The Cross and the Porn Store

“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” (Matthew 6:22-23 NLT)

Reading a Family Life devotional, I came across a reference to something that I’d seen many times when I lived near I-75. Ed Uszynsk writes: “Driving on I-75 near Exit 141 in Caryville, Tennessee, you’ll see a 101-foot cross greeting you from a distance, a massive silver structure that fills your windshield as you get closer. Arriving at its base, you’ll also see a huge ranch house structure with a sign on the front saying ‘Adult World.’

The cross rises up out of the ground right at the edge of a massive parking lot surrounding the long-standing porn store. It’s a bizarre juxtaposition, a stand-off in place since 2003 when a local preacher put the cross there. Fitting, because the metaphor it represents is a preacher’s gold mine: The cross is much bigger than our worst sins. The only answer to the darkest parts of our mind is the cross. Bring your personal evil and lay it at the foot of the cross.”

As I pondered these powerful words it caused me to realize that we have a “Porn Store” between our ears and our eyes are the windows. I’ve never visited a “Porn Store,” whether a literal structure or a site on my computer, but I’ve nonetheless wrestled with thoughts I’d never want anyone to know about.

The irony is, these thoughts are common to mankind, but everyone seems to believe we’re the only one who wrestles with inappropriate thoughts. A recent survey indicates that as many as two-thirds of professing Christian men have or do view porn. Is that shocking to you? It was to me. Why? Because “The cross is much bigger than our worst sins. The only answer to the darkest parts of our mind is the cross. Bring your personal evil and lay it at the foot of the cross.” There’s a cure for sin, why don’t Christian men, of all men, have the courage to pursue it?

Porn is as old as mankind. Remember Adam’s words once he and Eve had tasted the fruit of the tree of good and evil, when the Lord found them with their “fig leaves” on? “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” (Genesis 3:10) The troubling part of, not only porn, but any obsessive, God-devoid activity, is that we think no one should know. Duh! God knows, and truth be told, others very likely know as well.

We can’t hide our sin and trying to keep it secret only magnifies the harmful effect it has on us and others. I appreciate and admire what Ed Uszynsk wrote: “Because I hate the garbage dump that hides inside me. It’s not unlike that windowless store: Embarrassing stuff. Relationship-killing stuff. Broken stuff that stays hidden most of the time. But when the darkest parts of me make their way to the surface, I need Amy’s (his wife) help to get to the cross. When her darkest sins rear their head, part of my stewardship in her life is to help her get to the cross.

If something evil like pornography or any kind of deviance has come to light, don’t turn against each other. Instead, turn to the cross together. Believing the cross is truly our only answer for sins like pornography can sometimes seem—well, scandalous. But it’s not. Because only the cross can disarm and absorb the power of real sin. Only the cross can bring the healing you both need. So don’t turn on each other. Help each other get to it.”

Food for thought!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Settling for Crumbs?

“Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers – James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?’ And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.” (Matthew 13:55-57a NLT)

The Lord will not force you to believe in Him, though one day, if you don’t come to Him, you’ll wish He had. If you haven’t given Jesus your life, what are you waiting for? A better offer? It ain’t happening! There’s only one way to get into heaven and that’s by placing your trust in Jesus and committing everything your are to everything He is!

It occurred to me to say: “Only one way to eternal life,” but that wouldn’t be accurate, because every human being is going to live forever. So, the only question is where? Only those who have been forgiven and cleansed of their sin by the risen Savior, Jesus, will live forever in the bliss of heaven.

But that still doesn’t cover everyone. What about those who profess the holy, righteous, matchless name of Jesus; those who have sought forgiveness of their sin, they may even attend church regularly, and go through the proverbial “motions” of being a believer, but they have no joy, no delight in knowing Jesus. They’re living on the proverbial “crumbs” when Jesus wants to serve them an extravagant feast!

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Jesus said in John 10:10: “The thief’s (Satan’s) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” And please don’t confuse the riches of the life God gives us with the passing presence of the trinkets of this earth. The word used that’s translated “riches” means: “beyond measure, vehemently, exceedingly abundantly above number or measure or rank or need.” It goes on, but hopefully you get the picture.

