Salvation and Sanctification

All right, let's let's pray Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the opportunity to come worship you this morning. We thank you for Just your word and the church and how you've sustained your church.

You've given us all we need in your word Lord. I just thank you for Laurel Bible Church. I thank you for calling a pastor here. And I just pray that you would continue to grow this church and especially just grow this church in holiness and more and more into the image of your son.

We Pray in Jesus name. Amen. So it's not been an uncommon thing throughout the history of the church that the church debates various Doctrines or various scriptures that they might have different interpretations on.

The Council of Nicaea and the Deity of Christ

So many councils throughout church history have met out of necessity to assemble and they come together to Protect the integrity of God's Word or the truth of God's Word or at least To discuss the truth of God's Word an example of this would be the Council of Nicaea.

So Emperor Constantine of the Holy Roman Empire in about the year 325 AD Called for this council to assemble in Nicaea to establish some core Christian Doctrines and largely to be discussed was a belief known as Arianism.

Arianism was a set of beliefs that came from a man named Arius. And what areas taught is that since scripture? Clearly teaches the oneness of God. There were several conclusions that must be made about the nature of God and especially the nature of Jesus Christ.

So in areas his mind because God is one the Son of God in essence Could also not be divinely God. And the Son of God was created out of nothing because if he was not eternal God he had to be Created. So what areas held to was a denial of the deity of Christ or a denial of the divine nature of Jesus Christ.

Which is also a denial of the Trinity. So the Council of Nicaea would rightly conclude that Aries had it wrong. They concluded that the Son of God in all ways is Equally a divine person as the father is and they also rightly concluded the Spirit also is God in the truest sense.

And they held that the scripture clearly taught this they saw that God had one nature. Yet three distinct individual persons God the Father God the Son and of course God the Holy Spirit and the church.

Not only just concluded that Arianism was wrong that it was actually heresy. It was damnable heresy on the basis that a wrong view of the nature of Jesus Christ is. Now a gospel issue a false view of Christ means a false faith.

If Jesus is not divine in nature He's not eternal God. He cannot save you. We might sit back and ask questions like well. How could areas have got this so wrong? How is it the areas didn't see scripture clearly teaching the divinity of Christ didn't he ever read?

Philippians 2 6 that Jesus Existed in the form of God. Or John 10 30 when Jesus said I and my father are one or John 1 1. In the beginning was the word the word was with God and the word was God just a couple verses later.

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. I mean, how could he have not seen the clarity of scripture in this matter. And what I would pose to you is.

That.

The error that he used in his His methodology was probably more common than we realized and I believe This error this type of error and our method of how we apply God's Word Actually can even come from good intentions.

People are trying to understand the Word of God. And I think undoubtedly areas rightly did understand at least one thing you understood the clarity of God's Word that God is One. Deuteronomy 6 for hero Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one and Jesus quoted this even mark 1229 the scribes came and asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was and he said the Foremost is this hero Israel the Lord our God is one Lord and you shall love the Lord your God With all your heart soul mind and strength and the second you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

So what areas wrestled with was something that at times? We also must wrestle with. How do we handle God's Word when in our minds? We may have difficulty making sense of all pieces of his word. I mean this is difficult.

How can God be one in nature yet scripture clearly teaches the Father is God the Son is God and the Spirit is God. How do we think about the scriptures when maybe in our minds? It seems like there could be a contradiction.

Well one thing that we must always remember. 2nd Timothy 3 16 it says that all scriptures inspired by God or God breathed. And because scripture is inspired by God We can be sure that in all ways his word is truth.

That's what Psalm 119 160 says. It says the sum of your word is truth and because the sum of his word is truth We can be assured there is absolutely no contradiction. If we have difficulty in understanding we must recognize.

The issue is not with the sufficiency of God's Word or with the inerrancy of his word. The issue isn't that God contradicts himself and the issue lies with us. Isaiah 55 8 9 says. For your thoughts are not my thoughts nor are your ways.

My ways declares the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth So are my ways higher than yours and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. So where Arius was just fatally wrong was that he saw God's Word perhaps as Contradictory and instead of believing the entire in the entire counsel of God's Word.

He.

He embraced at least just one piece of God's Word and he did this and he willfully ignored or denied at least other clear Biblical truths that maybe he had a difficult time reconciling and I admit the doctrine of the the Trinity is challenging to grasp.

I.

Confess it's difficult in our minds, but God's Word adequately teaches us this therefore we must believe it. He calls for us to have faith in him and in his word he says his word is settled forever in heaven.

