A few years ago I was exposed to one of those books that calls Christians to deal with their “soul issues” and inner flaws. So in response, I was doing that old familiar harsh introspective gazing at all I felt was unacceptable in me and trying to drag it all before Jesus.
I had piles of stuff.
While I was struggling through this process, the Holy Spirit clearly asked, “What are you doing?” I replied that I didn’t want these issues to hold me back or sabotage me. He answered, “Well, if you want to torment your way into sanctification, I suppose you can try.”
And I suddenly realized how counterproductive all this was for someone with my temperament.
He then asked gently, “Am I not faithful? Have I not been faithful enough for you to relax with Me? To just trust Me and walk with Me?”
A Big, Obscure Bible Word
Sanctification is basically the process where the followers of Jesus are being ever increasingly transformed into the image and nature of Jesus Christ. It involves a slow process of growing and maturing, being purified, and being made harmonious with the Kingdom and nature of God.
As we are sanctified:
- we are increasingly free to walk harmoniously with the Holy Spirit
- we experience greater peace and joy
- we behave with greater love, patience, and kindness toward other people
- we increasingly see our circumstances through the eyes of faith
- we endure suffering and injustice with greater patience
- we produce more fruit
It is not our job to sanctify ourselves. Although we are called to respond to God as He works in our lives, we are inherently incapable of truly sanctifying ourselves.1
It is something only God can do for and in us. In fact, one of the identifying names God uses for Himself is “I Am YHWH Who Sanctifies You”.
His Process of Sanctifying Us is Truly Beautiful
I don’t speak for the other 80-some percent of the world, but with highly sensitive people, the Holy Spirit Himself escorts us into and through the most lovely seasons of cleansing. When He does, He is very specific, very effective, and very kind. And it feels so good to get free.
With us highly sensitive types, the Holy Spirit’s way is to address our stuff in manageable, bite-size pieces. One very specific bite at a time.
AND the tiny bites are all sweetened with His warm, loving regard and kind patience.2 It’s like Mary Poppins where “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down… in a most delightful way”.
“Delightful” is a fitting word for this relational process that is so life-giving and transforming. What I love most is how the Holy Spirit keeps our attention riveted on how wonderful Jesus is, not on how messed up we are.3
The Demoralizing Alternative
To the contrary, the cleansing/transforming process people want us to engage in is, for us, exhausting and demoralizing. It sends highly sensitive people into introspective navel-gazing looking at all the condemning, overwhelming issues we fruitlessly struggle with.
It results in feelings of insecurity and shame. And it leaves us trying to behaviorally juggle all the right behaviors we now feel responsible for.
As highly sensitive believers, anything that yanks us out of our secure relationship with God and makes us stare at our behaviors, defects, and soul issues is a bad trade.
Looking at Jesus Loving Us
The fact is that we all have enough flaws and soul issues to keep our eyes busy for the rest of our lives. But as highly sensitive believers, our eyes are better off looking at Jesus loving us.
We are free to do this because His death on the cross covers our mess4 and gives us unearned entry into a relationship of peace with God.5 And once in that relationship, God is faithful and has promised to take responsibility to complete the work He began in us.6
All we as highly sensitive people really have to do is responsively go along for the loving, relational ride.
Happy New Year.
Blessings,
Gail Ruth
1 See “A Deeper Look” below
2 Romans 2:4
3 2 Corinthians 3:18
4 Romans 4:25
5 Romans 5:1
6 Philippians 1:6
A Deeper Look
For those readers who want to explore this further in scripture:
There are mysteries in scripture that allude to a connection between rest, being cleansed/transformed/sanctified, and the inherent nature of God.7
Early in Judaism
In the Old Testament, sanctification is linked simultaneously to the concept of Sabbath (rest) and to one of the redemptive names of God: YHWY Qadash8 – translated YHWH Who Sanctifies You.
This assures us that through the simple process of being in relaxed, responsive, loving relationship with Him, His nature slowly transforms us and makes us more like Him.9
Jesus’ Own Words
In John 15:1-11, when Jesus painted a picture of how we are to be spiritually healthy and growing, He used the image of a grapevine in a vineyard. He says He Himself is the vine (roots, trunk), His Father is the vinedresser, and we simply are branches growing out of the vine.
Jesus so clearly portrays here a place of relaxed rest. A branch does not strive to grow or produce fruit. All a branch does is stay connected to the vine and receive the care of the vinedresser. This imagery is both restful and relational.
Letters to the Early Church
In Hebrews 4:11-16, three concepts that are often presented as separate teachings are all sequentially connected.
- First the call to enter into God’s rest.