I’m an old man, but I can tell you in this season of my life I am “rich!” The Lord’s presence is more real than ever before, His love for me is more personal, His leadership more exact, His caring more tender, His heart more open, His presence more compelling, and His provision more complete than ever in my life. I literally want for nothing (except to go home to Him).

Please don’t hold anything back in your love for the Lord Jesus. He has more for you than you can even imagine, but He’s a gentleman and won’t force Himself on you. He comes at our invitation. In Revelation 3:20 He says: “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

There’s no indication in the text that the door is locked, but the Lord will never go where He isn’t welcome. Is He welcome in your heart? In your life? Then open the door! Invite Him in by opening your heart and life to Him today, right now! Don’t wait another second to stop subsisting on crumbs and start living in the luxurious presence of the living God.

No, He won’t flood you with the worthless treasures of this world, but He will fill you with His holy presence that makes everything seem new, alive, and satisfying. There are times we find ourselves longing for something of this world, which happens to all of us, but when I see something that seems appealing to me, my mind is shifted to how richly the Lord has blessed me. So, I conclude I literally have everything I need to be everything He desires me to be.

If you’re not satisfied in your walk with the Lord, I hate to break it to you, but the Lord is perfect in every way, so, you must be lacking. Would you kneel (if you’re able), stretch you hands, palms up, out in front of you, and pray this simple prayer. “Father, here is my life. Take whatever is unlike You and give me what only You can to enable me to be everything You desire me to be. I’m tired of living on crumbs. I want to invite You into my heart and life in a fresh way so that I might feast on Your holy presence from this moment forward. Forgive me and fill me with Yourself. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen!”

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Do You Expect?

“You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.” (James 4:2-3 NLT)

Expectations can be killers! But they can also be joyful revelations.

Shortly before my 16th birthday my dad invited me to go with him to pick up a car he had purchased that was about 50 miles away. I assumed he was getting the car to sell, as he often bought and sold used cars to supplement his income. This was in 1963 and the car he bought was a 1960 TR3 Triumph Roadster. It had a soft top and plastic side curtains (that were missing), which was a bit of an issue as we were driving home in a driving rainstorm.

Imagine my surprise when on my birthday my parents invited me to go look on my bed for my birthday present. It was a set of new side curtains for the Triumph – my birthday present I never expected!

Remembering that day causes me to think of the many times my heavenly Father has surprised me by giving me gifts I hadn’t expected. I never expected to go to college or to Seminary; I never dreamed I’d have two beautiful children and have the privilege of watching them grow into responsible adults, one of whom fathered my only grandchild. I couldn’t have imagined how precious she would become to me.

There are many more ways my heavenly Father has blessed me unexpectedly in phenomenal ways, but my point today isn’t how He’s blessed me, but about your expectations considering all the ways He’s blessed you. As your eyes open to the light of a new day, what are your first thoughts? Are you excited to be alive and enthusiastic about facing this new day filled with expectation that God will intersect your life in positive and good ways?

Or do you have to drag yourself out of bed, forcing yourself to do what you must to get through another day with little or no expectation of anything but what’s happened the last untold numbers of days. Just same ole, same ole, filling space and time until the end comes. Is that how Jesus lived His life? Of course not, so why should we as His kids live that way?

It’s sad on many levels that the ones who knew Jesus as He was growing up were most blinded by who He was and was becoming. How so? Because they had no expectation that He would be anything more than any other commoner with whom they grew up. Their friends didn’t become Rabbi’s, didn’t preach in the Temple, didn’t perform miracles, and transform people’s futures, so why would they have expectation that anyone else who grew up with them would?

The Bible tells us in Matthew 13:58: “And so He did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.” Ron Hutchcraft said regarding them: “He did miracles everywhere but there, and the people who knew the most about Jesus saw the least supernatural because they weren’t expecting anything.”

Is that you, faithful church attender? Are you so familiar with the miracles your knowledge has blinded you to the miracles He wants to do in your life? As we age we can be dulled to miracles by the realities of life all around us, but what if instead of being blinded we let our circumstances open our heart and mind to the miraculous?

