Of late we have spent some time pondering the relative involvement of ourselves in the process of sanctification. Hopefully we saw that our sanctification is the work of God first and foremost. But are we then somehow not involved in the changing of ourselves? To say this would also be an error. We are the object being changed (passive) but also we are an active agent in that change.
This is our instinctive understanding of the subject. When we change for the better we often attribute that change to ourselves. In our last post on the subject of moral transformation, we were trying hard to show how God is the one who is working in us. That was the emphasis and the starting ground from the first post on the subject. Why? Because we often start with ourselves.
But in this post I want to think about the other side of the coin. It is not to say we are not involved in the process of positive moral transformation. As we have just said, we often take responsibility for our own moral transformation. And so we should. But because of the self-serving bias which is baked into us, we often attribute positive moral transformation with ourselves, and attribute our own moral failings to circumstance (that which is outside of ourselves). An interesting double standard.
When it comes to our moral failures Tim Chester reminds us, “Our struggles and temptations often trigger sin, but they never cause it.” (p.74) That is to say that we are not merely defeated by sin as if overcome by it. Rather we are disobedient. We are actively involved and responsible for our actions in inaction. No one but ourselves can take responsibility for our sins. “It made us do it”, is more accurately, “it helped me do it.”
With that in mind, it is equally our responsibility to seek holiness as God is holy. And as we continually seek holiness it becomes our habit. Put another way, we are morally transformed. God is at work, totally. Yet we are at work. We see both in Scripture.
When it comes to positive moral transformation, I was particularly struck by Galatians 6:7-8,
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Chester says in reflection of this verse, “There is, says Paul, a principal in the world God has made: a man reaps what he sows. It’s true in agriculture and it’s true in our spiritual lives.” (p.145 – 146)
I find this particularly encouraging – which, of course, is exactly what the Lord is doing in this verse. He is calling us not to be deceived – we reap what we sow. God is calling us to action. God is calling us to reap a harvest of spiritual transformation which glorifies God. So, hear these words and put them into action in your life – so that you can say with Paul,
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Cor. 15:10)
Chester, Tim. You Can Change: God’s Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behaviour & Negative Emotions. Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2008.
Bigvai and Shiphrah 