1st.Thessalonians 4:1-7 "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the LORD JESUS, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please GOD, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the LORD JESUS. For this is the will of GOD, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel (body) in sanctification and honor; not in the lust of concupiscence (strong sexual desire), even as the Gentiles which know not GOD: that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the LORD is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For GOD hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."
Like salvation, sanctification is an important doctrine to understand and believe; it is another subject that men have corrupted from its biblical simplicity, resulting in much confusion and frustration. The believer's positional sanctification (his eternal salvation) is assured, not by means of his own works but by "the offering of the body of JESUS CHRIST" on the cross "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). While "positional sanctification" refers to one's permanent standing in CHRIST, "practical sanctification" conveys the important truth of being set apart unto holiness through the work of the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT -- a work that the Bible promises will continue "until the day of JESUS CHRIST" (Philippians 1:6) when we are finally glorified. The LORD desires for HIS children to be holy just as HE is holy (1st.Peter 1:13-16 pictured above). Put simply, daily sanctification entails choosing to obey GOD rather than the world or the flesh every time the decision arises (James 4:4), and this is only possible when we "walk in the SPIRIT" (Galatians 5:16-25) in continual, unbroken fellowship with our LORD (John 15:4-5).
Failing to compare Scripture with Scripture, some erroneously teach that once saved, the believer must work to keep that salvation, expecting "sinless perfection" as a result of those efforts. Galatians 3:3, pictured above, refutes such erroneous thinking: " Are ye so foolish ? having begun in the SPIRIT, are ye now made perfect by the flesh ?" This truth, however, does not give license for believers to live carelessly and walk disobediently. Our text makes this abundantly clear (vv.3-4). Denying the world and the flesh is not legalism, as some falsely claim; rather; this is the will of GOD for every believer. MHR
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
https://fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation
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