The wife of a couple in our Senior Couples’ Group had a stroke recently. “Poor her,” right? WRONG! No feeling sorry for her! Why? Because she believes in a God of miracles! So, what did God do? He healed her completely! She’s in her late 60’s and there’s no indication that she ever had a stroke!

And that’s not all, their son, in his late 40’s, has a serious cancer. What do you think they’re expecting? Yep, you guessed it! They’re (we’re) trusting God to heal him as though he’d never had the cancer!

How about you? As you look at your life and the circumstances that seem so grim – what do YOU expect?

Blessings, Ed 😊

Where God Is Not!

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9 NLT)

We typically think of God not being in hell, and we’re correct to believe that, but hell isn’t just for dead people. Randy Alcorn wrote: “Wherever God is not, there is hell.” 

We see many who don’t know or have any desire to know the Lord, yet they have an abundance of what the world declares to be “of value!” “Where is hell in that?” Hell is the eternal pursuit of things that can never satisfy.

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That’s why Jesus boldly announced in Matthew 16:26: “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” With the clear implication – “Absolutely not!” He then goes into a pronouncement of His return and future judgment. But He also says something that can be easily misunderstood. In verse 28 He says: “And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.”

Obviously, they wouldn’t still be alive when He returned a second time, so what was He talking about? He was speaking of His eternal presence in the hearts and lives of everyone who then believed and who would believe at any point in the future. His Kingdom is not of this world, in the sense that it cannot be experienced by a human being who hasn’t been “born again.”

It’s a mystery that is only seen with the eye of faith of the one who has received God’s gift of eternal life that can only come by faith in the One who paid the penalty for our sin, then rose from the dead to conquer sin, death, and the grave. Here’s the bottom line: God’s Kingdom is invisible except by the eye of faith because He lives in the hearts and minds of those who are redeemed by His shed blood.

We can never see God except through His physical presence in and through the life of Jesus. Of course, those of us who are alive today can see Him only with the eyes of our faith, but since He lives in us the only way lost people will ever see Him is as He reveals Himself supernaturally or by seeing Him lived out in and through those of us who know Him.

Think about that for a second. If hell is everywhere God is not, that means that hell exists in the hearts and minds of those who are lost. What are the implications? Mainly that as we march to the heartbeat of our Savior, a lost person can only walk to the heartbeat of their “master,” Satan. They must do what their lost and fallen nature dictates.

We can never expect someone who doesn’t know Jesus to live like they do know Him. I think of the Pharisees and other religious leaders who sought to live inviable lives to gain recognition and acclaim because of their own goodness and worth. But Jesus described them as “whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.”

Shouldn’t knowing that lost people are already experiencing “hell” motivate us to help them to understand their “condition” before it’s eternally too late? And yes, of course, we have our work cut out for us, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that prayer is the work, then God works.

Who are you praying for everyday who doesn’t yet know Jesus? That’s where it starts, then we submit our wills to God’s and do whatever – WHATEVER! – He instructs us to do. Why? Because we have the opportunity to storm the gates of hell, and we already know they will not prevail against us!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Honoring the Witnesses

Back in 2007, Chuck Colson described the history of All Saints’ Day in a Breakpoint he called, “Honoring the Witnesses.” Here’s Chuck Colson.

It is Halloween again, and to be frank, I really don’t look forward to talking about it on Breakpoint every year. At best, Halloween has become an excuse to ask total strangers for candy. At worst, it’s a celebration of the mindless paganism our ancestors wisely turned their backs on. So, this year, I’d like to turn your attention to the often overlooked celebration that Halloween calls to mind. In case you’ve missed it before, the name Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows’ Eve and signifies the night before All Saints’ Day. For centuries on All Saints’ Day, the Church celebrated the lives of Christians who went before us. And rightly so: We can learn so much from those whom the author of Hebrews calls that great cloud of witnesses.

The tradition of remembering the Church triumphant dates back to the time of the first Christian martyrs. When soldiers of Marcus Aurelius Verus came to arrest Polycarp, a beloved church leader, Polycarp greeted them kindly. According to the third-century historian Eusebius, Polycarp “ordered a table to be laid for them immediately, invited them to eat as much as they liked, asking in return a single hour in which he could pray.” When Polycarp later stood in the coliseum, accused and surrounded by the jeering crowds, the governor pressed him to recant his faith. Instead, this man, who himself had been discipled by the Apostle John, said this: “For 86 years, I have been [Christ’s] servant, and He has never done me wrong: How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” As they were preparing to burn him alive, Polycarp offered up prayers of faith and praise.

