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The Finish Line
Once you know you are saved, you can focus on the finish line. What’s the finish line? Christ-likeness.
Sounds impossible, right? Oh, it is a process, one that will take a lifetime, but the good news is it is not all up to you. God does the work. All you have to do is cooperate.
Start by setting yourself squarely on God’s worktable with every intention of letting Him work on you, shape you, change you—break you, if necessary—to achieve the perfection that is your destiny as a child of God. This setting apart is called sanctification.
Positional sanctification is what happens when you put your faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection for salvation from the consequences of sin. God sets you apart for Himself once and for all by adopting you into His family. Your positional sanctification is proven and guaranteed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life (2 Corinthians 1:22).
Experiential sanctification is what happens when you decide to please God only and your obedience causes you to look and act different from those around you, proving the Gospel true. The more intentional your efforts to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, the more complete your experiential sanctification will be.
Future sanctification is what will happen when you get to Heaven. It is the realization, or enjoyment, of your positional sanctification and the culmination, or end result, of your experiential sanctification. It is the big payoff, and it will happen!
In the meantime, your job is to work on experiential sanctification. Difficult as it may be, you must walk away from who you were before you were saved and act like someone who has been set free from sin. As you do, the Holy Spirit will give you the strength to continue, carrying you along as you learn what it means to be set apart for God’s glory.
How about you? Are you making a conscious effort to set yourself aside for God to use as He wants? Explain.
Do you cooperate with the Holy Spirit, or do you ignore Him? What is the result?
Are you teaching and encouraging your brothers and sisters in Christ to listen to the Holy Spirit? If so, how? Are they getting it? How do you know?
What, if anything, needs to change? What would that look like?
About this Plan
Although simpler and, in some parts of the world, less dangerous, living the life God calls us to isn’t any easier today than it was for early Christians. Thankfully, in the apostle Paul we have a skilled teacher who is able to explain how the whole process works. Ultimately, the decision is yours alone to make. Will you live the truth?
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