Are you trying to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, as illustrated above?

I recently read the following quotation in some Bible Study Notes put out by a reputable good evangelical source:

“Therefore unlike justification, sanctification is both God’s work and the believer’s work”.

This is a very serious error! We cannot improve ourselves in any way by pulling ourselves up by our own boot straps!

Becoming a Christian (Salvation) is by faith ALONE, but growing and maturing as a Christian to be more like Christ (sanctification) is ALSO by Faith Alone.

The only human responsibility both in salvation and sanctification is faith ALONE. Sometimes other words are used to describe faith. In John 1:12 we read “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” ESV.  Here the word “receive” means “receive by faith”. The passage defines “receive” as believing. This is the only human responsibility in salvation – we have to receive the FREE gift of salvation. We receive Jesus Christ as BOTH our Savior and our Lord.

Similarly, sanctification (growing as a Christian and becoming more like Christ) is by faith ALONE!

1. The verse that God used in the life of Martin Luther to spark the Protestant Reformation is Romans 1:17. What EXACTLY does this verse say?

Romans 1:17 (ESV)

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,[a] as it is written, ‘The righteous shall LIVE by faith.’”[b]

Footnotes: [a] Or beginning and ending in faith
[b] Or The one who by faith is righteous shall live [by faith]

The verse does NOT say (what I recently read in the above referenced Bible Study notes on Romans 8) that “unlike justification, sanctification is both God’s work and the believer’s work” This is the same as saying that sanctification is by faith PLUS human effort.

It is also a mistake to say that justification is by faith PLUS the “means of grace” such as reading the Bible, prayer, the sacraments, etc. The Pharisees practiced the means of grace but Jesus specifically confronted them and told them that they were vipers, hypocrites, white-washed tombs, etc. who were neither justified or sanctified!

Hebrews 11 makes it clear that faith alone is recognized by God.  NOTICE THAT NONE OF THE SINS (INCLUDING GOOD THINGS NOT DONE IN FAITH) IS MENTIONED IN HEBREWS 11. ONLY THSE THINGS DONE BY FAITH ALONE

“…whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23)

To add anything to faith is a blatant contradiction of Scripture and a contradiction of the very heart of Paul’s teaching on sanctification. This is the very same false teaching that is taught by Roman Catholicism! When it was taught to me as a young Christian, in an evangelical church, it halted my sanctification and almost derailed my Christian faith altogether!  This false teaching simply is not taught ANYWHERE in Scripture.

In God’s providence I finally read John Stott’s Book on sanctification “Men Made New” and was finally set right on this very important issue. Stott rightly points out that this entire false teaching is based on a wrong translation of Romans 6:7 which occurs in every Bible except the ASV. The ASV translates this verse literally from the Greek as follows:

“for he that hath died is JUSTIFIED from sin.” (ASV)  Compare the following translations:

“for anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (NIV)

“for one who has died has been set free from sin” (ESV)

BOTH THE NIV AND THE ESV ARE WRONG!  NOWHERE ELSE IN SCRIPTURE IS THE WORD IN GREEK FOR JUSTIFIED (dikaioo) TRANSLATED AS “SET FREE”. In every other case in Scripture the word is translated “justified” as it is in the ASV. Justification does not set us free from sin it merely declares us righteous and sets us free from the PENALTY of sin. It has nothing to do with the POWER OR THE ALLURE of sin,

Without a correct view of justification, the Christian will also have an incorrect view of sanctification and live a joyless, defeated life of guilt, and with a profound sense of failure and defeat! Indeed this was the very struggle of Martin Luther, himself.

2. Romans 12:1-2 is a summary passage of how sanctification takes place:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by [because of] the mercies of God, to present [surrender] your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (ESV)

The phrase “present your bodies” means totally surrender yourself (body and soul) up to God. God asks for total, not partial, devotion. Surrendering yourself to God is exactly what you did when you “RECEIVED” Christ as Savior and Lord. Therefore the word “present” “offer” or “surrender” (depending on your English translation) are words describing an act of exercising your FAITH not an act of HUMAN PERFORMANCE, not a human work or effort.

EXERCISING FAITH IS A HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY BUT NOT A HUMAN PERFORMANCE OR ACT OF HUMAN STRENGTH  ON THE CONTRARY IT IS SIMPLY RECEIVING AND SURRENDERING TO WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE IN REDEEMING, REGENERATING AND JUSTIFYING US, AND WHAT HE CONTINUES TO DO IN SANCTIFYING US

You are not doing anything for God you are simply exercising your FAITH by believing, accepting and receiving, who Christ is and what He has done for you. Exercising your faith is your responsibility, but is the faith alone which is efficacious   in bringing God’s graceious work of justification and sanctification to us! This is why we can never boast about our faith, but we can boast about what God has done.

