Sanctification is a process that aligns us with God.

Cultivate: (1) prepare and use (land) for crops or gardening. (2) try to acquire or develop

Dynamic: [Adjective; Modify or Describe a noun] (1) (of a process or system) characterized by constant change, activity, or progress. (of a person) positive in attitude and full of energy and innovative ideas. [Noun] a force that stimulates change or progress within a system or process.

Devotion: love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause. Loyalty-Faithfulness-Fidelity-Steadfastness

We are to be a person “after God’s own heart, “devoting ourselves to the pursuit of intimacy with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to birth in you a deep hunger and longing for more of Jesus. Ask Him to place in your heart a burning desire to know God in a greater way than ever before. Seek Him with all your heart and soul, and you will find Him (Deut.4:29)

Sanctification is an act of separating ourselves from evil and aligning with things that are good, upright, and morally pure.

The message of Romans should cause our hearts to worship the Lord. This message of grace and God’s unfailing love invites us to devote ourselves wholly to the Lord. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, demonstrating for all time the love that God has for us. Ask the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for you, to open your heart and mind to understand the depth of God’s love for you. Then ask Him to enable you to express your devotion through worship to God.

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

[Conformed] “suschematizo” in the Greek, compare “scheme” and “schematic” This refers to conforming oneself to the outer fashion or outward appearance, accommodating oneself to a model or pattern. Suschematizo occurs elsewhere in the NT only on 1 Peter. 1:14, where it describes those conforming themselves to worldly lusts. Even apparent or superficial conformity to the present world system or any accommodation to its ways would be fatal to the Christian life.

[Renewal of the Mind]

Godliness and Moral Purity.

To renew is to renovate, implying a restoration to freshness or to an original state. The potential of redemption power to reinstate features of God’s original intention for humanity and recovery of many potentialities of the human mind and soul as designed before the fall. The mind constitutes the intellect or understanding but also includes all that is described in the word mind-set, that is, the feelings and the will. Being transformed by the renewal of the mind indicates a literal change in the form or formulas of thought or being. This describes redemption’s provisions of power to instill godliness in us, a power that transforms our thoughts which leads to formulating, our purpose, which proceeds to dictate our actions, and thus our actions become character-determining habits, shaping the life, and setting the course for the future. The path to godly living is not complicated, nor is it energized by the flesh, but it does call the believer to willing submission to the Father’s provision and ways.

Romans teaches us to present all that we are as a living sacrifice, holy to God. Let your life be a daily expression of worship. Do not live according to the ways of the world, but let the Bible transform your mind. Think and act God’s way every day.

We are to pursue holiness. Through Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, we have been set free from slavery to sin and made alive and victorious in the Spirit. Our old sinful life was crucified and buried with Jesus. Therefore, we now have His power at work in us to resist wrong behavior. By grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are free to live our lives in holiness, give our lives daily as worship to God, and be transformed in our thinking.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s final prayer is that his converts might be wholly sanctified, that is, that their whole being – spirit, soul, and body may be yielded up to the will of God. The power for this accomplishment must come from the God of peace Himself.

We are to submit our whole spirit, soul, and body completely to the sanctifying work of God, the God of peace. It is true that we are fully and completely sanctified, made holy in Jesus. It is equally true that God calls us to work out that sanctification in the way we live our lives. It is working out what God has already worked into us. In Thessalonians, pursuing holiness means living a life worthy of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, always remembering that you are called into His kingdom and glory. Also, we are to be alert and away. Commit yourself to growing in your relationship with the Lord, which includes prayer, worship, and studying to understand the Bible. This is the lifestyle of the children of light, who have salvation in Jesus.

Hebrews 13:12

Therefore, Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

We can pursue holiness in our daily lives because we have been made holy through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus’ body on the cross. He gave Himself, once and for all for the forgiveness of sin. His sacrifice was final; nothing else is necessary for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus’ sacrifice opened the way for each of us who have been made holy by Him to enter the very presence of our Holy God. Being free from the power of sin and death we are able by grace to live out that holiness in our day-to-day living. We are free to begin to live like Jesus, by the power of His Holy Spirit, let the sacrifice of Jesu free you from sin so that you may live your life in His glorious presence, bringing Him honor in all that you do, by His immeasurable grace.

About holiness:

[Wholeness through holiness, transforming our lives through holiness.]

The Hebrew word for “holiness” is qōdes, a word that highlights the realm of the sacred in contrast to everything common and profane. The adjective qādôš, “holy,” refers to God and what belongs to him. In various places in the Hebrew Scriptures, God is called by the title the “Holy One of Israel.”

As we dig deeper into holiness, we must keep the sanctification process in mind, especially “being transformed by the renewing of the mind” command (Recall Romans 12:2 at the beginning) let us remember that the enabling of the HS allows us to understand God’s Word and to apply God’s truths.

Regarding the sanctification process and the renewing of the mind, the HS is, indeed, a comforter, but it is not always comfortable, there are places that we may not want to go in our transformation. The path to holiness leads to places of discomfort self-awareness and the realization of sin; holiness cannot be advanced by/with sin.

We must realize that Salvation is just the beginning of the transformation; that is why new Christians/believers need a godly mentor to come alongside them.

The change in your life should not be self-focused but focused on kingdom building, and your involvement in sharing the Good News. It is a privilege to participate in the work of God.

