Sanctification in labour pains
Series: Holy – Holy – Holy | Bible text: Galatians 4:19; Psalm 51
Sanctification means that Christ takes shape in us and increasingly characterises our lives. A new way of being leads to a new way of doing. Christians tend to shorten this process by acting on their own initiative. The result is sobering. It is our concern that we as a church do not define ourselves by our programme, but by the quality of sanctification among the people.
When I was a little boy, I had many exciting adventures with the gang in our neighbourhood. Hunting foxes, shooting sparrows, battles with the «lower villagers», playing Indians in the feed store of a pig fattening farm, football on the main road, etc. On Sunday, on the other hand, we had to get into our creased trousers, put on the white turtleneck jumper with the knitted sleeveless jumper and step into our polished shoes. Our biggest task now was to keep our Sunday clothes within the permitted cleanliness tolerance. Can you imagine how tedious that was for wild boys? Our hearts were still the same, but our outward appearance was trimmed for Sunday school. Laborious, half-hearted – for us and for our friends.
A church in Galatia had a similar problem. After the good news of Jesus reached them, they experienced deep change from the inside out. The people were sanctified, transformed into the image of Jesus. For some reason, their good course was stopped. They became legalistic and self-righteous, which led to the terrible disease of religious self-righteousness. Sunday clothes without a changed heart. This state of affairs led to St Paul rushing in and trying to wake up the congregation with harsh words. He expresses his concern very metaphorically: «My children, it is as if I had to give birth to you a second time. I am going through birth pangs once more until Christ takes shape in your lives.» (Galatians 4:19 New Testament).
Christ in us – that is the foundation of all sanctification. Unfortunately, we Christians tend to settle for a surface polish after a good start. Christ wants to take shape in our lives. Labour pains are no child’s play and vary from severe to very severe. The tendency towards legalism is so deep-seated that redirecting it demands everything from Paul and is painful.
What does it mean to be transformed from the way of the world to the way of Jesus? How can Jesus take shape in us so that our thoughts and actions are characterised by grace and love and not by pressure and religious principles? Three movements lead to a healthy sanctification that radiates joy and freedom.
From doing to being
One of the most obvious characteristics of daily life is that we are busy. Our days are filled with duties, meetings and projects – like overstuffed suitcases threatening to burst. There is always something unfinished that we have to do. When we stop doing, we stop being. During my sabbatical, I painfully experienced how deeply this has become conditioned in my life.
A big problem is that followers of Jesus – influenced by the world – do things for Jesus, but do not become like Jesus. We tend to work for Him without the heart of Jesus. It is possible to do the things of the church without Christ in us. We can enjoy the fellowship in the church, be touched by the music, the light and perhaps even the sermon and savour the pizza from the bistro without a deep encounter with Christ. The Galatians do much, but fail to be shaped by Christ from within. Simply being present in a church does not lead to sanctification. We want to be a church that is not defined by the quality of its music, welcoming culture or preaching, but by the quality of the people who belong to it. Nevertheless, we work hard on appealing programmes because you cannot honour God with half-heartedness.
Paul names the test criterion for true Christianity: «Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves! Or do you not recognise in yourselves that Jesus Christ in you is? If not, then you would not be proven» (2 Corinthians 13:5 LUT).
People who only enjoy the benefits of the programme run away from God when things get difficult in life. Those who have truly encountered God and his grace, on the other hand, grow in the face of difficulties. When we have deep encounters with Christ in us and his grace, nothing can separate us from the love of God.
King David provided an intensive divine programme. He brought the tent of God’s presence to Jerusalem and set up 24⁄7 worship. His moral failure with adultery and the responsibility of the murder of Uriah, the deceived man, happened when the worship space was in full operation. The outer programme was perfect, but not his heart. In Psalm 51 he comes to terms with his failure: «You are not satisfied with sacrifices, or I would have brought them to you, nor would you accept burnt offerings. The sacrifice that pleases you is a broken spirit. A contrite, repentant heart you will not reject, O God.» (Psalm 51:18f NLB). And: «God, create in me a pure heart and give me a new, sincere spirit» (V.12 NLB). It is not the pious programme that changes us, but a heart transplant. Our being and not our doing is the basis of sanctification.