Look at the verbs in the Romans 12 passage. The only imperative is the “present” “offer” or the “surrender”. You are commanded to surrender yourself to God as a living sacrifice (on a continual moment by moment basis). These words describe exercising faith! You are not commanded to improve yourself or your behavior, or to “obey”. This may seem to be a subtle distinction but it is not. It is the difference between a Christian life of love, joy, peace, fulfillment, and fruitfulness, or one of defeat, discouragement, and in some cases even depression and despair!

All the other verbs in the passage are in the passive voice. They are not things that you do or should try to do, they are things which God does to or for you. It is God who “transforms” or changes you by renewing your mind. This is a change from the inside-out – the “renewing of your mind” results in a change of heart and identity, not simply a change of your behavior, your emotions, or your will. God gives you a heart of love and forgiveness, of patience, of self-control, and the heart of a cheerful giver of your time, talent, and treasure to others! God even changes you to become a servant-leader of your wife and family!

In addition to “Men Made New” by Stott, please also read the invaluable book “Inside Out” by Larry Crabb.

Stop trying to become a better person. You cannot change yourself. To try to do better or to obey is doomed to failure! But if you totally surrender yourself, and your time, talent, and treasure to God, He will transform and renew your mind and change you to be more like Jesus! This is the essence of sanctification!

Self-Improvement is the hallmark of false-religion and secularism.

Here is an interesting quote from Tim Keller:

“But the biblical gospel–Paul’s gospel–is clear that Salvation, from first to last, is God’s doing. It is His calling; His plan; His action; His work. And so it is He who deserves all the glory, for all time. This is the humbling truth that lies at the heart of Christianity. We love to be our own saviors. Our hearts love to manufacture glory for themselves. So we find messages of self-salvation extremely attractive, whether they are religious (Keep these rules and you earn eternal blessing) or secular (Grab hold of these things and you’ll experience blessing now). The gospel comes and turns them all upside down. It says you are in such a hopeless position that you need a rescue that has nothing to do with you at all. And then it says: God in Jesus provides a rescue which gives you far more than any false salvation your heart may love to chase.”

The great British preacher Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that faith is a gift, but it is a gift which like a muscle must be exercised! Here is an interesting short article on this concept: Faith is Like a Muscle

What did Our Lord Jesus Christ do during his intense struggle at Gethsemane? As he faced the daunting prospect of of the cross where he would not only take on the punishment and wrath of God for our sins but also face for the first time separation from his beloved Father. He put into practice exactly what is written in Romans 12. When he said “Not my will but thy will be done” this was an exercise of faith. He literally surrendered his body as a living sacrifice to God (the ultimate exercise of faith) and through his faith, God enabled him to do the will of his Father and go to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.

It is very important to note that at the Judgment Seat of Christ ( 2 Col 5:10) which is a judgment of REWARDS for the believer, that we will only be rewarded for the things which we do:

1. In Faith – (Romans 14:23)
2. In dependence on the Holy Spirit – (Romans 8:7-8), and
3. For the Glory of God – (1 Corinthians 10:31)

TO SUMMARIZE: Grace through FAITH is the “ROOT” of Sanctification (the process of being conformed to the image of Christ) and our obedience to God is the “FRUIT” of our sanctification. We must never confuse cause and effect! We should not put the cart before the horse!

In other words, the only human action/choice in the matter is whether or not to exercise our faith in surrendering to God or to receive what Christ has done. Our justification and our sanctification are all His work not ours. So we cannot boast about it. We cannot add anything to what HE has done. WE are mere beneficiaries of His Work, it is not OUR work.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS BOOK: 

Bryan Chapell (born 18 November 1954) is an American pastor and theologian. He is the Senior Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Prior to that he was President of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missourifor eighteen years.^[1] Chapell is also an author, lecturer, and conference speaker specializing in homiletics. He served as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America in 2014.^[2]

DAVE SEIVRIGHT is a former lawyer from Jamaica. He is a graduate of the University of Liverpool, UK, and Westminster Theological Seminary, USA. He also did graduate studies at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, and Trinity College in England.  He has been married to PAULINE for 58 years. They have 4 children and 11 grandchildren.

