Sanctification Be Holy A Guide To Discipleship

We are to take to heart our personal holiness simply because we have been saved to do so. The process of sanctification is essentially a three fold work: First, sanctification is the cleansing of the soul from sin. Second, sanctification brings us to full stature in Christ. Third, sanctification separates us to the Lord for His purposes. There will be, in practicality, varying degrees of thoroughness relative to the riddance of sin versus growth in Christ-like stature because of the varying degrees of human cooperation with the Holy Spirit or lack thereof. Still, sanctification is the active work of the Spirit though such a calling may appear passive, even absent, due to the lack of knowledge, the slothfulness and the rebellion of the saint. It is these three that best represent much of our present religious atmosphere. Where there is lack of knowledge [about sanctification] there has to be indolence, laziness and rebellion in the form of indifference about personal holiness. And rebellion is a very strong word that should not be used without qualification by the one making the charge or taken lightly by the one addressed. To use the word with its' passive counterpart in this case, indifference, is to bring an indictment against a sizeable portion of the body of Christ. Life is about sin, death then hell. Or life is about God, Christ and responding to the Holy Spirit. To grasp the continual need of sanctification one has to know who the real enemy is in order to receive real relief by sanctification. The real enemy is within. We are self deceived, whose roots of deception are affixed to Satan, Adam and the fall; in that order, eventuating in our fallen nature, in desperate need of God's provisions. And thankfully God has supplied us with every provision through the process of sanctification. Marc presently lives in Orlando Florida where he pastors Blessed Fellowship Orlando, an outreach ministry of Orlando Prayer and Worship Center, Senior Pastor Roy Futch.

The Foundations small group DVD series helps Christians connect the truths of the Bible with the realities of their lives. Used and refined for years as an integral part of Saddleback Church's discipleship program, this powerful, innovative resource is designed to correct the frequent disconnect between what we say we believe as Christians and how we actually live. Tom Holladay and Kay Warren each teach two of the four sessions on the eleven small group DVDs. The corresponding participant's guides provides space for taking notes, lively discussion questions and focuses on a core truth of Christianity. Choose the topics you and your group wish to explore ... and discover the key that can * strengthen beliefs to change behavior * lessen your day-to-day stress level * increase your security in an insecure world * help you raise your kids with a right perspective on life * increase your love for and trust in God Individual small group DVDs include * The Bible * God * Jesus * The Holy Spirit * Creation * Salvation * Sanctification * Good and Evil * The Afterlife * The Church * The Second Coming

Have you ever wondered how you can make real spiritual progress as a Christian? Have you wanted to know how you might better defeat nagging sins, and find new freedom? Sanctification: A User's Guide to Becoming More Like Jesus offers you a deep understanding of precisely how you can grow in likeness to Jesus Christ. Based upon a careful study of the teachings of the Bible, and great leaders of the Reformation, Sanctification presents a clear and compelling approach to daily practices which will actually assist the Christian in spiritual growth through relying on the grace of God to transform them. Starting with a framework for understanding what holiness is, Sanctification shows you how to: desire holiness, rely on God's grace, apprehend God's life-altering love, grow in faith and repentance, deny one's self, and engage the church. While many books on sanctification emphasize one or two aspects of the Christian's growth in holiness Sanctification presents a complete approach to a biblical lifestyle which helps one grow more like Christ.

The contents of this book are fundamental. God calls all who are His to a sanctified life. The life of a believer in which sin reigns is subnormal. However, many believers find themselves bound by sin. They are like Lazarus walking out of the tomb with life, but in bondage. In this book, we have attempted to show as clearly as we can, the way to deliverance from sin. We do not believe that anyone can be as sinless as the Lord Jesus was while in this body of flesh, but this state is already accomplished in the Lord Jesus and therefore, we can be delivered once and for all from the bondage of sin. We also see that this deliverance, though entered into as a crisis, must be maintained daily by a very close walk with the Lord, in full co-operation with Him, by the use of the sanctified mind. The Psalmist asked, "How can a young man keep his way pure?" He provided the answer as follows, "By guarding it according to thy word. With my whole heart I seek thee, let me not wander from thy commandment! I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed be thou, O Lord; teach me thy statutes! With my lips I declare all the ordinances of thy mouth. In the way of thy testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on thy precepts, and fix my eyes on thy ways. I will delight in thy statutes; I will not forget thy word" (Psalm 119:9-16). We believe with him that daily Bible study and prayer (The Quiet Time) is indispensable in maintaining the sanctified life which is first entered into by faith in the finished work of Christ. Holiness is not just the absence of sin. It includes conformity to God. Sanctification is an aspect of holiness. Our prayer is that the Lord will use this book to work out sanctification in many lives and that many will attain unto "the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."

Sanctification can only be fully understood when it is fully lived. Dunning calls us beyond formulas to the true proof of the doctrine -- our lives.

J. C. Ryle's "Holiness " is a lost treasure, written by one of the great Anglican priests and writers of the nineteenth century. Hendrickson reintroduces this classic text, largely unavailable today, on living a Christ-like life. "Holiness " is considered to be one of the most profound books on discipleship in the English language. Christians have recognized anew the critical importance of discipleship and spiritual formation to the life of the individual believer, the local church and to the Kingdom of God. Ryle's "Holiness " ranks among the core library of teachings on being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In this book, Ryle encourages the reader into a life of holiness, drawn completely from the Bible and not from contemporary books or preachers, or from any of the fads that were popular during his lifetime, much as they are today or in any era. He is writing about personal, or private, holiness, the life we live behind closed doors with our families and closest friends. "I have had a deep conviction for many years that practical holiness and entire self-consecration to God are not sufficiently attended by modern Christians in this country. Politics, controversy, or party-spirit, or worldliness, have eaten out the heart of lively piety in too many of us. The subject of personal godliness has fallen sadly into the background." --"J. C. Ryle "

Sanctification is a vital aspect of the Christian experience. Those who come to Christ are sanctified; that is, set apart for God s plan and purpose. However, sanctification is not just a positional work of grace, but also a conditional work of believers as they grow in the knowledge of Christ. In this issue, we will discuss the doctrine of sanctification and its place in the Christian s life. In addition, we will explore the conditional and positional aspects of sanctification and its relationship to holiness.