Theology Thursday
23 Can an Ethiopian change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.
Jeremiah 13:23
Today we look at a Biblical Theology of sanctification. Now there’s a big Christian word. A helpful one. Sanctification (theologically speaking) refers to the ongoing work of God in the sinner to change them to become more like Jesus - that is, to sin less and to do good more.
Sanctification begins in the time where there was no real need for it. Adam and Eve lived in what we call original righteousness. Before the fall there was no sin and no need to change. They were sanctified. For a time. But ultimately change came and it wasn’t for the better.
The sin of Adam transmits to all his posterity (children) a state of unrighteousness. This virus-like nature of sinfulness makes us unclean, impure and polluted by sin. It changes our hearts and minds to desire sin over righteousness and personal pleasure over God’s pleasure. It twists and breaks us to our very core.
What hope is there for the sinner? Is this state of sinfulness our destiny with it’s necessary trajectory of death and separation from God?
Well, God shows us that there is no hope within ourselves. Can a leopard change its spots? No. And Israel should know this. They had the law. Which did restrain sin to a certain extent. But ultimately, did not lead to sanctification like it should have. This is God’s lesson in the law - we need something more than the law.
We need to be changed from the inside out. But this change can only come from the outside. No, not from us. But from God. We need a new heart and a new mind. We need to be raised from the dead.
This is exactly what God promises. You can read about this renewal in Ezekiel 36:26 and Jeremiah 31:33. God promises to give new hearts that can turn to Him in faith, love and obedience. And this is what He has done.
He sent His Son to die on the cross for forgiveness of sins and raised Him from the dead as a firstfruit of what was to come. After Jesus ascends to heaven He sends His Holy Spirit to earth. The Spirit blows where God wills into the hearts and minds of men and women applying the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This is why Paul says in Romans 6:4, “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
This of course is what baptism represents. The old has gone and the new person has been raised out of the water.
Now we can walk in step with the Spirit who teaches us (through the Scriptures) and shows us how to be more like Jesus. The Spirit leads us in sanctification every day of our lives as He dwells in us. Finally, one day, when Christ returns, He will sanctify us completely as His perfect bride and we will enjoy total righteousness in the new creation.
Can a leopard change its spots? No. But God can.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father for His grace in offering us hope to be more like we were made to be. Give thanks for Jesus who is our example and who is the firstfruit of our resurrection. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others be more like Jesus.
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.
Jeremiah 13:23
Today we look at a Biblical Theology of sanctification. Now there’s a big Christian word. A helpful one. Sanctification (theologically speaking) refers to the ongoing work of God in the sinner to change them to become more like Jesus - that is, to sin less and to do good more.
Sanctification begins in the time where there was no real need for it. Adam and Eve lived in what we call original righteousness. Before the fall there was no sin and no need to change. They were sanctified. For a time. But ultimately change came and it wasn’t for the better.
The sin of Adam transmits to all his posterity (children) a state of unrighteousness. This virus-like nature of sinfulness makes us unclean, impure and polluted by sin. It changes our hearts and minds to desire sin over righteousness and personal pleasure over God’s pleasure. It twists and breaks us to our very core.
What hope is there for the sinner? Is this state of sinfulness our destiny with it’s necessary trajectory of death and separation from God?
Well, God shows us that there is no hope within ourselves. Can a leopard change its spots? No. And Israel should know this. They had the law. Which did restrain sin to a certain extent. But ultimately, did not lead to sanctification like it should have. This is God’s lesson in the law - we need something more than the law.
We need to be changed from the inside out. But this change can only come from the outside. No, not from us. But from God. We need a new heart and a new mind. We need to be raised from the dead.
This is exactly what God promises. You can read about this renewal in Ezekiel 36:26 and Jeremiah 31:33. God promises to give new hearts that can turn to Him in faith, love and obedience. And this is what He has done.
He sent His Son to die on the cross for forgiveness of sins and raised Him from the dead as a firstfruit of what was to come. After Jesus ascends to heaven He sends His Holy Spirit to earth. The Spirit blows where God wills into the hearts and minds of men and women applying the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This is why Paul says in Romans 6:4, “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
This of course is what baptism represents. The old has gone and the new person has been raised out of the water.
Now we can walk in step with the Spirit who teaches us (through the Scriptures) and shows us how to be more like Jesus. The Spirit leads us in sanctification every day of our lives as He dwells in us. Finally, one day, when Christ returns, He will sanctify us completely as His perfect bride and we will enjoy total righteousness in the new creation.
Can a leopard change its spots? No. But God can.
For Today:
- Have you ever heard of sanctification?
- How has God changed you through His Spirit?
- What does sanctification look like for you today? How could you be more like Jesus?
Pray:
Praise the Father for His grace in offering us hope to be more like we were made to be. Give thanks for Jesus who is our example and who is the firstfruit of our resurrection. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others be more like Jesus.
Posted in Theology Thursday
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