And once you’ve surrendered to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, you liberate Him to carry out His wonderful work. One of the most helpful things, one of the most refreshing things that the Holy Spirit will do for you is empower holiness.
It’s in His very name. He is the Holy Spirit. The Scripture could have described Him as the Power Spirit, the Grace Spirit, the Miracle Spirit, the Love Spirit and so on. Yet the Bible calls Him the Holy Spirit. That should be rather telling of His purpose, nature and work.
Many believers are frustrated with themselves, because they try to produce, among other things, holiness by their own effort and strength. But the Holy Spirit is expertly skilled at transforming the sinner into a saint. Though we are freely pardoned from sin at the very moment of salvation, we must undergo the process of change, a process that is enabled by the Spirit.
However, this process might not be what you think it is. For the process is more about the transformation of your thinking than of your actual being. The process is about getting you to think and live in the awareness of certain realities.
At salvation, the Holy Spirit becomes one with the believer’s spirit. At baptism, He floods the believer’s soul and body. So, at that point of the believer’s life, he could rightfully say that he is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in the believer. However, there is yet another dimension in which you can live, an even higher plain of existence. At this point, you might be wondering how this can possibly get any deeper. But it does, indeed, go much further.
All Spirit-filled believers have the Spirit in them, but not all believers, very few believers, are in the spirit. Notice that I did not capitalize the word “spirit” there. That’s because I am not writing of a Person but of a realm. I am writing of the divine dimension, the reality of God.
It’s possible to have your spirit resurrected at salvation, your being transformed at baptism and yet neglect to think and live in the spirit. Living in the spirit is the practice of your new reality and the acceptance of what the Holy Spirit is doing within you.
You can be forgiven and live like you’re guilty. You can be loved by God and live like you’re a reject. You can be a new creation and still identify with your old self. You can have the fruit of the Spirit within and never let them see the light of action. You can be free from sin and live like the cage is still locked. In other words, you can, but you won’t. It is, but you don’t think it is. Living in the spirit is about thinking according to a greater reality.
You might sense a subtle identification with what you’re reading. You know you’re there but not quite there. It’s as though your feet have settled on new ground, but your mind has yet to catch up. It’s as if God has transformed you so fast that you’re suffering from a form of mental whiplash. You’ve been hurled into a new existence, thrust into an unfamiliar spiritual dimension.
What do you do when your new mind seems to be thinking old thoughts?
The Spiritual and the Virtual
The Holy Spirit helps you in your world, but He transforms you in His world.
There are two realities that you can experience. Either you can live in the spirit nature or exist in the sin nature. Whenever I write of someone who exists in the sin nature, I purposely avoid the word “live”. For those who exist in the sin nature do not truly live, but they do exist.
Remember, there is both an outer and an inner man.
The spirit nature desires all that God desires and fulfills those desires through everyday decisions of obedience. The spirit nature is the inner man.
Now the sin nature is just the opposite of the spirit nature. It desires whatever is contrary to the spirit nature and fulfills those desires through disobedience. The sin nature is the outer man.
To get a picture of what it is that I mean by the “outer” and “inner” man, reference again that image depicting the body, soul and spirit (from chapter 2). The outer man experiences this earthly reality, and the spirit man experiences the God-reality, the inner-reality.
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”
~ Galatians 5:16-17
When you live according to the spirit, you are living from the inside out—the inner man dominates and shapes the world around you. When you live according to the sin nature, you are living from the outside in—the outer man dominates and enslaves you within. Only one man can dominate. This is why it is important that we subject the outer man under the influence of the Holy Spirit by means of internal surrender. It is dangerous to live in the sin nature. After all, it produces death, destruction, decay and darkness. The book of Galatians gives us a more specific description.
“But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
~ Galatians 5:18-21
It is clear that the sinful nature produces the worst in us. But you were not created to live in such filth. No being created in the image of God should wallow and crawl through the muddy streets of sin. You were created to walk in the Glory of God. There is a certain class about you, a Heavenly elegance and an air of divinity. The royal DNA of the celestial King courses through you. You were designed to bear the fruit of the Spirit.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
~ Galatians 5:22-25
The Holy Spirit is the One Who produces the spiritual fruit in our lives. As He leads, we learn from Him to be spiritual. When you are living by the Spirit, you shut the door on the sin nature, for you cannot have two natures at once.
Mouths that are filled with praise have no opportunity to curse. Hands that are busied with obedience haven’t a moment to become dirty. Ears that are attentive to the voice of God cannot be distracted by the noise of worldliness. Walk in sync with the Spirit. Step at His pace and truly live.
