Part III
Sanctification is the normal state of the Christian. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are jointly interested in us, that we attain unto this grace. Our unity with the Godhead is incomplete without it, so also is our unity with each other; “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”* (Hebrews 2:11) A heart washed and made pure by the blood of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit will always be in perfect fellowship with divinity, and also with all other hearts of like experience. The unsanctified heart of the believer cannot be fully satisfied, because of the consciousness of the presence of the carnal nature, more scripturally called “our old man.”* (Romans 6:6) Just what it is may not perhaps be perfectly understood by the new convert, but that something abnormal exists will soon be discovered, and there will be a longing in the heart for an inward cleansing—a normal desire for the normal experience. On the other hand, when this blessed experience is attained, there comes with it the consciousness of inward purity which fully satisfies the heart, and it can sing with the spirit and with the understanding,
“Hallelujah for the cleansing;
It has reached my inmost soul.”
For this purpose Christ gave Himself for the church—“That he might sanctify and cleanse it.”* (Ephesians 5:26) God gave Him to the world that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, for our justification; but Christ gave Himself for the church, for our sanctification.
The gospel commission of the apostle Paul specifies clearly the doctrine of sanctification, the “inheritance among them which are sanctified.”* (Acts 26:18) He could not have been faithful to this commission without leading souls from “forgiveness of sins” into this “inheritance.” His ministry and epistles to the different churches prove his faithfulness. Upon his first acquaintance with the brethren at Ephesus be asked them the question, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”* (Acts 19:2) And after three years of faithful ministry in that city, upon the solemn event of his departure from them, among his last words he reminds the church of the “inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”* (Acts 20:32) Then about four years later, while a prisoner at Rome, he writes back to them his epistle to the Ephesians, which in every chapter sparkles with beautiful gems of thought upon the subject of sanctification. In his letter to the church of Rome we are forcibly reminded that this doctrine was prominent in his teaching, employing such terms as, “this grace wherein we stand,”* (Romans 5:2) “our old man is crucified… that the body of sin might be destroyed,”* (Romans 6:6) “dead indeed unto sin,”* (Romans 6:11) “free from sin,”* (Romans 6:18) “married to… him who is raised from the dead,”* (Romans 7:4) “present your bodies a living sacrifice,”* (Romans 12:1) “being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.”* (Romans 15:16) These terms and others signify the precious experiences of sanctification.
In the first and second epistles to the Corinthians we also notice the mention of this experience, and that there were some saints at Corinth that were sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2,30), although some were not, and were told that they were yet carnal. There were evidently only the two classes—sanctified and justified, in the church there, the same as is usually the case everywhere today. In speaking of the congregation, he says “But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God.”* (1 Corinthians 6:11) In the second epistle, he exhorts them: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,”* (2 Corinthians 7:1) and among the closing words of this letter, he says, “Be perfect.”* (2 Corinthians 13:11)
Thus we can see in all the epistles of this apostle, the theme of sanctification. His personal testimony to the Galatians reads: “I am crucified with Christ.”* (Galatians 2:20) His statement to the brethren at Philippi was: “As many as be perfect”* (Philippians 3:15); to those at Colosse: “Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God,”* (Colossians 3:3) “Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man”* (Colossians 3:9-10); his teaching in the epistles to the Thessalonians, showing them that sanctification is the will of God to them, and his desire that the “God of peace sanctify you wholly.”* (1 Thessalonians 5:23) His instructions to Timothy show how we may become a vessel “sanctified, and meet for the master’s use,”* (2 Timothy 2:21) and he refers to the fact that there were some who “call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”* (2 Timothy 2:22) His letter to Titus, in which he mentions how Jesus gave Himself for us, that He might “purify unto himself a peculiar people.”* (Titus 2:14) These all add testimony to this doctrine and the apostle’s faithfulness in his ministry. Some scholars think Apollos is the author of the epistle to the Hebrews; but whether Paul or Apollos, it abounds with truth upon sanctification.
All the other writers of the New Testament teach the same truth. James says, “Purify your hearts, ye double minded.”* (James 4:8) Peter gives emphasis to the doctrine of holiness: “Be ye holy,”* (1 Peter 1:15) and that “we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness”* (1 Peter 2:24); and desires that the God of all grace “make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you”* (2 Peter 3:14); and that at the coming of Christ “ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.”* () Jude addresses his epistle “to them that are sanctified… and preserved.”* (Jude 1:1)
Then when we search the writings of John we are almost overwhelmed with glory, as we read his beautiful teachings upon this theme, which he so clearly sets forth. God grant that we all may “walk in the light as he is in the light,”* (1 John 1:7) walking “even as he walked,”* (1 John 2:6) that His love in us may be “perfected,”* (1 John 2:5) that we may prayerfully hold fast and abide in this “unction from the Holy One,”* (1 John 2:20) that the “anointing”* (1 John 2:27) may abide in us. Such an experience can be realized only by every one that “purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”* (1 John 3:3)
Sanctification is the normal state of the Christian. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are jointly interested in us, that we attain unto this grace. Our unity with the Godhead is incomplete without it, so also is our unity with each other; “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”* (Hebrews 2:11) A heart washed and made pure by the blood of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit will always be in perfect fellowship with divinity, and also with all other hearts of like experience. The unsanctified heart of the believer cannot be fully satisfied, because of the consciousness of the presence of the carnal nature, more scripturally called “our old man.”* (Romans 6:6) Just what it is may not perhaps be perfectly understood by the new convert, but that something abnormal exists will soon be discovered, and there will be a longing in the heart for an inward cleansing—a normal desire for the normal experience. On the other hand, when this blessed experience is attained, there comes with it the consciousness of inward purity which fully satisfies the heart, and it can sing with the spirit and with the understanding,
“Hallelujah for the cleansing;
It has reached my inmost soul.”
