Made Acceptable To God
you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
Acceptable?
Imagine someone showed up at a fancy restaurant in a t-shirt and shorts, flip-flops clicking across the fine porcelain floors. Unshaven and unbathed the tramp walks up to the hostess and asks for a table. She tells Him that he cannot be seated. When he asks why, assuring her that he has the ability to pay, she says it isn’t that he can’t pay, it’s that he is not dressed appropriately. Even if he were to have the proper attire she assures him that they would never allow him to dine there looking unshaven and smelling like sweat. The only solution is that the man be made fully acceptable. He must have the proper clothes. He must be bathed and he must be shaven. There are no half measures that can be taken.
This example is only a small picture of what has gone on between us and God the Father in the person of Jesus Christ. We cannot even begin to understand what it means to be acceptable before God. Scripture assures us that we were totally unacceptable before God for a number of reasons. Not simply because of our hair or our clothes, but because of something far deeper. God is, as a part of His character, fully righteous and cannot have fellowship with any who are not righteous. We, far from having any righteousness of our own, have only unrighteousness to our name.
Apart from Christ we are a part of this ungodly system, we are worthy only of His wrath, only of His punishment, only vessels for destruction.
Made Righteous
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31
For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor. 5:21
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col. 1:27
At that day you will know that I [am] in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. John 14:20
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; Romans 3:22
Righteousness is the first area in which we were unacceptable. God’s character is perfectly righteous, but we are not. In fact, the Bible tells us that even our best actions are not true righteousness like the righteousness of God. The Bible declares the righteousness that we can make for ourselves to dirty rags. We find that because of our unrighteousness we cannot have the communion that God designed us to have with Him, because if he were to have fellowship with any unrighteous thing it would tarnish His perfection.
What to do?
This is where Christ stepped in and became our righteousness for us. Rather than try to redeem our own overdrawn account the Lord imputes upon us the perfect righteousness of Jesus. This righteousness is made our own by the living God because of the very character of Jesus Christ, and our position in Him. Thus, because we are not simply innocent in Christ, but because he has given us his righteousness as well God can have fellowship with us on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice.
Sanctified Positionally
And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. John 17:19
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—1 Cor. 1:30
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6:11
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5:27
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2
Set Apart
The word “sanctified” is a word that means “set apart.” The same root word for the Greek word translated “sanctified” is also translated as “holy” and “saint” elsewhere. There are three aspects to your sanctification.
Positional Sanctification – Once you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior you were personally and eternally set apart for the purposes of God. You have been claimed as His own and set apart to the great destiny of being conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is a positional reality, it cannot be affected by anything on this earth, any actions of yourself or anyone else, no one can take it away and no one can interfere with it. (1 Cor. 1:30; 6:11; Eph. 5:27)
Your Daily Sanctification – This is the process by which the Lord is conforming you to the image of His Son. As we rest in Christ and what He has done, trusting in Him, more and more of our character and personality will be “set apart” as godly, honest, good, righteous, loving and so forth. This is a day by day work of the Holy Spirit conforming us to the image of His Son. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Your Future Sanctification – There is also a future tense aspect of your sanctification that is the fact that you are set apart from the day of God’s wrath. We are not destined for His wrath (1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 5:9) but we are destined to be given a new body that is wholly set apart from the Sin nature that now plagues us (Romans 6).
The part of our sanctification that is most important to us as we consider the fact that we are made acceptable by God is our Positional Sanctification. The Lord has declared us set apart for His good purpose, and it will not be frustrated. There are none who can be made acceptable if they have not been set apart to holiness and perfection and we, from the moment we put our faith in Christ, are set apart for the purpose of having fellowship with Him and living to His glory!
Perfected Forever
For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14
No imperfect or flawed thing may last in the eternal heavenly world. Anything that is broken must come to eventual ruin and destruction. However, we have been perfected in Christ. We have been made perfect and are now able to last throughout all eternity. If even the smallest imperfection in us were able to come with us into heaven and eternity it would eventually destroy us and we would be unable to enjoy and worship God in the manner he wants us to do for all of eternity (Eph. 2:7; Rev. 4:4-11)
Made Accepted in the Beloved
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Eph. 1:6
The important part about the grammar here that must be noticed here is where we are accepted. We have been made accepted IN the Beloved (Jesus Christ). This is the place that we are acceptable. In Christ we have forgiveness, in Christ we are sanctified, in Christ we are made whole and holy. It is because of the position that God has given us in Christ that we are acceptable and able to come before God and be in constant fellowship with Him.
Conclusion
We are made acceptable to God. We are made acceptable to Him for fellowship, for the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9) and for all of eternity. This is a part of your identity, you need not fear that you will be judged and found unacceptable before God, for you will always be made perfect in your position in Christ. Just as we find in each facet of this study, there is no end to the number of applications to this great and wonderful truth. Here, however, are a few of the possible applications you may want to apply:
How God Sees Me – God never looks upon you as any less then acceptable. You need not live in fear of an upcoming judgment wherein you may be judged and sent to Hell. You are given the wonderful promise that you are forever made acceptable to God in Christ. You aren’t earning it, it has been freely given to you!
Humility – Not one of us could do a single thing to earn this great salvation, and the fact that we are made acceptable. In this, just as in our salvation, there is no room for boasting for us. The only thing we have to boast about is the power, wonder, love and might of our God. We were given this free gift of God because we put our faith in Him, we have no reason to be pious, self-righteous, or arrogant. This is the work of Christ, not our work.
Good News to Share – We must always remember as we see those who do not have the life of Christ working in them that we are not to judge them, but to share the great news that Christ can be working in them if they will only believe in Him. (Acts 16:30-31).
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