Rejoice with me!
A couple of years ago I bought a jacket with four top-entry pockets on the front. It was dark brown and had a trim cut. I liked it a lot, especially because I need extra pockets to hold photography stuff. The coat didn't stand out in crowds and was very useful to me. Eventually it became my 3-season jacket (3.5 in California), besides a light wind breaker and a heavy snow coat.
When I packed up to move back to California I was disappointed that my jacket was nowhere to be found. Eventually it turned up, but it was an awkward finder's-keeper's kind of thing because the person who had the jacket thought I abandoned it. So, for the past five months I've gotten by with just the wind breaker and a sweater. However, the temperature is finally dipping into the 30's here at night, and I ride my bike home in the wind.
For Christmas my grandma sent me a gift card, one from a store I don't normally shop in. I headed over expecting to buy a laundry hamper, but lo-and-behold, there was a jacket on the rack which I immediately noticed.
-It's a great color! Drab olive green.
-It has four top-loading pockets like the old jacket, but also two secret hand pockets with side-entry! Yay!
-Built in hood, like the other one.
-Dual zipper/button closure, like the other one.
- Polyester-lined sleeves like the other one.
The only thing it doesn't have is insulation in the liner, which is what sweaters and thermals are for. Layering is good. The old coat was a little too warm in the summer. This should be perfect.
Best of all, it was about $60 cheaper, with the after-holiday sale marking it down to just $17!!!
And that gift card from Granda... made it free. Hurray.
Your pal,
Mike: .
A couple of years ago I bought a jacket with four top-entry pockets on the front. It was dark brown and had a trim cut. I liked it a lot, especially because I need extra pockets to hold photography stuff. The coat didn't stand out in crowds and was very useful to me. Eventually it became my 3-season jacket (3.5 in California), besides a light wind breaker and a heavy snow coat.
The old jacket, with Erin:
When I packed up to move back to California I was disappointed that my jacket was nowhere to be found. Eventually it turned up, but it was an awkward finder's-keeper's kind of thing because the person who had the jacket thought I abandoned it. So, for the past five months I've gotten by with just the wind breaker and a sweater. However, the temperature is finally dipping into the 30's here at night, and I ride my bike home in the wind.
For Christmas my grandma sent me a gift card, one from a store I don't normally shop in. I headed over expecting to buy a laundry hamper, but lo-and-behold, there was a jacket on the rack which I immediately noticed.
-It's a great color! Drab olive green.
-It has four top-loading pockets like the old jacket, but also two secret hand pockets with side-entry! Yay!
-Built in hood, like the other one.
-Dual zipper/button closure, like the other one.
- Polyester-lined sleeves like the other one.
The only thing it doesn't have is insulation in the liner, which is what sweaters and thermals are for. Layering is good. The old coat was a little too warm in the summer. This should be perfect.
The New Jacket, sans toothy smile
Best of all, it was about $60 cheaper, with the after-holiday sale marking it down to just $17!!!
And that gift card from Granda... made it free. Hurray.
Your pal,
Mike: .
Oh my!
I've added a "fun little something" to the site. To use the Generator, scroll down and hit the link in the side menu. Enjoy!
Pentax P3 - 50mm 1/250 f8 ISO 200
At the moment when I took this shot, I didn't think much of it. After I saw the print, however, I was surprised at how pleasing the image was to me.
The night I took this photo was, I believe, the same in which I met a young Hispanic man, named Damian, who spoke only a bit of broken English. For over an hour we sat on the beach and tried to make ourselves understood. Damian seemed very lonely, having recently moved here from Mexico with no real friends, and he must have been astonished at this gringo who was so willing to draw pictures in the sand in vigorous attempts to communicate. Of course he did not know I was trying very hard to preach the gospel to him.
By the end Damian seemed to get the most basic gist of it, yet I lamented not being able to speak in his own tongue. "How will they believe in what they have not heard?" [Romans 10] An hour of charades and pictographs revealed that "Dios es el juez" (God is the Judge) and that all men are "crimanales" because we have broken His laws. The "juicio" (verdict) is that we are guilty, but "llegó a ser un hombre y pagó las consecuencias para sus personas que tienen la fe en él." (The judge became a man and paid the penalty for his people who have faith in him.)
