Becoming Like Christ

Often times, we talk of the importance of salvation but we tend to forget the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that leads us towards sanctification. The Latin words used to make up sanctification means “to make holy”. So sanctification of a believer is the process that makes us closer to the likeness of God. So how is it we are sanctified? Through our salvation - the acceptance of Jesus as our personal Savior.

1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

It should be our drive, our desire, our passion to grow closer and more like Jesus, but like salvation, it is a voluntary act! The entire biblical conception of sanctification is rooted in the truth that God is “holy” and affirms that humans need to become “holy.” It is the act of transforming ourselves into the likeness and holiness of God. Sanctification isn’t something that is just “there”, there is work involved in making ourselves more like God throughout our lives. It is a progressive work that is complete upon the completion of our lives. But, oh how important it is for us, because it makes us more and more free from sin, and more and more like Christ!

Another way to look at it may be that justification is fully from God, while sanctification is on us. Our process of sanctification begins at salvation. Once we have been born again, then our lives have been changed and we cannot continue to live in the habit of sin. Our initial transformation leads us to a new life that leads us away from the desire to sin. Paul brings out this point in the later part of 1 Cor 6:11

1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV

11 But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

There is something that changes in us. Romans 6:11 tells us Romans 6:11

Romans 6:11 ESV

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So how do we make ourselves alive to God through Christ Jesus? We intentionally seek to become more like Him. One of the things most abused today is living a life that is pleasing to God. The Apostle Paul encourages the church of Thessalonica that they are to live a life pleasing to God. Thessalonica was located in a very diverse cultural melting pot with many different views and philosophy over the way they lived their lives. These immoral actions posed significant challenges for new believers. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, he urges them to avoid sexual immorality, and encourages them to control their bodies in a holy and honorable way, and not wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. This moral instruction was vital in a city where pagan practices were prevalent and could easily infiltrate the church.

We see the same pattern today, on television, the internet, talk shows, all these areas challenge Christian living and make immoral acts seem as though they are normal. But Paul encourages us to follow God’s plan to live a life pleasing to Him, to live in moral purity, and to turn from immorality.

A Life Pleasing to God

1 Thessalonians 4:1–2 ESV

1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

I think we all know that we have a problem in this world today, and that problem has existed from the beginning of time. That problem is sin, intentionally doing what does not please God. But, we find Paul here telling us he “urges” the believers in Thessalonica to walk in a way that is pleasing to God. What does this mean? It means that he lives as God tells him to live, that he keeps God’s commandments.

The Christian life is often described as a walk. Walking is a picture of moving forward and progressing step by step and day by day. It pictures the utter necessity of pleasing God every step of the day as we walk throughout life. God is interested in every step we take. And He is going to judge us on the basis of how we live and walk. Therefore, the primary concern of our lives must be to please God.

This alone shows the utter necessity of pleasing God. We must please Him if we wish to be accepted by Him. A person is foolish not to want to be accepted by God, for to be rejected by God leads to the worst consequences that can be imagined: rejection by God Himself.

Paul reminds them, that they have been taught this, this is not something new. They have had teachers and preachers tell them this truth and they were without excuse. As believers, we are the same - many of us have sat through biblical teaching and preaching that has told us HOW God expects us to act and be, and we are without excuse - we know exactly how we are to live to please God.

Paul uses the word “ought”, which is an imperative - it is something that is CRITICAL for the life of the believer, as we are responsible for our actions and living a life pleasing to God. it isn’t an option, it is the duty of the believer.

Not only have we heard teaching and preaching, but this command comes from the Lord Himself. There is no greater authority than the Lord. He is the supreme majestic Being of the universe; therefore, the exhortation to live and walk to please God is of the highest authority.

Verse two repeats verse one - keeping the commandments of the Lord Jesus is not an option. A commandment is a commandment, a law that is to be obeyed. In addition, it has been given by the Lord Himself. Therefore, it must be kept—regardless. We must walk and please God, and we must grow in our Christian walk day by day more and more.

