Growing Into His Image: How God Forms the Fruit of the Spirit in Us

The Journey of Sanctification: Walking with the Holy Spirit in an Imperfect World

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the quiet moments of reflection, as we meditate on the boundless mercy of God, we are drawn into the profound mystery of the Holy Spirit's work within us. Today, I invite you to journey with me through the sacred pages of Scripture, exploring how the indwelling of the Holy Spirit transforms our lives—not as an instantaneous eradication of our sinful nature, but as a gentle, ongoing process of growth, refinement, and reliance on divine grace.

Let us approach this with reverence, for we speak of the third Person of the Trinity, the Comforter promised by our Savior, who guides us toward holiness amid our human frailty.

Beloved, when we come with faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of our sins and believing in His atoning work on the cross, we receive the Holy Spirit as a divine pledge. As it is written in Acts 2:38: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." This reception is echoed in Ephesians 1:13-14: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

Oh, what a wondrous assurance! The Holy Spirit seals us as God's own, marking us for eternal redemption. Yet, in His infinite wisdom, God does not render us instantly incapable of sin upon this sealing. Instead, He begins a sacred process within us, where the Spirit takes residence in our very beings. As 1 Corinthians 6:19 declares: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" We become living temples, but temples still under construction, prone to the dust of this fallen world.

Let us delve deeper into this divine process, known in theological terms as progressive sanctification. It is not a sudden leap into sinless perfection but a lifelong pilgrimage, where the Holy Spirit labors tirelessly to conform us to the image of Christ. The Spirit empowers us to resist the temptations that once held us captive, producing in us the fruit of righteousness: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Through the Spirit's guidance, we are progressively sanctified—set apart for God's purposes. As 2 Thessalonians 2:13 reminds us: "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." This sanctification is active and dynamic: The Spirit convicts us of sin (John 16:8), illuminates Scripture to our minds (John 14:26), and strengthens us in weakness (Romans 8:26).

And behold the glorious promise that sustains us in this journey: 'But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord' (2 Corinthians 3:18). Yes, beloved—we are all being changed, degree by degree, from one measure of glory to another, as we gaze upon Christ. This transformation is the gentle, persistent work of the Holy Spirit, who takes the radiance of Jesus and reflects it ever more brightly in our lives.

Yet, in God's sovereign design, we can still stumble, still yield to temptation if we do not walk in step with the Spirit. The Apostle Paul, that pillar of faith, lays bare his own struggles in Romans 7:14-25: "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin... For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do... O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Here, Paul confesses the ongoing battle between the renewed spirit and the flesh—a battle that even the greatest saints wage until glory.

Consider also the lives of two anointed kings of Israel, David and Solomon, whose stories illuminate this very truth. Both were greatly blessed by God—David, a man after God's own heart, empowered by the Spirit from his youth; Solomon, granted unparalleled wisdom and splendor. Yet both fell into grievous sin: David in adultery and murder, Solomon in idolatry, turning his heart to foreign gods through the influence of his many wives (1 Kings 11:4–8). Solomon's end was marked by divine displeasure—"Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father" (1 Kings 11:6)—with no record of repentance restoring his fellowship. David, however, when confronted, humbled himself profoundly: "I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Samuel 12:13), pouring out his soul in Psalm 51 with a broken and contrite heart that God never despises. Throughout his life, David returned again and again to repentance, dying in covenant favor. Thus, even the most Spirit-blessed among us remain vulnerable to sin, but the path of progressive sanctification—of growing from glory to glory—is marked by ongoing humility and repentance, keeping our hearts soft toward the God who ever calls us back to Himself.

And so, dear reader, receiving the Holy Spirit does not prohibit us from sinning; rather, it equips us for victory while acknowledging our need for continual repentance. As 1 John 1:8-10 solemnly warns believers: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." What grace! In our failings, we find not condemnation but an invitation to draw nearer to the throne of mercy.