I told him that God's people quit trying to earn God's favor with good works, because Jesus made the way by faith. Damian may have been cheered by this, until I also said that true believers obey God and love His holiness. The young man became disappointed at this point and admitted that he could not give up one sin, "Adoro bailar." (I love to dance) He could not yet see the grace of God to free him from his lifestyle of clubbing and sensuality.
Every rich young ruler is shown at last to be one more poor fool. Only the mercy of God reveals to us the poverty of worldliness and the treasures of Christ's kingdom.
The night I took this photo was, I believe, the same in which I met a young Hispanic man, named Damian, who spoke only a bit of broken English. For over an hour we sat on the beach and tried to make ourselves understood. Damian seemed very lonely, having recently moved here from Mexico with no real friends, and he must have been astonished at this gringo who was so willing to draw pictures in the sand in vigorous attempts to communicate. Of course he did not know I was trying very hard to preach the gospel to him.
By the end Damian seemed to get the most basic gist of it, yet I lamented not being able to speak in his own tongue. "How will they believe in what they have not heard?" [Romans 10] An hour of charades and pictographs revealed that "Dios es el juez" (God is the Judge) and that all men are "crimanales" because we have broken His laws. The "juicio" (verdict) is that we are guilty, but "llegó a ser un hombre y pagó las consecuencias para sus personas que tienen la fe en él." (The judge became a man and paid the penalty for his people who have faith in him.)
I told him that God's people quit trying to earn God's favor with good works, because Jesus made the way by faith. Damian may have been cheered by this, until I also said that true believers obey God and love His holiness. The young man became disappointed at this point and admitted that he could not give up one sin, "Adoro bailar." (I love to dance) He could not yet see the grace of God to free him from his lifestyle of clubbing and sensuality.
Every rich young ruler is shown at last to be one more poor fool. Only the mercy of God reveals to us the poverty of worldliness and the treasures of Christ's kingdom.
Damian and I parted ways with a warm goodbye. God bless that man.
* * *
Update // Response
23 Dec.07 - I should have been more clear in the post. "Dancing" seemed to mean that he loved the lifestyle of clubbing, and particularly the lewd behavior. I am willing to acknowledge a certain degree of Christian liberty regarding dancing, as there are so many various forms and cultures, but in general I believe scripture instructs single men and women to flee situations and activities that promote sensual and physical desire.
There is no doubt in my mind that most,if not all, young single men would have great difficulty dancing with an attractive woman without being stimulated to thoughts unsuitable towards a sister. And if not directly lustful, dancing tends to covetousness.
Paul wrote to Timothy to "treat young women as sisters, with all purity." Regardless of how pure certain young women's minds may or may not be, the young men I know are not so fortunate as to honestly restrain themselves from physical desire in those situations. In short, single men will do well to head the wisdom of Peter, "it is good not to touch a woman." Women must believe the power of movement they hold against men, and must not abuse it. Do not forget that it was a dance that lead to John the baptist's decapitation.
If you like, check out this earlier post:
Dancing at Weddings
Lord providing, I intend to purchase a 
new camera this January or February. I expect to be more committed to regular shooting, with the purpose being somehow to direct others to the word of God and to the gospel through my work.
new camera this January or February. I expect to be more committed to regular shooting, with the purpose being somehow to direct others to the word of God and to the gospel through my work.Although the new section won't come into effect until I have another digital camera, yet I have finished assembling the area which will function as a photoblog. Flickr will continue to house the bulk of my photos but this section will serve to tell more about the photos, themselves.
Check it out here...
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/
Check it out here...
http://focusfirst.blogspot.com/
I can appreciate music, especially when considering that the existence of tones and scales tells something about our God who designed the universe, our ears, and the appreciation for melodies inherent to the race of man. If I think this is good, what is to come?!
I decided to take the bus down to La Jolla on my day off, to visit the Birch Aquarium. What wonderful things God has made, like visiting a living art gallery. The dark halls gave me a chance to learn the limits of using cheapo ISO 200 film with a fixed 50mm lens, hand-held, but I had a great time just shooting.
