Editor’s note: What role should Christians play in the process of their own sanctification? What, exactly, should believers do in order to become more holy? A Chinese house church pastor tackles these questions. He believes Chinese Christians need to seek a deeper understanding of grace, grow in their life of prayer, and lean into living communally with other believers.
It’s All Through Grace
What role do Christians play in the process of their own sanctification? What should we do to become more like Christ?
Sanctification and salvation are bound up together with one another.
Salvation comes through grace. In the same way, sanctification also has everything to do with grace. In the process of being made holy, the very first thing we need to pursue is a deeper understanding of grace.
Sanctification and salvation are bound up together.
This is hard, because in Chinese culture, we have a very inadequate understanding of grace. You could even say that we Chinese are, by nature, suspicious. We doubt that it is even possible for grace to truly exist! This is because we tend to place our trust in things that we can achieve by our own effort.
So, as we pursue sanctification, the first step is to deepen our understanding of grace. We have to understand that Jesus Christ himself is the Father’s gift.
Again and again, we need to continuously deepen our knowledge of grace. This is the first area we have to understand when we consider the role we as believers play in the process of sanctification.
The Crucial Role of Prayer
Second, Christians need more practice in many spiritual disciplines. To me, it seems that the discipline of prayer is especially important.
We Chinese are, by nature, suspicious. We doubt that it is even possible for grace to truly exist!
Prayer is a very important element in our life of faith. If we want to grow spiritually, prayer is particularly important. When it comes to spiritual disciplines, the phsyical act of kneeling in prayer is especially significant.
The practice of prayer shapes and forms our relationship with God.
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Life in Community
Third, the process of becoming more holy also depends greatly on life within the redeemed community.
Before we believed in Christ, our hearts were resistant towards groups and organizations. But after believing, our understanding of faith and of the church deepened. Slowly, we began to realize more and more how these relationships within the redeemed community are tremendously helpful to our faith.
The physical act of kneeling in prayer is especially significant. The practice of prayer shapes and forms our relationship with God.
Within the communal relationships of the Christian body, we are reminded, exhorted, and perhaps even rebuked. We might even encounter opposition from other believers! Through communal relationships, we experience more and more of God’s own reminders, rebukes, and even his discipline.
As we seek to become more holy, this type of community life is extremely helpful.
Zhang Fuyou is a pseudonym for a Chinese house church pastor in eastern China.
Pray for Chinese Christians to grow in their understanding of grace, their life of prayer, and their pursuit of community.
