By the Law Is the Knowledge of Sin

NewLifeInChristJesus said:

I agree with you that things change. But respectfully I would suggest that what you are referring to is the maturation process, not sanctification itself. Here is a passage that speaks directly to maturation...

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Heb 5:12–14)

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

I know that people use these verses to point to sanctification being progressive. But I would point out that 1) "sanctification" is not mentioned in these verses, and 2) the use of the present tense does not indicate a process. Let's take a look at a few other verses that use present passive indicative verbs (like the ones you have cited) to see if the idea of a process is indicated...

• Mark 12:25 - For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
• Mark 12:27 - He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.
• Acts 28:1 - Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta.
• Rom 1:17 - For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
• 2 Cor 3:16 - Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

Why do you use words like "feels slow", "even invisible", "you'll likely see", and "emotional optimism". It seems as if you are jumping to conclusions about me. Just so you know that I know the realities of which I speak, I will share the following two paragraphs I wrote and published in 2012 (from New Life in Christ Jesus, Everything We Need for Life and Godliness)...

But if we choose to walk with God every day in the newness of life, some things will change. Our trust in God will increase (2 Cor. 10:15). Our knowledge of God will grow (Col. 1:10). Our discernment of good and evil will sharpen (Heb. 5:14). Our spirits will grow stronger (Eph. 3:16). Our love for one another will abound (1 Thess. 3:12). The fruits of our righteousness will multiply (2 Cor. 9:10). Our brethren with whom we interact will be strengthened (Acts 18:23). And our numbers will increase (Acts 16:5).These things are not evidence of God cleaning us up over time or of us becoming more and more like Jesus over time. They are the fruits of walking in the Spirit. Their existence proves that God has given us new lives in Christ Jesus, that we possess everything we need for life and godliness, and that fruitful Christian lives happen only when we trust God and walk with Him—as He leads us, guides us, and directs us from the depths of our own hearts (Gal. 5:16–26).

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

Yes, you are right. But again, this is saying the same thing in a different way. Putting off the old man and putting on the new man is the same thing as walking in the Spirit, and is the same thing as not conforming to the world but renew your mind, and the same thing as consider yourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God. They all speak to a daily/momemt-by-moment action we must take after God set us apart and cleaned us up for service to Him.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

This verse can be talking about many things. Most likely it is talking about God's commitment to finish what He started on the day of our final redemption. The ESV indicates this most clearly... ("And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" ESV). But it can't be used as a biblical reference to help define "sanctification" because the word is not mentioned.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

This verse is referring to self-sanctification, as the surrounding context (1 Thess 4:1–8) proves. Everything there discusses what we must do to separate ourselves from sin to God. It is not discussing God cleaning us up over time.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

You must know that "being sanctified" in this verse is a present participle, meaning that the time of action is contemporaneus with the action of the main verb. In this case, the main verb is "He has perfected", and it is a perfect tense, active voice, and indicative mood. It reprepresents action that God took in past time with abiding results, the emphasis being on the abiding results. Therefore, "sanctified" must take the same time of action which is past time. The NASB renders this coincidence correctly... ("For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Heb 10:14 NASB).

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

Again, this verse does not help define "sanctification". The exact words lend themselves more to the idea of spiritual maturation rather than sanctification. I think if you investigate this further, you will see that your ideas of sanctification and spiritual maturation are inttermixed.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

This is a familiar teaching and is popular in Baptist circles too. But it confuses God's sanctification of us (which is one-time) with our own self-sanctifcation (which is ongoing). A better rendering (supported by Scripture) is the following.

1. Justification and God's Sanctification - once and for all,
2. Self-Sanctification - is daily, Spirit-led, and often messy,
3. Glorification - when the old man is finally dead and gone for good.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

Buddy, you are not understanding what is happening here. I have not been "struggling" for decades. I have been victorious in Christ for decades. And this has not led to decades of ignorance about my spiritual growth. It has led to clarity and great understanding. And the reason is simple. When we trust Jesus as He leads, guides, teaches, directs, corrects and comforts us from our own hearts, our understanding of our new lives in Christ improves. You are just now beginning your study of these things, and I encourage you to trust Jesus when He challenges you on these items we are discussing.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

lease understand that I am trying to pass on to you the things that God first taught me. I can share the entire section of my book that deals with sanctification if it would be helpful.

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

Logos Bible software makes it easy to do morphological searches . There are 244 verses with present passive indicative verbs in the NT...

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NewLifeInChristJesus said:

Logos has a free version also. Unfortunately for both, you have to spend money if you want works not in the public domain.

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