Live life anew in the spirit. Remember that you are born again of the Spirit. The old nature is dead. You are completely new.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
Were you to be in your old nature, it would not be possible to even desire what is of the Spirit. For how could you possibly desire spiritual things without Him? The sin nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit. So the Spirit was the One Who drew you to life in the first place. Had it not been for His convicting power, there would have been nothing in you that desired to be free from sin. Everyone wants to escape the penalties and consequences of sin; but only the Spirit could have given you the desire to be rid of sin itself.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, you have stepped into the new life that was made possible by God’s sacrifice and Christ’s suffering.
“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin… Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
~ Romans 6:6 & 11
I want you to be totally convinced of this reality: you are not who you used to be. The old you is dead and gone. To put a fine point on it, dead really means dead. When the Scripture speaks of the death of the sin nature, it is using literal terminology.
However, accepting the death of the sin nature will ultimately lead to these demanding questions: if the sin nature is dead, what am I fighting? If the sin nature is gone, why do I still battle with sin? Though we recognize the reality presented by scripture, our experience too contributes to what we know. And nobody can deny that there is a battle that we fight within, seemingly between two natures.
Certainly, the Scripture teaches us that the sin nature is dead, but we cannot deny that it also describes a battle.
“For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily.”
~ 1 Corinthians 15:31
We must come to terms with the reality of an ongoing struggle. Something, somewhere contradicts the Spirit’s work in our lives. We know this to be true because of what we experience on a daily basis. We also know this based by scripture. Again, Paul the Apostle makes a clear mention of this struggle for perfection.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.”
~ Philippians 3:12
Many of the New Testament epistles are filled with admonition, correction and instruction for holiness. Why would such messages be necessary if we are perfected at salvation? In fact, the purposes of the Scripture include guidance unto holiness.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
~ 2 Timothy 3:16
Many of the Bible’s rebukes are not directed at unbelievers but at the Church. And don’t forget that our behavior is so often out of line that it deserves the chastisement of God Himself. Incredibly, that we are His children makes us more likely to receive such chastisement.
“For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
~ Hebrews 12:6
If we hold true to the teachings of scripture, we cannot deny that the sin nature is dead, and neither can we deny that it still presents a very real problem. So how can this be? How can what is dead put up such a lively fight?
Well, sin works from the outside in. It is a disease that infects from outer sources. Though your spirit is alive and connected with God, your body exists in a fallen world where sin abounds. Your body and spirit each exist in a different realm. Your body exists in the earthly realm, but your spirit exists in the Heavenly realm. Your soul bridges the two realities, and it connects both parts of your being. This is why physical instruments cannot measure the spirit and the soul. Body and spirit exist separately in two completely different realms, different dimensions.
Your body only represents the outer man, but your spirit is the inner man.
So part of the issue is the flesh, not to be confused with the sin nature. The sin nature, simply put, is the desire to sin, and the flesh is the body. Keep in mind that this can get confusing, as the New Testament sometimes uses the same term to describe two different concepts. It’s important to pay close attention to whether the Bible is describing the physical body or the sin nature of the soul.
The body, heavily influenced by the former sin nature, contributes to the battle with sin. But the body isn’t evil on its own. Otherwise, how could the body then be called the temple of the Holy Spirit? The body, not evil unto itself, was trained under the old sinful nature and must be retrained under the new spiritual nature. The old actions of sin have entrenched habits within the body. Because of the old nature, the body has developed cravings and patterns. The sin nature is the faulty software, and your body is the hardware. It was programmed through means of man’s free will. But the Holy Spirit upgrades the software, and He helps the hardware, the body, to function under the new programming. The body takes time to adjust.
“And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.”
~ Romans 8:10
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
~ 2 Corinthians 4:16
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
~ Galatians 2:20
The body is dying along with the entirety of this physical realm. This is a dimension of decay. In fact, the second law of thermodynamics states that everything tends toward disorder. And, as far as physicists can tell, the universe we know will eventually become nothing, darkness.
Our bodies exist in this dying realm. That is why we must decide to either live from within or from without. We must choose from where we draw our experience, and we must decide in what realm we ground our reality.
So are we supposed to just think positive thoughts?
It’s more than that, because the truth is that we often waver between two realities. Though we are of the Spirit, though we belong to God, we accept rather to ground ourselves in this world. We choose to identify with the dimension of decay rather than the dimension of the Divine.