Moral Purity

1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 ESV

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Paul goes on to speak of the need for moral purity in our pursuit of sanctification - becoming more like God. It can be stated no clearer: “This is the will of God.” There is no higher will than the will of God. When the will of God is known, then the will of God must be done. Sanctification—moral purity—is the will of God. Therefore, we are to be set apart to live pure lives before God.

Sanctification means abstaining from sexual immorality. The believer is not to give his body to an immoral person because the believer’s body belongs to Christ, which means that we are to honor Christ with our bodies.

We are to control our own body in holiness and honor. The point is strong: it is unthinkable that a believer would engage in sexual immorality, that would bring dishonor to his Lord and to his spouse, family, and themself. The believing husband and wife are to know that they must keep themselves and each other in sanctification and honor. They must not set themselves apart to dishonorable and immoral.

We must also resist the passion of lust. It means the passion of lust, the enslaving power of lust. When a person begins to lust, he can soon become enslaved to lust; he can be held by the grip of lust to such a degree that it is almost impossible to break the bondage.

The passion of lust is the way of the world. It is not the way of God. It is the life-style of those who do not know God. This does not mean that they do not know that sexual immorality is wrong. It means that they have rejected God and His commandments; they have chosen to live in the passion of their lusts. The believer is commanded to please God and to keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus. And the major commandment is our sanctification, that is, moral purity.

Turning from Immorality

1 Thessalonians 4:6–8 ESV

6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Immorality defrauds and cheats a brother. Fornication steals from a person. It either takes a wife from her husband or else it takes the husband from his wife. It is that simple—that tragic—that terrible.

And the terrible tragedy is that none of these can ever be recovered—not completely, not fully. Once the heart, affection, thoughts, purity, body, innocence, and trust have been lost, they are lost and affected forever thereafter. The marriage and its bond of trust are gone forever. The pain and hurt always linger to some degree and the commitment and ability to totally surrender to the spouse always suffers to some degree. This is the reason God allows divorce after fornication has been committed within marriage.

But society has placed a different view on sexual immorality, almost to the point of encouraging it and certainly accepting it. How can we dare say that immorality is accepted and encouraged in our society?

the point is this: God is going to judge immoral behavior no matter how much society accepts it. Society does not make the rules for man’s behavior; God makes the rules. He has given the intimacy and preciousness of sex for marriage and only for marriage. And He has made it perfectly clear that any sex outside of marriage will not only be judged, but He will personally avenge the guilty party.

Immorality is not God’s call; holiness is. When God calls us to salvation, He does not call us to live unclean lives. God calls us to holiness—to live lives that are set apart to Him and to purity, to our spouses and families. God calls us to build strong character and communities, strong families and nations. God calls us to holiness so that we can be strong enough to reach out to a world that reels under the awful weight of suffering and death. There is hope; there is salvation from evil and suffering and from death and judgment. But we must be sanctified and holy, totally set apart.

Again, God does not call us to uncleanness and disintegration of character and society. God calls us to holiness.

Immorality is a sin against God. Most persons reject this commandment of God as being old fashioned and unacceptable in an intellectual and enlightened society. But note what Scripture says: the person who rejects this commandment is rejecting God, not some man.

Every human being who breaks the commandment shall receive the vengeance of God—unless he has repented and sought the forgiveness of God.

Closing

Again, as Christians we should be seeking to be more like God - sanctified! Even in a world who views following God as being “out of style”, or “old fashioned”, the truth is God calls us to live a life pleasing to Him. Let me ask you this, if we were to deliberately ignore our parents or the laws of the land, would there not be consequences? Then how much more important is it to follow the commands of God? Even after salvation, we must work on our response to sin, how we must make conscious decisions to turn away from immoral things, and how we must choose to follow God - becoming more like Him every day of our lives.