Sanctification

Character Development

1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Peter 3:18, Change, Character, Development, Ephesians 4:22-24, Galatians 2:20, Growth, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:13, Salvation, Sanctification, Transformation

The best stories have character development. This is where a character changes throughout the events of the story. For example, the 2008 blockbuster movie Iron…

Get Out of Jail Free

1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Change, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:16, Heaven, Hell, Life, New Life, Philippians 1:6, Relationship with God, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 6:1-23, Romans 6:6, Salvation, Sanctification, The Gospel, Transformation

One of the best cards you can draw in the game Monopoly is the “get out of jail free” card. It completely lets you…

Grace For The Process

1 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Change, Colossians 3:10, Grace, Hebrews 2:11, Journey, Marriage, Now And Not Yet, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:13, Process, Romans 12:2, Salvation, Sanctification, Transformation

When a bride and groom get married, the bride’s name (usually) changes immediately. One or both of their addresses change and often so do…

God’s Masterpiece

2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:24, God's Masterpiece, New Creation, New Life, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:13, Restoration, Salvation, Sanctification

There was a sad but true incident that took place in an old Spanish church not too long ago. A parishioner took it upon…

Battles We Continue To Fight

1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Battle, Galatians 2:20, Identity, New Life, Now And Not Yet, Philippians 2:13, Romans 7, Romans 8:1, Salvation, Sanctification, Sinful Nature, Struggles With Sin

Romans 6:8-14 captures the central tension of the Christian life on earth: we have died to sin, but we still sin. Why do we…

Spiritual Cultivation

1 Corinthians 3:7, Effort, Ephesians 3:17, Faith, Farming, Fruit, Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, Galatians 6:9, Gardening, God's Work, Grace, John 15:5, Philippians 2:12, Philippians 2:13, Psalm 1:1-3, Reaping, Sanctification, Sowing, Spiritual Growth

There’s one type of image that pops up in Scripture repeatedly when describing the growth of Christians—farming or gardening. Perhaps we should think of…

God Restores

God's Work, Hope, New Life, Restoration, Salvation, Sanctification, Transformation

In Ephesians 1, Paul emphasizes God’s sovereignty and his work as a master planner who can restore a lost world back to right relationship (vv….

Anxious Faith

Anxiety, Assurance, Belief, Certainty, Doubt, Faith, John 20:27, John 5:44, Journey, Jude 1:22, Mark 9:24, Matthew 14:31, Sanctification, Trusting God, Word of God

“Surely, while we teach that faith ought to be certain and assured, we cannot imagine any certainty that is not tinged with doubt, or…

New Beginnings

Confession, Conviction, Faith, Growth, Holy Spirit, Hosea 6:1, Luke 18:13, Matthew 19:25-26, Ownership, Psalm 38:18, Psalm 38:4, Redemption, Salvation, Sanctification, Sin

“The recognition of sin is the beginning of salvation.”- Martin Luther We remember that without the Holy Spirit first convicting us of our sin…

The Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:17, 2 Corinthians 5:5, Anxiety, Empowerment, Guidance, Holiness, John 14:26, Life, Luke 4:1, Power, Relationship, Romans 15:13, Sanctification, The Holy Spirit, Trust

Last year, Christianity Today interviewed J.D. Greear about the Holy Spirit. When asked, “How would you characterize your relationship with the Holy Spirit?,” he…

The Sanctification Spiral

2 Peter 1:5-8, Change, Circular, Future Glory, Galatians 5:22-23, Good Works, Hebrews 5:12-14, Humility, Matthew 6:33, Process, Sanctification, Spiritual Growth, Titus 2:11-14, Transformation, Trusting God

In an article about sanctification for The Gospel Coalition, Wendy Alsup writes, “When you feel ‘stuck,’ when you feel like you are continually rehearsing…