The older I am, the more I enjoy time alone. While walking the beach I finished Arturo G. Azurdia III's series on the Doctrines of Grace. The weather was great until rain began. I wound up hiding under a tree for a while and then ran to catch the bus back to Oceanside.
Fifteen decent shots out of 24. Pretty good. I burned a few on unpredictable sea gulls, and several while making sure the fish were still enough to not be blurred. I'm liking the skill involved with film, but my DSLRs produced much better files.
To view the gallery, click here.
To view it as a slide show, click here instead.
Your thoughts are welcome.
The older I am, the more I enjoy time alone. While walking the beach I finished Arturo G. Azurdia III's series on the Doctrines of Grace. The weather was great until rain began. I wound up hiding under a tree for a while and then ran to catch the bus back to Oceanside.
Fifteen decent shots out of 24. Pretty good. I burned a few on unpredictable sea gulls, and several while making sure the fish were still enough to not be blurred. I'm liking the skill involved with film, but my DSLRs produced much better files.
To view the gallery, click here.
To view it as a slide show, click here instead.
Your thoughts are welcome.
The following is a continuation of the thoughts expressed in the earlier post, "Giving all is taking everything out of me." I wrote both posts within a day of each other, but held off from posting this second portion. I cannot expect my readers to gobble down everything if I pile up their plates too quickly. Beware, there are some very incomplete thoughts contained in here.
* * *
An acquaintance of mine who had read about my recent consternations regarding ownership and stewardship, responded with this verse from Acts 5:4,
knowingly uses it for selfish purposes - when more good could obviously come from other uses - is that acceptable?"
After some thought, I concluded that one can rarely be certain which of two ways way will do more good in the end. Whether it would be better to give $10 to an orphanage or take off work an hour early to read the bible to a blind person, thereby losing $10 in wages, who can say? What we can understand is our motive for withholding something.
Ananias was free to keep his home and, as others did, make use of it as a place for hospitality and fellowship. However, if I may twist the old proverb, he wanted to "have his praise and keep it, too."
A coat is a necessary item, useful to the life which it preserves, and useful for godliness, so much as it keeps health for the expression of it. The coat is therefore any needful or beneficial item which one is justified in having for the sake of one's service to the Lord. Paul asked for his friends to bring his cloak and the scrolls, and especially the parchments. These items were useful to him. Had Paul two cloaks or identical sets of study materials, I'm fairly certain he would have distributed as the Lord showed need.
When the day is done it is both difficult and damaging to spend time determining what others ought to have or sell. I am no man's accountant. I am responsible to inventory my own things, to ask myself what may be put to better use or kept for my own service. Paul had his tent-making tools for times of work. He taught others to be hospitable, which requires a home and means of making guests at least reasonably comfortable. A guest means blankets and food. Food means dishes and pots... means dish soap... means towels... means clothes-lines...
In the end, I see that we are to be practical, finding contentment in the substance of Christ. "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." [Luke 12:15] I will do best to have either cheap hobbies, or lucrative ones, and in both cases, to let entertainment be edifying or evangelical.
I have heard of men who go fishing and listen to sermons on mp3 players, or pray while walking about with a camera. If we'd spread our catch for the needy, we'd have treasure in heaven. A photo could be framed and set with a verse, to glorify God for a co-worker.
The Christian life seems to be that of a multi-tasking, sometimes enterprising, frugal sort.
God help me to be willing.
"While it remained, was it not your own? and after it was sold, was it not in your own power?"I read that passage and thought, "Peter said that the property belonged to Ananias. In what way was it his own? Won't he have to give an account of how he uses it? And if he
knowingly uses it for selfish purposes - when more good could obviously come from other uses - is that acceptable?"After some thought, I concluded that one can rarely be certain which of two ways way will do more good in the end. Whether it would be better to give $10 to an orphanage or take off work an hour early to read the bible to a blind person, thereby losing $10 in wages, who can say? What we can understand is our motive for withholding something.
Ananias was free to keep his home and, as others did, make use of it as a place for hospitality and fellowship. However, if I may twist the old proverb, he wanted to "have his praise and keep it, too."
"He that has two coats, let him give to him that has none." [Luke 3:11]I considered the issue more today, asking, "what is a coat?"
