JOHN SHIRK – This word is not used very often outside church walls, but it is used often in the Bible, and it deserves our attention.

Sanctification is a word to describe how the Christian is set apart by God for His holy purposes.  Step-by-step, day-by-day, the Holy Spirit is working in the believer to refine our faith, so that we are growing toward the likeness of Christ.  Sanctification is an ongoing process where growth is occurring. God shows us the way to put aside childish tendencies so that we become mature in the faith. 

The affections for the things of this world fade away while our passion for God grows.  We learn the way of love according to Jesus, which includes compassionate outreach, concern for lost souls, and the power to forgive others when they have wronged us. With Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we begin to look at the world from a Biblical viewpoint. Our choices are filtered through the lens of God’s will rather than selfish desires.  We wake up with the ambition to please God more than anything else. The word of God is instrumental in the sanctification process.  In John 17:17, Jesus prayed for his disciples this way, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

Sanctification is a process that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com