It is truth. Therefore we can gladly and confidently believe in his word and obey his word. Even if at times we feel inadequate to wrap our minds around all aspects of his truth. I Think we do well to consider that placing more priority on one truth of God's Word At the expense of another truth of his word can quickly Turn into error with huge ramifications even like this one.

These are eternal ramifications. So an overreaction to areas his belief would maybe just be looking at well, we acknowledge father son and spirit are all divine persons. They can't share the same nature.

So there are three individual deities. Well, this would this would be an equally wrong error on the other side of it. So I believe Oftentimes we can misunderstand truths of Scripture and The error that might result on that when we focus on one aspect of God's truth at the expense of another Creates a huge a huge error where we can actually Wrongly understand the gospel.

I'm increasingly more convinced that one of these errors That might occur from misunderstanding of the whole counsel of God's Word is a doctrine of progressive sanctification. One question that may be asked is who's at work to live the Christian life or who's working in the Christian life.

Is it Christ in you or? Is it us? The answer to this question is God's Word does make it plainly clear. That is God who is sovereignly at work in us to conform us to the image of his Son. And his word is also equally as clear that man must participate in this in other words You will not grow into the image of Jesus Christ if you sit back and idly wait for God to change you.

I'd like to invite you again to open up your Bibles to Philippians. Philippians chapter 2. We'll start in verse 12. I notice in the bulletin. It said 12 through 16, we're actually just going to be looking at 12 and 13 this morning, but We'll read 12 through 18 just by way of introduction.

So Philippians 2 12 through 18 so then my beloved just as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only. But now much more in my absence. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you.

Both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that you will be blameless and innocent children of God without Blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Holding fast the word of life so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to boast because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith I rejoice and share my joy with you all and you also rejoice in the same way and Share your joy with me.

So Paul he's previously exhorted the church in Philippi to live humbly with one another another live in such a way that They're seeing to the needs of others before themselves and he uses the superlative Example of Christ and Christ humbled himself to the point of death.

So Christ came in humility in his incarnation humbled himself in his death and now he's reigning as Lord over all and Paul continues his Exhortation as he continues to deeply focus on how the Philippian believers live their lives.

So again verses 12 and 13 is going to be our primary verses of consideration. So then my beloved just as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence. Work out your salvation With fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

So these verses can often be hotly debated. What is it that Paul's actually saying? What is working out your salvation and why is Paul calling the Philippians to work out their salvation? And then in the very next breath, he says that it's God at work in them.

Anyways Paul is speaking of a very very specific part of our redemption when he says work out your salvation with fear and trembling. What the Apostle Paul says in these two verses is perhaps one of the most insightful scriptures and understanding again What we call the doctrine of progressive sanctification so sanctification is this theological word that we use to describe the process of an individual believer being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ and the word means purified or made holy or were set apart, so Though the believer at the moment of the new birth is justified before God.

They're declared righteous. They have Christ's righteousness applied to them. We are not yet completely without sin. So the Lord in his grace conforms the believer more and more into the image of his son starting at regeneration in this process as progressive sanctification Occurs throughout the entirety of our life.

So many times we see in scripture commands both, you know. This specific command even in the Old and the New Testament be holy as I am holy. Well sanctification is how God is making us holy and make no mistake about it all Believers will be sanctified to one degree or another.

Some are going to progress far far beyond others. But God's Word is very clear Believers are being sanctified and as I mentioned earlier the doctrine of progressive sanctification Can be wrongly understood in such a way that it can become very dangerous.

We see time and time again in Scripture that the believer is charged to live a godly life. The believer is called to be holy. Ephesians 4 22 through 24. It gives instruction to us it says lay aside the old self which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of Deceit and that you be renewed by the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which is in the likeness of God Has been created in Christ in in righteousness and holiness and truth.

Then on the other side of things just as our text says this morning It is God who is at work in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Ephesians 2 10 also says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works Which God has prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

So the scripture is abundantly clear that it is God Who even prepares our good works so that we walk in them? So you again might be asking yourself? Why am I commanded to live in such a way? That's pleasing to God if he's the one that's has to do it.

Anyways, and I was to suggest to you the tension We see is what again often leads to error. Some will See the amount of commands to obey him and completely overwhelm themselves. Trying to obey because they're doing it solely from their own strength.

They in essence they create a law that they must live under they seek to obey all that he's commanded. But they're doing it without any sort of reliance on him to work in them. This sort of practice would inevitably lead to misery and despair and you will certainly be crushed by the weight of the law.

And you will never be able to obey if he's not working in you. The other example of this. People will at least attempt or probably better better said to claim to live the Christian life With absolutely no discipline in their life.

