Committed to Perseverance & Sanctification, or, You Can't Unmix Peanut Butter and Jelly

Ever pack a PBJ in your lunch?  Ever try to neatly separate the PB from the J several hours later when it's time to eat? Of course not; there's no point, and it's impossible.

I am utterly convinced by Scripture that those the Lord saves, He also keeps.  He has saved me and will keep me saved.  I won't write at length about that now, because I want instead to consider a piece of truth that travels hand in hand with perseverance:  sanctification.  These two are smashed together in a sweet and fortifying combination, just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

And knowing that God is committed to my growth in holiness gets me almost as excited as knowing that He has me snugly in His grip, because frankly, right now I need to know that I'm moving toward holiness.   I feel heavy with self and I'm weary of battling my own heart and mind along with the onslaught of temptation that comes with any given day.  Just as in times of doubt and anxiety when I cast myself upon the promises of God regarding my preservation as His child, I can cling tightly to the declarations in Scripture that promise my growth in holiness.

In fact, many of the passages that affirm God's intent to preserve His elect also speak confidently of his intention to refine them as well:

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:29-30


If God will preserve, He will also refine and sanctify.  This definitely blows away any silly notions people have about living any way they please, because, hey "once saved always saved!"  It also destroys the argument some folks have against the perseverance of the saints (or, more properly, the perseverance of God with the saints, ala J.I. Packer) who say that this doctrine encourages sinful license.  Of course, the Bible does seems to teach that some of the saints will appear in heaven virtually empty-handed, having wasted their lives on this earth being lazy and/or foolish (1 Cor 3:12-15) - a good rebuke to keep up the fight.

But, in regard to my struggle with sin and the flesh, I find so much comfort in crying out to God and boldly asking Him to conform me to the likeness of Christ, because He has promised He will do it and can bring me victory over sin.