In the midst of this process, Scripture points us toward a glorious horizon. Consider 1 Corinthians 13:10: "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." Paul, writing to the church at Corinth amid discussions of spiritual gifts and love, contrasts our current partial knowledge with the fullness to come. "That which is perfect" (from the Greek to teleion, signifying completeness or maturity) is often understood as the return of Christ or our entrance into eternity, when we shall see Him "face to face" and "know even as also I am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

This perfection is not the eradication of sin in this life but the ultimate glorification awaiting believers. As Philippians 3:12-14 exhorts: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus... I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Until then, we live in the tension of the "already but not yet"—sanctified positionally through Christ's blood, yet progressing practically through the Spirit's work.

Paul culminates his discourse with a triumphant declaration in 1 Corinthians 13:13: "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." In our imperfect state, these virtues endure as anchors for the soul. Faith trusts in God's promises amid uncertainty; hope anticipates the fulfillment of His kingdom through Christ Jesus; and charity— that divine, selfless love (agapē)—binds them all through the Holy Spirit's work in a believer's heart, reflecting God's very nature (1 John 4:8).

Love is supreme because it outlasts even faith and hope in eternity. When we behold Christ, faith becomes sight, and hope is realized. But love? It flows eternally from the heart of God. In our daily walk, this love empowers us to forgive, to serve, and to overcome sin's pull, all through the Holy Spirit's enabling.

As we conclude this reflection, let us bow in awe before the Living God, the God of the living. The Holy Spirit's work in us is a profound mystery—a process of transformation that honors our free will while drawing us inexorably toward holiness. We can still sin, yes, but we are no longer slaves to it (Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace"). Walk in the Spirit, confess your failings, and press on toward "the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

May the Lord bless you and keep you, illuminating your path with His Word. Until we meet in that perfect realm, let us abide in faith, hope, and charity, and the greatest which is charity [love].

In Christ's love,

A Humble Seeker

For millennia, believers have wrestled with the question: When will the rapture occur? Pre‑trib, mid‑trib, post‑trib—each view has its claims of Scriptural grounding, its arguments, and its defenders. Yet Scripture’s deepest call is not to speculation, but to faithfulness. Whether Christ comes before, during, or after the tribulation, the command is the same: be ready, be steadfast, be found so doing.

Revelation 3:10 — The Promise of Being Kept

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

This verse is often cited as evidence for a pre‑tribulation rapture. But beyond debates, its heart is clear: those who keep the word of Christ’s patience will be kept. Patience here means endurance—steadfast loyalty under trial. It is not passive waiting, but active obedience. The promise is not for the careless or lukewarm, but for those who remain faithful. "If you love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15

Meat in Due Season — Faith That Matures

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant… to give them meat in due season?” (Matthew 24:45–46)

The faithful servant does not simply avoid sin. He feeds others. He gives “meat”—the deeper truths of God’s Word—at the exact time they are needed. This is meat faith: maturity, discernment, wisdom.

• Hebrews 5:14 – “Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age… discerning both good and evil.”

• James 1:22 – “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

Meat faith is what sustains them, and God's poor in Spirit, milk-level believers, through the tribulation. It is the seal of maturity, the mark of discernment, the strength to resist deception and endure trials. It is God’s provision “in due season” for His household.

Discernment and maturity are fruits of salvation through Christ Jesus, not the cause of it. Those who grow from milk to meat (Hebrews 5:14) show evidence of the Spirit’s work in them, but it is Christ alone who saves.

Those with discernment do not endure alone. They are called to feed others in due season—to strengthen those who are still babes in Christ:

• Hebrews 5:12 – “Ye have need that one teach you again… for every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness.”

• 1 Corinthians 3:2 – “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it.”

The faithful and wise servant sustains the household, giving meat to those who are ready, and patiently guiding those still on milk. In tribulation, this ministry of nourishment becomes vital: the mature, discerning and faithful uphold the weak, protect the vulnerable, and strengthen the wavering.

The Light in the Darkness

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14)

Why would God remove the light of the world before its darkest hour?

• The church is called to shine in the world’s darkness.