In the years following Polycarp’s death, Christians would gather annually to take communion beside his grave. There they would remember his brave witness and take courage from his example. As the years passed, the day shifted in focusing from remembering Polycarp to honoring all martyrs. By the seventh century, the Church created a holiday to honor all of God’s saints—heroes of the faith. One of my favorite heroes was a woman named Monica, who lived during the fourth century. She would never face flames or jeering crowds, as did Polycarp, but she did face testing. That testing came in the form of her own longing for the return of her prodigal son, Augustine. His licentious lifestyle made this Christian mother weep. Later, when Augustine, who is now known as one of the foremost theologians of Christianity and scholars of Western civilization, did come to Christ, he wrote this prayer: “My mother, Your faithful servant, wept to You for me, shedding more tears for my spiritual death than others shed for the bodily death of a son. You heard her.”

I could tell you story after story like this, from Justin Martyr to Martin Luther to Amy Carmichael. But let me encourage you to do something this All Saints’ Day. Take the lead in your church to honor the great saints who set examples for us. Reacquaint your children with Halloween’s Christian origins. Research together and talk about the lives of Christian heroes. Sure, go ahead and let the kids dress up like Batman and hit up your neighbors for candy. But when the hoopla of modern Halloween is over, encourage your kids to imitate some real heroes—not in what they put on, but in how they live their lives.

That was Chuck Colson, from October 31, 2007, describing the rich history behind All Saints’ Day.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Shy or Bold?

“Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, ‘It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles…’” (Acts 13:46 NLT)

It’s bordering on the miraculous that I ever had a date in high school. Self-confidence wasn’t in my vocabulary, and though I wanted to date, it was nearly impossible for me to take the initiative in asking someone out. Unfortunately, that’s how many people feel about their witness as a believer.

On some levels I attribute shyness or boldness to whether we are an introvert or extrovert, but there comes a point in each of our lives when regardless of how we see ourselves, if we’re born again of the Spirit of God, we need to speak His truth in love.

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Though I’ve walked with the Lord for many years, at times it’s still hard for me to initiate a conversation with someone I’m just meeting or with a stranger. Scott Sauls shed light on this subject when he wrote: “In every Christian, there should be a holy shyness about self and a holy boldness about Jesus.” 

It’s never been an issue with me to be shy about myself but sharing my faith has been a priority since very early in my walk with the Lord. Though it was a struggle and I learned much from my failures, over time I learned some key elements that gave me a track to run on.

Regardless of our maturity in Christ there are effective ways we can share that can be liberating for us and life changing for those with whom we share. It’s very common to be fearful when having a conversation with someone about the Lord, so I’d like to share a few things that have been helpful to me.

First, it’s not about you. When the Lord opens the door for us to have a conversation with someone about Him, His Spirit will lead the conversation. The most important thing for us is to “get out of His way.” But how? Prayer! Pray before the conversation begins and breathe prayers even as you are listening or speaking.

It’s also essential to remember that the Lord is speaking into the heart and mind of the person with whom we’re speaking, opening them to the words He’ll prompt us to share. Two things that help in virtually any Spirit-guided conversation. Have an idea where you’re headed and what outcome you’re anticipating.

Having a three-minute testimony can be an excellent introduction when your goal is to share with someone. A simple guide is: 1. what was your life like before you met Jesus; 2. how did you meet Him? What were the circumstances that turned your heart to Him? 3. Then thirdly, how has your life changed since yielding your life and allegiance to Him?

Remember, it’s not about you, so keep it very brief. If the person has questions, briefly answer them, but your goal is to help them to see Jesus more clearly and to invite them to give their life to Him. Related to that, have in mind an outline to follow, but don’t be alarmed if the conversation goes in a direction you hadn’t anticipated. Just keep praying and following the Lord’s lead.