Does this world seem more real to you than the spiritual world? It probably does.
Ironically, another perspective on the sin nature can be found through physics—at least, it serves us a good analogy. Quantum Physics explores the universe on the subatomic level. It is the study of matter and energy on the smallest scales conceivable. Diving into the strange microscopic world, physicists have discovered mind-bending realities about the way the universe actually works.
One experiment produced startling results. Simply put, it has been found that some particles only exist as waves until they are observed. Only when consciously observed do wave particles become matter. In other words, whatever might become matter is only potentially matter until we give it our attention. In that sense, we create reality by focus.
Until you give it your conscious focus, the sin nature is really non-existent. It is only a potential.
The old sin nature exists only in virtual reality, but the new godly nature exists in spiritual reality. When you sin, you revisit the illusion and participate, as an avatar, your body, in a virtual world. It may feel real, and it may look real. By contrast, life in the spirit is life in your new, greater reality. The new life is experienced by a new nature.
I’m not trying to get you to deny the reality of this physical world. That would be absurd. For the Scripture teaches that God created a physical universe. I’m trying to get you to see that your identity is not grounded in this world.
The Old Testament condemns the cultic wickedness of a sin called, “necromancy”. Necromancy is conversation with the dead, communication with another realm.
“For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.”
~ Deuteronomy 18:10-11
Why would God condemn communication with the dead if it weren’t possible? When we act in the sin nature, we are carrying out our very own form of necromancy. To the believer, all sin is necromancy; it is the communication with the dead, your old nature.
But you have to remember that you are no longer of this world. You belong to a different realm, a different reality.
“They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”
~ Philippians 3:19-21
I’m reminded of a story about a very famous evangelist. Though I will not name her, I will write that she is someone I have looked up to ever since I began preaching. She was a true friend of the Holy Spirit.
But she too had her troubles with the sin nature. In a shocking act of selfishness, she pursued a relationship with a married man. Though they didn’t commit sexual sin, there was an inappropriate relationship that began to develop between the two of them. Eventually, the man divorced his wife and married the woman evangelist. Now, that is horrendous, and it cannot be excused. We, as God’s ministers, must live righteously. However, we are all human, even the most spiritual among us. The Biblical biographies of great men of faith (yes, even ministers of the Word) are littered with accounts of horrendously sinful acts. Thankfully, God’s loving forgiveness is stronger than anyone’s sin is horrendous. Eventually, knowing that she was grieving the Holy Spirit, the woman evangelist broke off her relationship with the previously married man. She repented, was forgiven and continued in ministry, as she should have.
Years later, the evangelist was approached by an angry follower. In so many words, the follower scolded the evangelist, “I can’t believe what you did! You should not be in ministry. You committed adultery!”
The evangelist responded candidly, “My dear, you have me confused for someone else.”
Confused for someone else?
She didn’t identify with the sin nature. Were there consequences? Yes. Did she damage her reputation? Yes. Did she have to undergo a process of renewal? Yes. However, once she made things right with God, she no longer identified with her sin.
Let’s go deeper.
What we do in both the virtual and the spiritual shapes us. So it’s important to do as Paul the Apostle did—resist the pull of the virtual.
“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”
~ Romans 7:15-21
Does that sound familiar? Might you have experienced something similar? Through his writing, you can sense the frustration of Paul the Apostle. Also, he writes this very interesting phrase: “I am not really the one doing wrong…” Of course, Paul is not claiming innocence, and sin definitely has consequences. Paul was not dismissing his responsibility for his actions. Rather, he is drawing a distinction between his identity and his sin. He chooses to not identify with that illusion, that old way of being. You are not your sin, and your sinful actions do not define you.
Though you are a new creation, you may not always feel that way. For, time and time again, it seems, certain actions and thoughts prove that there is still a rotting corpse within you. Your battle with sin may lead you to believe that the sin nature is still alive and well. The old man of sin creeps up, bringing calamity to your spiritual life. A nagging and persistent foe, the sin nature appears to be battling from beyond the grave.
And such battling can make you susceptible to certain lies. They are lies that seem so very powerful and true. The battle with sin may make you feel like a hypocrite, a fake and a weak Christian. You may feel like the Christian life just isn’t for you, like you just can’t seem to get it right, like you just don’t belong in God’s Kingdom. You may feel as though you have no business going to church, no right to pray to God and no idea what you’re doing. The battle with sin may make you feel frustrated, condemned and distant from God. And you may struggle to identify with your spiritual reality.