They might use phrases like Jesus take the wheel or let go and let God and there's certainly something to be said about resting in God's sovereignty. You might even be a good Calvinist that gladly recognizes that you can't do any good outside of Christ working in you.

But what you what some might do is they might fail to understand that doctrine. They might understand fail to apply Their theology even to their lives they misunderstand in such a way that they have such a low view of personal holiness and mortifying sin.

That they're not living for his honor and glory at all they may complacently sit back with the mentality. Okay, God if it be your will change my heart make me walk in obedience. I I certainly can't do it.

So you got to do it. But not my will your will be done. So either side of the day either side of the road of sanctification. There's a ditch and if you fall off on either side in either one of those ditches.

You're gonna be completely stuck and ineffective in your Christian life, so we must recognize Sanctification is to the work of God's grace whereby we are renewed in our flesh After the image of God, and we're now enabled more and more to die unto self and live unto righteousness.

Charles Hodge said this about sanctification. He said though sanctification is a work of God. Sanctification does not exclude all cooperation on our part. Or on the part of its subjects, but on the contrary calls for their unremitting and strenuous.

Exertion I.

Just love what Hodge has to say. The subject must cooperate for one and not only that he speaks of the degree of which. Their cooperation must be it must be one of unremitting in strenuous exertion. Nevertheless, it's God who is at work to accomplish this and bring this about so we can say this.

You will not be sanctified outside of God's gift of grace to work in you and through you. But you will also not be sanctified if you are not an active participant in the process our text again. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure so verse 13 it starts with the word for so we could also say because God is the one who is at work in you.

Now you need to obey so the command of verse 12 work out your salvation is only possible because God first is Acting and working in both our will and our actions or our behaviors because God is working in you.

Now you must work out your salvation with fear and trembling so we'll first look at God's work in salvation. Then we'll come back to verse 12. We'll look at our responsibility or man's Responsibility to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

God is at work in us both to will and to work. So why must he be at work? Why why does he need to be working in our will as well as our behavior. As I mentioned earlier sanctification is only happening in the life of a true believer in Jesus Christ, so Something must happen in our lives before we can even start to be sanctified before we can even begin to be Transformed into the image of Christ and that is we must be born again.

I'd like you to open up to John chapter 3 to look at this and we'll see the words of our Lord as he's. Discussing this with Nicodemus the Pharisee. John chapter 3. John chapter 3 now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him. Jesus answered and said to him truly truly I say to you unless warrant one is born again He cannot see the kingdom of God so Jesus under no uncertain term tells Nicodemus look unless you're born again.

You will not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him How can a man be born when he is old can he entered a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered truly truly I say to you unless one is born of water in the Spirit He cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which has been born of the flesh is flesh and that which has been born of The Spirit of Spirit do not marvel that I said to you. You must be born again the wind blows where it wishes and you hear it sound.

But do not know where it comes from and where it is going so is everyone who is born in the Spirit. So Jesus answers Nicodemus his question. How can one be born again? Well unless you were born of Water and spirit you will not see the kingdom and in verse 8 Jesus describes the new birth as wind.

He said the wind blows where it wishes you hear it sound. You do not know where it comes from. Or where it's going so is everyone who is born of the Spirit so Nicodemus you hear the wind you see its effects.

You by no means control it and neither. Can you control the new birth neither? Can you control the Spirit? This is totally outside of you Nicodemus. This is completely and totally an act of the Spirit.

The new birth is also commonly Known as regeneration, so why must we supernaturally be born again by the Spirit? Because again, this is a gift of God's grace to give life to a spiritually dead person.

This is the gift of spiritual life. We need spiritual life. Ephesians 2 1 says and you were dead in your Transgressions and sins in which you formally walked according to the course of this world. According to the ruler the power of the air the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Among whom we also formally conducted ourselves in the lust of the flesh. Doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind and Whereby nature children of wrath even as the rest so you see before Christ.

We're dead. We're not just ill. We were spiritual corpses so to speak so we had no ability to even seek after God. Some some would liken salvation to this that you're you're in an ocean, and you're drowning and Jesus out of his kindness he sees you.

He comes and throws you the the life preserver he sticks out his hand and you have to make a decision to reach out and Grasp on for help. It's a really beautiful picture. Jesus does love us. He does care about us, but that's not what Ephesians 2 is actually teaching us.

Ephesians 2 says that you're dead. Says you're completely dead in your sin. So the probably a more accurate picture would be that you drown you were already dead. He came and breathed life back into you.

That's a far more accurate picture. You conduct yourselves in the lusts of your flesh. You did the desires of your flesh and mind. You were children of wrath. That's who we are outside of Christ. You could do no other you were doing exactly.

