Becoming a new creation influences the soul – and continues to influence it. This daily devotional looks at how our souls are influenced by sanctification – for now and the future.
Nuggets
- Our souls are influenced by being changed through sanctification.
- We must be changed through sanctification to spend eternity with God.
- We don’t have to wait for Heaven to begin to be with God.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Growing Our Soul series
This draft had been sitting in the overflow folder. But when I pulled it out the other day to write on it, it didn’t grab me like it once did.
I found one section of a sermon from the last devotion that I want to dig into a little more. What caught my eye was when Benson wrote, “We must ‘put on the new man,’ a new creature: so called because it influences the whole man, soul and body …”
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It gave some scripture passages. I want to see how the soul was influenced.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
The Soul Is Influenced by Sanctification
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thess. 5: 23 ESV)
Our souls are influenced by being changed through sanctification.
Paul prayed that his readers would be completely sanctified. That is the goal — that we be completely changed to be like God.
- 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
Ferguson pointed out that sanctification is completing the work that grace began. That makes sense.
It isn’t about us just doing lip service and saying we believe in God. It is about the change that He brings to us.
If it wasn’t about the change, then it would be okay if we were just good people. But God calls us to more than that.
Salvation is not about the do’s and don’ts. Submission is. By following God’s laws and commandments — and asking for forgiveness when we break them — we are growing holiness.
Ferguson intimated what would happen if God did not sanctify us. He wrote, “If God did not carry on His good work in the soul, it would miscarry; and therefore we should pray God to perfect it, and preserve us blameless, that is, free from sin and impurity, till at length we are presented faultless before the throne of His glory with exceeding great joy.”
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Dwight pointed out us that we are sanctified through God’s Word and His providence. God’s Providence is His care of us because of His loving nature to provide.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
We are impressed with how God takes care of us — whether we hear of it, read it, or experience it. It isn’t a surface well-wasn’t-that-nice type of deal. It touches us in our soul and makes a lasting impression.
Dwight reminded us that the process of sanctification begins in — and is a process of sanctifying — the soul. He wrote, “The first sanctifying act of the Spirit of God is employed in regenerating the soul. Succeeding acts of the same nature are employed in purifying it through all the successive periods of life.”
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We are focusing on the soul in this devotion. Don’t limit sanctification to that.
Paul wrote, “… may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless …” (I Thess. 5: 23 ESV). He said sanctification is for the whole enchilada.
Pearse stressed that sanctification is a surrender. We do not come to Him for salvation to receive forgiveness. We need to be obedient to His Will.
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Ooo, baby. That just slammed home for me. I keep seeing our definition of holy — to be set apart, perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues. Every once in a while, I ask, well, how are we set apart?
Jarbo wrote that sanctification is the “separation from that which is common to that which is holy.”
I just needed a straightforward, clear cut sentence to explain it.
Building the Soul for Future Residence
“In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2: 22 ESV)
We must be changed through sanctification to spend eternity with God.
This devotion is an offshoot of the previous devotion. That devotion talked about renewing our mind. Renewing our mind is a part of being a living sacrifice.
Being a living sacrifice is how we worship God. We worship God in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4: 24).
That means we worship God with every fiber of our being — including our souls.
Yes, Paul is talking about the church here. But I think he is also talking about us individually.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2: 19-21 ESV).
God is in the business of building us right now. He is teaching us the foundation that He gave the apostles and prophets.
It was in the temple where God made His Presence known. He makes Himself known in our hearts.
James reminded us that the building is fitted together perfectly on the Cornerstone. Another thing we have to remember is we are “… fearfully and wonderfully made …” (Ps. 139: 14 ESV).
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We are to imitate Jesus. That means we use His words and His deeds to guide off of.
We build our temple by faith. 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.
Bayne tied this discussion in with the last section. He wrote, “The Spirit of sanctification makes us a fit habitation for God.”
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God carries on His sanctifying work in our souls. If He did not, we would not be changed.
If we are not changed, we cannot live with God for eternity. Only those who have been changed to perfection will be admitted to Heaven.
The Soul Is God’s Temple Now
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8: 11 ESV)
We don’t have to wait for Heaven to begin to be with God.
Jesus and the Holy Spirit lives in us now. Rye made a great statement. He wrote, “The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is the common mark of all believers in Christ.”
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The Holy Spirit takes up residence in us so that He can sanctify us and change us to be holy.
Thompson reminded us that, though this body will die, death is not final. We will live for eternity. Will it be in Heaven with God or in hell with Satan?
Where our new address will be is dependent on whether we have ABCDed.
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Resurrection is the end game, but we have to go through regeneration and sanctification first.
Making the Connections
God wants to influence our lives. He doesn’t want us to just say we are going to follow Him, and then not do it.
We are to truly live our lives for God. That means submit to Him and obey His laws and commandments. In doing so, we will be changed to be like Him.
Our commitment to God should be a genuine confession to Him as Sovereign God.
How Do We Apply This?
Sanctification is a major component of our redo for godliness. However, it is not consistent. It has its hills and valleys.
Pearse made a great point. He wrote, “But what we give to God is altogether the result of our knowledge of Him.” We have to know first.
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But to know God as our Great Physician means there has to be an illness. To know Him as a comforter means there has to be loss. To know Him as our Rock and the One Who gives us shelter means there has to be storms in life.
To know God, we need to seek Him.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
We want God to influence our souls. That will take study on our part.
Father God. We choose to submit to You. We want to be like You – to have Your character. We commit to seek You so that You may sanctify us. Amen.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
Related Links
Related Links
I have created a worksheet of the questions above. Click on the button below to access it.
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The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Job Duty #1
Be a Living Sacrifice (Romans 12: 1-2)
Job Duty #2
Work Out Our Salvation (Philippians 2: 12)
Job Duty #3
Bring Him Glory (Matthew 5: 16)
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #5
Love People (John 15: 12)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Job Duty #7
Other Duties as Assigned
(Ecclesiastes 3: 1)
It Was Enough
Vocalist: Elaine Guthals
Keyboard: Chris Vieth
What do you think?
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