The words you utter can defile you (i.e., keep you out of the presence of God). People who take holiness seriously must take sin seriously. This means that we must have clear definitions of what sin is and what sin isn’t. If sin keeps us from the redeeming presence of Read more…
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized Read more…
Jesus went through hell for you to be free. Accept the gift this lenten season. During the season of lent we reflect on the suffering of Christ that led to his death, burial, and ultimately his resurrection and ascension. Christians traditionally deprive themselves through fasting during this season so as Read more…
Isaiah 43:18 says, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” In a similar vein, Paul says, “Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; Read more…
Often times when we think of sanctification we think in terms of a condition or status. As the Holy Spirit progressively sanctifies our hearts, we become more and more clean, or Christ-like. This is certainly true. At the heart of sanctification, however, is not only a condition or status, but personal relationship. Yes, through the Read more…
Sanctification (i.e., the process of being conformed to the character of Christ) is a paradox. It is a paradox in two ways. First, in the process of becoming more and more like Jesus, by some mystery the believer simultaneously becomes more fully him or herself. In other words, we find Read more…
“Sanctification” is a big, and sometimes scary word. Among some Christians the word is entirely foreign. This is strange to me. It’s strange to me because the Bible has a whole lot to say about sanctification. In fact, one could argue that sanctification is, in a word, what the gospel Read more…