A coat is a necessary item, useful to the life which it preserves, and useful for godliness, so much as it keeps health for the expression of it. The coat is therefore any needful or beneficial item which one is justified in having for the sake of one's service to the Lord. Paul asked for his friends to bring his cloak and the scrolls, and especially the parchments. These items were useful to him. Had Paul two cloaks or identical sets of study materials, I'm fairly certain he would have distributed as the Lord showed need.
When the day is done it is both difficult and damaging to spend time determining what others ought to have or sell. I am no man's accountant. I am responsible to inventory my own things, to ask myself what may be put to better use or kept for my own service. Paul had his tent-making tools for times of work. He taught others to be hospitable, which requires a home and means of making guests at least reasonably comfortable. A guest means blankets and food. Food means dishes and pots... means dish soap... means towels... means clothes-lines...
In the end, I see that we are to be practical, finding contentment in the substance of Christ. "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." [Luke 12:15] I will do best to have either cheap hobbies, or lucrative ones, and in both cases, to let entertainment be edifying or evangelical.
I have heard of men who go fishing and listen to sermons on mp3 players, or pray while walking about with a camera. If we'd spread our catch for the needy, we'd have treasure in heaven. A photo could be framed and set with a verse, to glorify God for a co-worker.
The Christian life seems to be that of a multi-tasking, sometimes enterprising, frugal sort.
God help me to be willing.
I've added *yet another* side-bar item, but this should be useful. The new Reader Quick Notes section, beneath the LDT logo, will be a handy way for me to respond to comments that are posted in older blog entries. So, if you leave a comment and want to see if I replied, look there. My responses will appear for about two weeks, or until I remember to erase them.
2007
Hey there, friends. Hopefully you've been around theopenlife just long enough know that I'm not being facetious. I have a question that has been irking me for weeks, to the point of robbing me of peace. How can I have peace while in willful sin?
The trouble comes from not knowing if it is sin!
Despite all of culture teaching otherwise, how do I reconcile Christ's command, "If you have two coats, give to him who has none" with my owning anything unnecessary to daily life?
A coat preserves one's life when it doubles for a blanket, and protects against sickness that comes from exposure. But some of my clothes are merely for variation's sake. I had a brown sweater and a black one, but lost the brown one. Yesterday I went to the store to buy a brown one to match thinks the black one doesn't go with. I felt vain, and like I was wasting money, just because I don't want to wear the same sweater every day.
It's not even for man's opinion, I just like two different sweaters. I like clothes that match. I also have six pairs of pants, in variations of blue, brown, or black. At the time when I bought them, I could have used the money for something directly beneficial to God's kingdom. The next time I buy pants, this will again haunt me.
I don't think it is inherently wrong to own or enjoy things, just as Paul wrote that God has given us all (lawful) things for our enjoyment. And Paul also wrote that he didn't desire one group to make themselves poor so another could be rich, but that he desired and equality.
But with all of the poor Christians around the world who lack Christian literature, medicine, food, and clothing, how can I justify anything at all which is not necessary to life and godliness? My computer is useful for godliness if used for godly purposes, but the $7 burrito I ate last week could have been spent on a $3 burger, with $4 going to something useful for another person.
In first John, it says, "If you, having this world's goods, see a brother in need and then shut up the bowels of compassion towards him, how dwells in you the love of God?"
I feel this affecting everything I do, every minute I spend. I feel powerless to really enjoy giving every minute and cent to service of some sort, and I feel terrible for not having boundless affection for all people.
Everyone tells me, "don't sweat it, don't be legalistic", but since when was it legalism to obey the most clear commands of Christ? I need to see it in scripture.
So, yeah, pray for me.
Encouragement to self: Charles Spurgeon looked back upon dark hours in his own life and said: "I bear willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord's workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most.”
The trouble comes from not knowing if it is sin!
Despite all of culture teaching otherwise, how do I reconcile Christ's command, "If you have two coats, give to him who has none" with my owning anything unnecessary to daily life?
A coat preserves one's life when it doubles for a blanket, and protects against sickness that comes from exposure. But some of my clothes are merely for variation's sake. I had a brown sweater and a black one, but lost the brown one. Yesterday I went to the store to buy a brown one to match thinks the black one doesn't go with. I felt vain, and like I was wasting money, just because I don't want to wear the same sweater every day.
