God's Will - Wholeness

It is God's will that you should be sanctified…

1 Thessalonians 4:3a

The apostle reminds the Thessalonians of the clear instructions he gave on how to live to please God. Notice these are given "through the Lord Jesus." This is not just Paul's advice as a religious leader. These are the words and desires of our Lord Jesus himself: First of all, says Paul, it is that "the will of God is your sanctification."

I am sorry that the word sanctification appears here because I find a lot of people have very confused ideas as to what constitutes sanctification. Some think it is a kind of a religious sheep dip that they are put through; an experience of cleansing and commitment entered into once for all. Once they have been dipped, they feel, everything is fine. Others think that sanctification is an extraction process. God uses a kind of sin magnet to extract all the sin, and from then on they can live to please him. Some people actually think they have not sinned for years. Obviously, nobody has told them the truth yet. A little deeper investigation would reveal how wrong they are. Actually, the word sanctification is really almost the same as the word that is translated holiness in this passage. It comes from the same root word. But again, I find that many are confused about holiness.

When I was younger, most people thought of holiness as grimness. I did not like holy people. They looked like they had been soaked in embalming fluid. They were grim and dull; they frowned on anything that was fun or pleasurable. But that is not holiness. I like the good English word wholeness, which also derives from the same root. Everybody wants to be a whole person. The Old Testament speaks about the beauty of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalms 29:2, 96:9), the inner attractiveness that is apparent when someone begins to function inwardly as he or she was intended.

What this says is that God is designing beautiful people! That is what he wants. And not merely outwardly beautiful people like those we see on television, but inwardly beautiful people. He is more interested in inward beauty, in making admirable, trustworthy, strong, loving, compassionate people — having all the qualities which make for inner beauty. That is what God calls wholeness, and that is his will for you. Isn't it exciting that God wants to make you a whole person?

Thank you Father, that you are making me whole. Please give me the beauty of holiness so that I may do your will.