Lara d’Entremont
Pen and journal in hand, I was ready to crush this sin once and for all. I had laid out a step-by-step plan detailing how I would smother my depravity and finally deal it a death blow.
I was serious now, and I had decided I would have victory over this sin this week. Eventually, I reasoned, I would never struggle with it again. I was resolved. I was passionate.
Many of us know this empowered feeling. Many of us also know the crushing defeat when the same sin continues to tempt and sway us. I am well acquainted with the doubt that follows when a sin persists. “Maybe I’m not truly saved. Maybe I’m not seeing victory over this sin because I’m still a nonbeliever. Maybe God isn’t with me. Maybe he’s disappointed that I have yet to get myself together in this area. Maybe he’s turned his face away from me once and for all.”
Burdened brothers and sisters, we can’t sanctify ourselves. Along with the apostle Paul, I gently ask you (and myself): Having begun by the Spirit, do we believe we’re now being perfected by our own strength (Gal. 3:3)?
While it is good to pursue holiness, at the end of the day, we must know that it is the Spirit—not our plans, works, obedience, or Bible memorization—who sanctifies us.
UNDERSTANDING SANCTIFICATION
Sanctification is how we grow in Christlikeness. When we are justified (forgiven of our sins by grace through faith in Christ and given the righteousness of Christ) we begin our lifelong journey of sanctification. Sanctification isn’t immediate, and we will never reach a point on earth when we can say we are finished with sanctification. We don’t arrive at our destination until we embrace Christ in heaven.
What makes the process of killing sin so frustrating is that we want to be finished with sin once and for all. We consider success to be when sin and temptation are no longer present. But as long as we abide on earth, we will face temptation, probably on a daily basis. The apostle Paul felt this same struggle with sin:
“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Rom. 7:15-18).
In some cases, victory over sin will mean never falling prey to it again, but the temptation may continue to remain. Other sins may take longer, and we may find ourselves having to repent over and over again.
Consider forgiveness. Though we have forgiven a person, we may need to forgive them repeatedly as bitterness grapples for our attention. But repentance, hatred of our sins, and desires for righteousness are actually victories, not failures. As John wrote,
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
As much as we hate sin, it would be deceitful to say it is absent from us. But as we repent, we can trust that God is faithful to forgive us every time. He will not give up his efforts to make us holy.
ENTRUSTING OUR SANCTIFICATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
who does John say is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness? God. Paul says this even more clearly in his letter to the Philippians: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13, emphasis mine).
We can’t will ourselves to be holy. We can’t force sanctification. Rather, our repentance and obedience are the fruit of the Spirit’s work in us.
“We need the Spirit every moment of the day to be at work in our hearts to make us more like Christ.
In salvation, we couldn’t make ourselves good enough before God. We couldn’t open our eyes to behold and believe the gospel. We needed the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and produce saving faith. In the same way, we need the Spirit every moment of the day to be at work in our hearts to make us more like Christ.
As John Fonville said, “Do you know how many people believe that sanctification is their work? ‘God gets you in by grace, but you keep and complete yourself by your work or your cooperation with grace.’ That’s not the gospel, and that’s not how it works. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace.”[i]
OUR ROLE IN SANCTIFICATION
The Holy Spirit is the one who sanctifies us, but this doesn’t mean we do nothing. The Holy Spirit works through means of grace such as baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and hearing the Word of God preached. He applies Scripture to our hearts as we read and meditate on it. God provides fellow believers to encourage and correct us as we fellowship with them. God works in our hearts as we pray to align our will with his.
“We don’t need to toss out our plans for defeating sin, but we shouldn’t expect them to produce holiness in us, either.
Michael Horton has said that it’s good to protect our hearts from temptation. Setting up safeguards is not a lack of trust in God’s work, but an act of wisdom! If we’re fighting the temptation to watch pornography, we can set up computer programs to kill our access. If we struggle with anger, we can step away from a frustrating situation to calm down. If we are addicted to social media, we can delete the apps.
Though these steps in and of themselves don’t sanctify us, they are helpful. As Solomon wrote, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life,” (Prov. 4:23).
We don’t need to toss out our plans for defeating sin, but we shouldn’t expect them to produce holiness in us, either. So, if you can’t produce sanctification in yourself, what can you do?
BELIEVE HIS PROMISES
Trust God. Look to him in your battles. Rely wholly on his strength. Don’t be discouraged if it’s a slow process. Your Father knows your frame, that you are only dust (Ps. 103:14). He knows your weaknesses, and he is not disappointed in you. He loves you, and he promises to carry your sanctification through to completion (Phil. 1:6).
[i] Fonville, John. “The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, Part 2.” Paramount Church (sermon), September 8, 2019. https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/sermon/2019-09-08/the-gospel-mystery-of-sanctification-part-2.
Lara d’Entremont is a wife, mother, and writer. She seeks to stir women to love God with their minds and hearts by equipping them with practical theology for their day-to-day lives. You can find more of her writing at laradentremont.com.
Posted at: https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/2019/10/26/when-your-plan-for-killing-sin-isnt-working