Dear Friends,
Sanctification is HARD! That is the lesson that we are learning in our study of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. As I read this letter and prepare weekly to preach from the truths found there, I'm continually faced with the reality that "putting off the old self" and "putting on the new self" is one of the more difficult things to do in the Christian life.Let me remind you what sanctification is - it is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness (WSC #35). Thank God we are enabled by His grace to leave sin behind and pursue righteousness but the key word from the Westminster Shorter Catechism is enabled. By God's grace we are enabled. To enable means to give someone or something the authority or means to do something. So we are enabled to do something. What are we to do? We are to put off and put on according to Paul in Ephesians 4:20-24. This doing requires action; it requires effort. Therefore, I say again, sanctification is hard! It requires effort. There is something we must do, we must work at in the Christian life.The reason that Paul often describes the Christian life in athletic, agricultural and even military terms is to emphasize this point - the Christian life requires work and effort. There is something we must do to live holy and pleasing lives for God (Romans 12:1-2). There is effort that is required to put off sin and to put on righteousness and holiness.And so I'm praying for you. I'm praying for myself. I'm praying that God will enable us to do the work of sanctification - to daily put away the sin that so easily entangles and to run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1-2).In the coming Sundays, we are going to see more and more just how hard this work of sanctification is because we are going to see that this affects every area of our lives: our friendships, our careers, our parenting and our marriages. Please be in prayer as we discover God's will for our lives in these important areas.See you Sunday! Enjoy the holiday weekend.Your friend in Christ,Wilson
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