The Sanctifying Spirit

Intro.

This morning we are going to be talking about the Sanctifying work of the Spirit per v. 2 on First Peter. But, i want us to try and get hold of what sanctification really is, and what it means first.

To give the word a definition, sanctification is to be made holy. Holiness, is to be set apart from everything else; God’s holy Church is set apart from the world strictly to His glory.

I heard it explained in a fun metaphor this way: If you come over to my house, I have my specific chair in the living room, but I am not so stingy as to forbid you from sitting in it. I also have my preferred spot on the couch, but neither would I forbid you from sitting their. You could use my bathroom if you needed, or make yourself some food from whatever I may have in my refrigerator. All these things, though they are mine, are open to you to use as you have need! However, not everything in the house is. I have my toothbrush, and you are indeed forbidden from using my personal toothbrush because it is mine and only mine! It is not to be mixed in with other people for their uses — only mine! Thus, in a very loose sense, one could say the toothbrush in holy to me in a similar way as we are holy to God! But it doesn’t stop there, because the toothbrush by itself is just a random toothbrush. Without my selecting it for myself, it remains just a random toothbrush until I decide to set it apart for myself.

The Church is sanctified by the work of the Spirit, says Peter. And it is through His sanctifying work that we are chosen. Remember, a couple of weeks ago we talked about the foreknowledge of God the Father and our being chosen according to His foreknowledge. Today, we talk about being chosen through the sanctifying work of the Spirit — His work within us to make us holy from the inside out.

Not Self -Sanctified

Just as the aforementioned toothbrush cannot sanctify itself or make itself anything, neither can we, of our own muscle and good deeds, sanctify ourselves! It’s not possible! Sanctification is part, and not separate from, God’s salvational work on our behalf through faith.

Now, the Scriptures make mention of the whole Trinity being involved in our sanctification.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 CSB

But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

Here, we find that our Father has chosen us for salvation (like we talked about a few weeks ago) through this sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 10:10–13 CSB

By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins. But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool.

Here, we see that we are sanctified through the sacrifice and blood of our Lord Jesus. Even here, the Spirit is not uninvolved, but the Spirit Himself would not be making us holy apart from the offering of Jesus body of the cross.

We see then that the whole Trinity works together toward our being made holy through the work of the Spirit in us.

We cannot sanctify ourselves before God — that is to say we cannot make ourselves acceptable and holy to Him. Why? Because the flesh and the Spirit are constantly at odds with one another!

Paul writes that if we live according to the flesh and the desires of sin within us we will die, but if we walk by the Spirit we have life and the flesh is put to death! I mention this, because the flesh being put to death is part of us being made holy and it cannot occur apart from the Spirit Himself being with us. Therefore, apart from the work of the Spirit, we would never be sanctified!

However, though it be not our work to sanctify ourselves, we are to act in accordance with God’s commands as He sanctifies us.

1 Peter 1:14–16 CSB

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

Ephesians 5:1 CSB

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,

The Spirit Himself sanctifies us, but that doesn’t leave us with any room to be disobedient! Again, as Paul said to the Romans, those who have the Spirit will put to death the deeds of the flesh! Christians cannot live a life without fighting against the flesh — because for those who live in the flesh it is impossible to be pleasing to God! So, what is the relationship between our participation and the Spirit’s own work in us?

Sanctified and Enabled

I am going to here introduce a little of how I anticipate next week’s sermon to go, but there is an end to which we are chosen through sanctification: Obedience and the sprinkling with the blood of Christ. Just now, we are going to talk about how sanctification and obedience work together.

As far as I could tell from looking at different sources in the Greek, it is accurately translated by the ASV and probably KJV as “through the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience...”. What does that mean? Well, in the Greek, it is the same word as in Acts 2.38 to say we are baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. It is a prepositional phrase meaning into or toward.

This, then, seems to say very clearly that we are chosen by the Father through sanctification by the Spirit into obedience! It is so that we can in fact obey God that we are sanctified through the work of the Spirit! Without the Spirit making us holy, we could not be holy in our lifestyles to obey the Lord Who is Our hope. We could in no way ever be pleasing to our Father Who loves us without His Spirit giving us life.

You may say, are you then saved before baptism? No. We are baptized into forgiveness of our sins, but it seems to me that God’s calling His chosen through the Gospel may be the beginning of the Spirit’s sanctification — after all, it is He and not us who convicts people of their sins and need for repentance.

So the Holy Spirit makes us holy to God, and in so doing also enables us to be pleasing to God in our obedience through faith. It is through faith that the Spirit produces His fruit in our lives! Gal. 5.22-23 is about the fruit of the Spirit, not of your own strength and will — and through faith (part of our responsibility) He makes us holy from the inside out and then His fruit are evident in our lives!

Through sanctification of the Spirit we love one another, have joy, peace, are humble and gentle, are patient, do good, and have self-control.

It is a gift by God’s grace that is effectuated in us through the sanctification of the Spirit, because we cannot produce these qualities to God’s glory as we walk in the flesh!

Yet, we now as people who are being sanctified and transformed, bear the responsibility to respond to God’s grace by obeying His commands as He has faithfully, graciously enabled us to!

Inventory

This is where I am going to pull our application from this morning. So, now take inventory of your heart and life. I mean really, prayerfully meditate on how your stewarding the grace of God in your life.

We know that we are not saved by mere belief apart from works, yes? So, where is your faithful obedience? What are your good works? God has enabled you to be pleasing to Him, so are we living lives which are?

This week, I want each of us to go out of our way to do good for the people around us. Feed the hungry, help the needy, visit the sick. If you are already busy in the work of the Gospel I encourage you to keep it going!! But if you’ve not been responding to the work of the Lord in obedience, I encourage you to repent and get busy about doing good works!