The Hostility Gone All this is from God. (2 Corinthians 5:18) One reason we don’t appreciate the grace of God more is that we either don’t understand or don’t appreciate the radical dimension of the instantaneous act of sanctification which God gives at salvation. If we had a moral lifestyle before conversion, we find it difficult to accept Paul’s description of our attitude toward God: “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7–8). We don’t think of our former attitude as being hostile to God’s Law. But human morality and submission to God’s Law are entirely different in principle, though they may appear similar in outward appearance. Human morality arises out of culture and family training and is based on what is proper and expected in society. It has nothing to do with God except to the extent that godly people have influenced that society. Submission to God’s Law arises out of a love for God and a grateful response to His grace, and is based on a delight in His Law as revealed in Scripture. When society’s standards vary from Scripture, we then see the true nature of human morality: It’s just as hostile to God’s Law as is the attitude of the most hardened sinner. Sanctification changes our attitude. Instead of being hostile to God’s Law, we begin to delight in it (Romans 7:22). We find that “his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3), but rather are “holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). This radical and dramatic change in our attitude toward God’s commands is a gift of His grace, brought about solely by the mighty working of His Spirit within us.