sanctification

Saturday, March 21, 2009

[If I haven't heard from you that you read this blog, or visit it, I'd like to hear from you. It's meaningful to me, and helpful, but I'm evaluating whether I'll keep doing it after Lent. I'd especially like to hear from Church of the Apostles people. Thanks. markjdicristina@yahoo.com]

Jer. 13:1-11 Rom. 6:12-23 John 8:47-59

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 8:13)

My birthday is always in Lent (52 today), and always feels a little weird "breaking" whatever Lenten disciplines I've been following. But this is part of living under grace, and not under the power of sin; of yielding my members to righteousness (to covenant relationship with God) and not to "sin," which is anything not done in faith.

This passage is absolutely huge. It is the main Scriptural support for Dallas Willard's excellent book The Spirit of the Disciplines, and is included in a book I've had for a long time but have only read portions of until now, Addiction and Grace, by Gerald May.

"For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification." (v. 19) This speaks of the pattern of addiction and compulsions, which need more and more to satisfy; and also of how sanctification works in our lives.

In a nutshell, once again, we're called to be who are are; to live out of our new status as free people and no longer slaves (John 8); out of grace; as "slaves" to this gracious, generous, hope-filled, steadfast love relationship with our Father, and not as slaves to anything else. May God give us more grace to see and to desire him.

Grace and peace.