Thoughts on Sanctification and Our Nature

Recently I read a document entitled, “The Biblical Doctrine of Separation.” In it the writer makes several assertions. Some of them are good solid Biblical truth.

For example, the writer posits that God is separate. He is not like us, and He is completely holy. This is the clear teaching of scripture.

He also rightly points out that the Hebrew word translated “holy” is “kadesh” and in Greek it is “hagios” and that the same word is also translated “sanctified.” Sanctified, the writer goes on, means set apart, or “separated.”

The author also lists many examples of godly conduct. We are called to good works (see Ephesians 2:10). We are commanded to love one another (see John 13:34, 17:12 & 17:17). In Romans 13:10 (NASB 2020) we are told that, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.” The author’s examples are fine representations of what godly conduct looks like.

Unfortunately, reading the paper is likely to leave one with the feeling of not currently measuring up and worse, unlikely ever to be able to measure up. In saying such things as “To be pleasing to the Lord, the right thing must be done in the right way.” The author puts all the focus on us rather than directing us to Jesus. He quotes Old Testament scripture (Deuteronomy 28:47-48) in which God tells the Israelites under the old covenant of the Law that they will serve their enemies and not have abundance because they did not serve the Lord gladly. In so doing, he places us under a yoke that no one has ever been able to bear. (see Acts 15:10)

The reason for this weighty feeling is that there are a couple of misrepresented gospel principles underlying his assertions. Good behavior is laudable, and it is certainly godly. To be sure, there are temporal benefits to be gained by godliness just as there are consequences to be paid for evil behavior. Godly behavior is not however, a means of greater approval or acceptance by God. We are fully accepted. (see Ephesians 1:6-especially KJV) Neither will it result in greater blessing, as we have already been given every spiritual blessing in Jesus and we are complete in Him. (see Ephesians 1:3, Colossians 2:10, and 2 Peter 1:3)

The paper proposes that sanctification (or being separated) is positional. I think clarity is required here. We are told in several places in the New Testament that we have been and are sanctified. The author lists a number of them including these: Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2 & 6:11, Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:3 & 7, Hebrews 10:10, 14, & 29, 1 Peter 2:9, and Jude 1.

There is nothing in these passages about sanctification being positional. Rather, these passages make it clear that sanctification, or being set apart, is the state of being in which believers are placed and exist. Therefore, it is correct to understand sanctification as having already been accomplished in the life of every believer.

Having said that, we all recognize that however set apart or separated to God we may be, there are times when our attitudes and actions are, to put it mildly, ungodly. Surely no one who is sanctified, (set apart, or holy) would be expected to behave in ungodly ways, so how are we to explain this?

That question brings me to another major misunderstanding upon which the author of the article bases his thoughts. He asserts that we have two natures within our being and that these two natures are fighting against one another. If this were the case, Christians would be “a house divided” and unable to stand.

The idea that we have two natures is common, but it is ill-founded. This concept has stemmed from at least two places. First, a misreading of Galatians 5:17 (NASB 2020) “For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.” Second, an error in earlier editions of the NIV Bible, which became the most popular English translation for several decades.

The translators of the NIV did excellent work, but in translating the Greek word “sarx”, which means “flesh” they used “sinful nature.”

There are two Greek words rendered flesh or body in the New Testament. These words are sarx, and soma. The difference between soma (your physical body) and sarx (the flesh) is important. Your soma (your physical body) is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (see 1 Corinthians 6:19)

Sarx (the flesh, which wars against the Spirit) is the worldly mindset, the earthy way of responding to, and dealing with, situations by relying on your senses rather than walking by faith. (see Galatians 5:16-25)

So, when you read in Galatians 5:17 that the (sarx) flesh and the Spirit are at odds. You can know for certain that you aren't at war with your (soma) body. (see Ephesians 5:28-29) The war the Spirit within you is waging is against the worldly approach to life.

Just a quick side note here. The verse ends with “these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.” It is easy to misread this and think that the thing we want is to sin. When we are listening to the flesh, it certainly feels that way, but it simply is not true. Philippians 2:13 tells us that Father is at work in us to desire and carry out godly things and Titus 2:11 tells us that grace (the Spirit of Jesus) teaches us to live upright and godly lives in this world.” So, the Spirit of God in us is fighting against the flesh because the flesh does not want us to behave in the godly ways that are truly our heart’s desire.

There are two Greek words that get translated flesh or body in the New Testament. Earlier versions of the NIV Bible translated one of them "sinful nature," which has added to the confusion. Both of these words, "sarx" and "soma", mean body or flesh, but they have different applications.

The word "soma" refers to your physical body. Your actual flesh and bones. There's nothing wrong with your soma, your flesh and blood body. It's part of you, and Jesus died for you.

Sarx, on the other hand refers to the human way of interacting with and responding to the world. It's about the things we do to try to be just and right and good, to gain the favor or acceptance of God. It's not part of you it’s your earthy mindset, and Jesus didn't die for it.

So when you read passages that talk about your flesh being at war with the spirit, or about walking according to the flesh, understand that these are talking about sarx-flesh. The human way of dealing with what life throws at us.

When we walk by the flesh (sarx), we are walking by what we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. We are living by our senses rather than trusting the Spirit within us. We act based on old habits rather than acting based upon what God says is true.

Walking according to the flesh doesn't mean there's something wrong with you or that you have fallen out of fellowship with God. It just means you need to change your mindset and remember who you are and into Whose family you were born and walk that way.

For more on this please see my article here: https://www.larryeiss.com/blog/2021319what-is-our-nature

For more on proper exegesis of Galatians 5:17, please see my article here: https://www.larryeiss.com/blog/2021123the-flesh-wars-against-the-sprit

So, we have only one nature. We are partakers of, or participants in, the nature of God. (see 2 Peter 1:4) We have been born again. Born of the Spirit. When we are born of someone, we inherit their nature. We had been born of Adam, and we inherited Adam’s nature, which was dead to God and alive to sin. When we were born of God, our old self died (see Romans 6:6) and we became dead to sin and alive to God. (see Romans 6) If this is not the case, how can we explain what died in Romans 6:6? We read in several places that we were crucified with Christ and died with Christ and that we were raised with Him to newness of life. (see Romans 6:4 & 8, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 2:12, 2:20, & 3:1)

With that clarified, there is nothing wrong with living a godly life, and it is very true that such a life does not look like the lives of many in the world. In that sense, it is a separated life. We absolutely should live that way. The question is, what drives this? It is not our human effort or trying to be good. Rather, it is the grace of God and the righteousness of Jesus that has been given to us as a gift. Because we have been set apart, sanctified to God, we find that fleshly living simply doesn’t fit us. We were born for better things.

Knowing this frees us from constantly examining our every choice to see how it compares to some list or metric that shows us what godly people look like. At the core of our being, we look like Jesus. (see 1 John 4:17) More than that, we carry Holy Spirit within us. (see 1 Corinthians 6:19) We live and move and exist in Jesus. (see Acts 17:28) Our lives are safely protected with Him in God. (see Colossians 3:3) And we are so intimately connected as to be one spirit with God. (see 1 Corinthians 6:17)

So, live separated or set apart, but do it easily by trusting that the Spirit of God who is within you is leading you, not by testing every choice and action against a woefully incomplete, yet unattainable list.