Motives of Sanctification

Motives of Sanctification

   Why should a believer cooperate with God and strive to be like Christ? What motivates Christians to grow in holiness? Is it scriptural? Is it beneficial? Is it worth the pain and effort? Christlikeness comes at a cost. The Lord Jesus paid the ultimate price for our redemption. He satisfied the eternal justice of the Father and opened the floodgates allowing the Spirit and his gracious works to flow. Because we have been bought with a price, we now are to honor the Lord with our bodies and lives. This is partly achieved by growing in holiness and submitting entirely to Christ's lordship. He owns us. We are no longer our own. We belong to the Savior. And it is the Savior's will to conform us into his image.

   The desires of the saints are slowly transformed. We once desired sin and the satisfaction of the flesh. Now, we hate sin and the flesh and seek to satisfy our Lord. This is done by sanctification. This is the Spirit's work in us- convicting of sin and conforming into the image of Christ. We want to be holy and pleasing to God. We long to be free from the flesh and temptation. Something is driving us, motivating us. We know it is the Spirit. But, what if any, are our motivations for sanctification?

God-ward

   Just as anything else in the Christian life, we must begin with God. There are several godly motivations that drive us toward holiness and purity.

First, believers ought to be motivated to please God and demonstrate love for him. We do not try and pay God back for what he has done, but we do alter our lives and do good works in order to glorify him and show our love. Our lives are now lived for his glory and according to his will. This takes the sanctifying grace of the Spirit because we are still weak, sinful, facing temptations, and prone to wander.  (Jn. 14:15, 21; 1Thess. 4:1; 1Jn. 5:3)

   Second, blessings from God motivate believers to grow in Christlikeness. We do not merely do what pleases God in order to get blessed by him, however, they do move us in that direction. Believers desire the favor of God. We know what pleases him so we act accordingly and receive gifts from our great and glorious God. These gifts, these blessings, are wonderful but they are not our only focus or goal. We thank God for them and then use them for his glory. This is all sanctifying. By the Spirit's leading and prompting, we seek to be holy. We seek to please and obey our heavenly Father. He in turn blesses us and showers us with grace and gifts. We in turn show our gratitude, thereby worshiping and honoring him. This is growth. This is the Christian life. We do not do it perfectly and there is always room to grow. However, that is the process of sanctification.  (1Pet. 3:9-12)

   Third, another motivation to act like Christ is to avoid fatherly displeasure and discipline from the Lord. Since we are being transformed, we desire to please God. When we sin against God we can expect discipline. This discipline is, however, for our good. This chastening corrects, teaches, humbles, warns, guides, drives to repentance, and enlightens.

   It also shows and proves the love of God for us. He disciplines his children, those whom he loves. We benefit from the loving discipline of our Father. Albeit, Christians, do not like discipline or disappointing their Father. So, we are motivated to act accordingly and behave. In other words, we strive to be holy and Christlike so as to not displease God and merit discipline.  (2Cor. 5:9-11; Eph. 4:30; Phil. 2:12-13; Heb. 12:3-11)

   Fourth, believers are motivated to be sanctified in order to experience closer communion with God. The holier we are, the closer to God we become. The more we become like Christ, the more of God we will experience. Quite simply, Christians ought to desire to be as close to God as humanly possible. This is achieved by growing in holiness and Christlikeness. (Matt. 5:8; Jn. 14:21; Jn. 14:23; Jn. 17:20-24; 1Jn. 1:6-7)

   Fifth, our sanctification is the will of God. This is our proper motivation- we want what God wants. Part of sanctification, part of growing into the image of Christ is aligning our wills with the will of God. As we grow, it becomes less and less of what we want and becomes more and more of what God wants. (1Thess. 4:3; 1Thess. 5:23-24; Heb. 13:20-21).

Man-ward

   Not only are we motivated to become more like Christ from a God-ward focus, but also a man-ward emphasis compels us. There is something inside us as believers that turns our attention to ourselves in the constant pursuit of holiness. We desire certain things and these motivate us to become more like Christ, to submit to the Spirit, to be righteous, to live purely, and to glorify God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

   First, we are motivated to be sanctified in order to have a clear conscience. There is something within us, including the Spirit, that now wants to be holy, righteous, and pleasing to God. When we sin we feel lousy. The Spirit convicts us and our hearts let us know that we have sinned. “Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience” (Rom. 13:5).

   Second, believers ought to desire to be effective workers. This should motivate one to grow in Christlikeness. Our drive ought to be to do all that we can for the Lord. This takes sanctification. We have to be like Christ in order to act like Christ. (Eph. 2:10; 2Tim. 2:20-21; Tit. 2:11-14)

   Third, another motivation is living pure before unbelievers. Believers should be beyond reproach. Our lives should be a testimony of the goodness and grace of God. We know that we are not perfect, however, we should live pure and upright lives and be an example of Christ. Christians need to persevere in sanctification. We need to grow more like Christ in order to be examples of Christ. (Matt. 5:16; 1Pet. 2:12); 1Pet. 3:1-2)

   Fourth, believers are motivated to grow more into the image of Christ to receive greater rewards. This is not our goal. However, we benefit from honoring and glorifying God by being sanctified. The rewards are great, but our desire is to be like Christ. The rewards are great and we are grateful for the gifts of God, but they are simply more fuel for our praise. (1Cor. 3:12-15) 

   Fifth, sanctification invites joy and peace. As we grow, we experience the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy and peace. As we become more like Christ, we will have lasting joy and the peace of God that transcends this earth and our circumstances. We will learn to depend an God and trust him above all. Nothing will rob us of our joy. Nothing can steal our peace. “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9).

   Are you motivated to become more lie Christ? I pray that you are. There are many good reasons to grow. Primary among them is that God saved us for a purpose. He redeemed us in order for us to be transformed into the image of his Son so that we might honor and glorify him in all things. He saved us to make us holy. Be holy. Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.