Sanctified and Useful

"Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." ²⁰ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour. ²¹ Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work."

2 Timothy 2:19-21

It's safe to say since immigrating to Australia I drink a lot more tea and coffee than I did previously.  It may be my imagination, but it seems the amount of mugs we store in the cupboard has proportionately grown as well!  Laura and I enjoy and have grown accustomed to welcome visitors into our home with the familiar question:  "Tea or coffee?"  Not everyone drinks tea or coffee of course, but it is a hospitable and often appreciated offer.

When I read this passage in preparation for an upcoming Bible study, an illustration popped into my head.  Paul had exhorted Timothy to avoid foolish debates, vain babblings, and later would tell him to flee fornication.  In context these are some of the sins which Timothy needed to ensure were not part of his life to be useful in God's hands.  For those who drink tea or coffee, we might have a cupboard full of mugs but we typically have our preferred ones.  My preferred mug at the moment is a magenta mug Laura gave me to commemorate our wedding anniversary with pink flamingos and hearts.  Having just finished a coffee, this is what it looks like right now.

I took a picture of the mug in its used and dirty state as an illustration.  If I received a visitor into my house, I would not offer them a hot beverage in a mug with coffee scum caked on it.  I would put this mug in the sink, switch on the kettle, and pull a clean mug out of the cupboard to prepare the tea or coffee.  Paul said in a great house there are many vessels composed of various materials for different uses.  The master of the house would know which vessels were his and their proper function.  If Timothy wanted to be a vessel of honour, "sanctified and useful for the Master," his life would need to be cleansed of sin.

You might say, "Wait a second.  God does the cleansing of our sin for us, right?"  This is true.  When we are born again and made a new creation, our sins are atoned for and we are forgiven.  But like my favourite mug is dirty after use, even Christians can sin after being born again and wilfully continue in it.  Should my mug be dirty when guests arrive, it cannot be a vessel of honour and profitable for use.  An vessel which honours the Master is a clean one.  To offer tea in a filthy mug would bring dishonour on me!  The exhortation is when we realise we are in sin we must repent, put away the sin, and thus sanctify ourselves.  A mug has no power of its own to be clean or dirty, and we must choose to put sin far from our lives so we might be set apart and ready for God's use.  A child of God in sin is still God's child, even like my mug in an unclean state is still mine and favoured.  When it comes to being used profitably however, only a clean mug will do.

You've probably found mugs which were left behind by the user which after awhile began to grow mould and smell horrible.  That is just a hint of the revolting nature of sin which can grow in our hearts when we practice sin without repentance.  Our usefulness by God will be negatively and dramatically affected until we are cleansed.  Once we humble ourselves and submit to God's cleansing in repentance, we are compared to a clean vessel "prepared for every good work."  I don't know any sane person who would prefer to be a vessel of dishonour, one over whom God wrinkles His nose and sets aside until the person choose to be cleansed inside and out.  Let us be those who are cleansed from sin and graciously sanctified for the use of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Only then will we realise our purpose as useful vessels in God's hands for His glory.