Acts 26:12-18 - Faith and Sanctification

 Acts 26:12-18

12 “While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Message: Faith and Sanctification

Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.

What the Lord is Saying: 

The thing that has already amazed me about this teaching and truth about the fact that good works are separate from saving faith, though clearly testifying to others of the faith we have, is the notion that those good works are being done without an expectation of receiving something. Thus, they are truly good. They are a response of our commitment not in order to earn favor with God. And therefore the motive or reason we do them is pure. It is untainted. 

I am not sure there is really much in my life that is done where I am not hoping to get something in return for it. I work hard but a paycheck is always at the end of two weeks. Granted, I often work beyond my 40 hours and so maybe this shows my commitment to the work, but still I am getting paid. Volunteer work I think shows our true desire to serve and give of ourselves. 

Sanctification is the inward transformation we experience from the point of our conversion. It is the state or process of being set apart as holy. At the point of conversion, God accepts us not on the basis of who we are and what we have done, but on the basis of Jesus Christ and who He is and what He has done.  And this is by faith. Yet, after conversion is the process of sanctification or being made holy in the life of the believer. It is the process whereby we move the needle to actually look like Jesus. This is also by faith.  

According to Tabletalk, there are 2 ways scripture speaks of sanctification: 

1. Positional or Declarative Sanctification -- At the moment of trusting in Christ alone for salvation I am set apart as God's holy person. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - I Peter 2:9-10 Thus, in God's sight I am holy. I am a "new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

2. Progressive Sanctification - Until I am glorified, I am unholy in practice. Thus, I engage with the Lord in the process of sanctification. Daily I die to self and live unto Christ, seeking to obey Him in all things. Here I am becoming in my experience what I am already in God's sight. "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." - I Peter 2:11-12. And this process is work. It is faith in God to work this out in me, but it is also work by me choosing behavior that will glorify God. Romans 8:13 - "for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." As Paul records so clearly in Philippians 2:12-13 -- "work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

Wow, this is an amazing truth. I am declared holy by faith, but daily I choose holiness. Acts 26:18 - "receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." Thus, I am living my entire life by faith. Faith that God has declared me accepted and faith that He continues in me to be holy. 

Promise: As Tabletalk records --- we are justified by faith, but even the sanctification and good works that follow our justification are based on faith. 

Prayer: O God, you are glorious and it is a wonder to understand You and Your words of truth. Thank you for this message that I needed to hear this day. That I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy person, possessed by You. You have declared me accepted and in Christ. I am a new creation. And yet each day I live, I make choices to be united with You or not united with You. I pray that daily I would dies to self and live unto Christ. I want to be united with your Spirit and live in a manner that is glorifying to You. Thank you for giving me this strength each day and working in me, giving me the will and the work so that I will glorify You. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of June is about justification; May was about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

Mankind's Condition - The Sins of the Gentiles - Though born with God being evident, Gentiles do not honor God or give thanks, look to their selves for truth, and God gives them over to their sin, and in the process God's wrath is sin which will culminate on the Day of the Lord. The Sins of the Jews - Jews thought their status meant only Gentiles were true sinners. Romans 2 and 3 explains that Jews are just as guilty before God. 

The Law Speaks - The Law and Accountability - the Law reminds us we are sinners and doing good will not outweigh this bad; I am condemned. Righteousness According to the Law - The Law can make one righteous if obedient to all, but we are sinners. Human Inability - man cannot make himself righteous because he is a sinner. 

Only Justified through Christ (God) - The Obedience of One - with Jesus all obedience was completed in Him which resulted in Him taking on all sin; we trust only in His words, not ours. God's Initiative In Justification - God initiates the act of justification through the work of Christ alone; he saves us out of His kindness. Faith and Justification - no one is continually righteous; only through Jesus one will be made righteous; to be made righteous one must believe in God, ask for His mercy. 

Saved by Faith - Faith and Righteousness - Faith is what God uses in us to build the bridge to being accepted by God and restored to a right relationship with Him. Justification and Sin - Nothing changes the fact that we are sinners, but our status before God changes by Christ's obedience as this declares us to be righteous. Not by any of our works - Justification is by faith alone. By adding any work, we must add all works. Why Faith - Faith is the instrument [or what we do] to usher in to our life the finished act of righteousness. 

Faith Works - What is Saving Faith - Saving faith is not simply understanding truth, it is believing the truth is true and then living by that truth. Justification and Our Good Works - Once God declares us righteous by the righteousness of Christ, we cannot help but do what is right. Keeping Grace Gracious - if being restored to God's plan is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works. Don't mix the two. Keep them separate. But keep them both extremely valuable.