1.  The whole idea and image of “sanctification” may be intimidating for many of us.  It sounds more like an image of Grant Woods’ “American Gothic” – the famous painting of the farm couple.  Both unsmiling and humorless – the man with a pitchfork.

It’s serious business, isn’t it?

For some it’s probably a series of lists and personal challenges they tackle every day.  Benjamin Franklin developed a list of 13 virtues that he worked on every single day.  When he woke up in the morning he asked himself, “What good will I do today?” and when he went to bed at night he asked, “What good did I do today?”  That’s not a bad thing.  Some of the best people I know in the world have that same habit.  In fact, one friend in South Carolina started a health clinic for low income people precisely because his mother had drilled that question into him when he was young.

Of course, Franklin was the ultimate list maker.  He determined that virtues could only be acquired by constant practice so he identified thirteen of them and made a notebook for recording his progress.  (By the way, you can now get an app that will help you do this on your phone).

“I concluded, at length, that the mere speculative conviction that it was in our interest to be completely virtuous was not sufficient to prevent our slipping; and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct. I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues. I ruled each page with red ink, so as to have seven columns, one for each day of the week, marking each column with a letter for the day. I crossed these columns with thirteen red lines, marking the beginning of each line with the first letter of one of the virtues, on which line, and in its proper column, I might mark, by a little black spot, every fault I found upon examination to have been committed respecting that virtue upon that day.”

Those virtues were:

  • Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.
  • Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.
  • Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.
  • Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
  • Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e., Waste nothing.
  • Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.
  • Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
  • Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Of course, we could find the same tendency in the Apostle Paul when he makes lists – fruits of the Spirit and fruits of the flesh in Galatians 5. Behaviors to be encouraged and those to be avoided in Romans 12 and Ephesians 5.  The characteristics of love in 1 Corinthians 13.  If we took them all together and determined that we would live a sanctified life we might well end up looking like the couple in Grant Wood’s portrait – self-controlled, austere, dry and perfectly free from emotion.  Some of us have tried that and failed miserably.  I WILL love.  I WILL be humble.  I WILL be compassionate.  We end up falling back on lists when we WILL to do it ourselves.

Sometimes our efforts at sanctification become just another form of legalism.  We are confusing “justified” with “sanctified” and forgetting that we are already declared righteous and holy and there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation or to be reconciled more with God than we are.  Yes, our choosing maturity over childishness pleases him but all our human striving for personal perfectionism is not the same as being sanctified.

Sometimes we forget the purpose for sanctification.  It is not for personal piety.  It is to love others and to point people to God.  It makes us signposts that show the way to God and not shirts covered with merit badges for good behavior. The Bible is never interested in mere personal perfection or self-sacrifice and denial.  It is always about a much larger purpose.  What does Paul say about the law being summed up in one commandment?  “The entire law is summed up in one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Sanctification is never about personal holiness for its own sake.  It has a purpose.  There is a difference between body builders whose only goal is personal perfection and those who train their bodies because there is task in the future that requires it. Sanctification is not about being personally perfect.  It is not about a personal spiritual search or self-fulfillment. It is about being prepared to love one another in this world and, in a larger sense, to begin here in this life to be prepared for the next.

In some ways, sanctification is a word for a virtuous life.  Not just private virtue but public virtue.  Virtue that is observable and practiced.  In his book, A Free People’s Suicide, Os Guinness says that private and public virtue is the base of our founding as a country. “…when you look at the founding figures of the American Experiment their definition of character was inherently public. It’s not to say they had no concern for private virtue, but they were very concerned that the Republic could only endure if its leaders demonstrated a very public commitment to public virtues. And George Washington himself is the greatest example of that. George Washington didn’t claim to be inherently better than his peers only morally superior in terms of his public conduct. And, you know, I think we live in a world in which that’s entirely escaped the understanding of people, so people say now, “Well nobody’s perfect.” Well George Washington knew that no one was perfect and starting with himself, but it’s still very necessary to uphold public virtue.”

Bishop J.C. Ryle in the 19th century put it this way:
“Sanctification does not consist in retirement from our place in life and the renunciation of our social duties. In every age it has been a snare with many to take up this line in the pursuit of holiness. Hundreds of hermits have buried themselves in some wilderness, and thousands of men and women have shut themselves up within the walls of monasteries and convents, under the vain idea that by so doing they would escape sin and become eminently holy. They have forgotten that no bolts and bars can keep out the devil and that, wherever we go, we carry that root of all evil, our own hearts. To become a monk or a nun or to join a “house of mercy” is not the high road to sanctification. True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them. Christ would have His people show that His grace is not a mere hot–house plant, which can only thrive under shelter, but a strong, hardy thing which can flourish in every relation of life. It is doing our duty in that state to which God has called us, like salt in the midst of corruption and light in the midst of darkness, which is a primary element in sanctification. It is not the man who hides himself in a cave, but the man who glorifies God as master or servant, parent or child, in the family and in the street, in business and in trade, who is the scriptural type of a sanctified man.”

2.  But how can I become more sanctified and live a holy life without lists and the risk of legalism.  How can I possibly exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?  It is impossible to live in the world and have a life like this.

I don’t know!  I don’t know that anyone does.  In fact, on our own all of these things are impossible and meant to be impossible.  On our own we end up like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill only to have it roll back down again – over and over.  It’s a life of defeat and frustration.  And that is why Paul calls these qualities “fruit of the Spirit”.  These are traits of a recreated life – not an improved life.  These are evidences of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We cannot make them happen any more than we can force a tree to bear fruit.  It’s the nature of a tree to bear fruit.  But without the power of the Holy Spirit we are like Sisyphus pushing the rock of the hill our whole lives.

