I’ve always found that the end of one year and the beginning of another marks an excellent time to evaluate my life and consider how I might want to live differently in the year ahead. I’ve never been one for resolutions specifically, but more often than not, if I’m going to try and make any sort of change in my life, I’m probably going to start some time in the first week of January.
I think the impulse to grow and improve is a natural one which can lead to many benefits in our lives, but I also think that we often place too much confidence in our own ability to change, especially as it relates to our war against the flesh Think about it: is there really anything special about a new year? Are the struggles you dealt with on December 31st going to magically disappear on January 1st?
“Of course not” you might say, and yet I think so many people resolve to kick bad habits or overcome sin struggles during this season of the year as if real, lasting change in our fight against sin can be achieved if we simply try harder and exert more effort. When we think in these kinds of ways, we reveal that our understanding of sanctification is misguided and that we don’t fully grasp where power actually comes from for real, lasting growth and change in the Christian life.
Do you want to be more holy in the new year? Do you want to overcome sin and grow in your sanctification? If so, no amount of looking to yourself will ever help you accomplish that goal. The power for true growth in sanctification comes from outside of ourselves, from the God who has brought us from death to life, who has given us new hearts, and whose Spirit empowers every good work that we will ever accomplish in our lives. True growth takes place when we take our eyes off of ourselves—when we stop looking inward—and we instead turn our gaze toward the great Saviour who lived a life of perfect righteousness on our behalf and took the punishment that our sin rightly deserves. It comes not from trying to earn our righteousness before God, but remembering that perfect righteousness has been given to us as a free gift; we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and will be greeted with the words “well done, good and faithful servant” when we stand before the Lord at the end of time.
And so, this year, let us resolve not to try and grow through our own effort, but let us instead resolve to continuously fix our gaze on our great Saviour, looking to him to empower us to love him, to love our neighbour, and to love one another in the church. As we do this, you can be confident, without any shadow of doubt, that he will accomplish in the lives his people all that he has promised to accomplish!
All the best,
Luke