Barriers to Sanctification

One of the barriers to true sanctification—for which, seemingly, you do not need the Holy Spirit—is one of mere externalism. But there is another tendency today that I feel I have to mention because it is so much around us. And that is an approach to life and to holiness and spiritual power that relies not on the Holy Spirit, but on earthly techniques and methods. Don’t know what I am talking about? Just go into the local Christian bookstore. I was in one recently, and there was a Self-Help section—just like in the world—and it was very much like the world’s self-help section. It has all these lists of things you need to do—maybe five, maybe seven, maybe twelve. One mega bestselling book had 147 things you need to do to have a purpose-driven life. That is a lot of things. And it is a list of do’s that you will do, and they are disciplines and practices—and many of them are good.

But we find ourselves fasting—which is not a bad thing—but what about touching prayer cloths anointed by some guru? Christians today are even turning to the Buddhist practice of yoga as a Christian discipline. It shows how undiscerning we are. Yoga is a pagan form of self-worship, and Christian churches are opening up Christian yoga centers. Why? Because it is a meditative exercise designed to give us power. And here we have, promised to us, the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, you may say, Now, Pastor, aren’t there biblical disciplines? What about Bible reading? Don’t you talk about that? Yes, I do. What about prayer? What about the sacraments? Yes, that is true—and yet we would never believe that the disciplines themselves are a source of power to us. God’s Word, prayer, worship, the sacraments—only have any power for us as God himself actually grants them power through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s talk about Bible study. Bible study is vitally important. You cannot grow as a Christian without studying your Bible. But never think of it as a mere exercise that, in itself, gives you power.   The Roman Catholics have a Latin phrase called ex opere operato. It is very helpful—I know. Let me explain it: by the doing, it is done. Nike religion: Just do it. By the doing, it is done. And many evangelicals—I think we all do—we practice our Bible reading that way. I did it. And if I stopped you in the hallway and said, What did you learn about God?—Oh, I am going to go read it again. And we treat the Bible as a sacred talisman. We go through the exercise, because it is supposed to give us power. It gives us no power unless we are standing before God and saying, Lord, speak to me through Your Word. Or, like Mary, we sit at his feet to be taught by the Lord—to have a real meeting with him through his Word. It is the Holy Spirit who alone gives power to God’s Word in our lives—and he does that when we seek God’s Word in that way.

What about prayer? There is a reason why you struggle with prayer. It is not just you—it is true of all Christians. Why? Because the flesh wars against the Spirit. It is really the highest activity of which we are capable: to come before God. But how often do we seek peace with God just by going through a mantra? In fact, Christian books sell mantras. Memorize the mantra. Say it that way, and it will work. Well, prayer will only give us peace when we really come before the Lord and open our hearts to him, and really speak to the throne of grace and commune with our Father through Jesus Christ, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Then prayer has power—because the Spirit grants power to those who really pray.

This understanding is important, especially about the sacraments. What a terrible legacy there is in the history of the church in the misuse of the sacraments. Ex opere operato—it was about the sacraments especially that this was said: Just put the wafer in your mouth. Just drink the cup. Just do it, and you will get grace. No such thing is true at all. How is Christ present in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper? Only through the ministry of the Holy Spirit—as we receive Christ through a living faith. We open ourselves to God in faith, and the Spirit is how he is present in and among the elements—not in the elements themselves. It is always the Spirit who gives life. And so here we have this sovereign resource of the Holy Spirit. And Paul says that to disregard God’s call to holiness is therefore to disregard not man, but God, who gives the Holy Spirit to you. And God has made such rich provision for our sanctification—the third person of the Godhead.   What an affront it is to him if we should use any man-made approach in and of itself, seeking to gain power—and even worse, if we should neglect the call to holiness. God has sent his Spirit that we might be holy.¹

Richard D. Phillips