Holiness is not preached enough. We should passionately pursue holiness. The world needs restored, healed Christians.

Also, let us recall our first lesson: The Bible is Inspired

2 Timothy 3:15-17 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which can make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Regarding verse 16 text Given by inspiration of God translates the Greek word theopneustos, which literally means “God-Breathed.” This is Scripture’s most important statement about itself, meaning that Scripture is the product of God’s creative breath

Since the Word of God tells us that God is holy and it reveals Him and His character and it tells us how to live and how to become increasingly made into His likeness, then we must read God’s Word, we must Love God’s Word and we must be a student of God’s Word in our pursuit of holiness.  

1 Peter 1:16

for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.

The holy nature of God is the motivation for Christian holiness.

Hebrews 12:14

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

In our conflict with the world, yes, we are to seek peace, but not at the expense of sacrificing holiness.

Holiness: sanctification, becoming holy, being set apart, consecration, purification

The Bible teaches that God is a holy God. The idea behind the concept of holiness is “separation.” It comes from a word meaning “to separate or cut off.” God is separate, or cut off, from everything sinful, and evil-He cannot tolerate sin. To say that God is holy means there is no trace of evil in his character. Only God is holy ` Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed (Revelation 15:4). The demonic spirits acknowledged Jesus Christ, God the Son, as holy` What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24).

[The Old Testament]

During the Old Testament period, God often emphasized His holiness to Israel. When the Lord spoke to Moses through a burning bush He said.

Then he [the Lord] said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:5,6).

In the Book of Exodus, we read.

Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? (Exodus 15:11).

The Lord reminded the people of His holiness in the entire sacrificial system. I taught the Levitical sacrifices during a call to worship segment on 2022-08-28

I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore, be holy, because I am holy (Leviticus 11:44,45).

The nation of Israel was to be holy, or set apart because God is holy.

You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own (Leviticus 20:26).

Because He is holy, God is unable to look at sin.

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear (Isaiah 59:2).

The psalmist wrote.

If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18).

God’s holiness demands that sinners are separated from Him. He cannot tolerate evil in his presence.

[In the New Testament we find the holiness of God also being emphasized.]

The New Testament directly speaks of God’s holiness. Jesus addressed His Father as “Holy.”

I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one (John 17:11).

Peter wrote: But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do (1 Peter 1:15).

Ask someone to read Romans 6:1-14

~Rom. 6:3 Water baptism is a symbol of the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial (v.4), and Resurrection

~6:6 Our old Man is our pre-conversion life, what we were before becoming Christians under the unrestrained dominion of the flesh (sin nature) The body of sin refers to the sinful nature within us, not the human body.

`6:11 Dead… to sin means not controlled lust of love of sin or its ruling power in our lives, dead to its enslaving power (but not dead to all its influences. I often say that if you are comfortable in sin, you are in trouble.

~6:12 Therefore: A natural conclusion from this is that if we are dead to the ruling power of sin, and if sin has destructive effects in our lives, then, of course, we should not let it reign in our bodies. Again, I often say that if you are comfortable in, then you are in trouble.

~ 6:13 We have a continual choice day after day whether to yield ourselves to sin or to God. As for the word “Members,” That is talking about the various parts of our bodies, as representative of all aspects of our lives.

~6:14 Though we can never say in this life we that we are free from all sin (James 3:2, 1 John 1:8, 10), we also should never say. “This one sin defeated me—I give up. The power of Christ’s resurrection at work within us is greater than the power of any sin, no matter how long established in our lives. To be under the law is to be under a system of trying to earn our salvation in our own strength by obeying the law, but to be under grace is to be justified and to live by the indwelling resurrection power of Christ. We can die to sin, not because of the law forbidding it, but through all the resources that grace provides.

Stand in the truth that you are under grace; therefore, sin has no power over you. Daily present y our body to God as an instrument of righteousness. We now have His power at work in us to resist sinful behavior. By the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are free to live our lives in holiness, give our lives daily as worship to God, and be transformed in our thinking.

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Paul lays out two directions of life and shows their ultimate consequences. He implies that Christians can choose to do what is uncharacteristic of a Christian, namely, to walk “according to the flesh,” and he warns them not to do it.

If by the spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body.  A good summary of the process of sanctification (growth in holiness) in the Christian life. We are actively working at growing in holiness and “putting to death” any sin in our hearts or minds, as well as in our words and deeds. Yet, although we actively put forth effort, Paul reminds us that it is only “by the spirit,” that it, by the Holy Spirit’s power, we can succeed.

Philippians 2:12-13

(12) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (NET: for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.)

~12: Because of the obedience of Christ and His lordship, the Philippians should show obedience. Paul does not teach that salvation is dependent on one’s continued works, but that salvation must express itself in progressive Christian living and upright character, not only individually, but through obedient participation in God’s corporate call to a local church

~ 13: Without denying man’s freedom, Paul stresses God’s part in man’s salvation, both in its initial resolution and in its subsequent progress. Paul addresses this matter because our “will” is by nature in bondage to the flesh.

(Discipleship) As Jesus’ disciples, we can give our lives in service to others for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God. Express God’s gracious work of salvation in you through your obedience to Him. Recognize that God gives you the desire and ability to do what pleases Him.