Sanctification Archives

Wrestling with God & Sanctification

In Genesis 32, Jacob has a very interesting encounter that could even be labeled mysterious. Jacob, all alone, is met by a man and they began to wrestle. It says that they wrestled all night until the breaking of the new day.

I wrestled in high school, and I recall the first day of wrestling practice. The coach paired each boy with someone close to the same size and each of us was given a small area and were told at the sound of the whistle we were to wrestle.

What I recall distinctly is how quickly fatigue set in. We were to wrestle for three minutes, but after like 50 seconds, it felt like it had been an hour. We were winded and tired and weak. I can’t imagine Jacob wrestling ALL night long. Jacob must have been a man of incredible strength.

This is a passage in which MUCH time could be spent. Some day these deeper truths will be addressed but for the couple minutes we have together today the focus will narrow on sanctification (the process through which we become holy) and suffering.

In this passage it states that Jacob was wrestling with God. This fact is confirmed in Hosea 12. This presents a problem because God tells Moses that earthly man cannot see God and live. Because of the wording in this passage, it appears that this is a Christophany, the appearance of Christ in the O.T.

Three things happened to Jacob in that wrestling match:

His name was changed to Israel (He strives with God)
He obtained a limp because in this wrestling match Jacob’s hip was touched by his opponent and was put out of joint. Jacob limped away from the match.
Because of this limp, he was forever changed. All Jacob’s natural powers were crippled, and every future step would be a reminder of God’s divine grace.

Here is a lesson for you and me. Sometimes our growth in holiness (sanctification) comes from something which is causing suffering. In this day, we are so quick to want to escape pain. We get a slight headache, and we immediately want ibuprofen. There is no sin in taking ibuprofen – this is only an example of what we do in other areas of life in that we want to end suffering immediately.

It is quite possible the suffering we want to end is being used by God to bring about more holiness in us and more dependence upon Him.

I have wrestled with God (figuratively speaking) for years, trying to get my own way. Desiring that suffering needs to end or that area of suffering is unjust. All the while missing that maybe God is working through suffering to produce change and holiness.

S.D.G.

Two Front Door Houses: MT episode 11

One of the many advantages of growing up in the mid-west is the various farmhouses that remain in use. Some of these houses are well over 100 years old. They are not the mansion plantation houses in the south, but they are still beautiful in their own humble way.

One thing easily noticed is that many of these old farmhouses have two front doors. They are separated by just five to ten feet. Both doors look identical, same height, same width and even the same door.

The reason for two front entrance doors lies in that one is the formal entrance for when company visits and the other is more casual, for the family only.

I can imagine the formal entrance is kept more tidy and spotless. The floors are most likely not messy, and everything is placed in its correct spot.

The casual side, however, may not be messy but for certain the effort placed on the formal side is not on the casual side.

Think of this in terms of your relationship to Jesus. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ.”

Last Thursday our discussion was around sanctification. It is the process we are 1. Instantly sanctified at new birth and 2. Progressively sanctified as we live. We are always working towards being more like Jesus, He becomes greater, we become less.

This passage here in Philippians is also passage on sanctification. For those who are saved, it is only because God began that good work. Ezekiel 36:25-27 clearly states it is a work done by God alone.

But for those who are saved, those who have had this good work done in them, you now can work to holiness. How? Because God is at work in you, and He will keep working in you until completion.

The problem for many, and I will speak personally here, sometimes there are 2 entrance doors. One that I wanted Jesus to see, more formal, more together and then the real me. I can’t fool Jesus. In reality, there is ONLY one door to me. Jonah is not the only one who has loved God and tried to hide.

Monday, we will start here and add some thoughts, but for the weekend be challenged with this: what comes to mind when pondering how you can be more holy? That is your starting point to pray and ask the Father, “Help me to grow and be more holy.”

SDG

Duck Sanctification: MT episode 9

There was an artist who lived in Virginia whose name was Herbert G. Phipps. Part of his art was sculpting and his work was exquisite.

Someone asked him once how he made such beautiful sculptures. He said, “It’s easy. If I am trying to sculpt a duck out of a piece of wood, I look at the wood and I remove all the parts that do not look like a duck.”

Oh if it were that easy, right?

In our last visit together, we considered how as believers we are perfect. It does not come by our personal performance but our perfection is being in Christ and his perfection becomes our perfection.

But there is this thing called sanctification.

What is sanctification? It is being set aside for holy use. For the believer it both instant and ongoing.

1 Corinthians 6 shows that sanctification is instant in that as soon as you are a believer, you are sanctified and justified.

It is also an ongoing thing and this truth is all through Scripture but specifically in Hebrews 10:14 it says Christ has perfected us for all time and we are being sanctified.

What does this mean? Like Herbert Phipps, we are being shaped. Shaped into the image of Christ. Becoming like Him. As we grow in Christ, the things that do not look like Christ are removed. We work this out as God works in us.

So, yes, on our own we are not perfect, but we are both perfect and being perfected.

S.D.G