• Tribulation is the world’s darkest night, full of deception and trials.

• Removing the church before that moment would leave the world without living witnesses of truth.

Instead, Scripture shows the faithful shining in tribulation:

• Daniel 12:3 – “They that be wise shall shine… and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars.”

• Revelation 7:14 – “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes.”

The light shines brightest when the night is darkest. God’s people are present, sealed, and faithful, bearing witness until Christ returns.

Whether or not, however, you believe the rapture will be pre‑trib, mid‑trib, or post‑trib, the promise is the same:

• Those who keep His word of patience will be kept from the hour of temptation, one way or another.

• Those filled with meat-level discernment, who feed others with meat in due season, helping sustain those still on milk, will be blessed.

The faithful servant is not idle. He is found so doing when the Master comes—serving, obeying, feeding, enduring. The timing of the rapture matters less than the posture of readiness. Jesus wants us to live today as if the rapture is today. The debate over timing will continue, but the heart of Scripture is clear: faithfulness, maturity, endurance, and service. The Lord is coming and blessed is the servant whom He finds so doing.

The faithful and wise servant will be kept from the hour of temptation: Whether it means they will be "kept" by having their eyes wide open and discerning good and evil, to sustain them and others through the tribulation, or they will be whisked away so they do not have to endure it, is irrelevant. Because whether pre‑trib, mid‑trib, or post‑trib, the promise is sure. So, grow into discernment. Keep the word of His patience. Feed others with meat in due season. Sustain those who are still on milk. And live each day as if the trumpet could sound at any moment.

That being said, the scriptural evidence is clear and abundant for a post-tribulation gathering. After all, we are the light of the world:

Why would God remove the light before the End? If there is any hope for unbelievers, or for the wavering to return to Him, we must shine our light in the darkest hour.

The scriptural proof for a post-tribulation gathering:

⏳ Daniel: The Foundation

• Daniel 7:21–22 – “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints…”
• → The saints endure tribulation until God intervenes.

• Daniel 12:1 – “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was… and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
• → Deliverance comes after great tribulation, for those written in the book of life.

🌑 Jesus’s Teaching

• Matthew 13:30 – “Gather ye together first the tares… but gather the wheat into my barn.”

• At harvest (the end), the wicked are removed first, then the righteous gathered.

• Matthew 24:29–31 – “Immediately after the tribulation… they shall see the Son of man coming… and he shall send his angels… and they shall gather together his elect.”

• The gathering of believers happens after the tribulation, at Christ’s return.

✨ Marking and Sealing

• Ezekiel 9:4 – “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations…”

• → God marks His faithful before judgment.

• Revelation 7:3 – “Hurt not the earth… till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

• → Believers are sealed for protection during tribulation.

🔥 Revelation’s Judgment

• Revelation 13:8 – “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life…”

• → Choices during tribulation reveal who belongs to Christ.

• Revelation 20:12, 15 – “…the dead were judged… whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

• → Final judgment separates the faithful from the condemned.

• Revelation 21:27 – “…but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

• → Only those marked and faithful enter the New Jerusalem.

The scripture shows a consistent theme: tribulation first, then Christ’s return, then separation of tares and wheat, with believers marked and preserved.

Again, Faithful and Wise Servant, give them meat in due season. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

May He open eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts and minds to understand. Amen.

See also my blogs titled, The Millennial Reign, and Righteous Indignation, for God's Words to me about Christ's return.

All Glory to God in the Highest, always!

The Harsh Truth Many Christians Do Not Understand

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1

You have probably heard that verse shouted from pulpits, seen it printed on T-shirts, and weaponized on social media to silence anyone who dares call sin by its name inside the church. It is the single most popular verse in modern Christianity, because it is the single most convenient verse. It is short, it sounds kind, and it lets everyone keep sinning in peace.

Here is what almost no one will tell you: that half-verse, ripped from its context and isolated from the rest of Scripture, has become the favorite excuse for disobedience to some of the clearest commands God ever gave His people.

