What is spiritual maturity in Christianity?
Stephen Rankin, in his book Aiming at Maturity: The Goal of the Christian Life, defines “a spiritually mature Christian [as] one whose whole character—dispositions, words, and actions—emulates the character of Jesus Christ himself.”[v] In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul calls on the church in Ephesus to “be imitators of God, as …
What does sanctification mean according to the Bible?
1 : to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use : consecrate. 2 : to free from sin : purify.
Why is sanctification a process?
Sanctification is the Holy Spirit’s work of making us holy. When the Holy Spirit creates faith in us, he renews in us the image of God so that through his power we produce good works. Sanctification flows from justification. It is an on-going process which will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.
What is spiritually mature?
Spiritual maturity may be defined as: The gradual process of developing healthy and life-giving ways of relating one to oneself, to others, and to the environment.
What’s another word for sanctification?
OTHER WORDS FOR sanctify 1 bless, hallow, anoint, enshrine, exalt.
What is complete sanctification?
Entire sanctification is a state of perfect love, righteousness and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain by being delivered from the power of sin, by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, and by loving one’s neighbor as one’s self.
How is sanctification different from justification?
Justification addresses the sinner’s guilt for committing sins. Justification is God’s declaration that a sinner is righteous through the work of Jesus Christ. Sanctification is God’s transformation of a believer’s whole being, that is the mind, will, behaviors, and affections through the work of the Holy Spirit.
What is your role in sanctification?
The Role of the Law in Sanctification That is the role of convincing the believer of the hopelessness of his sin nature, and of his need for the outside power of God. This is the Romans 7, or “law school” concept. This use of the law is not well understood by those who have been taught in the institutional church.
What is spiritual maturity and how can it be achieved?
Spiritual maturity is not something that happens instantly the moment we trust Christ as savior. Because of the world, the indwelling sin-nature, and the devil, it is a daily gradual process of development. [2] It is daily depending on the provisions that God has made available.
How should we work with God in sanctification?
We must work with God in the process of sanctification—responding to his conviction, allowing him to empower us to accomplish his will for our lives. It should be noted that when Paul calls this church to work out its salvation, he is probably specifically referring to the problems going on in the church.
What is the process of salvation?
Paul here describes the process of salvation. It begins before time when God foreknew some in a saving relationship. The word “foreknew” does not mean to know some facts about a person but to know in an intimate saving relationship.
What does it mean to have a fixed look on Christ?
The word “fix” means to focus on something to the exclusion of everything else. It essentially means to be single-minded. A person who has a fixed look on Christ is seeking to know and please Christ in everything he does.