From the surface to the depths
In the Gospel of Matthew in particular, Jesus repeatedly calls on us not to limit ourselves to outward appearances, but to do the strenuous work of the heart. He confronts the scribes and Pharisees: «You hypocrites! You carefully make sure that your cups and plates are clean on the outside, but on the inside you are rotten to the core – full of envy and excess!» (Matthew 23:25 NLB). The Sermon on the Mount is an invitation to focus on our hearts and not just on «right behaviour». It is not murder that is wrong, but anger in the heart; it is not adultery that is to be condemned, but desire, etc.
One author of spiritual books has divided the human heart into three areas, analogous to a body of water: The shallow, the centre and the deep. In the Shoal it’s about trivialities such as sports results or the weather. The Centre position deals with our personal situation, with the challenge of being alone or being married. In the Depth is about the question of who we really are, where we really belong. Most of what happens in the church lies between the shallows and the middle ground. The gospel, on the other hand, is fundamental and answers the question of who we are. Unfortunately, we are so distracted in our busy lives that it is difficult for the good news to reach our deepest places.
How does God move from the surface to the depths of our hearts? David has already answered the question in Psalm 51 and is confirmed by Isaiah: «For thus says the High and Lofty One who dwells in eternity, the One whose name is the Holy One: I dwell in the high and holy place, and with them that are of a bruised and humbled mind, to revive the humble, and to revive the brokenhearted»(Isaiah 57:15 NLB).
The key words are humility and brokenness. We need to discard any proud self-righteousness and capitulate. We need a new heart, a new identity, a new sense of belonging based on the realisation that we cannot do it ourselves. Genuine sanctification can only grow out of a new identity. The Israeli football team depict broken hearts as a sign of compassion and grief during the playing of their anthem. A broken heart suffers from the inability to make it on its own. The watertight shell becomes permeable so that Christ can take shape in us: «But this means that whoever lives with Christ becomes a new person. He is no longer the same, because his old life is over. A new life has begun!» (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLB). Someone shared how he lost two adult children, one to suicide. «This experience brought me the greatest pain I have ever suffered. I knew that my pain had great energy, so I asked God to use it for my healing. Great suffering and great love are paths to transformation – that was the case for me.»
We need an awareness of God’s holiness, His righteousness and His love and at the same time an awareness of my sinfulness. Philipp Melanchthon said: «Those who have never shed tears over themselves must see whether they have understood anything about the new life.» Sin means that I trust in something other than God, e.g. in my actions for Jesus.
Has the gospel already reached the depths of your life?
From bondage to freedom
Sanctification means that you are free from the power of sin and thus have the opportunity to become a new person. From a new identity comes new action, completely free from a worldly moulded identity. We die to that which kills us and rise to that which heals us. This happens in rebirth. To be holy means to be set apart, whole, whole and with integrity. Inside and outside are the same. Our actions do not have to be perfect, but more and more in harmony with Christ in us. We must stop compensating for inner deficits through external action. Sanctification means that Christ takes shape in us more and more. The goal of this is life in freedom. This is the aim of the entire letter to the Galatians. «Christ has set us free! Stand firm, therefore, and do not let the yoke of slavery be put on you again!» (Galatians 5:1 LUT). Freedom is an abundance of life from Christ in us into our lives.
Under pressure, what is present within us comes out of us. Under maximum imaginable pressure, dying on the cross, Jesus pours out pure love. He forgives his enemies and takes care of his mother. Christ in us causes us to experience such a deep transformation. When Christ takes shape in us, this is reflected in the fruit of the Holy Spirit «If, on the other hand, the Holy Spirit rules our lives, he will cause completely different fruit to grow in us: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. […]» (Galatians 5:22 NLB).
Christ in us – This is the key to sanctification. Those who live with Christ do not have something special per sebut something wonderful in itself. In the German language, it is not customary to describe the union of two people as if one at other is. I am with Silvia married, but not in her. There is one exception: when a woman falls in love, she is not with the man, but in in love with him. That’s quite telling. This love affair needs to be nurtured. The one who knows me best loves me most! In this intimate relationship, Christ takes shape in us and changes us into his image.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Psalm 51
- Why is it so easy for Christians to become legalistic?
- Why is being more important than doing in sanctification? Where and how does the gospel begin?
- Which levels of the heart (shallow, middle, deep) do you talk about in the small group?
- Under pressure, what we really have in our hearts comes out of our hearts. What experiences do you have with this truth?
- How can Christ take shape in us? How can we encourage this?
