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The Daily Word of Righteousness
One in Christ in God, #13
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)
Justification leads to sanctification, and sanctification leads to glorification. Glorification begins with the developing of the character of Christ in us.
The maturing of the character of Christ in us leads to our being filled with all the fullness of God. Our being filled with all the fullness of God leads to our being clothed with a body of eternal life.
The grace of God justifies us and leads us into sanctification. The grace of God consists of three elements:
The Word of God in general and specific application.
The body and blood of Christ.
The Holy Spirit as the Enabler.
These three portions of Divinity constitute the grace of God toward us.
The Word of God applied to us generally in the Scriptures and specifically through personal revelation, the body and blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit as our wisdom and strength—each has a part to play in the resurrecting of the disciple, in the building of Christ in the disciple, and in the cleansing of the disciple. It can be seen that each of the three factors of justification creates each of the three factors of sanctification.
The grace of God in justification brings us to sanctification. Being sanctified means we have been resurrected spiritually, that Christ has been formed in us, and that we have been cleansed from the guilt and power of sin.
By the expression "have been resurrected" we are not referring to the making alive of the mortal body at the coming of Christ. Rather, we are speaking of the resurrection life being developed in us at this time, as we give ourselves over to His death, as the Holy Spirit leads us, and as we experience the power of His resurrection (II Corinthians 4:11; Philippians 3:10).
The three aspects of sanctification—resurrection life, Christ formed in us, and moral cleanliness (Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, and the Ten Commandments inside the Ark of the Covenant, to speak figuratively)—create the character of Christ in us. The character of Christ consists of His Divine Substance, His disposition, and His moral conduct.
The Divine Substance of Christ Himself is created in us, and our natural, soulish life is changed into Divine Life, as the Word of God grows in us; as we partake of the body and blood of Christ; as we behold His Glory in the ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit; and as our natural man is brought down to the death of the cross by the many experiences that the Holy Spirit brings our way.
The disposition of Christ, the love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control that characterize our Lord Jesus Christ, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. A disposition such as this can be found in us only as we abide in the Life of the Holy Spirit of God; as the Divine Substance of Christ Himself is created in us; and as we are cleansed from our sin.
To be continued.