What does "perfect through My splendor" reveal about God's role in our sanctification? Setting the Scene Ezekiel 16 chronicles Israel portrayed as an abandoned infant whom God rescues, raises, and adorns. Verse 14 climaxes the picture: “Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because it was perfect through My splendor, which I had bestowed on you,’ declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 16:14) Unpacking “Perfect through My Splendor” • “Perfect” (Hebrew tammîm) – whole, complete, lacking nothing. • “Through” – the channel; the beauty isn’t innate but mediated. • “My splendor” – God’s own magnificence, glory, excellence. Taken together, the verse teaches that any moral or spiritual completeness Israel enjoys is entirely the product of God’s own glory imparted to her. God as the Source of Sanctifying Beauty • He rescues (vv. 4-6) – sanctification begins with divine initiative, not human merit. • He adorns (vv. 9-13) – holiness is conferred; righteousness is a gift before it is a pursuit. • He publicizes (v. 14) – God’s work in His people becomes a testimony to the nations, highlighting that the glory is His. A Pattern Repeated Elsewhere • 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “We all…are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” • Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” • 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely…He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” • John 15:4-5 – “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” The branch bears fruit only through the life of the vine. • Jude 24 – God “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless.” Our Dependent Participation While sanctification is decisively God’s work, Scripture calls believers to: • Abide (John 15:4) – remaining in Christ makes room for His splendor. • Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) – yielding to His impulses releases His transformative power. • Put on the new self (Ephesians 4:24) – actual choices align with the identity God bestows. These acts are responses, not self-generated achievements; they tap into the splendor already given. Key Takeaways • Holiness is not self-made; it is God’s glory applied to us. • Our completeness is borrowed beauty—fostered and maintained by Him. • Confidence in sanctification rests on God’s faithfulness, not fluctuating human effort. • The watching world should see God’s splendor, not merely our improvement. |
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