Dave had the privilege of being personally mentored by the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer, and also by Dr. J. I. Packer. Dave was also mentored by the teachings and writings, and by personal interaction with the late Dr. John Stott.  Dave attempts to pass on to others the things he learned from these great men of God. Combining his studies of interpretation and evidence as a lawyer with his studies of philosophy, apologetics, and theology, Dave has taken a special interest in the subject of “Worldviews” and the influence of Christianity on the culture of Western civilization. Dave has devoted his time to teaching the Christian worldview worldwide, and mentoring and discipling intelligent young professionals, particularly in Miami, and in Germany.

The post Sanctification is by Faith ALONE — by Dave Seivright appeared first on Dave and Pauline - Worldviews International.

In March 2002, I was asked to be the speaker at the MICC men’s retreat at Schloss Wort des Lebens on Starnberg Lake, near Munich. The theme was: “Living in a Postmodern Culture”. God led me, with the help of other ministry leaders from Miami, to share the truths which God had led us to emphasize in our ministry. One could call this “the theological distinctives of our ministry”. There is nothing really new here, these are simply the same Biblical truths which all orthodox Christians believe, but perhaps understood, packaged, and applied in a distinctive way. It is hard to reduce this to the “bare bones” but here is a slightly expanded version of what we tried to share:

  1. A correct understanding of God’s character; in Particular that He is infinite, personal and holy. (Isaiah 6) This is the “presupposition” of the entire Christian Worldview. God is ultimate reality. Everything must start here. Otherwise creation, particularly the nature of man, the fall, redemption, and the consummation of all things on His return, makes no sense. Every subject, whether it is a Biblical view of relationships, the sanctity of life, ethics and morality, metaphysics and epistemology, marriage, conversion, sex, work, leisure, politics or economics, all must begin at this point. (See “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer and also the Holiness of God by R.C.Sproul). I have used Genesis 1-3 and Isaiah 6 in almost all my counseling. We must bow to God both metaphysically and morally not only for salvation but on an ongoing basis (Schaeffer)

2. A correct understanding of the fall. When Adam sinned, this resulted in our “total depravity”, our truly wicked minds and hearts. The fall did not make us as bad as we could possibly be, that is reserved for hell, but it was total in its scope, it affected our minds, our emotions, our will, our reason, our creativity, or relationships, our rationality, our love, out sexuality, our arrogance, our self-centered and self-righteous worldview, our universe including all of nature, and so on. (See Romans 1: 18-32; 8: 19-23) Only the fall can explain the awful phenomenon of human suffering, the cruelty and the nobility that were exhibited on September 11, 2001. If this world is an accurate reflection of God, then God is the devil. We live in an unnatural and an abnormal universe. No other worldview has a proper equivalent to the fall.

  3. A correct understanding of Justification. I cannot think of a book other than the Bible itself, which deals with this properly, except perhaps Luther’s introductions to his commentaries on Romans and Galatians. Most people got the fact that Christ died for our sins right, but they omit the profound significance of the equally important fact that he “lived” to achieve our “righteousness”. As a lawyer, justification, for me, is at the very heart of the Gospel. It is the only answer for our guilt and our condemnation before a holy and mighty judge. God has used the device which we have named “the Courtroom of Eternity” in almost every true conversion which has taken place through our ministry. We use this crystal clear illustration of justification in addition to and in conjunction with The Four Spiritual Laws.

 4. A correct understanding of Sanctification. John Stott’s book “Men Made New” is the classic on this to be read along with Haldane’s commentary on Romans. Books on “definitive sanctification” are to be avoided like the plague (Such as Murray’s commentary on Romans). Sanctification is a long and painful process. We do not become “super saints” overnight. What is God’s will for your life? See Romans 8:29 and Romans 12:1-3, for the answer. We know that God created us primarily to have a relationship with Him, but he also created us for something else. See Ephesians 2:10 for the answer. Of particular importance is the understanding that the Christian life cannot be lived by “obedience”. “The just shall live by faith” Whatever is not by faith is sin (Romans 14;23). Obedience is the “result” or the “end” of sanctification, it is not the “means”. Only “faith” and faith alone will suffice. This common misunderstanding leads to guilt and defeat in the Christian life. This proper view of sanctification has been crucial to the success of our ministry.

