The Goal is the Process
Many see and hear singers and think that these are
especially talented people; that they have a gift, and only those gifted can do
it. As if, singing does not require
technique to be learned and mastered.
The truth is that as with many things in life, there is a method or
process for singing. And, as with many
things, the process for singing requires technique. A
technique is a practical (or mechanical) skill applied to the process or method
to perform and complete a task. Often
more than one technique is needed, if the task is complex. In fact the more complex the process the more
technique is needed. The process of
singing happens to be pretty complex.
For a singer a large part of the technique is
breathing. They have to breathe
correctly and at the right places of the song.
Among other parts of the technique are how to open the mouth, where to
put the tongue, and when to raise lower the volume. All of these must be learned and mastered
before the performance. So, throughout
the song a major focus of the singer is to stay connected with the techniques
required in the process of singing. The
idea is that if the singer has the technique right then the voice will sound
right. So, for the singer the outcome is
not the goal, but the process.
The same goes for the Christian walk. Many mistakenly think that the goal is to act
a certain way. But, that is not God’s
goal for us. God’s goal is the
process. If we follow God’s process the
behavior will come automatically. God’s
process is called sanctification; and, according to Paul, “this is the will of
God, even your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4: 3). The word in Greek is holiness, which verse 7
says that that is God’s call for us. Our
quarterly states that, Verse 3 builds on verse 1, where Paul reminded the
Thessalonians of how they were to “walk” (NKJV) - “live” in many translations -a
Hebrew concept used to describe daily moral and ethical behavior. In verse 3 he uses another Hebrew concept to
describe spiritual life and growth, “holiness” or “sanctification.”
A typical definition of holiness is “set apart for sacred
use.” But Paul gives the term more specific meaning in this letter. Holiness is
the condition the Thessalonians will be in at the return of Jesus (1 Thess.
3:13). But in chapter 4 Paul chooses a form of the concept that emphasizes
process rather than outcome. It is a noun of action: “sanctifying” more than
“sanctification.” It is the will of God that we be engaged in this process (1
Thess. 4:3).
So, what is this process of sanctification? Before, we answer the question we should
establish that any contemporary study of "holy living" must include
the context of the unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the cleansing of
the heavenly sanctuary. To understand
the heavenly sanctuary God has given us the earthly sanctuary and its services
and sacrifices. Because, what happened
in the earthly is a representation of what happened in the heavenly. Every day ceremonies of sacrifices were made
for forgiveness of Sin. By faith and figuratively
all the sins forgiven daily were accumulated in the sanctuary for a year. Once a year other ceremony of sacrifice was
made to cleanse the Sanctuary from these Sins.
The Sins were blotted out. This
event pointed to the time – of age - when all the Sins of the World, placed on
the Heavenly Sanctuary, would be cleansed.
The Sins are blotted out. We are
living in this age now: the Cosmic Age of Atonement.
However, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is a work
that includes the people and extends to them. It provides for the perfection of
their character in Christ on the one hand; and on the other hand in the final
destruction of sin and sinners and the cleansing of the universe from all taint
of sin. It is Christ fully formed in each believer. The sanctuary itself cannot
be cleansed so long as God's people continue to pour into it a constant stream
of sinning. The stream will be stopped at its source in the hearts and lives of
God's people. The ministry of Christ in the Most Holy Apartment does make
"the comers thereunto perfect" (Heb. 10:1) and does perfect
"forever them that are sanctified" (vs. 14). This is the work of the Holy Spirit in
us. Blotting out all self from us and in
its stead writing in our hearts and mind the commandments and statutes of God (Jeremiah
31: 33; Hebrews 10:16). This is the
process. For this to happen we must
permit it to happen. This is our focus.