March 29

because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified. — Heb 10:14 BSB

To be “sanctified” is to partake in the holiness that is essential for seeing the Lord. It means being made a new creature, to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” In essence, it is to “be made a partaker of the divine nature,” having the holiness of God breathed into and imparted to the soul. Without this inward sanctification, no one can enter the gates of heaven. To be made fit for the heavenly inheritance, one must have a heavenly heart, a spirit of praise, adoration, and love, delighting in the Lord for His holiness, grace, purity, and condescending love.

This fitness for the holiness, happiness, and employment of heaven begins at regeneration. Though the new man of grace may be weak, it is still perfect in nature. Look at the thief on the cross—an extraordinary example of how the Spirit of God can, in a moment, make a person fit for heaven. He was a vile criminal, suffering the just punishment for his crimes. At first, he even joined in blaspheming the Redeemer. But sovereign grace touched his heart, showed him his ruined state, opened his eyes to see the Son of God bleeding beside him, and raised up faith in his soul to believe in Christ. His prayer—"Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom"—was an incredible act of faith, perhaps one of the greatest in Scripture, equal to or greater than Abraham’s faith in offering Isaac.

Jesus, the dying Redeemer, heard and answered his cry with the promise, "Today, you will be with Me in paradise." Those words, accompanied by the Spirit, instantly prepared him for heaven, and before nightfall, his soul entered paradise, where he now sings the praises of God and the Lamb. Many of God’s children have gone through life without the full manifestation of pardoning love or the application of atoning blood, but they have not been allowed to die without the Holy Spirit revealing salvation to their souls. They are attuned to sing the immortal anthem with the glorified spirits before the throne.