It's not even for man's opinion, I just like two different sweaters. I like clothes that match. I also have six pairs of pants, in variations of blue, brown, or black. At the time when I bought them, I could have used the money for something directly beneficial to God's kingdom. The next time I buy pants, this will again haunt me.
I don't think it is inherently wrong to own or enjoy things, just as Paul wrote that God has given us all (lawful) things for our enjoyment. And Paul also wrote that he didn't desire one group to make themselves poor so another could be rich, but that he desired and equality.
But with all of the poor Christians around the world who lack Christian literature, medicine, food, and clothing, how can I justify anything at all which is not necessary to life and godliness? My computer is useful for godliness if used for godly purposes, but the $7 burrito I ate last week could have been spent on a $3 burger, with $4 going to something useful for another person.
In first John, it says, "If you, having this world's goods, see a brother in need and then shut up the bowels of compassion towards him, how dwells in you the love of God?"
I feel this affecting everything I do, every minute I spend. I feel powerless to really enjoy giving every minute and cent to service of some sort, and I feel terrible for not having boundless affection for all people.
Everyone tells me, "don't sweat it, don't be legalistic", but since when was it legalism to obey the most clear commands of Christ? I need to see it in scripture.
So, yeah, pray for me.
Yesterday I picked up my prints and now I've posted them to flickr. 20 of the 24 frames were at least interesting - I'd like to say that all of my practice with a digital paid off, because I can at least expose properly on a manual camera.
No, the photos are not all of me in uniform.
To view the gallery, click here.
To view it as a slide show, click here instead.
Your thoughts are welcome.
No, the photos are not all of me in uniform.
To view the gallery, click here.
To view it as a slide show, click here instead.
Your thoughts are welcome.
This is a follow-up to the previous post, "Sanctification and Christian Perfection".
I do not believe that any Christian has ever sustained perfect sinlessness of character for any reasonable amount of time. Even in the best actions are many subtle corruptions, and the scriptures lead me to believe that this will remain until our "bodies of death" are transformed.
For this reason even our best endeavors can only be offered to God on the basis of grace. Our good deeds, which flow from and are soiled by these naturally filthy vessels, are sanctified by faith in the atonement of Christ. It is as Paul wrote, "offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto the Lord"; the living having been made holy and acceptable by that which has died, Jesus Christ, our Lamb.
From this you may gather that I do not believe that perfect character is a necessary attribute of truly saved individuals.
However, I do consent that Christians sometimes experience periods of "no known sin." This seems to be more common amongst new believers who simply regard fewer things as sin. Some sensitive disciples accept Paul's words, "pray without ceasing," as a command and necessary means of fulfilling the law of loving one's neighbor as himself. For this reason they may never experience the feeling of "sinless perfection," while perhaps, in the sight of God, they are regarded as outstanding and upright, as Job was.
After great battles of mortification our enemies sometimes retreat. During these seasons of apparent victory and smooth sailing, we must remember that our sinfulness lies hidden as icebergs beneath an ocean of unforeseen situations. Thinking we have risen above temptation, we may collide with failure. We cannot be certain of our integrity until it has been tried in a thousand furnaces, and even then we must "consider ourselves lest we fall likewise."
I do not believe that any Christian has ever sustained perfect sinlessness of character for any reasonable amount of time. Even in the best actions are many subtle corruptions, and the scriptures lead me to believe that this will remain until our "bodies of death" are transformed.
For this reason even our best endeavors can only be offered to God on the basis of grace. Our good deeds, which flow from and are soiled by these naturally filthy vessels, are sanctified by faith in the atonement of Christ. It is as Paul wrote, "offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto the Lord"; the living having been made holy and acceptable by that which has died, Jesus Christ, our Lamb.
From this you may gather that I do not believe that perfect character is a necessary attribute of truly saved individuals.
However, I do consent that Christians sometimes experience periods of "no known sin." This seems to be more common amongst new believers who simply regard fewer things as sin. Some sensitive disciples accept Paul's words, "pray without ceasing," as a command and necessary means of fulfilling the law of loving one's neighbor as himself. For this reason they may never experience the feeling of "sinless perfection," while perhaps, in the sight of God, they are regarded as outstanding and upright, as Job was.