Ray Comfort is among the best I’ve ever seen in helping people understand their need of the Lord and helping them turn their lives over to Jesus. His Living Waters ministry is filled with resources that are helpful in equipping you to share your faith. Just remember that your goal isn’t to become Ray Comfort or anyone else, it’s to be the best, most pliable you, filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Even if you’re shy, you can become very bold under the Spirit’s leadership when your conversation is led by the Lord.

Let’s look at this from another angle in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Discouraged?

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18 NLT)

Discouragement is Satan’s most effective tool in dealing with those of us who are seeking to follow Jesus. On some levels it’s like a gut punch, you may not even see it coming, but you certainly feel its agonizing effects.

Are you discouraged today? Hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Child of God, in your desperation you are not alone!

Pastor Rick Warren wrote: “Life is filled with unexpected circumstances. Some of them knock you flat on your back! They make you feel like the roof of your life has caved in. What do you do when your world collapses? When the dreaded phone call comes? When the divorce papers arrive? When the bankruptcy is filed? The first question many people ask is, ‘Who cares about me?’”

Are you feeling uncared for today? I assure you on the authority of God’s Word and His powerful Spirit who resides in you child of God, that nothing will prevent Him from comforting, healing, and helping you in your time of need.

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There have been seasons of my life when all I wanted to do was die. It seemed I had to look up to see the bottom, but I can bear witness to the truth that the Lord has NEVER FAILED to make His presence known and to lift me with His strong, loving arms to a place of refreshment and restoration. It’s ironic that we so quickly forget that Satan is a liar. Just as God will never speak a lie, Satan is incapable of speaking truth, yet, in our downtrodden condition we so quickly fall for Satan’s lies.

He whispers things like: “Where is God when you need Him? You’re worthless! Who are you to believe God will do anything for you? If you’re so close to God, why does He allow you to feel like you do?” and on and on he goes until, by God’s grace and with His strength we respond by acknowledging our dependence upon our heavenly Father by shouting in our spirit: “I’m a child of God! God will never leave me nor forsake me; He’s a very present help in my time of need; I walk by faith and not by sight! He will deliver me in His time and in His way, and even while I’m walking through this difficult valley, I am learning things about myself and my Savior that I can learn in no other way!”

It’s in those seasons that it’s so vital that I remember the words of my Father when He says: “I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. But forget all that – it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new.”

Isn’t it wonderful that there are always new things the Lord wants to do and to bring into our lives, regardless of how old we are or how long we’ve walked with Him. God is always about new things, thus the reason He challenges us with discouragement with old things.

Have you noticed that often when we’re discouraged it’s to reveal to us the worthlessness of holding on to old ideas, old methods, old conceptions of God and the old ways He’s worked? God isn’t limited in the ways He can teach us, lead us, equip us, prepare us, and direct us onto paths that are hard at first, but lead to the most beautiful visions of Himself.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Choose Grace

“Then Peter came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘But seventy times seven!’” (Matthew 18:21-22 NLT)

Like forgiveness, grace is a choice. How so? In the verses above Peter wasn’t questioning the fact of forgiveness, but the frequency; he wasn’t questioning the need to forgive, but the number of times before he could stop forgiving. And what was Jesus’ response? We never reach that number!

In a Family Life article without an author’s name, I read: “Overlooking the same old offenses is tough for a lot of reasons. We tend to think, If you really cared about me, you’d change. Or, This is just a representation of a bigger problem. Sometimes, both of those things have validity. But sometimes our spouses—and we—are just profoundly human.

Sometimes, we’re keeping a tally and creating a culture in our homes that demands perfection rather than gushing grace. We’re keeping that record of wrongs because it feeds that slight superiority over our spouse, gives us a reason to guard that grudge, or hands us just cause to keep our spouse at arm’s length. 

But the world runs on giving us what we deserve, on insisting we perform in order to be loved. Our homes could be different. What would it look like to choose grace? To choose patience, tenderness? To let it go? Leave some wiggle room for each other, some warmth around the edges. Make your family a place of refuge from conditional love.”

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It occurs to me to ask: “What if Jesus had set a limit on His grace? What if instead of loving the world, He chose to love only Jews or only those who are really kind or only those of His skin color, nationality or preference, or…?” What if Jesus had arbitrarily drawn the proverbial line in the sand and decided “this many and no more!” and you were the next in line after the last one was chosen?

