The Cross of Christ and Sanctification

I promised to share my thoughts on the Cross of Christ and Sanctification, so I want to address that now. As believers, if we do not understand the Message of the Cross—our faith should be in the Cross of Christ—then we will not be able to live sanctified and holy lives as God intended.

Let me explain: if we do not grasp the significance of the Cross of Christ concerning sanctification, we will revert back to living under the law. What do I mean by that? If our faith is not rooted in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross at Calvary for us, we will attempt to live our lives before God by adhering to laws.

A law is anything we put in place to live holy and sanctified before God. It can be the Law of Moses, the moral Laws of Moses, or any self-imposed regulations we believe keep us holy and aligned with God’s will. These laws might be created by churches or by ourselves to keep us in check and live holy before God.

Sanctification is about living our daily lives before God, and if our faith is not properly placed in the Cross of Christ, we will revert to relying on the law, which is not what we should be doing.

Now, I want to clarify that the Law of Moses—God’s Law—is inherently good. Even the laws we put in place are good within themselves, but they deceive us because we rely on them to make us holy instead of relying on what Jesus did on the Cross to make us holy.

If we keep our eyes on Jesus and Him crucified, we will be constantly reminded of what He has done for us, allowing the Holy Spirit to work God’s perfect Will and Word in our lives daily. This is what we should be focusing on. When we try to live by laws, we are not living by what Jesus did on the Cross for us. Law—any law—cannot make you holy or righteous.

Sidebar #1: The Law of Moses (God’s Law) Is Good

Because of sin—the sin nature in us—we could never keep the Law all the time. The Law brings condemnation, as it should, and this can lead to a miserable Christian life lived under constant condemnation.

But oh, the Cross of Christ! I believe God gave the Law of Moses to accomplish the following:

  • To define sin: Sin was not clearly defined until the Law. Acts such as lying were labeled as sin.
  • To reveal sin in us: Sin is defined and judged, which brings conviction and condemnation.
  • To lead us to God’s mercy: Realizing we have sinned should lead us to repentance and forgiveness.

Sidebar #2: Jesus Fulfilled the Law

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses perfectly so that we who believe—who place our faith in what He accomplished on the Cross of Calvary—allow the Holy Spirit to help us live according to God’s will. This is why we do not have to keep the Law to be righteous: Jesus already fulfilled it.

If our faith remains in the Cross of Christ, the Grace of God undergirds us. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus—Jesus and Him crucified.

In Galatians 2:21, Paul said that if righteousness comes by the Law, then Christ died in vain. If we try to live by the Law, what Jesus did on the Cross becomes meaningless. Though the Law itself is good, attempting to live by it to become righteous and holy nullifies the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice.

We need to live our daily lives sanctified under Grace, which is continuously provided by the Holy Spirit through the Cross of Calvary. Grace has always been extended to us by God, but under the old covenant, sin was only covered. When Jesus died on the Cross, He took sin away once and for all.

When we fall and make mistakes, God’s Grace—His goodness toward us—is there to catch us. Under Grace, we repent of our sins because God is faithful and just to forgive us. This is not a license to sin.

1 John 3:6 states: “No one who abides in Him [who remains united in fellowship with Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin. No one who habitually sins has seen Him or known Him.”

We live under Grace. Sin no longer has dominion over us, and there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. The Law condemns; Grace does not.

Through what Jesus did on the Cross, Grace flows continuously by the Holy Spirit in our lives, enabling us to live sanctified and holy lives daily before God.

This is where the Cross comes into play concerning sanctification. If we do not understand the Cross of Christ and keep our faith firmly rooted exclusively in the Cross, spiritual failure is the result. We will revert to the Law, which is not where God wants us to live.

God desires that we live under Grace and walk a sanctified life with our faith firmly placed in Christ Jesus and what He accomplished on the Cross at Calvary.

As Paul said again in Galatians 2:21: if righteousness could be achieved by the Law, then Jesus’ death on the Cross would be in vain. He died for our justification, salvation, and sanctification so that God’s Grace—His goodness—can be continuously extended to us through the Holy Spirit via the Cross of Christ.

This is the purpose of having our faith in the Cross of Christ for our sanctification.

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