Introduction
In lesson eight we covered Regeneration and Justification. To put sanctification in its proper perspective it would be good to compare it with Regeneration and Justification.
| REGENERATION | JUSTIFICATION | SANCTIFICATION |
| 1. Takes place in the believer's heart. | Takes place before God | Takes place in the believer's conduct |
| .2.Impartation of new life. | Declared righteous before God. | Becoming righteous in our daily walk. |
| 3.God's answer to spiritual death. | God's answer to the problem of guilt. | The believer's response to God's work. |
| 4.Places us into right relationship with God. | Declares our right relationship with God. | Exhibits the fruit of our relationship with God. |
The doctrine of sanctification is of
importance to us because it has to
do with the way the believer behaves.
If regeneration has truly taken
place, the believer begins to behave
in a Godly manner.
I. THE MEANING OF SANCTIFICATION
1. Separation from evil.
is the turning away from all
that is sinful and all that defiles
the believer.
1 Thess 4:3,7, "For this is
the will of God your sanctification
that you should abstain from sexual
immorality. For God did not call us
to unclearness, but in holiness."
2. Dedication to God.
In the Old Testament anything
sanctified was for the exclusive use
of the Lord. To be sanctified not
only means to be separated from sin,
but even more importantly, it means
to be dedicated to God's exclusive
use.
1 Cor 6:19,20, "Do you not
know that your body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom
you have from God and you are not
your own? For you were bought at a
price, therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit which are
God's."
II. THE ASPECTS OF SANCTIFICATION
1. The Initial Act (Positional).
The moment a person is saved,
they are said to be sanctified, i.e.
separated from evil and dedicated to
God. This is the way that God sees
them.
1 Cor 6:1, "And such were some of
you. But you were washed, but you
were sanctified, but you were
justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus and by the Spirit of our God".
2. The Practical Act (Progressive).
Even though positionally before
God we are sanctified, there is
still a progressive act of
sanctification. What we have
positionally, we must seek
experientially. The New Testament
makes it abundantly clear.
2 Cor 3:18, We "are being
transformed into the same image (of
Christ) from glory to glory, just as
by the Spirit of the Lord".
1 Thess 4:1, We "ought to abound
more and more, just as you received
from us, how you ought to walk and
to please God".
2 Cor 7:1, "Let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God".
Phil 3:12, Paul said, "Not that I
have already attained or am
perfected, but I press on".
Our aim in our progressive
sanctification is to perfect
holiness. When we have done that, we
attain the complete image of Christ.
The Final Act (Perfected).
Sinless perfection and final
sanctification await us when Jesus
Christ returns. It is then that we
will be like Him. We will be
delivered totally from the body of
this flesh and we will be totally
holy.
1 Thess 3:13, "so that He may
establish your hearts blameless in
holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all His saints."
1 John 3:2, "But we know that
when He is revealed we shall be like
Him for we shall see Him as He is".
III. THE MEANS OF
SANCTIFICATION
As with so many things in our
Christian life, there is the union
of the Divine will with the Human
will. Both sides are involved in our
sanctification.
1. The Divine Side
The Godhead is at work in
our sanctification.
a. The Father
1 Thess 5:23, "Now may the God of
peace Himself sanctify you
completely and may your whole spirit,
soul and body be preserved blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ".
b. The Son
John 10:10, "We have been
sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for
all".
Hebrews 13:12, Therefore Jesus
also, that He might sanctify the
people with His own blood, suffered
outside the gate".
c. The Holy Spirit
1 Peter 1:2, "according to the
foreknowledge of the Father in
sanctification of the Spirit".
Galatians 5:16, Walk in the
Spirit and you shall not fulfil the
lust of the flesh"
2. The Human Side
Apart from what God has done, we
cannot do anything. We need to
appropriate what God has done by:
a. Faith
Acts26:18, “we are sanctified by
faith in Him”.
Acts 15:9, “our hearts are
purified by faith”.
b. Obedience to the Word of God.
John 17:17, “the Word sanctifies
us”.
Ephesians 5:26, “God's Word
sanctifies us, cleanses us, and
washes us”.
c. Personal Commitment
Heb 12:14, "Pursue peace with all
men and holiness, without which no
one will see the Lord".
Heb 12:1,2, "That YOU present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God. Do not be
conformed to this world but be
transformed by the renewing of your
mind".
Conclusion
1 Peter 2:9-11 gives us a great
definition of sanctification.
"But you are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own special people that you may
proclaim the praises of Him who
called you out of darkness into His
marvellous light; who once were not
a people but are now the people of
God, who had not obtained mercy but
now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I
beg you as sojourners and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts which war
against the soul".
What is clearly seen, is that God
has made us holy. We have been
separated from sin, we do belong to
Him, and we are progressively
working out holiness within our own
lives. For too long the world has
resisted Christian things because
they have observed a hypocritical
stance on this subject. Let us never
excuse wilful sin, but let us also
be honest to the world. We are
progressing. We desire to live a
godly lifestyle. If we fail, let us
admit it, but then let's pick
ourselves up and in God's strength
press on to better things.