In only what your nature is allowing you to do. You had no ability to not live according to your flesh. Because truth be told we had no desire to do otherwise outside of Christ. We would have no desire to do anything righteous.

If I could ask you let's go to Romans now. Romans chapter 3 a couple books to our right. Romans chapter 3 and we'll start in verse 9 and Paul his first couple chapters of Romans is essentially giving an indictment of humankind.

This is his final catch-all indictment of all humankind. Paul says this Romans 3 9 what then are we better? Not at all for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin as it is written.

There is none righteous not even one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside together. They have become worthless. There is none who does good. There's not even one.

Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they keep deceiving. The poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their paths and the path of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God in their eyes so no one's righteous none understand none even seek after God. So they have no desire for him in any way at all in our in our natural condition again one of spiritual death.

You can't even desire life. You're dead. There's no fear of God in you you want nothing to do with him. We call this man's inability. You're completely unable to do anything That would be pleasing to him left to our own devices.

Man is completely unable to even respond to the gospel call. This is why we need his grace. This is why we need a supernatural work of the Spirit to breathe life into our dead hearts. Back to Ephesians 2.

Paul again He describes the nature of someone dead in sin the hopeless enslavement to the flesh. But Ephesians 2 for gives us this some of the sweetest words ever penned, but God. Being rich in mercy because of his great love which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions.

Made us alive together in Christ Jesus by grace you have been saved. So it is his loving kindness, and it's his rich mercy that had to make us alive. This is exactly what Jesus says to Nicodemus. He says.

We cannot be made alive. We cannot be born again. Except from his supernatural work in us except for the new birth which is completely of the Spirit. So we need a change in nature. We already saw that what our sin nature look like it's it's one that doesn't desire.

God can't do anything righteous at all. But as God has regenerated us and made us alive He's now caused us to be born again, and our nature is now different. It's now changed our will our desires our behaviors.

They will all begin to change not perfectly all at once. But now since we've had the new birth now we can start to be sanctified. We can be transformed to the image of Christ. Why. Because you have a new heart we are united with Christ and both his death and resurrection.

We're dead to sin and as he was raised again to new life, so are we risen with him to new life we have.

Been.

Supernaturally.

Been renewed from within. And we'd be really missing out if we didn't look at Ezekiel 36. So let's go to Ezekiel 36 in your Old Testament. If you can find the Psalms You have Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon and Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations and then finally Ezekiel will be in Ezekiel chapter 36.

So Ezekiel is speaking of Israel's future Reality in the New Covenant and what we'll see are some key characteristics of any member of the New Covenant. Both Jews and Gentiles. So starting in verse 24 Ezekiel 36 24 the Prophet writes and I Being the Lord will take you from the nations gather you From all the lands and bring you into your own land.

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your own cleanness and from all your Idols. Well, do you remember what John chapter 3 said unless you were born of water in spirit?

You cannot see the kingdom of God. So do you see the parallels even with this? Of course, we're not speaking of baptism. We're not speaking of some sort of water cleansing. Catholic Church certainly would hold to that.

That's why they baptize babies in the way that they do. It's a cleansing from the stain of original sin. That's not what this is teaching. This is a cleansing where you're cleansed of your iniquity From within and on what basis are any of us cleansed?

Well, it's on the basis again of Christ's life death and resurrection his atonement where he took your sin Upon himself and he bore the wrath of Almighty God. And in an act of grace his perfect righteousness was now applied and it was credited To anyone who believes in his son anyone who is covered by the blood of Christ now has Christ's perfect righteousness applied to them and By faith we now stand judicially justified you stand righteous before God even though in practice We're not quite righteous, but judicially you stand righteous before God.

So continuing in verse 26 moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you and I will remove your heart of stone From your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. So he's cleansing us and he's doing this by changing our very nature.

He is taking our heart of stone from us this heart that wasn't righteous the heart that was completely Unable to even seek after God in any way or desire him the heart of stone the dead heart in Trespasses and sin is once and for all removed and in exchange you now receive a heart of flesh.

And this heart has new desires. It has new affections. You went from having a heart that was completely unable to a heart that is completely and totally able. Verse 27 Says and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful To do my judgments.

So now we've moved from the new birth into what we've talked about Sanctification. What does he promise? Well, the spirit is going to be within us and because his spirit is operating from within us We will now obey him.

It says he will cause us to walk in his statutes. We will be careful to do all of his judgments. The very thing that we couldn't do before. We're now able to do. Because he is at work in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure the writer of Hebrew says this in Hebrews 1320.

Now the God of peace who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep Through the blood of the eternal covenant even Jesus our Lord Equip you in every good thing to do his will. Working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be the glory forever and ever.

