A Vessel Set Apart

A Vessel Set Apart

I think most of us have heard the word “sanctification” many times as a Christian.  I certainly have heard different definitions.  As I personally study the Scriptures with the Holy Spirit as my Interpreter, I find a precious meaning to the word.

Being justified by grace is something we all can get a hold of pretty quickly.  When we received Jesus Christ as our Righteousness (not ours, for we have none), we were absolutely and forever “justified” in His sight.  “Just as if we never sinned.”  You have to be that way to have entrance into eternity.  So this is why we “cling” to Christ in faith, because He is the Perfect Righteousness.

But again, what about sanctification?  Does it take years and years and years and years to be “qualified” in God’s sight as sanctified?  The definition I understand is “set apart.”  We are now “set apart” from unbelievers of the world as believers, saints, children of God through and by Christ Jesus alone.

So as a “set apart” person – truly born of God’s Spirit, what else?

I love the picture of a vessel we use in daily life – a glass is a good one to think about.  The glasses in our house are “set apart” for liquids – drinking water, tea, and lemonade – anything consumable.  We do not use our glasses in the kitchen for other things (although you could).  They are set apart.

Same thing with other vessels in the house – they have a distinct purpose.

Romans 6 declares to us HOW we maintain ourselves as NOW children of God – HOW fruit is going to come forth in our lives.  We have the entrance provided already into grace (Romans 5:1) – now we are daily leaning upon the One – looking to the One – living to the One WHO provides His Spirit of Life and grace for ALL of our living.

This denotes NO independence.  The glasses in the kitchen need ME to fill it with water.  They cannot fill themselves – this has never happened in our kitchen.  I am in charge of the vessel as to how much it is filled with liquid – I hold the glass – I direct the glass – I am the master over the glasses.

God is our Father.  Christ is our Lord.  We are being filled constantly with His Spirit of Life.  God’s Spirit is our Guide of all things.  Now we can, through our own will, not yield to the Lord’s Spirit – Romans 6 says we are to yield our members to righteousness, not unrighteousness.  Yielding to one or the other is the reality.  As Christians we say “flesh and spirit.”

God is teaching us to know Christ, the Living One residing in our hearts.  Renewing of the mind is God’s will for every son and daughter.  God has provided security for us in His love.  And He made a declaration that the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.  So yielding is something we do not have to be afraid of.  John 17:17 Jesus told us that we are SANCTIFIED BY THE TRUTH!  Therefore, truth alone renews the mind – and a renewed mind is full of life and peace.  It’s all connected!

The question is then, is my mind being renewed according to God’s Word of Life or men’s ideas and traditions.  This is the paradigm shift to me – to know the difference.  This leads to the other kind of “sanctification” given to us in Scriptures:

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts…”  I Peter 3:15a.

If Christ then, is the LIVING ONE in my heart – a true Person and I set Him apart in my heart as this One Reality, it makes sense to me that I am going to refer to Him in all things and certainly never live independently of His mind and will.  We can all grow in His strength and Spirit of Grace and in the knowledge of Him.  This is the great invitation.

“Thank you, God for making Your Son REAL in our hearts like never before.  Let our responses to you be with great clarity every day.  To walk with You is the highest honor ever bestowed upon us.  Thank you for the TRUTH being real to our hearts and minds – and the Spirit’s guidance in all things.  Amen!”

In His Love,

Sue Gaither

Let Us Be Reminded

Spirit Ears still exists - and we continue to write devotions.  However, since December (which is our last post), we have been working on two e-books.  One is completed - the other is a devotional e-book containing a number of devotions written over the span of 4 years.  It's coming soon.

God's Word is eternal though - He surely does not need man to interpret it for Him - He does all the interpretation/meaning.  We are the receivers and listeners.  God has granted His body to help one another in apprehension of the Truth until we ALL come into unity of the Faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.

It is a privilege to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ AND to know Him.  So, we continue to write/speak as He enlightens.  It is His will to encourage one another DAILY until we see His appearing.  We surely walk by faith, not by sight.  The faith of God is more real than the seen world.  The world we see is the old creation - passed away (not yet fallen) and we are part of Christ, the New Man, the New Creation.

God says continue in our faith - it is NOT without disappointment, for those who believe in Him will not be disappointed as He says.

Below is the latest devotional from last week. 

Let Us Be Reminded

The Word of God refreshes, corrects, keeps, strengthens – the Word of God abides forever.

So what of God’s Word today can refresh, correct, keep and strengthen?  How about this from Romans 5:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. ¹⁶ The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ

Simply put, Adam’s transgression brought death to ALL of humanity – no one has a choice whether or not death and sin would be part of them.  Everyone born in the world physically is/was born of Adam – sin and death.

BUT what did Christ bring?  What did Christ do?  Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ – His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection brought us ETERNAL LIFE in HIM!  Once in Adam, now in Christ!  Everyone born of Christ is now TRANSFERRED from death to Life – from Adam into Christ.

The Scriptures are clear that death once reigned over us – but now Christ reigns over us triumphantly in LIFE, in GRACE, in MERCY, in HOPE, for ALL eternity.

We do not have to rearrange this reality.  The reality (God’s Truth) stands forever – we only need to BELIEVE with our hearts the TRUTH!

The TRUTH of God sets us free.   The TRUTH of God gives joy and peace.

The only battle to fight then is the fight of faith – Satan contends to distort, rob and cheat us of God’s powerful Word of Life.  No one has to leave their place to fight this kind of fight.  Ephesians 6 says to STAND with your loins girded about with TRUTH – having put on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Faith in God’s Truth DOES AND WILL AND ALWAYS bring forth real fruit of righteousness.  This is how God made it to be.  The seed of Christ dwells in us – He grows in us – He is formed in us – He reigns in us. 

When the physical body dies – the spirit is only shedding the last of Adam’s creation in exchange praise God, for the promised possession of His glorious body.

Our inheritance in Christ is SO great.  We have not yet seen BUT we have obtained – the Spirit of God is our guarantee!  Our names are in the book of Life and Christ is in our hearts!

Let us feast on God’s TRUTH today until we glow like a 3 way bulb – not 60, not 75, but 150 watt!  J

Hallelujah what a Savior and Lord!

Sue Gaither