SANCTIFICATION

Oswald Chambers

"Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us . . . sanctification." 1 Corinthians 1:30

The Life Side. The mystery of sanctification is that the perfections of Jesus Christ are imparted to me, not gradually, but instantly when by faith I enter into the realization that Jesus Christ is made unto me sanctification. Sanctification does not mean anything less than the holiness of Jesus being made mine manifestly.
The one marvellous secret of a holy life lies not in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh. Sanctification is "Christ in you." It is His wonderful life that is imparted to me in sanctification, and imparted by faith as a sovereign gift of God's grace. Am I willing for God to make sanctification as real in me as it is in His word?
Sanctification means the impartation of the Holy qualities of Jesus Christ. It is His patience, His love, His holiness, His faith, His purity, His godliness, that is manifested in and through every sanctified soul. Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy; it is drawing from Jesus the holiness that was manifested in Him, and He manifests it in me. Sanctification is an impartation, not an imitation. Imitation is on a different line. In Jesus Christ is the perfection of everything, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfections of Jesus are at my disposal, and slowly and surely I begin to live a life of ineffable order and sanity and holiness: "Kept by the power of God."

I am currently on a journey of discovering who I really am in Christ. Not who my neighbor thinks I should be, or my best friend, or the church, or anyone else. It is very difficult to let go of what others think this looks like. I have let others influence my journey with Jesus in too many ways, and the real tragedy in that, is that it is very difficult to hear HIS voice through all of the clamor. Don't get me wrong, it is clamor that I have allowed. It has not been forced upon me, because I have a choice in whether I will be forced. The fallout of listening to so many human voices, is that now I have trouble discerning God from all the others. I WANT to trust what He is saying to me, but it is clouded by the other influences.

But I will tell you, when I do trust, and I let myself hear Him, it is quite wonderful!