In Hebrews 10:14 NKJV it reads “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” This almost seems like an oxymoron, because from a carnal perspective, perfect means perfect so if you’re perfect what’s the need for sanctification? How can you be perfect if you need sanctification?
Because faith is a relational and not a legal reality.
Viewing it as a legal reality actually inflames the works of the flesh. Faith has to do with trust.
This verse above implies that when we accept Jesus as our lord and savior, we are declared perfect, yet obviously we’re not perfect in nature thus the need for sanctification. Justification, sanctification and glorification are three different things that can be easily confused!
How can we be perfect if we live in fallen world and our biology is not yet perfected?
We can’t in the fullness of the definition of perfect, but when we put our trust in our creator who is perfect in every way, we can trust that which he starts in us he will complete in us and then at translation because we believe and are in agreement with God’s definition of righteousness and truth with our hearts aligned towards him and his righteousness and his definition of truth, he can then safely without breaching our freewill or individuality, cleanse our minds of any remnants or remembrance of sin and it is then that we have our new biology free from any remnants of sin. So, faith is not a legal reality, it’s a trust and alignment/agreement with God’s truth and reality.
Imagine coming before God and Satan is standing their accusing us of our sin and we cannot remember it because God has cleansed our memory of any remembrance of sin! This will make us feel secure in our standing before God while Satan is there accusing us. Jesus took our sin at the cross to absorb the weight of our sin.
On this side of life until translation and the earth is made new, we can confidently hope in the future reality of all things being restored to its perfect state and cooperate with God in our walk with him, doing what we can to be healthy and steward or health, relationships and earth.
Sanctification is an ongoing walk of maturation, growing in grace, truth and love. Sanctification isn’t liner. Life is messy. Sometimes we show up secure and healthy and other times not so much. Sometimes like Paul said we can do the very things that we don’t want to do. Humility, grace and the desire to grow and mature is needed here.
Unbelievers don’t war with their carnal spirit. They’re content with it.
Believers have two natures. Their flesh and their spirit and until we have a new biology and no more temptation to contend with, we will be battling with our flesh nature. When you become a new creation in Christ, you’re declared perfect, but God doesn’t right then and there remove temptation or delete your current subconscious programming, therefore your two natures will continue to war against each other.
Believers are not sinless, but they’re quick to acknowledge their sin and have the desire to be better than they were yesterday and though they may stumble, they are quick to be convicted and repent and they get back up and keep walking in the light of truth desiring to be like the one whom their soul loves – Jesus who is perfect.
They’re drawn and attracted to truth and because they’re in Christ and have the Holy Spirit, they have the power to grow and mature in truth. At each stage of growth, they are declared perfect. Just as God doesn’t expect a baby to walk when they’re first born, the baby is still doing exactly what a baby is supposed to do.
Each of us are at different stages in our Christian walk. We need to help and encourage each other instead of playing devil’s advocate being the accuser of the brethren. Each and every one of us are more victorious in certain areas of life while weaker in others and vice versa. Iron sharpens iron.
When we see that our creator is perfect in character, wisdom and love, one who is fully trustworthy, and emotionally safe, who has our best interest at heart, and always seeks our highest good and is always there for us, this destroys enmity towards him and allows us to open our heart to him in a trust based relationship. He then comes to live in our hearts and minds and begins the work of cleansing through his blood (covenant faithfulness) and this process “cleanses” us with his trustworthiness which washes us with oxytocin and other trust and relational hormones.
When we are in union with our creator, we feel safe and whole and can interpret reality clearer through our eye of faith vs having an evil eye (not seeing clearly but seeing through fear, scarcity, threats) and because we feel safe and whole in our creator, this allows us to open our hearts to live by truth and love.
Were considered perfect when we detach from creation and our idols, that which makes us feel safe and whole apart from our creator and instead attach to our creator who is perfect in all ways.
Connected to our creator in a relational union brings about the rebirth sanctification process, where we’re born again of love vs fear and thus our selfish, carnal nature of fear gets replaced with love (agape) trust and truth. (1 John 4).
I made this image below with the help of AI to demonstrate this reality.