- Second, the promise that the living Word of God (don’t just think “Bible” here; also consider John 1:1 – Jesus Himself) is active and will effectively touch the deepest and most hidden things in us.
- And third, that Jesus is our compassionate high priest, and we can go boldly to His throne of grace.
In other words, we can be slowly transformed and sanctified by entering into a rest relationship with God through Jesus because the living, active Word of God will go deeply and personally into each of us who are in such a relationship.
And when this process exposes a problem, we can confidently draw near to Jesus, who sympathizes with our weaknesses, and receive grace and mercy from Him.
And do remember that it is the kindness and goodness of God (His grace and mercy) that causes us to change how we think and behave.10
For further study: Galatians 3, Romans 3-5.
7 Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12, Hebrews 3-4
8 Exodus 31:13
9 Romans 8:29, I Corinthians 15:49, 2 Corinthians 3:18
10 Philippians 1:6
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this post, Gail. Beautiful insights. I love reading your stuff! :-)
Chris
Happy New Year Gail, and thanks for another lovely, encouraging post.
Here’s a thought: although we cannot ’sanctify’ ourselves, we can ‘consecrate’ ourselves. That is, we can choose to offer to God all that we are and all that we have, for His glory.
Having said that, it was only after many years of learning about God’s love and goodness that I finally felt secure enough to consecrate myself completely in this way. Too sensitive, you see! :-)
Hi Adam. I agree that we can consecrate ourselves to God. But like everything for us highly sensitive types, it’s all in the subtle nuances.
The call to consecrate can demand and intimidate, be heavy and harsh. Or it can be a responding to the gentle wooing of a desirable suitor who calls us to open ourselves to a relationship of love to Him – to let Him into us at ever deeper levels of intimacy.
So much of it relates to our view of God. If we have vestiges of a sense that God is unfeeling, harsh, and heavy-handed, that He wants to throw us out into the overwhelming world with no allowable boundaries for our sensitivities, it is far too frightening for us highly sensitive types to open ourselves to such a God in consecration. But when we slowly grow in our confidence that He truly does understand we are sensitive and that He loves that about us and isn’t trying to violate us, it’s far easier to allow Him access to all we are and all we have.
You have obviously made that shift. I bless you.
Gail, you really hit the nail on the head with this response, esp in the 3rd paragraph. For so long, I felt God’s condemnation breathing down my neck, so to speak. It’s taken me many, many years to break free from that thinking. I still have remnants of it, but thanks to people like you, I feel much freer now.
May God continue to bless you in your ministry to those of us who are highly sensitive :0)
You’re right Gail. I spent the first 15 years of my Christian life fearing and mistrusting God deep down, and whenever anyone preached about consecration, surrender or submission to God, I would be filled with anxiety and dread.
To cut a long story short, God eventually healed me and freed me to trust Him in a much deeper way. One result of this is that consecration has become a joy rather than a thing to be feared.
My prayer is that everyone visiting your web site will eventually come to this place of trust. Truly, there is no safer and comforting place in the universe than in the Father’s arms.
I don’t know how I stumbled on this site but I’m so glad I did. I’m a 51 year old Methodist minister in Belfast, Northern Ireland, who has driven herself to complete breakdown trying to be what non sensitive types say I should be. I am deeply, deeply sensitive, find the world hard to deal with, and thought that this made me weak and deficient as a human being. Thank you for pointing out that it is ok to be me, and that Jesus actually understands people like me.
May your new understandings transform your relationship with God and with yourself. May a fresh wind of healing and renewal enter into your heart and life. And after you are refreshed, may you find safe ways to refresh others. I bless you.
Happy New Year, Gail, and thanks for another insightful post. My only comment is that when I used to read John 15:2 and 15:6, these two verses would stand out more than anything else. I would stress on them because I felt I needed to be worthy and “good enough” to stay out of the fire.
Hi Serena. I’d like to comment on those two verses you mention.
Re: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away”: the words “he takes away” is a poor interpretation of the Greek, based on a misunderstanding of caring for the vine. If the branch is connected (abiding) in Jesus Christ, the vinedresser won’t hack it off. He doesn’t waste branches; any attached branch has life in it and is inherently valuable. The words “he takes away” are better translated “lifts up”. But since that phrase doesn’t make sense to translators who don’t know anything about vineyards, they don’t translate it literally. Bruce Wilkinson’s book Secrets of the Vine explains if there is a branch that is dirty and trailing on the ground, or shaded too much by other branches and not able to get enough sun, and therefore not bearing fruit, the vinedresser will wash it off if needed, and lift and secure it into place off the ground where it gets good light so it can bear fruit.
