Results
of Sanctification
What are the results of sanctification? Is there a
purpose in the suffering, growing, trials, difficulties, falls,
bumps, and bruises? Is there a reason for the soul-wrenching and
heart-aching struggle to hate sin, wrestle the flesh to submission,
be in the world but not of the world, and focus entirely on God when
everything battles for our attention and affections? It is for a
purpose. Sanctification is very difficult, but the end result is
definitely worth the effort.
Glory
to God
First, a believers sanctification is for the glory of
God. Anything else would be idolatry. When we struggle with sin,
when we become more like Christ through suffering and pain, God is
exalted. How? Our sanctification magnifies his grace, we learn
dependence, our prayer life is strengthened, faith is increased, we
witness for Christ, and God uses us and our circumstances for the
comfort and benefit of others- all for his praise!
God
is glorified in other ways. Our sanctification results in good works
which honor God. “In
the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may
see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”
(Matt. 5:16). “As
each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good
stewards of God's varied grace:
whoever
speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who
serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything
God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Pet. 4:10-11).
When
Christians bear spiritual fruit God is glorified. “By this my
Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my
disciples” (Jn. 15:8). “To this end we always pray for you, that
our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every
resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
so
that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in
him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ”
(2Thess. 1:11-12).
Being
united as believers also brings honor to the Lord. “May the God of
endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with
one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
that
together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6). God is magnified when his children
live pure lives. “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in
your body” (1Cor. 6:20). When believers do the works of God and
live life with the proper motives, God is glorified. “So, whether
you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”
(1Cor. 10:31). And the Lord is worshiped by testimonies of his
grace. “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the
needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to
God. By
their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your
submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and
the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others...”
(2Cor. 9:12-13). “And they glorified God because of me” (Gal.
1:24).
Christlikeness
Another
result of sanctification is Christlikeness. The goal of
sanctification is the glory of God by our transformation into the
image of the blessed Son. This is the plan of God for our salvation.
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to
the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among
many brothers” (Rom. 8:29).
We were saved in
order to become like Christ. Believers are slowly being transformed
into the likeness of Christ. The Spirit does his work and we: suffer
well, learn, grow, mortify sin, act righteously, talk purely, think
properly, worship consistently, walk in holiness, etc. “And we
all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2Cor. 3:18).
Sanctification
never ends in this life because of our sinful flesh. However,
believers know, trust, and anticipate seeing Christ and becoming
fully like him. We long for the day when we will see Christ as he is
and rid ourselves of this body of sin! Our sanctification will be
complete and we will be glorified. “Beloved, we are God's children
now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when
he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
And
everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure”
(1Jn. 3:2-3).
Fruit
Another result of a
believer's sanctification is spiritual fruit. The Holy Spirit works
in our spirits to produce fruit for the glory of God, our continued
sanctification, and the good of others. Some of these fruits are:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
A
result of the the Spirit's work is that we grow in love. “But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).
“...So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith---that
you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth
and length and height and depth,
and
to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be
filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:17-19). “Therefore
be imitators of God, as beloved children.2
And
walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a
fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1-2). “And above
all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect
harmony” (Col. 3:14). “But as for you, O man of God, flee these
things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness,
gentleness” (1Tim. 6:11). “So we have come to know and to
believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides
in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1Jn. 4:16).
Another
fruit that is born in believers is joy. “More than that, we
rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance...” (Rom. 5:3). “For the kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). “Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). “Rejoice always...”
(1Thess. 5:16). “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet
trials of various kinds,
for
you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And
let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing” (Jms. 1:2-4). “Though you have not
seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in
him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
obtaining
the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1Pet.
1:8-9). “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it
comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were
happening to you.
But
rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also
rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1Pet. 4:12-13).
The Spirit bears
peace within the hearts of believers. “Therefore, since we have
been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). “For to set the mind on the flesh is
death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom.
8:6). “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in
every way. The Lord be with you all” (2Thess. 3:16).
Believers
grow in patience as a result of being sanctified. “Rejoice in
hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Rom.
12:12). “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in
a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
with
all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another
in love,
eager
to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph.
4:1-3). “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage
the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1Thess.
5:14).
The
Spirit of God works kindness in the lives of believers. “Love one
another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor”
(Rom. 12:10). “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). “Put on
then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience...” (Col. 3:12). “For
this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with
virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and
knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and
steadfastness with godliness,
and
godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with
love” (2Pet. 1:5-7).
Another
fruit produced in believers is goodness. “So then, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who
are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). “They are to do
good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
thus
storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the
future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life”
(1Tim. 6:18-19). “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you
have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Heb. 13:16).
Faithfulness
is generated in the heart's of God's children. “Therefore, my
beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”
(1Cor. 15:58). “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty
hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
casting
all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Be
sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Resist
him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are
being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
And
after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has
called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
To
him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Pet. 5:6-11).
Gentleness
is still another fruit that the Spirit bears in the souls of
believers. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner
worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
with
all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another
in love,
eager
to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph.
4:1-3). “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities,
to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
to
speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show
perfect courtesy toward all people” (Tit. 3:1-2).
When
a believer is growing more like Christ, self-control will grow with
him. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you
obey its passions” (Rom. 6:12). “For this very reason, make
every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with
knowledge,
and
knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and
steadfastness with godliness,
and
godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with
love” (2Pet. 1:5-7).
These are the
results of God's glorious work in the hearts, lives, and souls of his
children. This is the fruit of sanctification. Believers become
more like Christ by growing in holiness, purity, and righteousness.
Believers become less like themselves fleeing from sin, temptation,
the wiles of the evil one, and the entrapments of the world. Less
like our sinful selves and more like Christ- that is the doctrine of
sanctification in a nutshell.
Believers must be
growing. If they are not growing, then they are dying. It is the
role of the Spirit to see to it that we grow and mature in Christ.
God cannot fail. He saved us and he will sanctify us. One
magnificent day, all Christians will be glorified and presented to
the Father. Christ's bride will be made perfect. We will be
beautiful, without spot, blemish free, pure, and chaste. We will be
holy as God is holy. Finally!
That day cannot
come quick enough. In the meantime, we have work to do. Be more
like Christ. Grow more into his image every day. With the aid of
the Spirit, put on Christ and walk in him.
