114 - Sanctification

Romans 12:2

“do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”

•

Those in the world have a process of transformation that strives to become something, not from a position, but toward a position, according to what is seen in this world. The transformation that comes through Christ is far different. It is a changing of the mind where we take hold of a new identity, a position we have been given as a gift through the redemptive power of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. This is not working toward a position, as the world does, but living out in the flesh the position we have already received. It is a new frame of mind in which we are who He says we are, and so we live.

It is God’s power working in us through the Spirit, aligning our walk in the flesh with who He has recreated us to be. Spiritually reborn, a new creation, holy, righteous, and pure, we now have a new standing and position before God. We are free from the shackles of becoming, free to see ourselves as completely new, and for that newness to produce a new walk. This is the transformation of our lives through the renewing of our minds.

The renewing of our minds means our thoughts are being repositioned to see ourselves in the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness. True righteousness and holiness are not responses to our own ideas of what righteousness and holiness are, which lead to self-righteousness. Instead, they come from being filled with the vision of who we truly are in Christ, a completely new creation. We no longer teeter on a scale based on all the good and bad we have done in our lives. Christ has redeemed us from an old and worldly way of seeing ourselves as lost and striving to be saved, to an entirely new way of seeing.

To be clear, we still walk in this body and we still sin, but this is no longer our identity. We no longer see ourselves as walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. We do this by setting our minds on the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh. Setting our minds on who we no longer are and striving to become something better is a worldly force that does not bring about the true change God desires. It is impossible to set our minds on the flesh and still please God, because in doing so we do not see ourselves as Christ has made us.

We often get caught up in the age-old battle that began in the garden of Eden, the warring of the consciousness of good and evil within the mind. We see ourselves as good based on the good we do, which leads to self-righteousness, and at the same time as evil because of the evil we do. This inner conflict, as Paul writes, wanting to do good while evil is right there, causing us to do what we do not want to do, is a pre-Christ state of mind. It does not take into account the vision of who He has made us, His saving grace, or the confidence we now have in our new position.

Christ abolishes this war within the mind by setting us free from the law, which was a constant reminder of sin. The dual consciousness of good and evil prevents a clear conscience before God and hinders the spontaneous working of the Spirit within us. It quenches the Spirit, stifles our joy and praise to God for what He has done, and limits the overflow of that work in our lives. This prevents us from living out our true and new nature. God’s process of sanctification, brought about by setting our eyes on what He has done, opens us to the possibility of truly being who we are in the most authentic way.