1. God's teaching concerning sanctification in the administration of grace as defined in Romans chapters five through eight (5-8) is being generally ignored . . .
 

2. Sanctification is defined as setting something or someone apart unto God. The purpose of sanctification is to let the rest of the world know that a person is in fact obeying God's directives for his or her dispensation of origin. In all of the dispensations prior to this one, God required that people perform one or more acts of spiritual obedience by faith before He would declare them righteous! These works of spiritual obedience performed by faith coincidentally demonstrated to the rest of the world that they were obeying God. In the administration of grace, God requires no works of obedience before He will declare us righteous, but only that we accept from the heart the Gospel of the Lord Jesus' life and death for sinners. How is the world to know that we've done so?
 

3. The answer is that the outside observer is unable to discern that we have been justified by looking. That is why, unique to the administration of grace, God has provided clear teaching on how people are to conduct themselves once they have been declared righteous that is separate from teaching related to justification. The Apostle Paul's teaching concerning sanctification is a separate body of truth from that concerning justification and must be studied and understood separately. One does not learn God's teaching concerning sanctification by osmosis . . .
 

4. The concept of the transformed mind is an integral part of God's program for the believer. Many glibly quote I Corinthians 15:1-4, but few ever bother to read I Corinthians 15:2 which is as follows:

"By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."

I Corinthians 15:1 is clearly talking about the gospel related to justification, which when believed results in right standing before God. This truth is also referenced in Romans 5:1-2. Our standing before God, however, is not the result of what we KEEP IN MEMORY, but on what Christ did at the cross. The key to understanding I Corinthians 15:2 is the little word "also." We have a reference to something in addition to the Gospel. That something is sanctification. The reason people misread this verse is that they assume that the word "saved" is a reference to justification. This assumption is related to the assumption that any and all references to "saving," "saved," or "salvation" are references to justification only. There is a good note on the various uses of this word at Romans 1:16 in both the old and new Scofield Reference Bible.
 

5. The words "by which also ye are saved" is a reference to the fact that we are preserved in our minds to the extent that we keep the Word of God in general, and the Pauline epistles in particular, in our minds. It is confirmed by passages like Galatians 4:19 and Second Corinthians 10:5.
 

6. The basic doctrine concerning sanctification is found in Romans 5 - 8. This section comes right after the basic doctrine for justification found in Romans 1 - 4. Romans 9 - 11 describes the relationships between Israel and the Body of Christ. Romans 12 - 16 is an application section for the teaching concerning sanctification contained in Romans 5 - 8.
 

7. Paul's writing contains many concise summaries of Romans 5 - 8. The best one to start with is Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [12:2] and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
 

8. Notice that one of the benefits of the transformed mind is the ability to determine the will of God in any situation. Included in the ability to determine the will of God in any situation would be the ability to determine the meaning of any Scripture. That ability alone should provide all the motivation necessary to pursue a transformed mind.
 

9. My favorite summary of Romans 5 - 8 is Galatians 4:19 which is as follows: "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." All of Romans 5 - 8 can be summarized in this verse. Christ is to be formed in our MINDS. That is the cornerstone of Pauline sanctification. As Christ is formed in our minds, we become Christlike in all our activities. We are all familiar with the phrase, "the Body of Christ." There is a physical aspect of this teaching as well. As we are transformed in our minds, we physically become the body of Christ. The Head is indeed seated in the heavenly places, but He is represented by us in the world as we operate in our physical bodies. We can properly represent the Head only as He is formed in our minds.
 

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The Apostle Paul describes what should be at the center of all of our activities, namely, the process of "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (see Second Corinthians 10:3-5). So, exactly how do we develop a transformed mind? It is quite simple actually.

We should meditate on the Scriptures when our minds are not otherwise occupied with family, job, or other activities. We allow nothing to enter our minds not compatible with the process summarized in Galatians 4:19 (Christ formed in our minds). It is just that simple. The best epistles to start with are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Second Timothy, and Second Corinthians 2:14 - 6:10. The latter section describes how God ministers to the proverbial lost and dying world through the transformed mind of members of the Body. Recall that Moses' face shone after forty days on the mountain with God. When we steadfastly contemplate the face of God through His Word - the Bible - the same thing will happen to us spiritually and internally.
 

11. How Does God Test Us? The words prove, reproof, reprove all refer to testing. The basic process of reproof - or testing - in the administration of grace is outlined in Romans 5:3-5. This section is at the beginning of the basic doctrinal passage on Pauline sanctification, Romans 5 - 8. Romans 5:3-5 is as follows:

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

The word translated "tribulations" (THLIPSIS) has a wide variety of applications. It means primarily "pressure, affliction, trouble, tribulation" or "to squeeze, or apply pressure literally or figuratively." Think of the process as being in a straitjacket of some sort. The reason why we are straitjacketed is to "work patience." "Patience" (HUPOMONE) is the translation of the word that means to "abide under something as an act of the will." The purpose of "patience" is that we might have "experience," but an equally important concept is that there is a DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN PATIENCE AND OUR FINAL RATING AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT! The word "patience" in Romans 5:3, also turns up in Second Timothy 2:11-13.

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Added October 31, 1999
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