When you sin, the enemy jumps at the opportunity to throw harsh accusations in your face. He jumps at the opportunity to try to convince you, in your moment of weakness, that a life with Christ just isn’t for you. Whenever you visit the virtual reality of the sin nature, the enemy does all he can to keep you plugged into the system and convinced of the illusory world around you. Yet, even if you were to persist in that illusion, you’d be living a lie. For when you sin, you are most certainly a fake, a fake sinner. When you sin, you are not a wolf in a sheep’s clothing but a sheep in a wolf’s clothing.
The battle for life in the spirit is one of identity.
The battle is so strong for many that they doubt their own salvation. They have great difficulty believing that Jesus could love someone like them. Why can’t we just do what’s right? Why can’t we just stop doing what’s wrong? Why do we think the way we think? Why do we do what we do again and again? Each time we fail, we feel it becomes less likely that God will forgive us. Then guilt compounds upon guilt. But the Spirit’s voice carries a profound truth that liberates you from identifying outside of your actual nature.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
~ John 3:6
Your acts of the flesh are of the flesh. But you yourself are no longer of the flesh. Your acts of the spirit are of the spirit. And you are of the spirit. That is your new reality. Your identity is grounded in the spirit. No outward occurrence can alter that inner reality.
The sin nature can seem so strong, so real. This is where the battle becomes the heaviest: your identity. The enemy is relentless and determined for you to identify yourself by the sin nature. But that’s just not reality for you any longer. Those chains have long been broken. That version of yourself has long been dead.
To escape the nightmare, all you have to do is awaken to a new and better reality. So long as you are awake in the spirit, you cannot drift into the shifting shadow of the sin nightmare.
Yet all the baggage that comes with it can begin to weigh down upon the soul. But you are not a hypocrite. You are not a fake. You are not a weak Christian. You belong in this spiritual life. You are meant to follow Christ. In fact, the very truth that you are battling your sin nature is proof enough that you are of the spirit. For only those who have the spirit can actively war against the desires of the flesh. If you are fighting the sin nature, you are the real deal. For if you don’t have a spirit, who is there to fight the sin nature? The battle within is proof, not that you’re a fake, but that you belong to God.
Believer, you were not meant to live a life in defeat and despair. You were not meant to live in confusion and chaos. You were not meant to be fearful and frustrated. You were not meant to be apathetic and amiss. You weren’t commissioned to be powerless. You weren’t called to be dormant.
You were formed and fashioned with a purpose. See yourself as God intended you to be: bold with truth, loving toward all, empowered for the supernatural, courageous in the face of adversity, joyful in the midst of tragedy, focused among the chaos and calm in the storm.
God is the absolute, the foundation and basis of all reality. He is the universal constant and the standard by which we perceive all things. What He sees is reality. Truly, He sees the finished work of His Son in you. Though the sin nature might exist in another realm, it has no actual place in the spiritual realm. And the spirit is your new reality. If the dead sin nature exists at all, it exists in another place outside of your reality. To you, it is an illusion, a shadow. Sin is active participation in that virtual world. Its consequences can affect this world, but it cannot change the truth of the spiritual world.
So how are we to live in the spirit and avoid the virtual reality of the outer man?
Holiness
Firstly, we must learn total dependence on the Holy Spirit. He teaches us the ways of holiness, patiently guiding us beyond our shortcomings. Too many struggle through their Christian life, fighting to resist sin and live right. Burdened by the negative feelings of failure, some have come to think of their own Christianity as a limiting and tiring obligation. Focused on a list of rules that they seemingly can’t help but violate, many turn away from what they perceive to be a depressing life of toil and joyless existence. Discouraged by failure and tired by struggle, many give up. They are burned out and left without energy. Unfortunately, such quitting has become a common occurrence.
To avoid that kind of false Christianity, you must recognize that you are a work in progress. You must also recognize that God has personally taken up the task of perfecting you.
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
~ Philippians 1:6
And if He is, indeed, working on you, it can only mean that you already belong to Him. For the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation. His residence within you is the proof of your salvation. He will be the mark you bear until the day of redemption.
“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.”
~ Ephesians 4:30
Salvation is a miracle, a work of the Holy Spirit. Your effort could not have earned it, and your effort cannot keep it. It is purely a work of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, salvation isn’t an experience; it is a process. That process is completed on the day of redemption. But it began when the Spirit went to work on your heart.
This is the process of salvation:
First, the Holy Spirit convicted you; He drew you to repentance. Once you repented, you were born again, recreated and regenerated. Then you were legally declared justified.
