Last week, we explored how to become a Christian. The truth is becoming a Christian is both an act and a process.
The act of becoming a Christian is called justification. Think of justification like getting your driver’s license—now you’re legal. It happens at a moment in time when you act upon the gospel message. Christianity teaches that once you have truly been justified—declared righteous before God—you will be a Christian always and forever. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28, NIV).
But having your license doesn’t mean you know how to drive well! In the same way, once we know Jesus, we need to learn how to walk with Him. This process of becoming a Christian is called sanctification. “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a, NIV).
Justification puts you behind the wheel. Sanctification teaches you how to keep it on the road.
Abiding and Overflow
The goal of sanctification isn’t perfection; it’s abiding—to remain or dwell in a deep, trusting relationship. The Father is teaching us to loosen our grip and abide in Jesus as Jesus abides in the Father. When we abide, His life flows through ours like fuel through an engine, or sap through a vine, and what results is power, peace, and perseverance.
The hope and promise of the Christian life is that, by abiding in Jesus, we can live out of the overflow of our relationship with Him when times are good. And when times are tough, we will have enough stored up that we won’t grow so weary that we give up.
God’s Method Is Heart Transformation, Not Behavior Modification
For fourteen years after I became a Christian, I thought the goal was to act “Christianly”—to perform well enough to prove God hadn’t made a mistake in saving me. But that’s not Christianity; it’s moralism dressed up for Sunday.
Christianity is not behavior modification (a thing I do) at all but rather heart transformation (a thing grace does). Romans 12:2a teaches: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (NLT). We do make an effort, but the power to truly change comes from God’s Spirit working within us.
I love the story about an elementary school class that toured a famous sculptor’s studio. When the children saw a magnificent lion carved from marble, one asked, “How did you make it look so real?” The sculptor replied, “It was easy. I took a big block of stone and chipped away everything that didn’t look like a lion.”
That’s a near perfect description of what sanctification looks like. We present ourselves to God and invite the Holy Spirit to chip away everything that doesn’t look like Jesus.
Practical Ways to Abide
Here are a few ways we can cooperate with God’s process of sanctification:
- Make Jesus the Lord of your life. Let His Word, not your own wisdom, guide your steps. Obedience is not drudgery; it’s alignment. And vertical alignment counters horizontal distractions.
- Spend time with God. Even a few minutes a day in Scripture and prayer begins to refill the tank. Over time, this one habit can be the difference between living out of the overflow or running on empty.
- Expect spiritual warfare. Abiding keeps us alert and equipped for battle, dressed in the full armor of God.
- Live in community. You’re not meant to drive solo. Bible studies, small groups, and godly friendships keep us on course.
- Walk in the Spirit. When you stumble, confess, receive forgiveness, and let the Spirit put you back in gear.
So how do we experience a deepening relationship with God? We loosen our grip. We abide. We let Him drive. And as we do, our hearts are filled to overflowing—enough to share with others when life is good, and enough in reserve so we don’t despair when life is hard.
Much love,
Pat
Weekly Wisdom: For Reflection and Discussion
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- What does abiding in Jesus look like for you right now—in both your schedule and heart?
- How have you seen God “chip away” something from your life that didn’t look like Jesus?
- When times are tough, do you normally have enough spiritual reserves to keep from giving up? What helps?
In 1986, Patrick Morley launched a small Bible study in a bar that grew into Man in the Mirror, a global ministry reaching millions Iof men and thousands of churches. His book The Man in the Mirror became one of the 20th century’s most influential. A leading voice on men’s discipleship, he’s authored 22 books and 750+ articles, with global translations. Patrick holds degrees from UCF, Harvard, Oxford, and Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife live in Winter Park, Florida. Learn more at the Patrick Morley website.
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Books by Patrick Morley:
Insightful.
Your friend- His servant,
Isaac Otieno