Hw D I Change? Bringing the Bible t Life Track 1.6 Intrductin I. Imprtant Definitins T Sanctify Jn 17:17; Heb 13:12 Prgressive Sanctificatin Rmans 8:28-30; Cl 1:28; 2 Peter 3:18 Prgressive Sanctificatin is a cperative wrk f Gd (thrugh His Wrd and Spirit) and the child f Gd which results in prgressive, mral grwth and change in wrship, values, lifepurpses, thinking, attitudes, actins, etc. a wrk in which Gd and man cperate each playing distinct rles is a prgressive wrk f Gd and man that makes us mre and mre free frm sin and like Christ in ur actual lives. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Thelgy, Ch. 38 Prgressive Sanctificatin is the gal f biblical sul care. II. Shuld I Change and Grw? And Why? Jesus grew Luke 2:52 We are all cmmanded t grw Eph 4:17; 2 Peter 3:18 Unbelievers & Believers Acts 2:38 & 2 Cr 1:1, 7:1 T be Christ-like Rmans 8:28-29; James 1:2-4; Clssians 1:28 T avid prblems Ephesians 4:13; Hebrews 5:12-14 T help the church build itself up in lve Isaiah 55:10-11; Ephesians 4:16 Mystical ptins, quick fixes, shrtcuts, ease, cares f this life, materialism, philsphies, mralism, legalism are ften appealing (but destructive) ptins.
III. The Thelgical Cntext fr Prgressive Sanctificatin Prgressive Sanctificatin is preceded by Justificatin (r Psitinal Sanctificatin). 1 Cr 1:2, 30, 6:11; Heb 10:10 Justificatin is the judicial act whereby a sinner is declared righteus and the righteusness f Christ is imputed t his r her accunt. Prgressive Sanctificatin is dependent n ur unin with Christ and the indwelling Hly Spirit. Jhn 15:1-11ff; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Cr 6:19-20 Unin with Christ is used t describe all the aspects f the indwelling relatinship that the believer has with Christ. Unin with Christ Remval f Sin s Past Psitinal Sanctificatin Justificatin Rm 5:1 Penalty & Pwer Present Prgressive Sanctificatin Spiritual Grwth 2 Pet 3:18 Practice Future Perfected Sanctificatin Glrificatin 1 Jn 3:2 Presence By the indwelling f the Hly Spirit, the believer (rather than the temple r the tabernacle) is the place fr the lcalized presence f the Hly Spirit. Prgressive Sanctificatin is fllwed by Glrificatin (Perfected r Prspective r Ultimate Sanctificatin) 1 Jhn 3:2; Rm 8:18; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Cr 15:42, 51-53 New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 2
Prgressive Sanctificatin is demnstrated by the utline f multiple New Testament bks I.e. Ephesians, Rmans, etc. The Ephesians Mdel f Church Biblical Sul Care is what the lcal church des. Grwth is expected in everyne. New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 3
IV. Unbiblical Views f Prgressive Sanctificatin The Rman View The Wesleyan View (Christian Perfectinism) New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 4
The Keswick View (Higher Life r Deeper Life) Ppular Mdificatin (Cmbinatin f unbiblical views) Many peple wh claim t believe the biblical view nevertheless fall practically int the errrs f ther appraches: Behavir mdificatin (Fruit Nailing); pull yurself up; let g and let Gd, etc. They ech bth the Wesleyan and Keswick when they seem t be waiting fr sme divine event that will take away the strngest pulls f sin and eliminate the need fr cncentrated self-discipline. They ech the Wesleyan view specifically when they admit that we sin all the time but very seldm cnfess it r ask frgiveness. And they ech the Keswick view specifically when they let g and let Gd s Wrd by thinking that the absrptin f scriptural teaching alne, withut its practice, will change them. New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 5
