God's Work of Sanctification with Gavin Ortlund
Today we get to hear from Gavin Ortlund on the topic of sanctification. Gavin is a husband, father, pastor, and writer. We talked about how the Lord uses the seasons and challenges of life to encourage us to turn to the Word, to pray, and to be actively involved in our local churches - all things that the Lord uses to bring about holiness in us. We pray this episode encourages you as you continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is God who works in you for his good pleasure.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Can you tell us about who you are and how the Lord saved you?
Looking back at your life, can you see ways in which God has caused you to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:17-18)?
What is sanctification? What is God doing through sanctification?
What is sanctification grounded in? Why is it important to tether sanctification to justification (and election for that matter)?
Who is it that conforms us into the image of Christ? What does he work through?
What is the danger in attributing sanctification to our own efforts? And yet, how does this doctrine encourage zeal to grow in Christ and to combat sin?
What encouragement do you have for listeners who feel like they're taking one step forward and two steps back? Or who feel like the "journey" to sanctification is long and hard?
Sometimes, when things feel really hard, it just doesn't feel like we're going to make it. But how does God guarantee that we will persevere until the end?
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“When you’re really plugged into a church community, so much growth comes from that.”
“God uses the difficult things in life - they force us to trust God and strip us of our self-reliance.”
“There’s one part of our salvation that’s a once-for-all thing (justification), and there’s another part that’s progressive and ongoing (sanctification), and the ongoing part should be based in the once-for-all part.”
“What should be happening for every Christian is that we should be becoming more and more like Jesus every day, to the point where it’s like he’s the elder brother and we’re his younger brothers and younger sisters who resemble our elder brother. Which is such an honor to think that that’s our calling and that’s what God is doing for us.”
“In those times of suffering when it’s hard, it’s helpful to remember this and think that it’s worth it. God is producing this masterpiece over time through the gospel in our lives. He’s making us into ‘little Christs.’”
“Remembering that the Holy Spirit dwells within me and ultimately he is the one who is producing any change that’s happening in my life. This helps me to not be so self-focused; that’s the temptation for me, to think that it’s up to me to produce this change. And we’re involved, we should be striving, but it really ultimately is the Holy Spirit’s work through us and in us.”
“Sometimes it’s as simple as the prayer, ‘Holy Spirit help me.’”
“Basing my growth in what God has already done in Christ. Basing my sanctification in my justification.”
“God’s approval of me doesn’t go up and down based on how I’m performing and how obedient I’m being.”
“My ultimate status before God is in Christ, and from that place I go out and fight sin and seek to be a disciple of Christ.”
“True heart change really doesn’t come through pressure and force and shaming; It has to start with recognizing God’s grace.”
“True heart change starts with recognizing God’s grace.”
“Totally irrespective of our performance, God forgives us for the sake of Christ.”
“All true change really does come from a place of love.”
“All other change and growth must come out of that soil of love for God.”
“Is the way I’m changing rooted in my love for God?”
“My primary sermon must be my life.”
“I can know in my mind that it’s God’s work, but it can help my heart be attuned to that if I’m being prayerful.”
“We have to start by letting go of our own abilities, our own righteousness, our own efforts. And then we start from the standpoint of Christ and what he's done for us. And then we work hard, but we’re working from that.”
“Look back at the saints and Christians who have preceded us in church history; see how in many of them God produced this masterpiece, he did something extraordinary through them, but it was a long messy process and they struggled along the way.”
“God did something powerful with Augustine, but it wasn’t a speedy process.”
“We’re not alone. This is a common experience. We have to slow down and realize this is a marathon, not a sprint. God is doing this beautiful thing, but it takes time. We can’t always see what our greatest problems are and where our greatest struggle with sin is.”
“We shouldn’t assume that just because we’re not seeing progress in our life doesn’t mean that there isn’t progress.”
“In the gospel, God is very very patient.”
“God is the one whom I should measure my life by.”
“No amount of falling down will ultimately destroy us if we keep getting back up and running to Christ and just stay in the fight.”
“It’s the process that does something to us.”
“How do we slow down the noise and the clutter that really robs us of joy?”
“Have a practice that helps you to take stock of the long term, where you look back and look ahead and notice evidences of God’s grace in your life.”
“When people are suffering and going through hard times, make it the emphasis to consider the depth of the love of God. That itself will change us and sanctify us as it consoles us and as it comforts us.”
“Jesus Christ is the perfect Savior and he is uniquely and perfectly suited for the job of saving us because he came into our world and he lived a human life… he died and was buried and he suffered and he’s been through everything we go through. The confidence that we have and the assurance we have isn’t that we're making progress or we’ll try harder next week. The ultimate place we put our focus is on how wonderful and awesome and kingly Jesus is. He can get the job done. It’s not about us, it’s his work.”
RESOURCES
Dynamics of Spiritual Life, by Richard Lovelace
A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis
The Mortification of Sin, by John Owen
You Can Change, by Tim Chester
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
SIMPLE JOYS
Little moments to exercise through biking or swimming
Marco Poloing old college friends
Being a dad
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What means has the Lord used to grow you in the grace and knowledge of Christ throughout your life?
How does rooting your sanctification in your justification allow you to rest in God’s work?
How might you shift your prayer life to increase your reliance on the role of the Holy Spirit in your sanctification?
Sanctification is a (sometimes slow) process. How does knowing that bring you encouragement as you see the ways God is gradually growing you?
What might you do or change based on what you learned in this week’s episode?
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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