Do not confuse justification with sanctification.
Justification is the legal declaration of your innocence. It is instant and happens the moment you are saved. Justification comes about by faith. There is nothing more you can do to be justified except believe.
“Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’ When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.”
~ Romans 4:1-5
Imagine a convicted murderer standing before a harsh judge. Knowing the atrocious nature of his own crime, the murderer begins to sweat, as he waits to hear his legal sentence. While wondering about his own fate, he trembles and becomes weak at the knees. He wonders if he will receive years in prison, life in prison or the most feared death penalty.
Staring straight ahead, the murderer seems to have his gaze trapped in a vague focal point—his face is blank, cold. It’s as if you can see the blood rushing through his head. Dizzied by the pressure of it all, he carries a weak, very faint demeanor.
The judge glares down at the convicted criminal through the bottoms of his glasses. Ready to pronounce final judgment on the matter, the judge is interrupted mid-sentence. Flailing papers high above his head, a lawyer bursts into the courtroom. In this fictional court of law, there exists a law that allows for the family of the murder victim to pardon the murderer.
And the family, moved with great compassion, has motioned toward mercy. The judge begrudgingly declares the murderer innocent but orders a reform process. The murderer is now legally innocent but must still undergo rehabilitation.
That’s justification! Yes, the gospel really is that good. You are declared innocent before God. He holds nothing against you anymore. The punishment for every sin—past, present and future—is absorbed by Christ’s sacrifice.
“He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”
~ Psalm 103:10
It doesn’t end there. Paul the Apostle emphasizes the point and then follows with an important question.
“So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”
~ Romans 5:21–6:1-4
Recall that murderer in my court analogy. Though he was instantly granted innocence, he must spend the rest of his life living in a manner worthy of the mercy he received. His rehabilitation is not an effort to gain his innocence. Rather, it is a response of thankfulness for the declaration of innocence.
So holiness isn’t an attempt at salvation; it is the gift we offer unto God as a token of our gratitude for Him having already saved us. It’s the very least that we can do.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
~Romans 12:1
Each day, the Holy Spirit makes us holier and holier. All we have to do is live near Him. The process by which we become holy is called sanctification.
Sanctification—the setting apart, the journey of growth in holiness. Moment by moment, sanctification sets you apart from the world and makes you more like Christ. All true believers are willingly and obediently undergoing this process. Such willingness is a sign of true justification. Anyone, who has truly experienced God’s forgiveness of their sins, gladly embraces sanctification.
“…because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth…”
~ 2 Thessalonians 2:13
We are justified immediately, but we are sanctified over a period of time. Sanctification is transformation over time, and it too is a work of the Spirit. But have peace and rest in the knowledge that your performance does not effect your justification. You’ve already been declared innocent.
Justification is wholly dependent upon Christ. Sanctification requires our participation with the Holy Spirit. Justification requires only Christ’s obedience. Sanctification requires yours. Temporary failure at sanctification cannot undo eternal justification. We are all equally justified, but we differ in our progress in being sanctified. Justification brings instant righteousness by faith, and justification is not effected by sanctification.
Justification has to do with your record. Sanctification has to do with your rehabilitation. Justification is your record wiped clean, and sanctification is your reform. Justification demonstrates God’s mercy. Sanctification demonstrates His transformative power. Justified is a title. Sanctified is a process.
Your legal standing: justified.
Your lifestyle: being sanctified.
You don’t have to be perfect to be saved—you just have to be “being perfected”.
Never again let guilt, frustration, fear or confusion discourage you. No matter how well you do at sanctification, your justification securely rests on what Christ accomplished upon the painful cross. Never again allow yourself to claim the title of “fake” or “hypocrite”. For in God’s eyes, you are justified freely. You’ve absolutely been declared innocent, and that’s final.
But, like Paul the Apostle wrote, this does not mean that we should just continue in sin. In fact, if you truly have been justified, it will show in your desire to become sanctified.
This is where the Holy Spirit really begins to do an obvious work. Remember, your sanctification will be found as you surrender to Him. As you obey the Holy Spirit, you will grow to become increasingly sanctified.
But your sanctification shouldn’t be a fight. I’ve observed that far too much emphasis is placed on fighting. Far too much emphasis is placed on what isn’t allowed.
Christianity is no more about “not sinning” than marriage is about “not cheating”. Imagine that—a marriage in which the two spouses decide that not cheating on each other will be their highest goal. That’s a very low bar to set. The goal should not be to “not cheat”. Rather, the goal is to love one another. To settle for any less would be a missed opportunity.
