The Spirit as Sanctifier
2 Thess 2:13 "because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." The Holy Spirit is charged with giving us a makeover in the image of the Father. While He is the one that does the work, we have to be willing participants in the process.
When we come to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior it is the Spirit that brings about the new birth taking us from death unto life. However, while our spirit is reborn, the process of sanctification is just beginning. Sanctification is to be made holy. To put it more clearly it is to be set apart for a higher purpose.
Let me put it another way. Many of us have everyday silverware that ends up getting used in a multitude of ways. You know, am I the only one who has used a knife as a screwdriver? On the other hand some of us have a special Sterling Silver set that was passed down from a previous generation that only gets pulled out for special occasions. Someone pretty important has to be coming for us to pull it out and sit there and polish it. That is what the Spirit's job is to do. He is polishing us to the point of a mirror finish to where if anyone looks at it you can see the reflection of the Father in us. There is a lot rubbing that takes place to get that shine and even before that, before the Silver was molded into spoons and forks there was a process through which the metal was put to the fire in order to remove the impurities.
Not always a pleasant process but one that not only purifies the Silver but it also makes it moldable so that it can be given a specific shape for a specific task. Even beyond that it is given a special look that makes it fit to take its' place at the banquet table. Not to put too fine a point on the illustration but there will come a time when only those that have been polished by the Spirit will be invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
Rev 19:9
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb !'"
NIV
When we come to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior it is the Spirit that brings about the new birth taking us from death unto life. However, while our spirit is reborn, the process of sanctification is just beginning. Sanctification is to be made holy. To put it more clearly it is to be set apart for a higher purpose.
Let me put it another way. Many of us have everyday silverware that ends up getting used in a multitude of ways. You know, am I the only one who has used a knife as a screwdriver? On the other hand some of us have a special Sterling Silver set that was passed down from a previous generation that only gets pulled out for special occasions. Someone pretty important has to be coming for us to pull it out and sit there and polish it. That is what the Spirit's job is to do. He is polishing us to the point of a mirror finish to where if anyone looks at it you can see the reflection of the Father in us. There is a lot rubbing that takes place to get that shine and even before that, before the Silver was molded into spoons and forks there was a process through which the metal was put to the fire in order to remove the impurities.
Not always a pleasant process but one that not only purifies the Silver but it also makes it moldable so that it can be given a specific shape for a specific task. Even beyond that it is given a special look that makes it fit to take its' place at the banquet table. Not to put too fine a point on the illustration but there will come a time when only those that have been polished by the Spirit will be invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
Rev 19:9
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb !'"
NIV
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