Be Wholly Sanctified
That it is the will of God for every believer to be wholly sanctified is plainly taught in the Word of God. In first Thess. 4 3, we read, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication." In the first few verses of the fifth chapter of Romans the apostle writes us of first being justified by faith and then speaks of us having access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, causing us to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul speaks of our trusting in God after we heard the Word of truth, which is the gospel of salvation, and then he goes on to say, "in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise." You note in this writing that we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise after we believed. Sanctification is for those who have repented, believed, and have peace with God through faith in Jesus.
When we are sanctified we receive an earnest of our inheritance, just a small portion which gives us assurance until the redemption of this body which is his purchased possession. We are purchased by his blood (Acts 20:28) and when sanctified wholly his Spirit possesses us, and then we await the redemption of the body, when this decaying body will be changed and fashioned like unto his glorious body. Phil. 3:21.
Jesus, when praying for his disciples, said, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy Word is truth." John 17:17. In the l9th verse he says, "For their sakes I sanctify myself that they might also be sanctified." He meant that he consecrated himself to die on the cross and there pay the penalty of sin and deliver us from the curse by being made a curse for us. Gal. 3:13. Faith in the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from the defilement of Satan, take the very root of sin out of our soul, and our consciences will be purged from dead works to serve the living God. When we are purged by his blood and that sin nature is taken out, we will have no more consciousness of sin. Read Hebrews 9:14 and 10:14.
Incorporated in the Word of salvation is justification and also sanctification. God never intended for one to stop short of going on to perfection (Heb. 6:1) or being sanctified wholly. Our salvation is never complete until we are sanctified and have the Holy Spirit living in us which is the earnest of our inheritance. We are cleansed from sin and Satan's polutions by faith in the blood of Christ. We are sanctified by the Holy Ghost, so says the apostle Paul in Rom. 15:16. When the Holy Ghost comes in, He sets us apart for His sacred use, dwells in us as an earnest of the Spirit, leading us and guiding us into all truth (John 16:13), and giving us power to witness for the Lord.
We are justified by faith and then we are
sanctified by faith in the work that Jesus has completed for us. In order to get justified, we first become very sorry (II Cor. 7:10) because we have transgressed the laws of God, and then we repent, asking God to forgive us of all sin, promising Him to quit sinning by His help; and by faith in the blood of Jesus our actual sins are blotted out, and then we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 5:1. As we go on living for God, we will find that there is a sin nature in us, a planting of Satan that troubles us and hinders us. It is an impurity in the heart. When we read the Word of God, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God," Matt. 5:8 and also what Jesus says, "I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified," then we long to be cleansed from all the defilement of Satan, and we look to the Lord with faith believing, and God is faithful to do the work.
God has planned this for us all down through the ages. Zechariah, speaking of this gospel day, says, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness." You will notice that he speaks that it is first for sin and then for uncleanness.
In the fifteenth chapter of Luke we have a record of the prodigal son gettlng saved, and we find that he first comes to himself, or in other words begins to realize what a great sinner he really is, and then he begins to repent and says, I will go to my Father and confess. So he puts the decision in action and arises and goes. The father saw him, and he ran to meet him, threw his arms around him and planted a kiss upon his brow. Surely the son feels safe and forgiven while in the father's arms, and thus this is typical of our justification, but does not stop at that. For the father leads him to the house and tells the servant to kill the fatted calf. (The Spirit will lead us into sanctification). He puts the ring on his hand, which denotes eternal love, puts shoes on his feet (shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace) and brings forth the best robe and puts on him. Sanctification by the Lord Jesus Christ is the best robe.
St. John in the eleventh chapter, in speaking again of how we get saved, uses a man that has physically died to illustrate the truth to us.
Jesus told the sisters that he was the resurrection and llfe. He aot only can resurrect people that are physically dead, but he also resurrects people that are dead in trespasses and sins. The resurrection of Lazarus is typical of the way He saves us. Lazarus had been dead for four days, and Martha said, "By this time he stinketh." This represents a man who has been dead in trespasses and sins for a long time until he becomes a stench in the nostrils of God. All things are possible with God, and Jesus called to him with a loud voice, "Lazarus come forth." And he came forth bound hands and feet with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. He came forth, had life and could move about. This represents a justified person. Jesus speaks the second time and says, "Loose him and let him go." This represents sanctification, for it is a second work wrought upon the soul of man by the Holy Ghost. When a man is sanctified wholly, he is no longer bound, and the grave clothes of sin fall off, and the man is free to fully glorify God.
We might use the illustration of David and Goliath, the giant, Goliath represents Satan. David goes out against him; he first throws a stone, and it knocks him down, which is a hard blow. David does not stop at this, for he takes the sword of the giant and cuts off his head, and the blood runs out. That was a second work, but it was a death blow to Satan. When we become justified by faith in the atoning blood, we hit Satan a hard blow. When we become sanctified by faith, we cut his head off and are entirely freed from all of his polutions.
Sanctification is a thorough, complete work, and our salvation is never complete until we are cleansed and filled with the Holy Ghost. It is a preserving element that preserves and keeps us free from sin and gives us power to witness for Jesus.
In the fifth chapter of I Thessalonians, Paul exhorts us to, "Abstain from all appearance of evil: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole Spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it." When we are sanctified wholly it includes our spirit, soul, and body. If our whole spirit, soul and body is preserved blameless, for God is faithful to do it, I want to ask: How much of it would be left to sin?
Brethren and sisters, let us go on to perfection, for this is the will of God, even your sanctification. -Fred Pruitt.
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