Sanctified Heart

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The doctrine of sanctification was flush out in its current teaching by John Wesley and other circuit rider preachers in the 17th century. The teaching to live holy and blameless in Christ is a Pauline Epistle teaching given to us by the Apostle Paul in the first century, and in this scripture, Peter instructs us to be sanctified.  The idea that Christian should have a sanctified heart is not something that the earlier founders of Wesleyan conjectured from some new revelation given to them. It was a revival of God’s word, revealing to us the life that God desires all His children to live. The word sanctify shows up in scripture in many different contexts, but the root of the word is to make holy or to set apart. God desires that our heart be made holy and used for His glory. A sanctified heart does not mean that a person is perfect in their humanity, but their heart’s can be perfect before God in motives and intentions. The world will do everything to discount the life of a Christian who stands for truth and righteousness. As Christian we are to be ready to give an answer to the unbeliever, the hope of Christ that lives within us. Our witness for Christ should reflect the life of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer to live a life blameless before the world. A heart that is sanctified is not infallible to failure, but it will empower a Christian to overcome temptation and live right before God and those who are watching our walk with Christ.

All Scripture

 2 Tim 3:16
 All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness.

Many people have a horse to ride when it comes to preaching the Bible. There are some preachers that you know will be preaching on praising God, another preacher will preach on hellfire and brimstone as their preaching legacy. As a person who believes that Christian should live with a perfect heart toward God and live holy and blameless, I like to focus on those parts of the scripture that emphasizes behaviors that are unspotted from the world.  Preaching Jesus, the good news of salvation is also at the top of my list, and to me should be the center focus of all scripture. What good is it to live a sinless life (avoid sinful acts) if you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior. You can praise God morning, noon, and night, but if Christ does not abide in the heart, our praises are clanging cymbals. Yes, we must never get away from being part of the Vine, a part of Christ. For those who abide in Him, all scripture is given to us for instruction to live pleasing to God. We find answers to life problems, we are comforted by His promises, and stand corrected when we mess up. His word is full of grace and mercy, it will lead the sinner to repentance, and provide the believer with instructions to walk according to His precepts. ALL SCRIPTURE, the whole counsel of God is provided for us to make it into the Kingdom of God.

Being a Saint

Ephesians 4:11, 12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers…For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

The calling of God to ministry has more than one purpose. All are called to be a witness to a lost world without Christ, to let our light shine in a world that is full of darkness. But there is more to ministry than reaching the lost for Jesus. The ministry of edifying the body of Christ for the purpose of establish believers in the faith and sound doctrine. All that follow Christ are made saints of God. The ministry of perfecting the saints is to draw followers of Christ closer to God, to put their faith in Christ to practice, to live a life of holiness and godliness. Achieving the title of “Sainthood” in our day is reserved for those who have demonstrated a life set apart from the world and have manifested the love Christ in every aspect of their lives. In this sense, we all that are sanctified strive to be saints. Obtaining “Sainthood” is a life long process, but living a life of a saint is a daily choice to live a holy life.

Whatsoever You Do

Colossians 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

The standard of conduct for a Christian can be measured by the words given to us here. The words we speak and the things we do matter. The book, “In His Steps-What Would Jesus Do?” written by Charles Sheldon, paints a vivid picture of the actions of Christians to follow the example of the life of Jesus. The hymn, “O To Be Like Thee” written by Thomas Chisholm, describes to us what it means to do all in the name of Jesus. The prayer of all who call themselves Christians is be like Jesus. For Christ, who died for our sins and deliver us from the bondage of our sin, has forgiven us from the wages of sin. We who are undeserving, have received grace and mercy from God. In turn, we are to show the same grace and mercy to all that cross our path. This is the standard by which we are judged. By the help of the Holy Spirit it is possible to live a holy life in this vessel of clay. Some scoff at the idea that any can live such a life, the scripture is clear that we are to do ALL things as if Jesus was doing them. 

Abide in Love

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Love flows from the Father through the Son and to them that follow in His footsteps. Love continues to flow one to another as we allow the love of Christ to work in our lives. One of the commandments of Jesus is to abide in His love. As the vine abides in the branch, so are we to abide in Christ. A sign of His love abiding in us is that we keep and walk in His truth. Failure to abide in His truth is evidence of our lack of abiding in His love. For a person who is in love, will do all they can to bring pleasure to the one they adore. This is the foundation of holy living, or living a sinless life. Is it possible to live a life without sinning? It is possible to always decide that love will win over what is wrong? Can we who are earthen vessels, made from the clay of the earth choose to love Him in every decision we make? Such is possible if we are filled with the  Holy Spirit, who will guide and lead us into truth. The promise of the Father given to us, the Comforter will come and He will abide with those who surrender all to follow Christ. 

Being Perfect

Leviticus 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

God’s standard of living is to live holy lives. In the OT this meant that the people of God were to be separate from the nations around them, they were not to worship the gods that other nations worshipped. They had special laws that they needed to follow to maintain a life that was holy unto the Lord. The laws of holy living had more to do with keeping the statues given in the ten commandments and ceremonial rituals given to them for worship and sacrifices for sin. Since the death of Jesus, the ceremonial law of sacrifices is no longer required. Jesus made the supreme sacrifice for sin, paid the ultimate price by shedding His blood on the cross. The command to be holy after the death of Christ, goes beyond the keeping the commandments. The love of God in Christ now written on the tables of our heart. Jesus tells us to; “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” mat.5:48. This perfection supersede the written law and is only made possible by the indwelling presence of Jesus in our lives. With man, living and being holy is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

The Word of God

Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”-

The secret to living a holy life, one that keeps the smile of God on us is to live in His word. To hide the Word of God deep in our hearts. It is good to read and to memorize His word, but we must simulate His word in our lives and let the Word of God live in us and through us. His Word is more that just a receipt for good living, it is the essence of our life. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life”- John 1:1 . He is the Word that lives within us. It is Jesus that we hide in our hearts that we might live a life holy and righteous before God. The written page, electronically or on paper is still holy and sacred, but they are only words if they don’t change our lives.