¹ … as you received from us instructions as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. ² For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, your sanctification …

Sanctification is merely a continuation on from how we began our Christian life. Paul was consistent in this teaching, as we also see reflected in another of his letters: “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him …” (Col. 2:6). This is God’s instruction, His command, and His will. Any way you look at it, every day we should live as though this is the day of our salvation. And with each day of experience and growth, as Peter writes, “in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), we mature in our sanctification.

The word “sanctification” can be translated “holiness” or “dedication.” It means separation from all that is not in line with a life consecrated to God. In its infancy state, this means turning from the world and our sin and turning to God in faith. We were converted from the old life into the new life (2 Cor 5:17). While we do not experience conversion every day, we do exercise the same faith, hope, and love that were instilled in us on the day of our conversion. As we grow each day in sanctification, we seek to excel in our faith, hope, and love. This excelling “still more” is to exercise the same faith, hope, and love as we face new challenges each day. Our spiritual life does not coast or stagnate, but we discover a more profound understanding of how to live for Christ. As the temptations multiply, the ramifications of our holiness settle deeper into our understanding, and therefore our resistance to sin grows.

In some sense, the initial changes in a believer’s life come quite naturally with the experience of the newness of life through the forgiveness of sins and a revolutionary awareness of God’s overwhelming love. But as time goes by, this newness can grow stale if the believer does not continue to walk in that newness of life.

The antidote is to make every effort not only to continue in the new life but to excel in it. Our first obedience to turn from sin must continue in our dedication to the “authority of the Lord Jesus” in everything. We must give the Lord our blank check of submission to Him regardless of the amount of sacrifice. Paul modeled this by his example; he instructed the Thessalonian believers when he first visited them, and now he reminds them, just as we all need. This is what pleases God.

Lord, my greatest desire is to please You as I grow in my dedication to You.