5. A proper understanding of the doctrine of Christian Liberty. A very important element of our ministry which sets it apart from most of the rest of evangelicalism is a proper understanding of the doctrine of Christian Liberty (see the WCF on Christian Liberty). It is as sinful to add to the Bible as to subtract from it. Legalism is a great hindrance to the advancement of the gospel especially to intelligent postmodern people. With this goes a correct understanding of the Biblical teaching on the “weaker brother”. God does not want the weaker brother to remain weak. We are not only not to be a stumbling block to him (everybody teaches that) but what I have only heard taught by this ministry and by John Stott is that we have a duty and indeed an obligation to love him enough to liberate him from his weakness. God wants the “weaker brother” to become the “stronger brother”. Even if he must avoid places of temptation, which are germane to his weakness, he should not impose his weakness on others. If we are to be effective “we must be all things to all men in order to win some”. How far does our Christian liberty extend? I am free to do whatever it takes to win a person to Christ, except for sin itself. This is a radical but correct view of what the Bible teaches and has been used by God in every aspect of our evangelism and discipleship. 

6. A correct understanding of Evangelism and of Apologetics. Making disciples as set out in “The Great Commission” is the primary purpose of our ministry.  Yet how we do this is a unique feature of our ministry. We present the gospel, not in the common truncated form, but as a comprehensive worldview. We can use the Four Spiritual Laws, but we cannot start with them. We must first find “common ground” with the unbeliever, and then discover what is his/her worldview and whether it supports his/her beliefs. Does it pass the tests of truth? (For these tests – non-contradiction, correspondence, and practice – See Nash “Worldviews in Conflict”) Then when they realize that their worldview is hopelessly inadequate or inconsistent, only when they reach “the point of despair”, do we present them with the Christian worldview. We must present a comprehensive Gospel taking account all the aspects of God’s Character, he is holy, infinite and personal, and the entire history of redemption – Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation. (Edith Schaeffer’s book “Christianity is Jewish” is probably the best example of this!) This may take a few hours, or many months or many years. That is why the next points, (7 & 8) below, are so important. 

7. A correct understanding of “Worldviews” or “Presuppositional” apologetics as well as “Evidential apologetics. A quite unique thing about Dr Francis Schaeffer was that he was willing to use either evidential or presuppositional apologetics depending on the person he was talking to. It all depends on whether or not the person believes that truth is objective or not. In many cases when I am talking to an American or even some British people, especially if they are lawyers, the evidential approach is sufficient because they still believe in objective truth. However in Continental Europe, and more and more in the UK and the USA, particularly among younger College educated people, belief in objective truth has been abandoned. In these cases I have to use “Worldview” or “Presuppositional” apologetics BEFORE I can use an evidential approach such as presented by Lee Strobel or Josh McDowell. Understanding this is the “key” to reaching the post-modern man. The strength of “worldview evangelism” is that we have to take the time to understand the worldview of the person whom we are befriending; we need to show respect for his/her point of view even if we disagree with it. Only then, should we be willing to share ours. Only after I have spent time talking to a person about the concept of truth and the tests of truth and assuming that they are receptive to the concept of objective reality, do I give them books. At this point the Strobel books and Mere Christianity are of great value, as well as “the Question of God” by Armaand Nicholi (comparing the worldviews of Freud and C.S. Lewis).   For Europeans, “Mere Christianity” is more effective than Strobel, but I give them all four or five books at the same time: Case for Christ, Case for Faith, Case for Creator, Mere Christianity, and the Question of God.  Of course once the person is a believer, Bill Bright’s “The Uniqueness of Jesus” will always be a classic little Bible Study for new believers.

NOTE: There is no one book which one can give anyone on “worldview apologetics” which says it the way it needs to be said. There is no one book that says it all, but the British edition of “Christianity on Trial” by Colin Chapman, published by Lion Publishing, is still the best thing I have ever seen, and this book incorporates just about all of Schaeffer’s teaching in a much more understandable way. Unfortunately this book is out of print and can only be obtained 2nd hand. However before you can properly present an argument for truth you also need to read “Worldviews in Conflict” by Nash.

