¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them…

If our perfection is a completed, once for all thing, how is it that we are “being sanctified” (this is the better rendering of the NASB rendering “are sanctified”)? That suggests an ongoing activity, and not a once for all event. Theologians categorize sanctification as “positional” and “progressive” to describe the complementary, yet contrasting truths that Scripture lays out. Some, with their roots in the holiness movement of years gone by, speak of a second work of the Holy Spirit, where a Christian experiences a complete sanctification. Aside from theological objections to this, the practical reality is that such complete sanctification does not bear out in personal experience. We all continue to sin and come short of perfect Christlike behavior and thoughts.

That which is perfect is not our behavior, but our having been fully accepted by God through Jesus Christ. There is no longer any need for our repeated efforts to gain forgiveness as in the Mosaic system of sacrifices. The perfect sacrifice has been made, and we have been forgiven. It was perfect, we have been perfected as those completely forgiven for all time. End of story!

As for our behavior, that is another story. Some say, what then is the motivation for living a holy life, if we have already been forgiven for all time? Why not eat, drink and be merry, for if I am completely and permanently saved, there is no motivation to live Christlike? This kind of thinking insults the redeemed image of God in us and the work of the Holy Spirit. It assumes that the only motivation to live holy lives is the fear of punishment or to gain something (in this case forgiveness from God). That assumption is faulty by the fact that “all have fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Our verse today tells us there is new motivation for Christians.

Jeremiah 31:33 prophesied of about a time (which is now here) when God would change our hearts and our minds, that is, our internal motivation. This truth connects the positional with the progressive. We are perfected in Christ, and God has now placed within us a new motivation. It has become part of our spiritual DNA as new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). We are no longer the same as in our pre-conversion state, the impetus now is the dynamic work of the Spirit applying the Word to our lives and revealing to us the mind of Christ. He is working out the change that goes along with the position!

Lord, in keeping with Your will, I pray that You will continually change me from the inside out. Help me live as the person You say I already am.