Transformed by God: New Covenant Life and Ministry

Systematic theologians often include within the category of sanctification the whole process of transformation, growth and maturation in Christ that is God’s promise to us in the New Testament. In popular speech, this is the process of becoming more and more holy. However, a careful examination of the New Testament use of the verb ‘to sanctify” (hagiazein) shows that the focus is on the beginning of the Christian life rather than its progress. Sanctification or consecration is a way of describing how God takes hold of us through conversion and brings us into relationship with himself as the Holy One. As a consequence, we are called ‘the holy ones’ or ‘the saints’ (hoi hagioi). The challenge is to express that holiness in everyday obedience. But how do we make progress in the Christian life and grow to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ? Other terms are used in the New Testament to describe it.
My book Transformed by God: New Covenant Life and Ministry is intended to be a sequel to Possessed by God, looking specifically at the way God transform us as disciples of Christ through his Word and his Spirit. The focus is on the way the promises of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 are alluded to in the New Testament and influence teaching about Christian life and ministry.