…under grace and in process
I have run across a number of people who use the phrase “We are under Grace and not the Law” to justify doing whatever they want to do. Evidently, Paul, Peter and Jude ran across quite a few as well. What do these people mean when they say that we are under grace and not the law? Most of them mean that it is okay to do whatever they want because we do not get saved by the law. Paul addressed this twice in Romans alone!
“But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound…What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 5:20b, 6:1-2 KJV)
And in Romans 14, he addresses the issue of not causing a weaker Christian to stumble by our actions. We are our brothers keeper!
Jude warned Christians to watch out for those who were turning the grace of God into lasciviousness which in Greek is aselgeia and means unbridled lust; lacking legal or moral restraints.
Even Jesus addressed this issue when He told His disciples that if they loved Him, they would keep His commandments (John 14:15, 21, 15:10)
But my favorite verse on this subject is found in 1 Peter:
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (Conversation = anastrophe = behavior); because it is written, Be ye holy (holy = hageeos = sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated)); for I am holy.”(1 Peter 1:15-16 KJV)
As I was copying the above the thought struck me, “God’s BEHAVIOR is always physically pure, morally blameless and ceremonially consecrated. Though I know it is true that God “acts”, I never thought of His actions in terms of behavior. Jesus commands that we follow Him. Most of the time the word “follow” in the New Testament simply means to follow. However, there are seven times when the Greek word mimetes is used and means imitator. Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be followers - or imitators - of God as dear children. Follow His example. Imitate His behavior. Why would any true child of God ever want to do anything else?
There is another phrase that is very similar and in the same category: “I’m in process.” If it is meant by that phrase that ‘I still sin and am cooperating with the Holy Spirit to bring my desires under God’s control’, then we are all in process. However, we are not to use that as an excuse to sin and then ask forgiveness. “In process” and sanctification are not necessarily the same thing.
Sanctification is a largely misunderstood term. I have been taught that “salvation” is a threefold and ongoing process; we have been justified (redeemed, regenerated, born again), we are being sanctified, and we shall be glorified. That makes sense from scripture. But using the term “in process” instead of sanctification causes the word to lose its meaning.
Sanctified in Greek is hagios and means sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated), holy, saint.
Sanctification in Greek is hagiasmos and properly means purification, that is, (the state of) purity.
I think the misunderstanding comes from the fact that we all still sin on occasion. We will have to battle our sin nature until the day the Lord takes us home. That does not change the fact that He has sanctified us: set us apart for His own use, pronounced us pure and holy and called us saints. Jesus Christ is our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)