Think of a time line that begins with a well defined 'dot'. The line extends straight out to the right from that dot. The end of the drawn line, ends with an arrow. Then, along the line increments are demarcated. Some of the increments are wider apart than others; others represent shorter spaces of time.
The dot establishes the point in time when a person accepted Jesus Christ as Savior of their lives. They have been born again and become a new creation in Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:17).
As Paul puts it, the person has been,
" ... washed, ... sanctified ... justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV).
The increments circumscribe growth spurts in Christ. Sometimes it takes longer than others to learn lessons and the new Christlike life. Yes, our coming to Christ 'sanctified' us and saved us; that is, set us apart from our old life and put us in a new room, so to speak.
If you've ever watched sheep shearers at work, you'll see that once a sheep has been shorn, they're moved to a different pen. They are 'set apart' from those yet to be 'sanctified,' that is, shorn.
This analogy falls short no doubt but hopefully gives a small picture of the process. But once sanctified by our salvation, there is further sanctification we ourselves must personally work on. NOT to earn salvation, but to become more like Christ in all our ways. Many call this "progressive sanctification".
As a snake sheds its skin as it grows, and dons a new skin, so the believer in Jesus Christ must grow. The old habits of the old nature need to be shed. New, godly habits need to be donned. Again, each person does this at various times and lengths of time. Thus the 'growth in Christ increments' along the timeline vary in length.
We also keep in mind that we do not own ourselves. We have been
"bought with a price" (v. 20)
by God through Jesus Christ's shed blood. Our new life in Christ did not come cheaply. Therefore, we have the responsibility to show our faith by our actions (See James 2:18-20).
In this first letter to the Corinthians, Paul pointed out the gross sin of incest that was among them (See 1 Corinthians 5:1-2). The unrepentant man had to be removed from among them for a season of ...
" ... destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord' (1 Corinthians 5:5 ESV).
This man had allowed himself to be dominated by his lust for one he should not have. But he did learn his lesson. By the time we read Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, the other believers' in the assembly had overdone the "destruction". Paul had to tell them the man had repented, God had forgiven him, they needed to also forgive him and bring the brother back into the congregation and fellowship of believers (See 2 Corinthians 2:5-11).
Our bodies are the ...
" ... temple of the Holy Spirit within [us], whom [we] have from God. [We} are not our own ..." (1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV).
God wants us to be holy as He is holy (See Leviticus 11:44). As we live consciously along the timeline of progressive sanctificaiton, we do just that. In this way we can ...
"glorify God in [our] bodies" (1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV).
First Peter 1:15-16 further shows us this injunction.
" ... but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct ..."
Let's all continue to move towards holiness. The timeline ends with an arrow that never ends until we are called home to be with the Lord forevermore. Perhaps, today...
~ ERC May 2026 ~
Based on 1 Corinthians 6: especially vs 11, 12 and 19 ESV.
Prayfully sing, Search Me O God, along with Providence.
Meme Photo Credits: Dan Froese.
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