In the same sense, there is more to your Christianity than avoiding sin. There is more to the Christian life than a list of “do not” commands. This is about an eternal love for Jesus.
Commands have their limitations. In fact, Jesus gave us a very short list of commands. It is a list that, if followed, will help to guide you into your power spot. And in that power spot, you’ll find joy, peace and the promised attributes of the abundant life.
“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’”
~ Matthew 22:37-40
Love is more than a sense of affection or the amount of likability that one has toward another. Love is willful selflessness. You cannot say that you love God and then walk in disobedience toward Him. For Jesus said,
“If you love me, obey my commandments.”
~ John 14:15
Do not be overwhelmed. Many of the regulations that people parade as the Lord’s commands are, in fact, invented and systemized attempts at control. God’s commands are not tedious and overbearing.
“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.”
~ 1 John 5:3
Jesus gave us the two commands upon which the entire law was built. Love God with all that you are and love your neighbor as yourself.
“… ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’”
~ Matthew 22:37-40
I can name a million ways by which you can cheat on a spouse. But, in principle, all such violations can be categorized as selfishness. In the same way, I can list for you the many ways to offend God. But love intuitively knows what to do and what to resist.
If you love God, you will not sin against Him. If you love your neighbor, you will not sin against him. If you love others, you do not need to be told to not lie, steal, murder or covet. For the love you carry toward others would naturally keep you from doing so.
So a love for God is the key to holiness. If you aim to keep the rules without carrying this love, your Christianity will be dull and tiring. Conversely, if you aim to keep the love without following the rules, your Christianity will cease to be at all. For sin would destroy you.
Trying to obey God without loving God will make you quit.
Trying to love God without obeying God will disqualify you.
But we must rid from our minds the idea that Christianity is primarily about “not doing bad”. In reality, it is all about loving God. And the Holy Spirit is the One Who cultivates that love within your heart.
Are we really to believe that it was a sense of obligation that led the martyrs to give their lives? Was it responsibility that caused Christianity to explode onto the historic scene under an oppressive government? Did the gospel survive years of persecution because of a sense of duty?
No. What drove the early Christians to lay down their lives was the same force that empowered Christ to embrace His cross. It was the love of God inspired by the Holy Spirit. When love becomes the driving force behind your Christianity, you’ll never know spiritual exhaustion.
Passion cannot be mandated; it can only be cultivated. The key is not to fight sin but to love Jesus. Don’t look to your strength. Look at His face. When you are tempted, you will not find the strength that you need to resist temptation by will power or discipline. Rather, you must look at the loveliness that is the image of Christ. Any sin that tempts you will lose its lure in comparison to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit presents the image of Christ and, at the same time, inspires a love for that image. If you can be still enough to focus on what the Spirit presents to your spirit, the power of temptation will be broken and shattered. Focus on Jesus.
Don’t become so consumed by what you’re trying to fight that you have no energy left to devote yourself to what you’re trying to achieve. A being that is enthralled with Jesus cannot be bothered by seduction.
“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
~ Romans 5:5
The Holy Spirit is the One Who puts the love of God within you. That love is the key to holiness.
Discipline is admirable… but it fails.
Will power is useful… but it fails.
Emotion is motivating… but it fails.
“Love never fails.”
~ 1 Corinthians 13:8
The key to holiness isn’t human effort; it’s surrendering to the Spirit. The Spirit Himself fosters the love of God within you. And that love becomes your greatest strength under temptation.
When He gets involved, things are very different. That dryness, that tiring sense of obligation, vanishes. Ministry, holiness, service and evangelism—they all become natural and passionate expressions of your new nature.
It’s not about “not breaking the rules”. It’s about “not grieving the Spirit.” It is the difference between regulation and relationship.
The Holy Spirit convicts you and draws you to salvation. The Holy Spirit works to make you realize your newfound innocence. The Holy Spirit empowers daily living in sanctification. And He gives you the love needed to fulfill the entirety of Christ’s commands. It is safe to tell you that, in holiness, the Holy Spirit is directly involved in each stage of your progress.
When tempted, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to you. When you are struggling to overcome the illusion of the sin nature, ask and the Spirit will come to your aid. He will present the image of Christ before the eyes of your heart. As you behold that image, the love of God will burn within your heart. And the fervent flames of love, kindled by the Spirit, will burn away all desire for sin.