Sanctification and the Means of Grace

All the dust up about sanctification, the three uses of the law in reformed theology, and the distinction between law and gospel involving Tullian Tchividjian and members of the Gospel Coalition reveals that controversy isn’t easily diffused. The blog on Ligionier posted the applicability of John Newton’s warnings about controversy here. We should all heed Newton’s advice about warily taking up controversies. Indeed such controversies rightly or wrongly entered upon affect the greater circle of Christians as well as non-Christians.

I am not attempting here to add any more light or heat to what has already been posted elsewhere. I do hope the men involved can find a way to further the discussion without making caricatures of other’s opinions and to be reconciled doctrinally or personally where needed.

I was struck about one thing in the issue of sanctification that was raised. What seems central to me and important for all believers is the rediscovery of the ordinary means of grace. We can talk about categories of law and definitions of terms but in the end the Christian believer is strengthened in his faith and one grows in his sanctification by the faithful use of the God ordained means of grace. These are not mere good works or activities that believers do as suggested by some.

Historically the “means of grace” are believed to be those things which God has given to strengthen the believer’s faith. The reformed churches have customarily considered the “means” as being comprised of the Word of God, the sacraments, and prayer. What is meant by this terminology is that God’s grace, his favor to us in Christ, is communicated by the Holy Spirit through these ordinary means. Ordinary they are. There is nothing fancy or spectacular about them. That is partly why they are ordinary. They are termed ordinary however because they are the ordinary or normal means whereby Christ communicates the benefits of his mediation (WLC # 154). Christ does this by the effective work of the Holy Spirit who applies the work of Christ to the believer. This application of the benefits of redemption purchased by Christ is through the Holy Spirit’s working faith in the believer and by the instrumentality of faith uniting the believer to Christ.

What seems apparent to me is that the work of God’s grace in sanctification is the result of the ongoing union with Christ by faith through God’s appointed means. We can talk about the lack of power of the law and the power of the gospel but the scriptures are plain. The power is the working of the Holy Spirit applying the word (law and gospel) to the believer’s heart and life. Grace isn’t a mystical thing but the unmerited favor of God to the believer in Christ. The power is the recreative and redemptive power of God wrought by the Holy Spirit upon the heart and life of one through faith. The ordinary means are indispensible because they are the ordinary channels of God’s grace to us.

If we want to grow in grace we need to use the means of grace to strengthen and grow in our union with Christ by faith. That is why faith is important and active in appropriating the means of grace. Whatever we may think about the above controversy all of us would agree that we must diligently apply the means of grace with faith. This is key to our spiritual growth. Too many believers have left the ordinary means in search of the “extra-ordinary.”