Sanctification

 "Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness." - WSC

"Living a life of holiness helps us more and more to delight in and relish peace with God."

Some considerations:

• Sanctification is Rooted in the Nature of God.

            Holiness is "God's crowning attribute, which sheds light

            on all of His other attributes."

            "Because God is holy, His creatures cannot approach Him

            in their unholy state, unaided by sacrifice."

• Sanctification Magnifies God's Holiness

            "Those who have a weak view of God's holiness are prone

            to fashion God after their own image."

            "Holiness is the life of God."

• Sanctification is Comprehensive and Moral

            "All times and all things are meant for holiness,

             both externally and internally."

            "Sanctification propels the believer toward moral

             excellence and practical righteousness."

• Sanctification is a Progressive Battle

            "We must battle for holiness in Christ's strength every step

            of the way, or we will fail in the attempt."

• Sanctification Involves Both Repentance and Righteousness

            "Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner

            out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the

            mercy of God in Christ, doth with grief and hatred of his

            sin turn from it unto God, with full purpose of and

            endeavor after new obedience." - WSC

            "Repentance is essentially a changed life."

• Sanctification Must Be Seen in a Covenantal Context

            "To be sanctified is to receive covenant blessing from a

            covenant God who has brought us to new birth to bring us

            to glory."

            "Sanctification is rooted in God's covenant with believers

            in Christ."

"It is the work of the Spirit to regenerate us, but it is our calling to bring forth the fruits of regeneration in our lives."

From A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, Joel R. Beeke & Mark Jones, Ch. 33, "The Puritans on Living in Christ," pp.528-31.

20 Hinderances of Conversion

 What follows are twenty human impediments to coming to Christ identified by Richard Baxter (1615-1691). This list is by no means exhaustive:

1. the willful neglect of the means of grace
2. bad company
3. gross ignorance of biblical truths
4. unbelief
5. thoughtlessness
6. hardness of heart
7. great esteem & interest in the world
8. habits of sin subduing the mind
9. foolish self-love &presumption
10. counterfeit conversion
11. living among strong temptation to sin
12. scandal & division in the church
13. the poor education of children
14. striving against the Holy Spirit
15. half-heartedness in religion
16. delay
17. failure to follow through on good beginnings
18. misunderstanding some Scriptures
19. pride & unteachableness
20. willful obstinacy

Richard Baxter, A Treatise of Conversion, in The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, in "The Puritans on Coming to Christ," chapter 32 of A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, Joel R. Beeke & Mark Jones, p.519.