Students & Sanctification

Great News! We had SO MANY students make a decision for Christ last night at FUGE Camp! The Lord was truly present and wrecking some people. It’s been my prayer that God would “mess up my students at camp,” and He is!

Over the last two nights, however, I have noticed something interesting. I have noticed that many students have a hard time differentiating between justification and sanctification. Here’s why I say this: Last night, when the speaker gave an invitation, I had many students stand up to “receive Christ.” Some of these students, I know, already know Jesus and were trying to follow Him.

When these certain individuals stood up, I was a little taken back. Now, I know that there are many who claim to know Jesus but actually just know about Jesus. They know a lot of facts about Jesus, but they do not have a personal relationship with Him. But this wasn’t these students… These were students I KNOW are trying to be faithful in their life and relationship with Christ.

So after a few days of walking in a Jesus-centric environment (QT & worship in morning, small group in afternoon, worship & teaching at night, small group debrief in late night) they were “high on Jesus,” and felt convicted. And instead of walking in repentance and seeking forgiveness for the ways they had made Christ a side-show, they felt the need to “get saved” again.

Complete Disclosure: I don’t believe in rededication. The Bible doesn’t use the word rededication, it uses the words repent.

1 John 1:19, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.”
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

I think many students come to know Jesus as Savior and then when they push Him down the priority list, only to rediscover that He deserves the top spot, they question whether they ever knew Him in the first place.

This is the difference between knowing Jesus as Savior and knowing Him as Lord. When you believe that He died for your sins, you know Him as Savior. When you orient your life around Him, you know Him as Lord.

I believe we need to help students understand that sanctification (the process of becoming holy) is precisely that, a process! Knowing Jesus and orienting our lives around Him is not a one stop shop. It is a continual process of understanding his holiness and our depravity and seeking to give Him all the glory He is due!

Many of my students didn’t need to “get saved,” they needed to repent!

How do you help students understand this process? (Comment below!)