Transaction

 

10/20/2020

1 Thessalonians 4:3 “This is the will of God, even your sanctification.”

Today Chambers poses the question, “Am I willing to be sanctified?” What does that truly mean in my life, and what would it affect? God is always willing to meet me there, so am I holding back? What does being made holy really mean? What does it look like? How does such a metaphysical thing, something so deeply related to God, actually happen?  Is this truly the desire of my heart, or am I too connected to the world to seek sanctification? It seems to me that having allegiance to one negates the other. I have to be in the world, but I do not have to be of the world.

Chambers says that sanctification is a transaction. It is not an equal transaction because I have nothing to offer. I must come to Jesus as a sinful pauper prepared to accept an undeserving gift by surrendering my will to Him. Chambers writes, “Receive Jesus Christ to be made sanctification to you in implicit faith, and the great marvel of the Atonement of Jesus will be made real in you. All that Jesus made possible is made mine by the free loving gift of God on the ground of what He performed, my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness), a holiness based on agonizing repentance and a sense of unspeakable shame and degradation; and also on the amazing realization that the love of God commended itself to me while I care nothing about Him, He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification.”

I have done nothing to deserve this amazing grace and boundless love. Yet nothing is expected of me but to come to Jesus in submission, repentance, and faith. This transaction is transformative and everlasting. Am I willing to leave my old self behind to become truly sanctified?