebrews 13:12). This type of sanctification is when Christ cleanses your life in ways you cannot. Sure, we can always just ­try harder and trying harder isn’t necessarily bad, but trying hard doesn’t undo what we have already done. We hurt people, rather it be physically or emotionally, and we regret it, we apologize, and we make efforts going forward to change our behavior but, that doesn’t remove the pain or damage that has already been done. Damage has been done, a transgression has taken place and there is no ctrl + z option (there is no undo button). We can put our best foot forward, and I hope that you do, but no amount of effort in the future can change what’s already been done. This is what makes it impossible for us to be sanctified by our own efforts. No number of good deeds can wipe away our past. That is why Jesus saw it necessary to do what He did for us on the cross; for our supernatural sanctification, to do what only He can do and accomplish what we already failed at. This type of sanctification is the first type of sanctification any person can get, and they can only have it given to them by Jesus
 
                The second type of sanctification is a bit different though. It’s a level of sanctification that I think many Christians NEVER get to, especially in this hyper grace theology generation we live in. They never get to it because, one, no one tells them about it and two, it is HARD and we live in a time where so many people “just can’t even!”, whatever that means…. The fact of the matter is that, if we ever want God to take us to new places in our life, new dimensions of ministry, new levels in our personal life, then we must begin to sanctify ourselves. See, this second level of sanctification takes work. It is still only accomplished by the grace of Jesus Christ and the empowerment of His Holy Spirit, but it will not be accomplished without initiative and effort on YOUR part. Search throughout the Bible and it is clear, without a doubt, that the first type of sanctification is ONLY given by Jesus Christ, and it is given by grace alone and we do not earn it. But the second level of sanctification requires labor, hard work, commitment and willpower. It requires you making a choice that today, I am going to pick up my cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24-26). BTW, many historians and scholars believe the typical roman cross for crucifixion to be somewhere between 165-300 pounds. I’m sorry to break it to you if you didn’t already know, but this walk with Christ is HARD and it is not for the faint of heart. Sadly, this why so many fall away over the years. And this is why it is so crucial that we labor for this second type of sanctification. Just as clear as it is throughout scripture that the first type of sanctification comes only by the Grace of Jesus Christ, it is also clear that the second type only comes from a committed lifestyle of personal sanctification. We don’t just get saved and wake up the next day perfect and sinless. We must make efforts to sanctify ourselves to make ourselves more and more useful for God’s kingdom. Paul says to Timothy, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” Speaking of anyone who chooses to take his sanctification to another level is ready to be useful for God! To think that, at our first sanctification we became temples of the Holy Spirit, set apart by God. If our Lord dwells within us, shouldn’t that compel us to live differently? To strive to sanctify ourselves further, to live a righteous life before God and man? Paul thought so (See 2 Corinthians 6:16-19 + 7:1)
 
                The second type of sanctification is so uncommon in the modern Christian because it is hard to achieve. Thankfully, as is the case in all things when seeking to carry out Gods will for your life, you are not alone in this. God has given you fellow believers to labor side by side with, to pick you up and help you along (Galatians 6:2). He has given you close relationships to help you stay sharp in this walk (Proverbs 27:17). He gave you people to commune and fellowship with (Hebrews 10:25). Now, if you’re thinking to yourself, “No, God has not given me those relationships” then to that I say, yes He has, but you have either not sought them out or you have rejected them, or you have not embraced them, or you are not where God wants you to be because the fellowship of believers is a crucial element for ALL Christians. Even more importantly, though for the second type of sanctification is the help that ONLY God can give. Yes, the first type of sanctification is 100% accomplished by Christ. The second type of sanctification takes our efforts but even then, our own efforts will never be enough, we NEED the power of the Holy Spirit within us to strengthen us to live a sanctified life. God’s help is found in God. Gods help is found in seeking God (1 Chronicles 16:11)! Jesus came to sanctify us and save us from our sins, then He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us forward onto the second type of sanctification (John 16:13) so that we can be set apart and useful for the Kingdom of God. If you want your life to be useful for the King, then sanctify yourself further and as Paul says, “If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the Master of the house, ready for every good work”. That can be you, but you have a choice to make every day. Will I seek out my sanctification today as I pick up my cross and follow Christ?