V. An Illustratin f Biblical Prgressive Sanctificatin Prgressive means that steps are taken, nt instant perfectin. Heb 12:1-3 VI. Key Elements Necessary fr Biblical Prgressive Sanctificatin Remember the rle f the Hly Spirit! 1 Cr 2:6-16; Gal 5; Eph 5; Cl 3 Prgressive Sanctificatin is nly pssible as the Hly Spirit is wrking in the heart. New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 6
Understand change must riginate in the heart Matt 15:16-20, 22:37-40; Luke 6:44-45 Eight Heart Questins: 1) What are my gals, expectatins, r intentins? 2) What d I becme anxius ver r fearful ver? 3) What makes me happy? 4) What mtivates me? 5) What wuld I like, pssibly mre than anything? 6) In what situatin d I respnd in anger? 7) What perceived right(s) has been denied? 8) What biblical standard r principle permits that thught, wrd, r actin? New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 7
Prayer and study f Gd s Wrd helps us t identify specific areas f ur life that need t change the mst. Ps 139:23-24; Matt 7:7-11; Luke 6:46-49; Phil 4:4-9; James 1:22-25, 2:18-20 Ptential areas f change include: Wrds/Speech Ps 120:2; James 3, esp v. 6; Eph 4:25-32, esp. v. 29 Actins/Behavirs Cl 3:1-17, esp. vv. 12-15; 1 Thes 5:22 Thinking Phil 4:8-9; 2 Cr 10:5 Mtivatins/Desires 2 Cr 5:9-10; Gal 1:10; James 4:1-3ff Repent, and ask frgiveness frm Gd and the apprpriate peple. Ps 51; Prv 28:13; Matt 5:23-24; 2 Cr 7:10-11 c.f. handut The Unrepenting Repenter by Jim Elliff c.f. handut True Repentance and its Impact by Brad Bigney metania a change f mind that leads t a change in living Faith and Repentance are c-jined Siamese twins: Faith describes the actin f the heart twards an bject, and repentance describes the actin f the heart away frm an bject. 1 Thess 1:9 Elements f True Repentance: Cnsideratin Lamentatins 3:40 Cnvictin 2 Samuel 24:10 Cntritin Isaiah 66:2 Cnfessin 2 Samuel 24:10 Cmmitment Luke 19:8 Effects f True Repentance: Restitutin Luke 19:8 Recnciliatin 2 Crinthians 2:7-8 Regret (Gdly grief) 2 Crinthians 7:8-13 New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 8
** Special Tpics Related t Repentance ** 1 GUILT Guilt Definitin: A legal liability r culpability t punishment The fact f guilt vs the feeling f guilt The idea f false guilt Dealing with guilt We must never minimize the fact f guilt Guilt is universal because sin is universal (Rmans 3:19, 23) Guilt is serius because Gd is a hly Judge (Rmans 1:18; 2:5-6) Guilt will remain even if it is explained away r if its effects are smehw lessened, and where guilt remains punishment is inevitable. We must never minimize the feeling f guilt We must never underestimate the effects f guilt The warning light f ur cnscience reveals guilt The imprtance f a clean cnscience Explicit references (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Timthy 1:19; Hebrews 13:18) Implicit principles frm Rmans 14:23 Variatins f a cnscience referred t in Scripture A seared cnscience (1 Timthy 4:2; Titus 1:15; Ephesians 4:19) An untrained cnscience (cf. Lev. 4:22-24; 1 Timthy 1:13; Hebrews 5:14) An veractive cnscience (Rmans 14:1-5, 23) A biblical cnscience (1 Timthy 1:5) The slutin t guilt = Substitutinary Atnement by Faith & Repentance 1 This sectin f the ntes is excerpted by permissin frm Intr t Biblical Cunseling lecture