After great battles of mortification our enemies sometimes retreat. During these seasons of apparent victory and smooth sailing, we must remember that our sinfulness lies hidden as icebergs beneath an ocean of unforeseen situations. Thinking we have risen above temptation, we may collide with failure. We cannot be certain of our integrity until it has been tried in a thousand furnaces, and even then we must "consider ourselves lest we fall likewise."
The following is a response that I wrote to a fellow who seemed under the impression that one cannot be admitted to heaven unless he has both trusted in Christ and demonstrated actual perfection of character in this life.
Hi, [Name omitted]. I appreciate your zeal for having holiness of character. Without a doubt, Christ has called us to pattern ourselves after His image.
I do sincerely hope that you will read over the passages I have collected here for your edification and improvement. I was blessed greatly in arranging this for you.
Concerning Hebrews 10:14, which says, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified", you wrote, "Sanctified is the key here."
I agree, the meaning of that word "sanctified" is of great importance. The original term is the Greek hagiazo, which appears 29 times in the New Testament. Interestingly, as I looked at every one of its occurrences, I found more than 21 of them are used in a particular way, with the other instances not so directly pertaining to the discussion.
Come with me, and let's see how the term is used...
John 10:36, "Do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?"
The sanctification which Christ here refers to is not moral sanctification, but is the choosing of the Father, who chose Him to be Christ. The next verse also describes this "sanctification" of Christ.
John 17:19, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."
Again, Christ could not be improved morally, thus this "sanctification" refers not to any cleansing from past moral failures, but to his consecration unto a specific purpose, namely, the cross. Somehow, our Lord expected that His work on the cross, and more specifically the truth related to it, would "sanctify" a specific group of people referred to here as "they."
Compare this to verse 24 of the same chapter, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me." Because this is a prayer of Christ, bear in mind the His earlier words, "All that I ask for, the Father gives to me." Whatever Christ prays, He receives, because He prays with perfect faith according to the will of God. Let's look at the next instance.
Acts 20:32, "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
Whether or not "sanctified" here refers to their being "chosen" or being "morally improved", we see very clearly that it is God and the word of His grace which is able to build up and prepare a greater inheritance. Inheritance is reserved for the children, and not for the strangers. How does one become a child of God?
Ephesians 1:3-6, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
It is here very apparent that this son-ship was ordained by the Father, and made a reality in Jesus Christ, and that it was ordained with certainty from before the foundation of the earth for all to whom it would come. Grace!
In Acts 26:17-18, Christ says to Paul, "I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."
Here our Lord says exactly how believers receive forgiveness of sins and separation from the kingdom of darkness and Satan, namely by faith in Christ. He does not tell them to separate and then receive forgiveness, but rather explains that the word itself will open the eyes of God's elect, who are then fully forgiven according to their faith in the sacrifice and imputed righteousness of Christ.
Paul describes his fulfilling of this ministry in Romans 15:15-16.
"I have written more boldly... that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
We are relieved to discover that this sanctification comes by the Holy Spirit. Compare Peter's words in the opening to his first epistle, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."
Because God had fore-loved them in grace, above their inevitable sinfulness which would come through Adam (Romans 5) God elected these people to salvation. In order to be saved, one must obey the command to repent from dead works and believe on Christ's mercy. Therefore, by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, God brings them to obey the gospel call, whereby they instantly receive the sprinkling of Christ's atoning blood. This is why Peter says in the next sentence, "According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
Hallelujahs, anyone?
The term appears again in 1 Cor 1:2, where Paul writes, "To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours."
Remember now that Christ sanctified Himself unto the cross so that His people, given to Him by the Father, could be sanctified by the truth of the gospel. This truth, in a word, is that all who sincerely call upon Christ to be saved shall be saved, and were elect from before the foundation of the world. Recall Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." And verse 13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. "
Paul continues to remind the Corinthians of this "sanctifying" work in chapter 6, verse 11. Note the tense of the terms:
"But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
This washing, sanctifying, and justifying has already been accomplished in these people to whom Paul writes. And yet what is Paul writing them about? Sin! Paul is writing to Christians and assuring them that, so many as have truly believed on Christ, have been sanctified unto salvation by the merit of Christ's blood, and that they must continue on in loving and reverent obedience. Their obedience is not improve the death of Christ, but to acknowledge it and to comfort their own consciences, while demonstrating godliness to others.