For this purpose Christ gave Himself for the church—“That he might sanctify and cleanse it.”* (Ephesians 5:26) God gave Him to the world that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, for our justification; but Christ gave Himself for the church, for our sanctification.
The gospel commission of the apostle Paul specifies clearly the doctrine of sanctification, the “inheritance among them which are sanctified.”* (Acts 26:18) He could not have been faithful to this commission without leading souls from “forgiveness of sins” into this “inheritance.” His ministry and epistles to the different churches prove his faithfulness. Upon his first acquaintance with the brethren at Ephesus be asked them the question, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”* (Acts 19:2) And after three years of faithful ministry in that city, upon the solemn event of his departure from them, among his last words he reminds the church of the “inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”* (Acts 20:32) Then about four years later, while a prisoner at Rome, he writes back to them his epistle to the Ephesians, which in every chapter sparkles with beautiful gems of thought upon the subject of sanctification. In his letter to the church of Rome we are forcibly reminded that this doctrine was prominent in his teaching, employing such terms as, “this grace wherein we stand,”* (Romans 5:2) “our old man is crucified… that the body of sin might be destroyed,”* (Romans 6:6) “dead indeed unto sin,”* (Romans 6:11) “free from sin,”* (Romans 6:18) “married to… him who is raised from the dead,”* (Romans 7:4) “present your bodies a living sacrifice,”* (Romans 12:1) “being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.”* (Romans 15:16) These terms and others signify the precious experiences of sanctification.
In the first and second epistles to the Corinthians we also notice the mention of this experience, and that there were some saints at Corinth that were sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2,30), although some were not, and were told that they were yet carnal. There were evidently only the two classes—sanctified and justified, in the church there, the same as is usually the case everywhere today. In speaking of the congregation, he says “But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God.”* (1 Corinthians 6:11) In the second epistle, he exhorts them: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,”* (2 Corinthians 7:1) and among the closing words of this letter, he says, “Be perfect.”* (2 Corinthians 13:11)
Thus we can see in all the epistles of this apostle, the theme of sanctification. His personal testimony to the Galatians reads: “I am crucified with Christ.”* (Galatians 2:20) His statement to the brethren at Philippi was: “As many as be perfect”* (Philippians 3:15); to those at Colosse: “Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God,”* (Colossians 3:3) “Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man”* (Colossians 3:9-10); his teaching in the epistles to the Thessalonians, showing them that sanctification is the will of God to them, and his desire that the “God of peace sanctify you wholly.”* (1 Thessalonians 5:23) His instructions to Timothy show how we may become a vessel “sanctified, and meet for the master’s use,”* (2 Timothy 2:21) and he refers to the fact that there were some who “call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”* (2 Timothy 2:22) His letter to Titus, in which he mentions how Jesus gave Himself for us, that He might “purify unto himself a peculiar people.”* (Titus 2:14) These all add testimony to this doctrine and the apostle’s faithfulness in his ministry. Some scholars think Apollos is the author of the epistle to the Hebrews; but whether Paul or Apollos, it abounds with truth upon sanctification.
All the other writers of the New Testament teach the same truth. James says, “Purify your hearts, ye double minded.”* (James 4:8) Peter gives emphasis to the doctrine of holiness: “Be ye holy,”* (1 Peter 1:15) and that “we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness”* (1 Peter 2:24); and desires that the God of all grace “make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you”* (2 Peter 3:14); and that at the coming of Christ “ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.”* () Jude addresses his epistle “to them that are sanctified… and preserved.”* (Jude 1:1)
Then when we search the writings of John we are almost overwhelmed with glory, as we read his beautiful teachings upon this theme, which he so clearly sets forth. God grant that we all may “walk in the light as he is in the light,”* (1 John 1:7) walking “even as he walked,”* (1 John 2:6) that His love in us may be “perfected,”* (1 John 2:5) that we may prayerfully hold fast and abide in this “unction from the Holy One,”* (1 John 2:20) that the “anointing”* (1 John 2:27) may abide in us. Such an experience can be realized only by every one that “purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”* (1 John 3:3)
