Mechanism of Sanctification
2017-06-17
What is on my mind tonight is the totality of the transformation effected by Jesus' salvific action on the individual. Not simply a choice to be a better person, or to choose to agree to certain concepts. But the "salvation" / "sanctification" experience is divinity reaching into the self and rebuilding it with wholly new parts; sometimes will the self or nil the self. Generally, from nose accounts, it involves the wilful submission of the self to the Divine and giving up the self to the Divine's hands. Part of that path is often termed "Baptism in the Holy Ghost", to use the old terminology... an esctatic experience of consciousness communion with Yahweh. Then, as you spend time on this path - or in this bath (perhaps a better metaphor?) - you start realizing there is a withdrawing from your old life, old experiences, old preferences, and it becomes required by this new path to abstain from certain things. A lot of metaphors are used in the Bible to address this transformation. I don't think they connect well into the present day, particularly when we are far removed from the farming industry and the ancient Mesopotamia contexts. And, a lot of them are a bit over used and cliche today, both in common discourse and in church.
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