Re: “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit”: This is a reference to the process of sanctification I’m talking about in this post. This pruning keeps the branch as healthy and fruitful as it is capable of being. Effortlessly. And all the “spoonful of sugar” concepts apply to this with the highly sensitive believer.
Re: “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers…”: Being connected to Jesus is being connected to spiritual life. This isn’t a picture of not measuring up or not performing to specs. This is a picture of a branch that breaks itself off from the vine not wanting to be attached anymore. The outcome is that the branch withers and dies. So when the branch is “gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned” it’s just the disposal of an already dead, withered branch. But remember that the vinedresser is a master grafter (Romans 11:17-24). As long as there is life in the branch and a desire to reconnect, He is capable of grafting it back in. Jesus didn’t mention this option in this story, but He did tell the story of the prodigal son and the forgiving, receiving Father (Luke 15).
Hope this helps. :-) Blessings!
Thanks for the response and clarification, Gail. Understanding the way a vinedresser works really helps. I never knew that. What a difference this makes!
In light of this discussion, I would like to make a request of you. Would you consider doing a post on the idea of “perfection” in passages such as “be ye perfect as I am perfect?” (I’m sorry if I butchered that passage! I can’t seem to find the exact scripture). I’m pretty sure we highly sensitive types (along with everyone else, for that matter), have a difficult time with the idea of “perfection.”
For now, keep in mind that “perfect” isn’t a neurotic, behaviorally-focussed perfectionism. I believe “perfect” is an even more intimate and gentle a word than sanctification. I feel it has something to do with the mystery of “Jesus Christ in us”, as He Himself becomes more and more who we are, as His love roots deeply in us and colors all of who we are and what we do. I suggest it might essentially reflect a freedom – through God’s Presence in us – to be harmonious with the utterly beautiful Kingdom of God, not bondage to behavior.
Thanks, Gail. Some words to ponder. I have also been told that the word translated as “perfect” actually means “balanced,” which, when you read certain passages with this understanding, makes more sense (and causes less stress in me!)
I went and did a quick word study in Stong’s concordance. The word in question can be transliterated telioo and means “to make perfect, complete; to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end; to complete (perfect); add what is yet wanting in order to render a thing full; to be found perfect; to accomplish”. This concept ties in with the verse in Philippians 1:6 that says, “He who began a good work in you will complete it…” Once again, the vinedresser gives the care, and we respond.
Contrast this to the word translated “perfect” in Luke 1:3 where it talks about “perfect understanding”. This word means “exactly, accurately, diligently”. This “exact, accurate, diligent” concept is not referring to our character or our behavior.
Feeling comfortable with the concept of the first definition of “perfect” truly comes down to whether we perceive of God as demandingly frowning down on us, or whether we grasp Him as lovingly wooing us into intimacy of relationship with Him. And that intimate relationship is in itself over time a gently transformational reality.
Thanks for the additional insight, Gail. I guess for too long I relied on my own efforts to make me be perfect for God, when all along, I should’ve have just let Him work in my heart and soul to “complete the work He began in” me.
You and the rest of us. Sounds all too familiar.
But there is a ditch on the opposite side of the road, and that is passivity. Relationship is not a passive place. Remember the “responding” to what He’s doing. Sometimes the responding – the walking out with Him what He’s working in us – the engaging with Him in the context of what He is coaxing out of our lives- can be quite demanding and take not only all our resources, but also require His resources for and with us.
But that’s different from performing for Him. It’s a relational thing. And because His Presence is so delightful, we would rather be in this demanding place with Him than to be on “easy street” without Him.
Hi Gail,
I just wanted to make a comment on the discussion of “be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
I believe we are “perfect” as we abide in Christ. Therefore it’s
not our striving, it’s “our abiding” and the life of the Spirit flows
through us as we yield to Him.
That’s a better answer than mine. I love it. Blessings!
Two things caught my eye in this discussion:
1) “Perfect” – I have been told that the word encompasses complete or full. The best image I’ve heard is that it’s also the word used for a ripe piece of fruit. E.g. It was a pear when it was small and green, and it’s still a pear now, but now it is at the peak of flavor and texture, full of sweetness and ready for use.
2) On pruning: I love to prune, and so this image has always been valuable to me. I only prune the plants I value the most (like the pear tree), and I prune carefully and thoughtfully, always working towards the health, productivity, and beauty of the tree or shrub. Sometimes, major surgery is required, and I may appear brutal, but it’s only for the good of the plant. When I prune, I can better understand and savor what God is doing in me.
Thank you, Vivian. Lovely imagery.