Trying to Grow… or Trusting to Be Transformed?
Real transformation happens when I stop forcing it and simply let the Master shape me from the inside out.
A Conversation on Sanctification, Self-Effort, and the Power of Yielding to Christ
“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” – Galatians 3:3
“But we all… are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18
A Quiet Conversation After Small Group
Lena:
I’ve been reading more about sanctification lately—how we grow in holiness. I’ve always believed I was saved by grace, but when it comes to growing… I don’t know. It feels like that’s where the work really begins.
Me:
I get it. For a long time, I thought sanctification was basically discipleship boot camp—read your Bible more, pray more, get serious, resist sin harder. I’d start the day in Galatians and end it feeling like I was back under the law.
Lena’s View: Grace Saves, Effort Sanctifies
Lena taps her Bible. “But the New Testament’s full of commands, right? Like Romans 12:2—‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Or 1 Peter 1:15—‘Be holy in all your conduct.’ I know we’re supposed to depend on the Holy Spirit, but doesn’t sanctification still involve my discipline, my choices, my effort?”
She flips to a few more:
Philippians 2:12 – “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling…”
1 Corinthians 9:25 – “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3 – “This is the will of God, your sanctification…”
“To me,” she says, “it seems like salvation is God’s job, but sanctification is mine—with God’s help, of course.”
My Response: Grace Isn’t Just the Door—It’s the Entire House
“I used to think that way too,” I say. “But the longer I walk with Jesus, the more I realize—grace doesn’t just start the journey. It carries the whole thing.”
“Yes, those verses are true. But look closely—Philippians 2:12 is immediately followed by verse 13: ‘For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.’ Even your desire to grow is from Him.”
“And 2 Corinthians 3:18?” I add. “It doesn’t say we transform ourselves. It says we are being transformed as we behold the Lord’s glory. It’s His work, not ours.”
The Real Difference: Trying vs. Trusting
Lena pauses. “So are you saying I shouldn’t try to grow?”
I smile. “Not exactly. But what if your growth doesn’t come from trying harder, but from yielding deeper?”
“When we rely on our own strength to change, we may modify behavior for a while, but real heart transformation? That only comes from the Spirit. Romans 8:13 says we put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. Not by white-knuckling it. Not by pushing through. But by depending.”
I lean in a little closer. “When you read your Bible, do it to listen, not to perform. When you pray, let it be a response, not a ritual. When you feel tempted, turn inward—not to find willpower, but to draw from the life of Christ in you. That’s where real sanctification happens: not by striving, but by trusting.”
A Grace-Oriented Appeal
There’s a beautiful difference between trying and trusting.
Trying says, “I need to do better.”
Trusting says, “Christ in me is enough.”
Trying makes you the engine of growth. Trusting makes Christ your source.
Real sanctification doesn’t come from climbing a ladder. It comes from beholding the One who already finished the work and is now forming His life in you.
So, yes—walk in holiness. Say no to sin. But don’t do it from the old self trying to act better. Do it from the new self, alive in Christ, trusting the Spirit to express His life through yours.
You’re not being improved—you’re being transformed.
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