The Bible does not forbid all judgment. It forbids only hypocritical, self-righteous judgment (Matthew 7:2–5). Five verses later in the very same sermon, Jesus commands us to judge false prophets by their fruits (Matthew 7:15–20). In the very same New Testament, the Holy Spirit explicitly commands the church: “For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” 1 Corinthians 5:12–13

Paul tells the church to judge those inside—those who call themselves brothers—while leaving final judgment of the outside world to God. Yet, today the exact opposite happens: pastors thunder against the sins of Hollywood and Washington, but will not name the adultery, pornography, greed, or false teaching sitting in their own pews.

God gave Ezekiel the office of watchman over Israel—not over Babylon. Read His terrifying charge:

Ezekiel 3

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”

We are told to warn the righteous man inside the house when he turns away. Silence is not mercy; it is blood-guilt. Paul says, “I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Acts 20:26-27.

Jesus warns: “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.” Luke 17:3

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone…if he shall neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” Matthew 18:15–17

Paul practiced it: “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” 1 Timothy 5:20

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself lest thou also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1

Yet millions of Christians have been trained to treat any such rebuke as “judgmental” and therefore sinful. They have swallowed a lie that directly contradicts Scripture, because they do not read the Scripture for themselves. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6

The knowledge is not hidden. It is in the book they carry to church but never open at home. They would rather hear a 15-minute sermon or a friend’s opinion than search the Scriptures daily like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11).

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Some will quote Romans 15:20 as a gag order: Paul says, “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation.”

That verse is real, but it is about something completely different. Paul is describing his missionary strategy: he wanted to take the first preaching of the gospel to unreached peoples who had never heard Christ’s name. He refused to repreach the gospel where it had already been faithfully planted. But the moment that already-planted gospel was being twisted or disobeyed in those churches, Paul intervened without apology—even in churches he did not found:

• He publicly rebuked Peter to his face in Antioch: “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed… I said unto Peter before them all…” (Galatians 2:11–14)
• He commanded the Corinthian church from afar to excommunicate an immoral man: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… deliver such an one unto Satan… put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (1 Corinthians 5:4–5, 13)
• He wrote an entire corrective letter to the Colossians, a church he had never visited: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit…” (Colossians 2:8–20)
• He told Timothy and Titus to silence false teachers and rebuke sinful elders publicly in churches others had planted: “That thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine…” (1 Timothy 1:3). “Whose mouths must be stopped… Wherefore rebuke them sharply…” (Titus 1:10–13)

Paul refused to repreach the gospel where it was already established.

He never refused to defend and correct the gospel (or the holy living it demands) once it had been established.

“But Jesus said ‘Judge not’" .. Yes, He did—both in the same sermon (Matthew 5–7). Here is exactly what “Judge not, that ye be not judged” means: “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged… Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? … Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1–5

Jesus forbids hypocritical, proud condemnation—not the loving removal of a brother’s speck after you have dealt with your own log. The goal is restoration, not destruction: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19. Real love warns. Real love risks being called “judgmental” because it cares more about a soul than about being liked.

Romans 15:20 is no license for silence when a brother in another flock—or in your own—is openly turning from righteousness. Ezekiel's blood-guilt (Ezekiel 3) and the command to judge those inside (1 Corinthians 5) still stand.

Until believers stop outsourcing their theology to only pastors, podcasts, and memes—and start reading the Bible, the whole counsel of God, for themselves—the church will keep quoting one verse to disobey fifty.



The harsh truth is this: If you use “judge not” as a shield to protect unrepentant sin inside the body of Christ, you are not being loving. You are being disobedient. And one day the Righteous Judge will not ask what your pastor said, what your small group thought, or what felt kind. He will open the Book of Life: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

Choose today whose word you will believe: the complete Word of God, or the convenient half-verses the crowd prefers.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

Open the Bible . Read it all. Obey it all. Your soul—and the souls of your brothers and sisters—depend on it. The time is short.

May the God of Glory light your path. May His Son open your eyes to see, your ears to hear, and your heart to understand. Amen.