Positionally we are in Christ, but Practically we run from Christ, how odd. Sanctification in the present tense is the process of progressing toward Christ-likeness, did you get that? It begins at salvation and continues throughout the Christian life. 2 Cor. 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” This sanctification is a process as we move toward maturity in Christ; as we progress toward Christ-likeness. It has been said that, “Sanctification is synonymous with spiritual maturity.”

Now some interesting things need to be noted in regards to the present tense of sanctification; 1 – It is a command, that’s right, we are commanded to be sanctified or to be holy, I Pet. 1:15-16, “But, as He who has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of life; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Lev. 11:44; 2 – It is related to moral, upright living, I Thess. 4:3-4, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication; That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,” v.7, “For God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” Read verses 1-8, it sounds just like the book of Numbers! 3 – It builds upon our positional sanctification in Christ, which is clearly seen in Col. 3:8-12 where we are to “put off the old man” v.9 and “put on the new man” v.10. (Eph. 4:22-24) So, we see that the present tense of sanctification is a command, it is related to moral, upright living and it builds upon our position in Christ Jesus, the putting off of the old and the putting on of the new. Great, but how do we make all this practical today? I’m glad you asked, let me give you a few suggestions.

First we need to present our bodies and our total personalities to God. Whoa!!! Rom. 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove out what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The problem with a living sacrifice is, that it keeps wanting to crawl off the altar, so you have to keep putting it back on the fire. Now how do we do this, how do we make our body, soul and spirit a living sacrifice to God? Well, here is one formula; 1 – Confess any known sin to God, I John 1:9, and keep a short sin list; 2 – Commit your total being, body, soul, spirit and personality and that’s the tough one to God, Rom. 12:1-2; 3 – Claim the promise of the filling of the Holy Spirit, Eph. 5:18; I John 5:14-15; Luke 11:13. Here is another formula which appears in Romans six;    1 – Rom. 6:6, “Knowing that our old man was crucified with Christ.”  2 – Rom. 6:11, “Reckon yourselves dead unto sin but alive unto God.” 3 – Rom. 6:13, “Yield your members as instruments unto God.” 4 – Rom. 6:16, “Obedience to God means service unto righteousness.” So, this formula is easy when sin pops its ugly head up, ‘Know you are dead, dead men can’t sin; Reckon yourself to be dead, account it to be so; Yield your members, eyes, ears, nose, hands, feet, whatever members are attempting to sin, to God for righteousness; Obey Him, Serve Him, be a servant of God at that moment instead of a servant of Satan and give God the glory. Now you may have to do this 100 times the first day but I guarantee it will only be 99 the second day.

So, presenting our total being; body, soul, spirit and personality to God is one way of making sanctification practical so our ‘prayer life’ will be more effective as we journey through the desert. By the way, this is a once-for-all whole hearted act of consecration to the holy Spirit’s control. ‘To Present’ in Rom. 12:1 is an aorist infinitive. Another help is to walk by means of the Holy Spirit’s power and control, Gal. 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” This is a promise for victory but we must walk, one step at a time. It says walk, not run, skip, hop or jump, walk! And many of us will have to crawl first, and to do this we must be willing to obey Christ as Lord, Rom. 6:16-18. We need to meditate on God’s Word, like a cow in the field chewing its cud, masticating it over and over to make it a liquid. Psalm 1:1-3, “But his delight is in His law, and in His law does he meditate day and night.” Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” We need to cultivate a life of prayer, Matt. 26:41, “Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Cultivating involves preparing the soil by plowing, fertilizing, weed control, planting, watering, harvesting and all that involves practice, education, training, patience and time. The same is true with, ‘Cultivating a life of prayer.’

We need to live in obedience to God’s revealed will, I John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with another…” John 7:17, “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself.” Eph. 5:17, “Wherefore, be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” The Lord’s will for your life is no mystery, He desires for you to know His will for you more than you desire to know it. He has a wonderful plan for you and your life and He is just waiting for you to step out and do it and the only thing holding you back is, YOU! Let me say it again, confess any known sin that pops up and forsake it Prov. 28:13, after the initial once-for-all presentation of your total body, soul, spirit and personality to God. I John 1:9. Then get in the habit of disciplining yourself or God will do it for you. He does it to help you to grow just like you do it for your children, because you love them. Paul reminded us in I Cor. 9:27, “I keep my body under, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Heb. 12:10-15; I Cor. 11:31-32.

So, looking at sanctification in the present tense, we see it is a command, it is a process, it is practical and progressive, it is imparted righteousness and it refers to deliverance from sin’s power, and that leaves only the future tense of sanctification. Which will be an instantaneous completion of the process of holiness, at glorification when we see Jesus, face to face, I John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” Eph. 5:25-27. So, looking at sanctification in the future tense; we see it is a promise, it is an act, it is practical and instantaneous, it is completed righteousness and it refers to deliverance from sins presence. What does all this accomplish in our lives? Many things, but two stand out, ‘Growth toward maturity,’ Psalm 37:23-24, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the LORD upholds him with His hand.” George Mueller said, “The stops too!” An old Japanese proverb says, “It’s alright to fall down seven times as long as you get up eight.” So you failed, so what, “failure is the back door to success.” Get up, brush yourself off, revalidate your original commitment and get back on track God’s way, resisting temptation in His power. The second one is, ‘Victory over temptation,’ and that one is very important because, temptation precedes sin, and Jesus said, “Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation, the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak…” We will have to wait until next time because the encampment is moving out. So, until next time, we will see you, “…Between The Lines…”

“Prayers In The Desert” – ‘Num. Ch. 1-6’ – Part #8 – 4/15/13