However, I have learned something that has helped me.  It started with a question.

It was a young person who asked me, “What are the essentials of a good marriage?”  I thought about a number of things – fidelity, trust, respect, passion, selflessness, mutual submission and a list of other things.  But the longer I thought about it the more I thought of just one word: kindness.

It’s almost too simple but it seemed to sum up all the other things that made a good marriage.  Simply being kind to each other.  There are no lists and it’s not perfect or fool proof but when it is practiced over the years it makes an enormous difference in the relationship – more than any other practice I could name.  From the practice of kindness came all sorts of other joys.

In the same way, we talk about “gateway drugs” that lead people to harder things, I think about kindness as a gateway virtue.  Once you begin practicing it you find yourself open to other things that surprise you.  In a way, I think of kindness as the divide in the road that Robert Frost described in the road less travelled.   It is the “way that leads on to way” that once you choose it your life is changed forever.

Again, this is personal and I cannot promise you sanctification if you start being kind but years later I read this in 2 Peter 1:

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Making One’s Calling and Election Sure
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It seemed like this was not just a list but there was an implied progression – one thing being added to another and not only an accumulation of traits.  Pieces fitted together in a pattern – not just a list of duties and chores. There was a beginning – faith – and an end – love.  There was no better description of what Jesus and Paul were saying at the same time.  We begin with faith but the end of the law is love.  The goal of maturity is love.  The truest definition of sanctification is not personal perfection but love for each other.

So, where does the journey of sanctification begin after we come to Christ through faith?  It begins with the word goodness (arethe) which is often translated as and synonymous with one of the several words for kindness.  After faith – add kindness.  Begin with kindness.

There are four other words in the New Testament for kindness and let’s look at those:

  • Agatha. Again, one of our words for children. It is the word Paul uses in Romans 15:14 when he says, “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness (or kindness), complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” Kindness is not just a feeling of gentleness. It is a gift given to allow us to “admonish” and counsel one another. It is what allows us to instruct without offense being taken. It is the attitude of a great teacher who loves their students enough to have standards. We should love each other enough to have standards for each other.
  • Eunoia. This is a trait of kindness we don’t often think about. It is the word Paul uses in Ephesians 6:7. “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving The Lord, not men, because you know The Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” Why is a good attitude part of being kind? Think about your daily life with each other. When one asks the other to do something how do we do it? With enthusiasm and good will or with grumbling and an attitude. Kindness encourages wholeheartedness.
  • Chrestotes. Some translate this word as integrity and is the word Paul chooses when he says to the Ephesians, “Be kind to each other.” and in Galatians when he lists the fruit of the Spirit. It is more than that, I think. It has an even greater purpose than being kind and forgiving. Look at Romans 2:4 where Paul uses the same word. “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.” The intended result of God’s kindness is to lead us to change our heart and life. I have found the same to be true in our life as a couple. Carol’s kindness toward me has time and again led me to a change of heart. She has not argued me into repentance (although that does happen) but it has been her integrity and kindness that has affected me most.
  • There is a final word here in 2 Peter that describes kindness of a particular sort. That is the word “adelphia” or brotherly kindness. I never had a brother so I don’t understand this one as well. However, I have observed the love between brothers and it is not always what we would think. I have two grandsons who are brothers and while they might disagree with each other they will protect each other. They will fight and quarrel and get into scrapes but they are brothers still. That is what Peter is saying here. There is something unique about the kindness we show toward our family. It has the ability to carry us through the hard times – even times of disagreement and disputes.

I love the passage from the “Fellowship of The Ring” that describes this brotherly love.

“But it does not seem that I can trust anyone,’ said Frodo. Sam looked at him unhappily. ‘It all depends on what you want,’ put in Merry. ‘You can trust us to stick with you through thick and thin–to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours–closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo.”

Kindness is what Bishop Ryle called one of the “passive graces”.  It is hard to define. “They are no doubt harder to attain than the active ones, but they are precisely the graces which have the greatest influence in the world.”

Think about that.  The influence of kindness – beginning with those closest to you and working out – may well have the greatest influence and effect than any other evidence of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Kind to my wife or husband.  Kind at work.  Kind with my friends.  Kind with my family.  Kindness that points to God and leads others to repentance.

Now, you can start with something other than kindness.  I chose it as a starting place suited for me.  Yours may be joy or self-control or faithfulness but my guess is they all lead to the same place over time.  In time they lead to each other. Kindness introduces you to knowledge and then you meet self-control who introduces you to perseverance.  Perseverance in time lets you meet godliness and brotherly kindness who makes the best introduction of all – the introduction to love. However you choose to get on the road is up to you.

3.  If looked at right, I think we will see that sanctification is not a burden but an adventure.  Faith is the gate that opens on to a road that leads us to places and experiences we cannot imagine.  Sanctification is not a narrowing of our lives but an opening up that only God could produce.  It’s not a dull list of rules and restrictions but a discovery of what life is meant to be.

Some of you may remember these lines from the Hobbit.  I think they are true.

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”

I like the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Galatians 5:22-23: “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments.”

What could be a better life than that? In the end, that is the perfect description of sanctification – living God’s way and watching Him bring gifts into our lives.