More Than a Saving Faith

We are now almost halfway through January, and I am sure there are many who are slipping in their new year’s resolutions. While this typically happens, I want to encourage those who have made a resolution to understand the word of God better this year to not slip. Do not allow the hustle and bustle of the world allow you to sway from this task because out of every resolution you may have made; this one is the most important. Today I want to encourage you to not only strive to have a better understanding of God’s word, but a deeper relationship with Him. One passage that I would ask you to look at to understand this is John 4:46-53.

“Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.”

This brief passage offers a glimpse into the difference between a saved life and a sanctified life. Everyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ, the works that He did, and His promises will have a saved life. “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” Romans 10:9. However, there is a difference between a saved Christian and a Christian who has become sanctified. To be sanctified is to be set apart. We are already separated from the world when we become born-again, but a sanctified Christian is one who abandons their own desires to fulfill what the Lord is calling them to do. They have turned every desire into solely being focused on God, this is a trait that many Christians struggle with but I believe that the man in John 4 can show us the difference.

We see in verse 50 that the royal official believed Jesus when He said that the man’s son would live. The royal official had enough faith in Jesus and what was being said of Him to understand that He had the power to heal his son. This to me speaks of when we place our faith in the saving grace of God. We have heard and seen enough to know that there is a God and to know that He died for our sins. We take Him at His word that He loves us and will rectify us to the Father. “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” Romans 8:34.

However, we see the royal official take his faith to a whole other level. Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.” The royal official already believed that Jesus was able to do what He said He would, however, it was not until the royal official was told when his son was healed did he truly understand the magnitude of Jesus’s authority. It was here that the royal official came to truly know the power that Jesus had, for He had healed the man’s son without ever stepping foot into his home. For the believer today, this is sanctification. It is the process of truly understanding the magnitude and depth of God’s love for us that we want to be completely sold out for Him. The desires that we once had, including a sin that we are struggling with, now hold no desire. The sanctified believer only wishes to complete the tasks that God has laid out before them. The thought of going into situations that once would have frightened the born-again believer, now there is no fear. The sanctified believer wants to speak as Jesus did “Not my will Father, but yours”.

If you find yourself struggling with the idea of connecting deeper to God, I hope today this post encouraged you. I hope that you do not give up on this desire to grow in your faith this year. But if you are already finding yourself struggling, I ask that you pray. Ask God to help you organize your day in such a way that you can have more time devoted to Him. Ask God to help you with your Bible study, to grow in your knowledge and understanding. Believe me, He will answer. If you are looking for an additional book to help with the idea of sanctification, please consider “They Found the Secret” by W. Raymond Edman. It is a book of believers from different backgrounds who have all made that step into a sanctified life,

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex