This morning, we are going to try and define the difference between Salvation and Sanctification.
So, right from the beginning, we know that Salvation is a one time thing, it happened as soon as Jesus died on the cross for our sins, ALL mankind throughout ALL time and for ALL of our sins, every one of them.
And then Sanctification is a lifelong process that occurs after the fact that we have already received Salvation.
Salvation is secured … Sanctification is what follows throughout our lives.
So, as I am sitting here at my desk, I have two (2) physical ‘red letter’ Bibles opened so I can find the exact words that came from Jesus’ mouth.
I have a HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) and a NKJV (New King James Version) opened as I write this lesson.
So, let’s begin by defining the word Salvation, in our dictionary there is the typical definition of the word Salvation and then there is the Theology definition.
According to the normal, everyday definition of Salvation is: the preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.
And in Theology, the definition is: deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.
Jesus, in His willingness, He gave up His life for you and me, He willingly died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
Not Jesus’ sins … but rather, yours and mine, our sins, us human beings are the ones that sinned. Jesus died on the cross for you and me, for ALL of us.
In the Word, Jesus tells us that He chose to give up His life so we could be forgiven for our sins.
Matthew 20:28 ‘…even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many…’ AKJV
Matthew 26:28 ‘…for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins…’ AKJV
Jesus died on the cross for us, so we could attain everlasting life.
Just for a moment, think of all the different religions today that claim you need to do something so your sins are forgiven … these people should really open and read their Bibles because in His Word we are told that ALL of our sins have already been forgiven.
Our Salvation is attained through our FAITH, our FAITH in Jesus Christ.
This next verse was not found written with ‘red letters.’
Ephesians 2:8
‘…For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God…’ AKJV
‘…When you believed in Jesus, God saved you because he is very kind. You could not save yourselves, but that is God’s gift to you…’ EASY
For myself, I don’t need the above verse to be written in ‘red letters’ for me to believe … the verse alone gives me the strength that I believe it because it is in God’s Word.
Sanctification is everything that follows our Salvation, and since Salvation was by the death of Jesus Christ, Sanctification is everything in our walk with Jesus.
So, let’s begin by finding the definition of Sanctification.
The definition of Sanctification is: the action of making or declaring that something is holy.
According to google.com: Biblically, Sanctification is the process of being set apart for God’s purpose, becoming holy, and growing more like Christ.
This is the ongoing, lifelong process of growing more like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It involves the renewing of our minds and understanding the Bible … allowing Scripture’s convictions to shape your life … and increasing our love for God’s Word.
Every time we OPEN up our Bibles and read we are increasing our love for Him.
Every time we OPEN up our mouths, and we speak about Him to others, we are growing.
Every time we publically preach behind a pulpit, or we post on a social media site a lesson or we exhibit on Facebook and go LIVE with a Bible study we are renewing our minds and understanding His Word, we are growing the way that God wants for us to grow so we can help and edify those that may not be as well off as they could be.
We are working the way that Jesus has shown us to reach out to others and assist them so they to can find and grow in Jesus.
In the book of Hebrews, we are told that us followers of Christ, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, we are shown of the importance when we teach what He wants for this world to know.
Hebrews 10:10
‘…By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all…’ AKJV
‘…Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
For our sins to be forgiven, we must have FAITH and BELIEVE what we are told in the Word of God.
Jesus spoke these words Himself, words from His own mouth about being sanctified.
John 17:19 ‘…And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth…’ AKJV
Jesus asked God the Father, to give us a helper to assist us in this human life that we live in. Jesus came to this earth to live this same life as us. He knows the difficulties that we each face each and every day.
But like I said, Jesus asked that we would be given a helper to help us make it through this life we have in front of us.
The Holy Spirit is here to be with us, every day, all we have to do is ask for Him to stay with us.
The Holy Spirit can be with us all the time, if we let Him in. All we have to do is take down our defensive walls that we have built up around us to protect us and keep us safe, and if we BELIEVE and allow Him in, He can protect us with the walls of protection that He has for us.
We gain our strength in Him when we pray aloud to Him.
We gain our strength in Him when we OPEN our Bibles, and we seek His Message that He has given us.
We gain our strength in Him when we OPEN our mouths, and we share His Message with others that we meet. When we are not afraid of what stands in front of us, when we are not ashamed of the words we are about to voice aloud to others.
Salvation we have already been given. Jesus made our Salvation possible when He died on the cross for our sins.
Sanctification is what us as individuals are going to work at for the entirety of our lives.
When we wake up in the morning and we thank God for another day, when we ask that He’d USE us for the betterment of other human beings that are around us.
When we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell among our daily lives we grow in the environment that He has put in front of us.
The only thing we can do is allow Him to direct us in our walk with Him.
Spend time throughout your day in His presence and allow Him to expand your ability to edify that individual that He wants for you to reach out and touch.
I love ALL of y’all.
I am InHIM.><)))o>
Jesus, thank You for a powerful message this morning. Thank You for allowing me to have friends that point me in the direction to find these messages that might need be emphasized differently. Jesus thank You for allowing me to have Your Words that You desire for us all to know and understand. I love You Jesus. Amen.
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