Continuing in our soteriology series, we enter part five of a shorter series on sanctification dealing with growth in our emotions. This episode is an interview with theologian, editor, writer, and coach Joe Holland. Joe helpfully unpacks a theology of emotions while helping us navigate our emotional disconnects with our past story affecting our present day-to-day. Connect with Joe Holland at: 1. https://blackhawkcoaching.com/ 2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joejholland 3. https://twitter.com/joeholland 4. https://www.instagram.com/joeholland/?hl=en 5. https://joeholland.substack.com/

Emotions are a God-given gift to us. We often passively experience our emotions, meaning they come to us unbidden. They show up, and we must reckon with them. Growing in sanctification does not mean that we will feel less or "even out" necessarily; it will mean that we will feel more deeply and more appropriately to whatever the situation calls for. Growing into Jesus' likeness means we taste something of Jesus' emotional world as he walked the earth some 2000 years ago.

Sanctification is not a simple stagnant formula to plug in and go "just do XYZ and you will grow." Rather it is dynamic and individual; what helps in this situation might not help in that one. In this episode, we will examine and glean from David Powlison's book "How Does Sanctification Work." We shall see five factors that are unifying and essential in everyone's experience of growth into Jesus' likeness.

Mysteriously, sanctification is a combination of us working and God working (Philippians 2:12-13). We must choose to put in effort and energy in our efforts to kill sin (Romans 8:13). We must refuse to make excuses and take responsibility for our sin, not blaming others as if we are helpless victims in terms of our sin patterns and wrong attitudes being the fault of others. God is with us in our wrestle, he empowers us and fights with us and for us.

Growth in godliness is essential for any professing believer. James tells us in his epistle that faith without works is dead. James is telling us that forsaking sin and, contrastingly doing good is part of expressing true faith. In this change process, God is up to making us more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). This leads to glorifying God, which in part is what we were created for.

Adoption (theologically speaking) is God’s removal of us from under the dominion and domain of Satan and placing us into his family as sons and daughters of God to be fully realized in the new creation. We are now one giant family of believers spanning over millennia of history with Jesus as our big Brother and all united by "the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Justification is a legal declaration of the Christian's non-guilty status before God. God declares us to be not guilty based on Jesus' perfect fulfillment of the law in the Christian's place. Not only does God declare us to be not guilty but positively righteous having Jesus' active obedience given to us as a gift. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthains 5:21).

The Lexham Bible Dictionary defines repentance as a change of attitude and action from sin toward obedience to God. When those who heard Peter's sermon at Pentecost just after the Holy Spirit's arrival in tounges of fire, they said, "Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter's reply shows that repentance is here used as a synonym of faith. That's because repentance and faith go together. You can't have saving faith without repentance.

If faith is to rely upon or to trust in something or someone, then everyone has faith. Saving faith relies upon and trusts in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sin and right standing before God the Father. In this episode, Chris examines the nature of saving faith and the differentiation between faith and works.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary defines regeneration as "The transformation of a person’s spiritual condition from death to life through the work of the Holy Spirit." We see the necessity of this regenerating work of God's Spirit in texts such as John 1:13-13, John 3:3, Ephesians 2:1-4, Colossians 2:13-15, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Titus 3:5. Join Chris today as he seeks to flesh out the regeneration work of God's Spirit biblically.