Amen, so Hebrews identifies the God of peace is the one who's at work and is equipping us to do every good thing. He's equipping us to do his will and is the one that's working to accomplish Anything that is pleasing to him in his sight.

Very familiar language for us. Thessalonians 5 23 and 24. Paul writes now. May the God of peace sanctify you entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete Without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is he who calls you and he also will bring it to pass. So Paul says essentially the same thing in this benediction he recognizes that Sanctification is a work of God it's the work of the God of peace and the God of peace at work in sanctification is faithful in his calling and with surety will bring about the sanctification of the believer.

Now to see this more let's go to the book of Galatians now, and we're gonna pick up in Galatians 5 16. So back in your New Testament Galatians 5 16 it's a really familiar passage to us. I'm sure Galatians 5 16.

But I say walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desires against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh for These are in opposition to one another so that you do not do the things that you want.

But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are sexual immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery. Enmities strife jealousy outbursts of anger selfish ambition dissensions factions Envying drunkenness carousing and the things like these of which I forewarn you.

Just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control against such things.

There is no law now those who belong to Christ Jesus Crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live by the Spirit let us also walk and step with the Spirit let us not become those who with vain glory challenging one another and Envy one another.

So verse 17 it tells us what the Spirit Does in us it's at war against our flesh. Our flesh is the part of us that remains Unredeemed though God has given him given us a new heart with new desires. We are not yet completely and totally without Sin in our lives and the reason we're not perfectly without sin is because our physical bodies even one day need to be finally Redeemed.

That's why we look forward to the to the final resurrection. So Paul is highlighting the Spirit is working in us. In this struggle that remains between the Spirit on us in our flesh. So again, how is the God of peace at work in us?

Well, it's specifically the person of the Holy Spirit working in us. He is working in us by waging war against our flesh. And we see the fruits of the Spirit's labor in verse 22. These fruits are love joy.

Peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and finally self-control. Note what Paul is communicating here. He isn't saying do these things to live in tune with the Spirit. He isn't giving us commands to love or have joy or to be patient and etc.

I mean, those are good things. We should be aspiring to do but that's not what his instruction is here. He is he is teaching what he's saying is if indeed you are walking by the Spirit. The Spirit is working in you and these are the evidences that the Spirit is working in your life.

The the fruit is the outworking of this internal reality now. The root of this fruit again is it's the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's in us and he's working in us and through us. Much like the Beatitudes of Matthew's gospel.

It's not a list of things to do or how to live. Jesus is teaching if you are indeed a Christian. This is how your life ought to look. Well same thing here. If you're a believer in Christ, then your life should have these evidences in it.

Should have these evidences in it. Saying you What Jesus again? He's when he how he explains the new birth to Nicodemus and he likens the Spirit to the wind saying you feel it. You see its effects, but it's totally outside your control.

So are the fruits of the Spirit. These are his internal working through us. You can't force these fruits to be so in your life. But what you can do is you can see necessary evidence. That the Spirit truly is working in you if your life is characterized by these fruits.

You have no reason to doubt that the Spirit of God is truly working in you or not. Galatians 5 is essential for us to understand how the Spirit of God is sanctifying us. But Galatians 5 is equally essential in reminding us that though it truly is a work of God in us both to will and to work.

We must cooperate with this process. Again our text Philippians 2 12 now says it just couldn't be more clear work out your salvation. Perhaps you caught that right away in Galatians 5 16. It says but I say and here's a command for us now walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the.

Flesh.

Who's commanded to walk by the Spirit? We are we're called to not carry out the desires of the flesh. He reminds us that the desires of the flesh. They're opposed to the Spirit working in us. Therefore we need to walk by the Holy Spirit.

I think this is critically important as we transition now into examining our role in sanctification and how we work out our Salvation with fear and trembling we must keep this instruction on the forefront of our mind to walk in the Spirit.

The way that we're to obey his will for us and walking in the Spirit Is to submit to the Spirit. We now have this internal reality that God himself is Dwelling in us. Therefore. He's establishing new patterns in our lives.

And he accomplishes he accomplishes this by us. Submitting to the Holy Spirit a terrifying reality is that when we fail to submit to the spirits leading in our life We can grow very hard-hearted in such a way that we totally desensitize ourselves to the grievous nature of sin and we Desensitize ourselves to the very ways in which the Spirit of God is directing and leading us.

Patterns of disobedience is what often slows down our sanctification or patterns of disobedience may even just Disprove that we're even being sanctified. It might it might show a bigger problem as I stated earlier the rate in which any of us Grow or are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ will certainly vary.