ntes taught by Dr. Jhn Street at The Master s Cllege & Seminary. New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 9
FORGIVENESS Frgiveness Definitin: A prmise f pardn; releasing a debt; relinquishing the right t revenge Gd s frgiveness (Rmans 4:3-8; Clssians 2:13-14; Matthew 6:12; Hebrews 12:5-11) Our frgiveness (Ephesians 4:32; Clssians 3:13; Jeremiah 31:34) Fur Prmises f Frgiveness: I will nt remind yu f this sin (unless it wuld be abslutely necessary fr yur gd) I will nt mentin it t anyne else (unless it wuld be abslutely necessary fr yur gd) I will nt allw my mind t dwell n it I will nt allw this sin t hinder ur nging pursuit f Christ-likeness tgether The attitude f frgiveness Mark 11:25, And whenever yu stand praying frgive, if yu have anything against anyne Luke 23:34, Father, frgive them, fr they d nt knw what they are ding. Matthew 6:12-15 and Luke 11:4, And frgive us ur sins, Fr we urselves als frgive everyne wh is indebted t us. The transactin f frgiveness accmplishing recnciliatin Luke 17:3, transactinal frgiveness with thers that brings abut recnciliatin is based upn the verbal acknwledgment f repentance. Rm 12:18 Hw shuld we frgive? Immediately (Luke 17:3, if yur brther sins; and if he repents, frgive him. ) Repeatedly (Luke 17:4, And if he sins against yu seven times in a day, and returns t yu seven times, saying I repent, frgive him. ) Lavishly (2 Crinthians 2:5-8, rather frgive and cmfrt, lest smehw such a ne be verwhelmed by excessive srrw. ) Why shuld we frgive? (Matt 18:18-35) Other issues related t whm we frgive Cnfrnting vs cvering Aplgizing vs asking fr frgiveness What abut frgiving Gd? What abut frgiving unbelievers? What abut frgiving dead peple? What abut frgiving urselves? New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 10
Prayerfully emply great effrt t mrtify yur sin (Put it t death) Rmans 6:12-19; 1 Cr 9:24-27; Matt 5:29-30; Heb 12:1-14, esp v. 4; Eph 6:10-12 Many systems f change and spiritual grwth ignre these truths and expect an infusin, zap, r instantaneus whiffle dust t bring abut change. Live by the Spirit by replacing yur sinful ways f thinking and acting with gdly alternatives (superir lves) Rm 8:12-13, 12:1-2; Gal 5:16-25; Eph 4:22-24, 5:18-21; Cl 3:9-14ff Learn t practice the spiritual disciplines regularly 1 Tim 4:7-8; Heb 5:14; 2 Peter 1:3-13 Seek t cntinue t glrify Gd and enjy the blessings f fllwing Him. Ps 16:11, 34:8; Prv 18:10 VII. Recmmended Resurces Help! I Want t Change (Life-Line Mini-Bk), by Jim Newheiser The Pursuit f Hliness, by Jerry Bridges The Practice f Gdliness, by Jerry Bridges Lrd Change Me, by James MacDnald I Really Want t Change S Help Me Gd, by James MacDnald Hw Peple Change, by Paul Tripp & Tim Lane A Christian Grwth & Discipleship Manual, by Wayne Mack A Hmewrk Manual fr Biblical Living, by Wayne Mack (vls. 1 & 2) VIII. Giving Credit Where Credit is Due Special thanks t: Dr. Steve Viars, The Dctrine f Prgressive Sanctificatin Ntes prepared fr the Biblical Cunseling Training Cnference, Feb 2015 Dr. Jhn Street, The Master s Cllege & Seminary, Class Ntes frm Intrductin t Biblical Cunseling lectures Bethany Fellwship f Churches fr their develpment and generus sharing f this curriculum fr ur study. T learn mre, r pursue frmal Assciatin f Certified Biblical Cunselrs (ACBC) certificatin with this training, please cntact Bethany Cmmunity Church at (309) 508-1755 r www.bethanycmmunitychurch.rg. New Castle Bible Church 11/11/2015 Page 11