To seek to limit grace is to cease to be like Jesus. When I’m honest I have to admit I don’t deserve to be forgiven or invited into His holy presence; I’ve done nothing deserving of being treated like a child of the King. Yet, He continues to forgive and forget, freeing me to take another step in the direction of His likeness.

How dare us to not forgive others when we’ve been lavished with such undeniable love and grace! Philip Yancey wrote: “I doubt God keeps track of how many arguments we win; God may indeed keep track of how well we love.” It’s simple to say, “Love as we’ve been loved; forgive as we’ve been forgiven,” but that’s the essence of the golden rule.

Jesus has set the example – in loving, sacrificing, forgiving, caring, helping, and in every other category with which we’ll ever be faced. John Stonestreet often says: “Choices have consequences. Bad choices have victims.” How many in our families, among our friends, and in our spheres of influence are victims of our bad choices.  

Bob Kauflin said: “To worship God is to humble everything about ourselves and exalt everything about him.” How better to exalt Jesus in our worship of Him than by choosing to extend grace rather than condemnation, anger, and shame. Offering grace is a choice. It’s a choice Jesus chose and the choice I want to always choose. Why? Because I want my life to be a living sacrifice to God as an expression of my love and dependence upon Him, illustrated by the way I forgive and treat others. That can only be accomplished by choosing grace.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Holiness Lives

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT)

Having been saved, trained, and served in a holiness tradition, I’ve seen many manifestations of holiness, both genuine and counterfeit. For some it’s such a high and exalted state of spiritual maturity that they dismiss it as impossible, while others embrace it, yet, like the Pharisees of old, distort it into something God never intended it to be.

The simplest way for me to understand it is to see it as the process of sanctification. Just as salvation is a process, so is sanctification or growing in holiness. The Bible teaches that we are saved (past tense, are being saved (present tense), and will one day be saved (future tense). That’s true of sanctification as well.

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When we accept the free gift of God and receive Christ Jesus as Savior, we are saved, but we are also given the fullness of the Holy Spirit and begin the process of being sanctified. Sanctification and holiness are derived from the same Greek root word and mean to be set apart for sacred use or purpose.

Like salvation, sanctification/holiness is a joint venture between us and God. There’s a sense in which when we’re saved, we’re given all of God, being cleansed and purified by His Holy Spirit. We stand before God pure and sinless as God views us through the robe of Christ’s perfect righteousness. Our right standing with God is all because of Jesus and His sacrifice in our place and on our behalf, and that will never change. Jesus will always be the initiator and finisher of our faith.

But ideally, when our hearts are filled with hope, peace, and rest, our minds are motivated to make what we are in God’s sight, in ever increasing measure, the reality of who we are, how we live, and treat others. The longer we walk with Jesus the more closely our lives should resemble His. That’s sanctification in a nutshell.

Just as Jesus gave visibility to the invisible God, our lives should give visibility and credence to our profession of faith in Jesus. How so? In how we think, speak, and live. Nancy Leigh DeMoss wrote: “True holiness isn’t cold and deadening—it’s warm and inviting. It’s irresistible. Those who think otherwise have never seen it, but only its caricatures.” 

In the verses following the ones above, Paul outlines numerous practical ways our holiness should become visible. For example, stop lying, don’t let sin allow your anger to get out of control, stop stealing, find a job and make your life productive. Then in chapter five Paul writes: “Live a life filled with love…let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among God’s people…”

What’s my point? Simply this, holiness, how God sets us apart for His sacred use, reveals its life in and through us in visible means that should be attractive and inviting, not demeaning and haughty, pushing others away. We should give evidence of God’s rulership in us and over us through our kindness, thoughtfulness, patience, gentleness, politeness, warmth, and love. In short, by allowing the fruit of the Spirit to be made manifest in and through every avenue of our lives.

Will we ever be perfect like Jesus? Not in this life, but the longer we live and love Jesus the more fully His Spirit’s power and presence should be evidenced in our lives. William Gurnall wrote: “Pray not only against the power of sin, but for the power of holiness also.” 

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