And now we come to Hebrews 2:10-11.
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren."
From other scriptures we have already visited, and many others, we know that in a certain sure sense Christ has already succeeded at the cross in saving all of His people for whose sins His blood made propitiation. Therefore, referring to the sacrifice of Christ, the author affirms that the Captain of our salvation has "brought many sons to glory."
Yet, in another sense, every individual saint must at some point in life come to personal faith in Christ in order to receive the application of Christ's atonement. Some translations render the latter instance of hagiazo as "being sanctified"; I respond that insomuch as not all of the saints placed their faith in Christ at once, let alone those not yet born, such as ourselves, I believe the author describes the whole church, present and future, as "those who are being sanctified". Paul was sanctified to salvation in the first century. Others were sanctified to salvation throughout the years up to now. We, as a church body not yet fully gathered, are "being sanctified".
Another case is Hebrews 9:13-15, which also uses the term hagiazo.
"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh , 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."
If there is one thing certain about the sanctifying which came by the blood of bulls and goats, it is that the offering itself did not guarantee an immediate perfection of actual character in the life of the one for whom it was made. What it did perform was a transfer of imputed ceremonial righteousness, based on the covenant God made with Moses and Israel. Now the author tells us that under the new and better covenant, made by the offering of Christ Himself, we are perfectly sanctified from all sins and our flesh is purified in the sight of God. This ought to - and does, with time - cleanse our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God with grace and gratitude.
At last, the verse which we first discussed, Hebrews 10:14. Perhaps we should take it with some context, going from verse 10 to 14.
"By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
Again it is apparent that this sanctification refers to something accomplished by Christ. It is a change of legal standing which has already taken place for every believer, hence the passage says, "we have been", and not, "we shall be sanctified." How was it that these saints were "perfected forever"? The writer tells us "through one sacrifice."
There are several more instances, such as Hebrews 13:12, and Jude 1:1, and Ephesians 5:26, but I see no need to say again what is written above.
As for the conclusion, I recommend looking at the events in Acts 10, 11, and 13.
God bless you!
Acts 10:43-45
43"To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 11:14-18
14[Peter] shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
15And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
16Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
17Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Acts 13:38-39
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
* * *
Hi, [Name omitted]. I appreciate your zeal for having holiness of character. Without a doubt, Christ has called us to pattern ourselves after His image.
I do sincerely hope that you will read over the passages I have collected here for your edification and improvement. I was blessed greatly in arranging this for you.
Concerning Hebrews 10:14, which says, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified", you wrote, "Sanctified is the key here."
I agree, the meaning of that word "sanctified" is of great importance. The original term is the Greek hagiazo, which appears 29 times in the New Testament. Interestingly, as I looked at every one of its occurrences, I found more than 21 of them are used in a particular way, with the other instances not so directly pertaining to the discussion.
Come with me, and let's see how the term is used...
John 10:36, "Do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?"
The sanctification which Christ here refers to is not moral sanctification, but is the choosing of the Father, who chose Him to be Christ. The next verse also describes this "sanctification" of Christ.
John 17:19, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."
Again, Christ could not be improved morally, thus this "sanctification" refers not to any cleansing from past moral failures, but to his consecration unto a specific purpose, namely, the cross. Somehow, our Lord expected that His work on the cross, and more specifically the truth related to it, would "sanctify" a specific group of people referred to here as "they."
Compare this to verse 24 of the same chapter, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me." Because this is a prayer of Christ, bear in mind the His earlier words, "All that I ask for, the Father gives to me." Whatever Christ prays, He receives, because He prays with perfect faith according to the will of God. Let's look at the next instance.
Acts 20:32, "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
Whether or not "sanctified" here refers to their being "chosen" or being "morally improved", we see very clearly that it is God and the word of His grace which is able to build up and prepare a greater inheritance. Inheritance is reserved for the children, and not for the strangers. How does one become a child of God?
