The Enemies of Our Sanctification
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
Jeremiah paints a bleak picture for those who trust in themselves and depend on their own strength and resources (see Jeremiah 17:5). Before Christ, our hearts were deceitful and beyond human cure (see verse 9). But if we trust in the Lord, who searches our hearts, then we shall “be like a tree planted by the water” (verse 8). The consistent message in Scripture is that we must depend on the Lord for salvation and for sanctification (see verse 14).
Children of God are like diamonds in the rough. They begin their Christian walk looking like a lump of coal. They may look pretty bad and be messy to work with, but given enough time and pressure, every lump of coal has the potential to become a brilliant diamond. If you remove coal from the pressures of the earth and introduce impurities into its chemical composition, it will never reach its potential. Staying pure and remaining under pressure is what makes a diamond out of coal.
Unlike a lump of coal, we have a part to play in the sanctifying process. We cannot just “let go and let God” be the One who perfects us. We should rest in the finished work of Christ, abide in Christ, and live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. However, we don’t have a passive role in the sanctifying process. We have to assume our responsibility to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. Therefore, we “continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in [us] to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).
We don’t work for our salvation—we work it out. Paul describes this working out as a struggle, or, literally, a “wrestling” (see Ephesians 6:12). The Greek word implies a hand-to-hand fight, and Paul admonishes us to “fight the battle well” (1 Timothy 1:18). “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith” (6:11-12). Our ultimate victory is certain, but that doesn’t eliminate the present battle, which often intensifies when we start bearing fruit. The power of sin is most evident when we seriously challenge it. Temptation is no struggle if we continuously give in to it.
A professional counselor once said that he had never encountered any demonic spirits in 15 years of counseling. After attending a Discipleship Counseling conference, he said, “I soon discovered that every one of my clients was being deceived, and so was I.” Why didn’t the counselor see it before? For the same reason many pastors and Bible teachers don’t see it. We will not encounter much opposition if all we are doing is listening, explaining and offering advice. The opposition comes only when we seek to resolve personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance and faith in God.
A well-known Christian psychiatrist was asked, “What is your cure rate? He said, “I don’t cure anyone; I help them cope.” Some say, “God cures the soul; we only care for it.” It is good to acknowledge our limitations, but if God wants to cure the soul and has chosen to work through godly people within the Church to accomplish that, why are we lowering the bar?
some questions to consider:
Why is it such a struggle to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil?
Why is there a lot more “coal” than “diamonds”?
In what ways have we lowered the bar? In other words, why do we seek to offer information but not transformation?
How much are you helped if someone is able to accurately explain why you are messed up? Does that by itself resolve your problem? For instance, if you could explain why someone is drinking too much, would that help him stop drinking?
Is it worth the struggle to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil? What is to be gained if you do and lost if you don’t?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.