Stuck In The Middle 2

Today on Truth Matters with medical doctor Cheryl Davis, she continues a three-part series on the three distinctive aspects of sanctification of becoming totally separated from our sinful nature to becoming fully empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk in the fullness of God.

The Holy Spirit can be released into our lives, and we can walk in the fullness of God. Now, here's Dr. Cheryl Davis on part two of getting stuck in the middle of the sanctification process and avoiding spiritual stagnation in our faith journey. There are three aspects of sanctification. Positional sanctification, experiential sanctification, and ultimate sanctification. When I think about sanctification, as it pertains to time, it becomes a spectrum.

On that spectrum, I would place positional sanctification at the beginning, experiential in the middle, and ultimate sanctification at the very end. Positional sanctification is a sanctification which is accomplished by God and through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Believers are redeemed and cleansed by his precious blood, forgiven of all trespasses and made righteous in him. Believers are sons of God.

2 Corinthians 6 18 says, I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. The position of son or daughter indicates a distinct classification and separation, deep and eternal through the saving grace of Christ. Because of this, the believer is positionally sanctified and holy before God. In the middle of the spectrum is experiential sanctification. The difference from positional sanctification is that positional depends on the work of God, where the experiential sanctification depends on the work of the believer as well as the Holy Spirit. This is the most common form of sanctification that the modern day church is familiar with, a constant process over time that separates the believer from the world and their own sinful nature. Experiential sanctification is that self-determined separation unto God by the believer and their own choice.

Sanctification is designed to make us more authentic or like Christ. We know the process of authenticity is trial by fire. We find this in the story of Job. In Job 23 10 it says, But he knoweth the way that I take. When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Fire can give life or destroy.

In the case of gold, it removes the impurities to deliver a more authentic product. It is the same way in our walk as a believer. The phrase, But he knoweth the way that I take, means that God knew us before we were knitted in our mother's womb, according to Jeremiah, and he knows our inward thoughts and the very fiber of our being. Our experiences in this life are tailored to his divine plan according to the way that I take, meaning the pathway that I will have to walk down according to who I am based on where I need to be and at what time I finally decide to submit. When he hath tried me guarantees the process and the fire, or hence the struggle.

Trials in our lives are not random. They are allowed by God to develop within us Christ's likeness to set us apart for him. But in the church today we are getting stuck in the middle. We are accepting Christ as our Savior and experiencing positional sanctification and becoming complacent. When we move into experiential sanctification and we begin to experience the suffering aspect of our walk with Christ, we are resisting the process and stunting our growth as Christians.

This teaching is not popular in the churches in America. We focus on the blessings of God and we assume that they will come surely from our position of being a believer. Being a believer positionally gives us eternal life, but experience, trial, and suffering gives us relationship with Christ and releases the power of the Holy Spirit within our lives to live a life of holiness before him.

It calls us out from the world and separates us from our sinful nature. This has been Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis, where truth always matters. On the next broadcast, Dr. Davis will continue her three-part series on the three aspects of sanctification. We hope you'll join us and seek the blessing of becoming fully, totally, and completely set apart from your sinful nature into being complete in your walk with Jesus. Dr. Davis will complete the series next week on the beautiful blessing of being ultimately sanctified and set apart for God's leadership in your life. Connect with Truth Matters at ProjectTruthMatters.com or email Dr. Davis at CherylDavis at ProjectTruthMatters.com. This has been Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis, a production of The Truth Project, a last-day ministry of biblical truth.