Sanctification. A long word for a long process.

Once, a friend I was discipling asked me, "What does it mean to be sanctified?" I took a deep breath, and said, "Well . . . !"

You can talk about positional sanctification, that the moment you accept Christ as your Savior, you are sanctified: set apart in the family of God. You can go on to experiential sanctification, that is, growing as a Christian to become more and more like Christ in our daily lives. You can finish up with future sanctification, that wondrous moment when "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (I John 3:2, NAS).

I did talk about those things. But when it came to the question of turning orthodoxy into orthopraxy (right teaching into right practice), it seemed to boil down to one thing: God is not afraid of process.

The problem for us as Christians is that sanctification is a frightening word. It conjures images of golden lampstands and the ark of the covenant, set apart as "Holy to the Lord" in the tabernacle and in the Temple. We know that the root of the word is "holy," and that as saints (also derived from the same root in the Greek), we are to be holy, too.

But holiness seems ungraspable. As out of reach as the cherubim who flew before the throne of the Most High, crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:3, NAS). We cringe before a holy God, staring in despair at our feeble hold on His Word, at the sins that riddle our lives, at the weakness that drags us down even when we try to do right. We read the simple words, "Be holy, because I am holy" (I Peter 1:16, NAS), and we feel defeated before we have even begun.

The good news is that God is not afraid of process. We stare at the standard of holiness and feel the weight of all our sins. God looks at our sins, and encourages us to work on them - one at a time. We look at the end result, and the journey seems impossible. God looks at the journey, and reminds us that it begins with one small step. We look at the prize and are defeated by our weakness. God looks at our weakness and reminds us that He will supply all our needs.

God is not afraid of process. He is not afraid to take you as you are, and work with you day by day. He knows you will fail. He knows you will fall. What he wants is for you to know that He will always be there to pick you up when you do.

God is a loving Father. He does not ask that we tackle every area of sin and weakness in our lives at once. He gives us one battle at a time, and the strength to conquer.


God is faithful. He is mindful of our frail humanity. He created us. He loves us. When he called us to sanctification, to be holy to him, he did so not to discourage us or to give us an impossible command. He called us to be like him so that we could experience his joy to the fullest, his grace to the utmost, his love for all the ages of eternity.

Where do we begin, then? On our knees, with His Word open in front of us. And with the reminder that God is not afraid of process.


? 2001 Paula Marolewski

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Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. Proverbs 8:34

Blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. Proverbs 16:20

Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evilIsaiah 56:2

Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days Daniel 12:12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Matthew 5:3

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted Matthew 5:4

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled Matthew 5:6

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Matthew 5:10

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Matthew 5:11

Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me Matthew 11:6

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest Matthew 21:9

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" Mark 11:10

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! Luke 1:42

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh? Luke 6:21

Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. Luke 11:27

Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it Luke 11:28

Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." Luke 14:15

Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed Luke 23:29

Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Romans 4:7

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him Romans 4:8

Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. Romans 14:22

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him James 1:12

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near Revelation 1:3

Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed Revelation 16:15

Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:6

Blessed Is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book Revelation 22:7

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him Jeremiah 17:7

Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods Psalm 40:4

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. Psalm 41:1

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage Psalm 84:5

Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law Psalm 94:12

Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right. Psalm 106:3

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. Psalm 112:1

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. Psalm 119:2

Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate Psalm 127:5

Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. Psalm 128:1

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding Proverbs 3:13

Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. Nehemiah 9:5

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Psalm 1:1

Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth Genesis 14:19