Part 2: Healing’s Spiral Journey: Sanctification, Struggle, and God’s Faithfulness
Let’s pause for a quick theology moment.
Ordo salutis is a Latin term meaning “the order of salvation.” This framework helps us understand how God applies salvation in our lives.
Here’s a simple outline:
Election — God’s choosing of His family before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)
The Gospel Call — The effective call of salvation
Regeneration — The Holy Spirit’s work in a person’s heart
Conversion — Our response of faith and repentance
Justification — Being declared “not guilty” by God
Adoption — Becoming members of God’s family
Sanctification — Growing in Christlikeness over time
Perseverance of the saints — Continuing in faith despite hardship
Death — Going to be with God
Glorification — Receiving a resurrection body
Sanctification: A Lifelong Process
At the moment of salvation, some things happen instantly.
When we put our trust in Christ, we are instantly justified, instantly adopted, instantly sealed with the Spirit, and brought into union with Him.
But sanctification — the process of becoming more like Christ — is long, arduous, and often painful.
Wayne Grudem defines sanctification as:
“Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.”
(Systematic Theology, p. 746)
“And we all… are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
This reminds us that transformation is ongoing. It’s being transformed — present tense — not have been.
When I Flub Up and Fall
The truth is, God designed sanctification to include my shortcomings, mistakes, and sins. Strangely, that gives me peace. It frees me to live in grace. My standing to rest securely, free from threat.
When I flub and fall on my face, I can be reassured that God is still at work. In fact, Dr. Dan Allender states, “We must assume God is more at work in our story than we are.” I love that thought because I have worked pretty doggone hard on my story.
When I struggle with repeated sin, God promises to use even that to shape me, to make me holy, and to turn it for my good.
Paul says in Romans 7:
18b “I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life?
25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The roles of sanctification (7) and perseverance (8) are for people saved by grace who set out to kill the sin inside them.
Yes, there may still be devastating consequences to my actions. But because I’ve surrendered my heart, I know God is using even this to transform me into more like Christ, and I am free from its eternal consequences.
The process involves returning, reworking, remembering, releasing… again and again.
This is how God strengthens, grows, and beautifies our souls.
Biblical Examples: Israel and Peter
We see all throughout Scripture that the path to wholeness is not linear.
Even Israel’s journey to the Promised Land was not a straight line (Exodus 13:17–18). God led them the long way, knowing they weren’t ready for the battles ahead. And even when they prolonged their journey through disobedience, God stayed with them — a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night.
Peter’s journey of restoration took its spiral loops after he betrayed Jesus. He denied Christ three times and was restored — but not all at once. Even after the Resurrection, Peter wrestled with shame and identity. Yet later, Peter became a pillar in the early church — not because his growth was instant, but because he kept walking the spiral with Jesus.
Becoming Takes Time. But You’re Not Alone.
So if you find yourself circling the same struggles, take heart — it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re still becoming. God isn’t rushed, and He isn’t done. With every return, He invites you to rise again — not in your own strength, but by His grace. This is the way of transformation. It’s the spiral path of faith. And if you're ready to walk it more intentionally, you're not meant to do it alone. I'd be honored to walk with you. Reach out, and let’s take the next step together.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
(2 Corinthians 4:16)