Ephesians 1:3-6, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
It is here very apparent that this son-ship was ordained by the Father, and made a reality in Jesus Christ, and that it was ordained with certainty from before the foundation of the earth for all to whom it would come. Grace!
In Acts 26:17-18, Christ says to Paul, "I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."
Here our Lord says exactly how believers receive forgiveness of sins and separation from the kingdom of darkness and Satan, namely by faith in Christ. He does not tell them to separate and then receive forgiveness, but rather explains that the word itself will open the eyes of God's elect, who are then fully forgiven according to their faith in the sacrifice and imputed righteousness of Christ.
Paul describes his fulfilling of this ministry in Romans 15:15-16.
"I have written more boldly... that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
We are relieved to discover that this sanctification comes by the Holy Spirit. Compare Peter's words in the opening to his first epistle, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."
Because God had fore-loved them in grace, above their inevitable sinfulness which would come through Adam (Romans 5) God elected these people to salvation. In order to be saved, one must obey the command to repent from dead works and believe on Christ's mercy. Therefore, by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, God brings them to obey the gospel call, whereby they instantly receive the sprinkling of Christ's atoning blood. This is why Peter says in the next sentence, "According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
Hallelujahs, anyone?
The term appears again in 1 Cor 1:2, where Paul writes, "To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours."
Remember now that Christ sanctified Himself unto the cross so that His people, given to Him by the Father, could be sanctified by the truth of the gospel. This truth, in a word, is that all who sincerely call upon Christ to be saved shall be saved, and were elect from before the foundation of the world. Recall Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." And verse 13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. "
Paul continues to remind the Corinthians of this "sanctifying" work in chapter 6, verse 11. Note the tense of the terms:
"But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
This washing, sanctifying, and justifying has already been accomplished in these people to whom Paul writes. And yet what is Paul writing them about? Sin! Paul is writing to Christians and assuring them that, so many as have truly believed on Christ, have been sanctified unto salvation by the merit of Christ's blood, and that they must continue on in loving and reverent obedience. Their obedience is not improve the death of Christ, but to acknowledge it and to comfort their own consciences, while demonstrating godliness to others.
And now we come to Hebrews 2:10-11.
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren."
From other scriptures we have already visited, and many others, we know that in a certain sure sense Christ has already succeeded at the cross in saving all of His people for whose sins His blood made propitiation. Therefore, referring to the sacrifice of Christ, the author affirms that the Captain of our salvation has "brought many sons to glory."
Yet, in another sense, every individual saint must at some point in life come to personal faith in Christ in order to receive the application of Christ's atonement. Some translations render the latter instance of hagiazo as "being sanctified"; I respond that insomuch as not all of the saints placed their faith in Christ at once, let alone those not yet born, such as ourselves, I believe the author describes the whole church, present and future, as "those who are being sanctified". Paul was sanctified to salvation in the first century. Others were sanctified to salvation throughout the years up to now. We, as a church body not yet fully gathered, are "being sanctified".
Another case is Hebrews 9:13-15, which also uses the term hagiazo.
"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh , 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."
If there is one thing certain about the sanctifying which came by the blood of bulls and goats, it is that the offering itself did not guarantee an immediate perfection of actual character in the life of the one for whom it was made. What it did perform was a transfer of imputed ceremonial righteousness, based on the covenant God made with Moses and Israel. Now the author tells us that under the new and better covenant, made by the offering of Christ Himself, we are perfectly sanctified from all sins and our flesh is purified in the sight of God. This ought to - and does, with time - cleanse our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God with grace and gratitude.
At last, the verse which we first discussed, Hebrews 10:14. Perhaps we should take it with some context, going from verse 10 to 14.
"By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
Again it is apparent that this sanctification refers to something accomplished by Christ. It is a change of legal standing which has already taken place for every believer, hence the passage says, "we have been", and not, "we shall be sanctified." How was it that these saints were "perfected forever"? The writer tells us "through one sacrifice."
There are several more instances, such as Hebrews 13:12, and Jude 1:1, and Ephesians 5:26, but I see no need to say again what is written above.
As for the conclusion, I recommend looking at the events in Acts 10, 11, and 13.
God bless you!
Acts 10:43-45
43"To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 11:14-18
14[Peter] shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
15And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
16Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
17Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Acts 13:38-39
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
