What Is Sanctifying Grace?
The process by which the new paradigm causes a transformation in the person’s life is known as Sanctifying Grace. Again, many look to changes in behavior and actions to point the presence of Sanctifying Grace, literally becoming more holy. However, this process is the inner change of becoming a new person and maturing in character which occurs below the surface. Many Christians describe this part of relating to God as becoming more Christ-like.
Like the other types of grace, it is imperative to recognize that becoming a new person does not come from human effort. The same power that brought about Saving Grace is active for Sanctifying Grace.
The early church in Galatia missed this crucial point. Paul rebuked them when he wrote, “O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?” He expounded, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect in the flesh?” (Galatian 3:1,3) The Spirit refers to God’s redeeming work and the flesh refers to human effort.
The problems of early Christians persist today where many continue to try becoming more holy and more Christ-like by working and striving to be a better person. The problem is rooted in a disconnect to the essential message of Christianity.
As a young Christian, I understood that there was nothing I could do to make God close the door on me. This was the unconditional love I was spoon fed. As I matured, I intimately understood that there was nothing I could do to make God love me more. This took me to another level.
I understood that God loved me unconditionally, but there was an aspect of my lived-out faith that was still trying to make God love me a little more than others. I needed to recognize that surrender, acceptance, and trust was BOTH a “one and done” event and an ongoing process.
To lose sight that my relationship with God and my foundational identity had forever been changed permanently, created an unconscious insecurity in me. That I still needed to prove myself worthy of the grace bestowed on me, and that my actions and maturity could make me more lovable. That somehow this would induce God to love me more.
To lose sight of the ongoing process aspect of sanctification meant I saw difficulties and strife as a sign that I was failing God and not measuring up.
I needed both insights to recognize that suffering and perseverance were the necessary ingredients which led to character growth, that transformation in my being.
Each time that I thought I’d “arrived” in understanding God’s fundamental relationship toward me was through grace, I eventually saw there were depths to this mystery. In my walk, I resigned to the fact that I couldn’t make God love me more and gave up trying to control God’s attitude toward me.
In time, I saw that I was still trying to “predict” ways I could induce God’s love for me. Maybe I couldn’t change God’s constant and unfailing love for me, but if I engaged in the right devotions, I could make it more likely that I would receive more blessings from Him. This was just another form of control.
Again and again, I came up against this principal that maturing as a Christian was just as miraculously God’s work as my first becoming one.
Within the framework of sanctification is where I discovered Sustaining Grace.