 8. Loving One Another. This is what “Discipleship” is all about. Loving God and Loving One Another is actually the essential foundation of everything that I have said above. All the attempts to present truth to people will fall flat and even backfire if it is not done in the context of genuine loving relationships. Only God can give us the unconditional love for others which does not treat them as objects to be manipulated but as friends for life and possibly for eternity, and which does not depend on whether or not they ever become Christians, or upon their rate of sanctification. If we do not have ongoing deep friendships with non-believers, we probably do not know how to love people the way we should. The blueprint for the methodology of spending lots of fun as well as quality time with just a few disciples is the pattern of Jesus Himself. This is well chronicled and explained in the excellent little book “A Master Plan of Evangelism” by Coleman. Newcomers to our ministry are overwhelmed by the hospitality and generosity of our people. This means being sacrificial givers of both time and money. It includes, having people to our homes and to meals and drinks in  restaurants, inviting them on family outings, boat trips, also giving them gifts of  “non spiritual stuff” as well as a great number of books, cd’s, dvd’s, and other materials. Often for the first one to two years of knowing a new person we do all the giving and they do all the receiving. We must be pro-active and we must initiate and model “The Great Commandment.” The best book on this is of course the Bible itself, especially the First Epistle of John. However “Changes that Heal” by Henry Cloud, is the book that God used more than any other to impress this truth on me and my ministry. Earlier, when I was a pastor, I taught a series of sermons and a study of the “one another” commandments in the Bible and this profoundly impacted me also. Schaeffer wrote a little booklet on the subject entitled “Mark of a Christian”. Edith Schaeffer’s book “L’Abri” chronicles how God worked this out in their lives and ministry. We must not “love” people as “evangelism projects”, they have worth and value simply because they are made in the image of God. Each person is beautiful and loveable for this reason, regardless of their behavior or their external appearance. Even murders are loveable (see the movie “Dead Man walking”). Loving one another, like evangelism, has to be “caught” it cannot be “taught”. The personal, relational, and experiential elements are essential. Agape is not enough, there must also be Eros, Storge, Phileo. It is not our business whether or not they ever become a Christian, That is God’s business. We should love them anyway. We should develop lifetime friendships. This brings glory to God!

9. A correct understanding of the Cultural Mandate. In Genesis 1:18 God gives what we might call the first job description: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.” The first phrase, “be fruitful and multiply” means to develop the social world: build families, churches, schools, cities, governments, laws. The second phrase, “subdue the earth,” means to harness the natural world: plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music. This passage is sometimes called the Cultural Mandate because it tells us that our original purpose was to create cultures, build civilizations-nothing less. Our calling is not just to go to heaven, but also to cultivate the earth, not just to save souls, but also to serve God through our work. For God himself is engaged not only in the work of salvation buts also in the work of preserving and developing His creation. When we obey the Cultural Mandate, we participate in the work of God himself, as agents of His common grace”. — Nancy Pearcey in “Total Truth”. The Christian Worldview should impact every facet of life, both public and private, social, economic, political and personal.

Summary: Our vision for this ministry has to be to “teach truth in the context of a loving community”. or “to teach truth in the context of loving relationships”.  This was part of my training with Executive Ministries, but in this ministry we give more emphasis to it. This was  also the vision of L’Abri, but Dr.Schaeffer’s dream was that others would take this vision out of the “shelter” (which is the literal meaning of the word L’Abri) into the real world. This is what I have tried to do. We need to be “salt and light” in our major cities around the world and also in our various lives, callings, professions – law, accounting, finance, business, medicine, plumbing, etc. Our Christian worldview applies to social issues, politics, relationships, friendships, marriage, sex, or whatever. Our job is to present and live the Christian worldview in its fullness, reflecting: First and foremost: God’s character, in the context of the history of redemption which I have summarized as: “Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation.”. By consummation I mean the 2nd coming of Christ when he will put all things under his feet and usher in the New Heavens and the New Earth. This is our sure and certain hope. There is an ultimate solution to the problem! We are already sons and daughters of the Living God (see Sinclair Ferguson’s book – “Children of the Living God”) and because of our being united with Christ, we are now reigning with Christ in the heavenly realms.(Eph 2:6). This is the reversal of our union with the first Adam, which caused us to sin and fall and to be separated from God. There is the “already” and the “not yet”. We live in the “already” but we do not live as those without hope. Because we are united with the second Adam, our hope is certain and secure, and in God’s mind what is “not yet” to us, is already a “done deal” to Him (Romans 8: 28,29).

July 9, 2002. (Revised November 2004, and October 2023)

Dave

DAVE SEIVRIGHT

DAVE SEIVRIGHT is a former lawyer from Jamaica. He is a graduate of the University of Liverpool, UK, and Westminster Theological Seminary, USA. He also did graduate studies at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, and Trinity College in England.  He has been married to PAULINE for 58 years. They have 4 children and 11 grandchildren.

Dave had the privilege of being personally mentored by the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer, and also by Dr. J. I. Packer. Dave was also mentored by the teachings and writings, and by personal interaction with the late Dr. John Stott.  Dave attempts to pass on to others the things he learned from these great men of God. Combining his studies of interpretation and evidence as a lawyer with his studies of philosophy, apologetics, and theology, Dave has taken a special interest in the subject of “Worldviews” and the influence of Christianity on the culture of Western civilization. Dave has devoted his time to teaching the Christian worldview worldwide, and mentoring and discipling intelligent young professionals, particularly in Miami, and in Germany.

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