Sanctification

Despite the diversity of so many responsibilities, all those pastoral duties ultimately point to one clear and singular goal: the sanctification of God's people. All the man's energies and all the faculties of his heart and mind must remain focused on that one long-range goal, and he must never lose sight of it. This is, after all, God's ultimate purpose for his elect: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" Romans 8:29. That is how scripture summarizes the goal of sanctification- not merely to make us appear holy, but to make us truly and thoroughly Christlike.

Along with justification, sanctification can be misunderstood. What is God's responsibility and what is ours. It does begin in leadership of the church the correct teaching of doctrine for us to have a better understanding of the Gospel. The simplicity of the Gospel is often distorted by our deceitful hearts and sanctification can be abruptly put on hold until we get a better grasp of how Justification and Sanctification work together.

MacArthur has been misunderstood in his fight for sanctification has he shows in God's word the ease of cheap substitutes in our churches today. Churches and individually, we have a responsibility with our working out our salvation to Christlikeness. Authenticity and sanctification are at odds with each other in the church and Christians. It gives us reason to examine our own hearts as to my will or God's. As always MacArthur gives his students to think about what they believe and why. "Do not grow weary in doing good". Highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Quote: "Sanctification is a process of fighting for full joy and not selling out for a cheap substitute along the way."

John MacArthur, like Paul, has no problem being the unpopular opinion. In his book, Sanctification: God's Passion for His People, he shares his unpopular opinion on sanctification.

As believers, we must have a heart for the souls of the lost. We must not sugarcoat sins. We must also be ready to call out fellow believers who are more concerned with being popular, instead of following what Paul warned the early church about.

I appreciate that MacArthur uses Scripture as the backbone for his books. This book is no different. I believe that every believer would benefit from reading, Sanctification: God's Passion for His People. This book puts into perspective how all believers should not be concerned with popularity, but instead, be concerned with the sanctification of the saints.

First sentence: We have a clear window into Christ’s continual intercession for his people in John 17. That passage is known as Jesus’s High Priestly Prayer. Its centerpiece is a plea for the sanctification of his disciples: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (John 17:17–19). Then Jesus pointedly applies that request not only to the Twelve, but also to every Christian in all subsequent generations: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (17:20).

There is nothing quite so satisfying as a concise yet delicious dose of truth to nourish the soul. John MacArthur's Sanctification is a delightful length on a topic that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. For the record, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the doctrine of justification. But I also love, love, love the doctrine of sanctification. The fact that many believers are not familiar with these essential truths is sad.

I am not speaking of familiarity with the exact terms "justification" or "sanctification" but the concepts and truths of these doctrines. Perhaps this is because often there isn't a thorough understanding of sin, original sin, the fall of man. If one doesn't have a proper understanding of sin--what it is, how it separates us from God, how deadly dangerous it is, etc.--then there's a SO WHAT or WHO CARES when it comes to later doctrines like justification and sanctification.

The book is timely and relevant--as truth always is. The focus is more on WHY you should care about sanctification.

Namely, this book is urging--begging--preachers to ACTUALLY CARE. He believes--rightly, in my opinion, that pastors should CARE if their flocks grows in the faith, if they bear fruit, if they are living holy lives and FOLLOWING Jesus. Pastors should not care exclusively about attendance or about feedback and approval. They should not be talking to hear themselves talk...but instead be teaching and preaching with the sanctification of their hearers--their flock--in mind.

MacArthur writes, "Despite the diversity of so many responsibilities, all those pastoral duties ultimately point to one clear and singular goal: the sanctification of God’s people. All the man’s energies and all the faculties of his heart and mind must remain focused on that one long-range goal, and he must never lose sight of it. This is, after all, God’s ultimate purpose for his elect: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). That is how Scripture summarizes the goal of sanctification—not merely to make us appear holy, but to make us truly and thoroughly Christlike."

He addresses misconceptions on holiness and some of the faults of the modern church. Two of the misconceptions are legalism and antinomianism. Chances are you've heard those terms but perhaps struggle to distinguish between these two. MacArthur is great at explaining the differences and pointing out why both are wrong. He writes, "The legalist thinks he’s spiritual because he observes a law; the antinomian thinks he’s spiritual because he doesn’t. Both define the Christian life by what they do with regard to the law rather than stressing the need for the Spirit’s empowerment to conform us to Christ’s likeness. The legalist will never be able to restrain the flesh with his legalism (Gal. 5:17). And the antinomian who refuses even to hear the law because he thinks rules of any kind are a threat to his “liberty” is still in bondage to sin (Rom. 6:15–16)."

This is more of a pamphlet than an actual book. The author goes through a survey of many of the passages that talk about sanctification, but the exegesis is pretty basic. The last part of the book evaluates the YRR movement and how they blended Christianity with modern culture. Would have expected a bit of a deeper covering of this topic from MacArthur

Sanctification is another treasure from author John MacArthur. This book tells the reader what sanctification means and how it applies to the individual Christian and the church as a whole. Unfortunately the church is struggling because the Gospel is being watered down and pastors are being forced into giving luke warm, ear tickling sermons instead of preaching the truth of the scriptures and does not give in to the political correctness of today's society. The scriptures are very clear, John MacArthur does a fantastic job of explaining his positions and backing them up with the scriptures so there is no confusion. I highly recommend this book to any and all Christians, regardless of what denomination they may be from.

Leave it to John MacArther to knock it out of the park again! John's long service to the body of Christ speaks for itself, and his every book is a treasure. This short read seeks to show the place of the law and the process of sanctification in the believer's life. God calls us to holiness, but what does that mean? This book tells us, clearly and simply.

Sanctification by John MacArthur is an awesome book That mostly talks about Pistorio responsibility in the sanctification of the church. This book would be beneficial for every pastor to read.
The book Description states:
Among all the things that a pastor will do on any given day, he must not lose sight of his one ultimate goal: the sanctification of God's people. This is the heart of God's purpose for Christians.

John MacArthur calls pastors to remember what all the countless hours preparing sermons, visiting hospitals, counseling, conducting weddings, and more are all about, even when the finish line seems so far in the distance that they're tempted to give up. He encourages pastors with the power God gives them to place the sanctification of God's people at the center of their ministry.