Being confident in our salvation gives us joy. This daily devotional looks at how sanctification prepares us for perfection, the greatest joy of all.
Nuggets
- Paul was confident of the Philippians’ spiritual condition, which gave him joy.
- The work God starts in us is salvation.
- Sanctification won’t be complete until we get to Heaven.
Devotions in the Joy in the Gospel series
We like to think that God has started a good work in us. But many times, we misunderstand what that good work is.
It is not a worldview good work. It is a spiritual good work.
Let’s take a look.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
We’ve looked at Philippians 1: 6 several times. The good work God has started in us is our salvation. He is sanctifying us to be like Him.
Verse Commentary
Joy of Confidence
“I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1: 6 CSB)
Paul was confident of the Philippians’ spiritual condition, which gave him joy.
Why did Paul have this confidence in the Philippians? He knows their character. Our character is our thoughts, feelings, and actions all added together.
Martin reminded us that character is not based on our religion. He wrote, “It [character] does not rest on the Church. Not because Church polity is all right, because you are thoroughly orthodox, nor because your modes of worship are just what they ought to be. The foundation of his confidence was God in Christ.” It is based on our relationship with God.
Resource
What we may consider as nothing special is something special to God. What keeps going through my head is the line in a sing. “If just a cup of water You place within my hand, then just a cup of water is all that You demand.”
Related Links
Larry Ford
Whether we are a success or not is not the point. The point is that we are doing what God asks. We are obedient to Him.
Paul was confident that the Philippians were strong in their faith. Still, he said he prayed daily for them. The strong and the faithful are who Satan targets. He doesn’t need to target the weak and faithless.
Martin also reminded us of something important. Paul knew he could just be an encourager to the Philippians. The Philippians had to make their own decisions.
This Momma Bear wants to make sure Buddy Bear keeps on his Sanctification Road. But I can’t. I can disciple him, encourage him, and point out when things go wrong.
But it is Buddy Bear’s decision — just as it was the Philippians’ decision.
Joy in Good Works
“… that he who started a good work in you …” (Phil. 1: 6 CSB)
The work God starts in us is salvation.
How can we tell God is doing the good work in us? We have to love God and Jesus. This starts out with ABCDing, but includes navigating the Sanctification Road.
- Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration, gradually changes our nature through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal requickening in us that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
- The perfected state indicates the combination of the spiritual graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
We can’t just make a profession of faith and think that is good enough. Faith is the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives.
Our marching orders are to imitate Jesus. We learn how to do that on the Sanctification Road.
Sanctification is a process — a long, bumpy process. Foot wrote, “It is the gradual transformation of the renovated but imperfect heart continued until this corruptible shall put on incorruption.”
Resource
That means we are going to have to persevere.
But that is okay. We talked once about perseverance leading to consistency.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
We can’t sanctify ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can. It is Him working in us that changes us to be more like God.
Sanctification begins with regeneration. That happens at salvation. God flips a switch — however He does it — to change us from being spiritual dead to spiritually alive.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t change everything. We are still in these physical bodies that can still sin. That is where sanctification comes in. We are in the process of being changed to be like God. That is only completed in the day of the Lord — when we get our new bodies.
Foot said that sanctification was also needed to purge our consciences to have it follow God’s laws and commandments more. He also said that “it brings to light the lines of the Divine image already engraven on the heart.”
The goal is to get obedience closer to the standard of holiness.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart.
- Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
What does this do for us? Foot said that the spiritual graces are strengthened.
Sanctification is something we have to seek. I really hadn’t thought of it that way, but it is right. We have to choose to complete the Sanctification Road.
Now, don’t think we can self-help and do these things on our own. Only God can sanctify us. Only He can make the changes needed to change us so that we can imitate Him.
Our marching orders also tell us to love others as ourselves. Combined with loving God, these are the great commandments. They lead to perfection.
Glossary
We have to watch that we don’t compromise with the worldview on this. Their definition of love is that we have to let them continue living in their sins.
The bottom line is we have to submit to God through trust, obedience, and goodness. It is all about our spiritual condition.
- Submitting to God is actions by humans that obey God and keep His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, follow His purpose for us, and do not follow Satan’s promptings. Submitting means committing to live a sin-free life.
- Trust is assurance that the promises of God are true. It is that bone-deep knowledge that God is going to do what He says.
- Obedience means to hear, conform to, and carry out the instructions that God gives us.
- Goodness is imitating God’s holy, pure, and righteous behavior.
I think we also have to pull in good works here. Good works are personal acts of obedience where we give God our best to complete whatever tasks He assigns for us to do. We think of good works as activities we do.
If we haven’t done the work in His name, do you think God is really going to reward it?
Joy in Completion
“… will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1: 6 CSB)
Sanctification won’t be complete until we get to Heaven.
It is important that we do the work God’s way. Our work will be tried by fire in the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is when we will be called home to Heaven.
Why is it considered the day of Christ or the day of the Lord and not God’s? Jesus is the One Who suffered and died for our sins. Because of that, we will finally get to see Him in His glory.
Jesus will finally get to fully establish His government. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9: 6 ESV).
One of the last things Jesus said before He ascended was that God had given Him all authority. “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth” (Mt. 28: 18 NLT).
We also know that Jesus is the One Who will determine the answer to the question whether we have ABCDed. “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Mt. 25: 31-32 NLT).
Glossary
Jesus won’t be separating them because of what they did or didn’t do.
- “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world’” Mt. 25: 34 NLT emphasis added).
“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons’” (Mt. 25: 41 NLT emphasis added).
Have you ever asked yourself what would happen if you didn’t get far enough along on the Sanctification Road? What if you were saved, were navigating, but just didn’t get far enough?
Not going to happen. God finishes what He starts.
I remember one of my ladies and I having a discussion on end of life/end of all life. I know we want to give everyone the opportunity to ABCD, but I’m looking forward to the day that Jesus comes.
I’ll see Mom and Dad again. Buddy Bear will be whole. Illness will be over.
But better yet, I will get to kneel at the feet of my Savior. I will get to praise Sovereign God.
I am looking forward to that day.
Making the Connections
Spurgeon called our lives as disciples a succession of miracles. It is by God’s miracle that we can obtain salvation.
Resource
So many times during this life, Satan throws things at us that should sink us. Only by the grace of God do with withstand him.
That is why we should picture ourselves as a traveler on the Sanctification Road. We only get to our destination through God’s provision and mercy.
- God’s Providence is His care of us because of His loving nature to provide.
- God’s mercy is an act of sovereign will that produces an unexpected and undeserved response from God as He responds in love to our needs.
How Do We Apply This?
- We need to consider what memories we are leaving behind.
- Are the memories we are leaving pointing to God?
- Even is we are confident in another’s faith, we should still pray for them.
Resource
We talked in the last devotion that this was Paul’s prayer for the Philippians. Lyth noted that Paul gave us a useful framework for our prayers.
- Thanksgiving
- Petition
- Faith
- Love
- Intercession
- Holy purpose
- Praise
Resource
It is a little different order than I am used to. I can see its value.
God is working within us. He is working for our good — our spiritual good. That deserves our praise.
Father God. We thank You that You have called us to You. We praise You that You are working within us to make us more like You. Help us to turn away from the worldview and focus solely on You. Amen.
What do you think?
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