The verb sanctified means set apart, and the corresponding noun saints are those persons who have been set apart, the set-apart ones. Sanctification is more than saying "no" to sin. . When we meditate in Gods Word, the truth of God has its own inherent power to prevent sin. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:13). . Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? I am not suggesting that there is no experiential aspect in Sanctification in which practical holiness will manifest itself in the Christians life. The Holy Spirit, Regeneration, and Sanctification - A Puritan's Mind We can be tempted by Satan (I Corinthians 7:5; I Thessalonians 3:5), by the natural desires of the old unregenerate nature (Galatians 4:14; James 1:14), by other persons (Matthew 16:1; 19:3). Tis everlasting peace, Sure as Jehovahs name;Tis stable as His steadfast throne, For evermore the same. It is the time of the earths regeneration, the new order about which the prophets wrote, when Jehovah will set His King upon His holy hill of Zion (Psalm 2:6), And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). If the problem in the Christian life is to bring our practice up to our position, then let us become men and women of the Word. Adam, in his original state, was created with the gift of life; this was the implantation of life through the creative process. Indeed this is a special kind of glory, even the perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ. These miracles, or signs, or wonders, were performed by our Lord as an evidence of His Deity, and they were done by Him so that sinners would believe in Him and be saved. The surrender of our bodies to God is absolutely essential to Practical Sanctification. I interpret Peters scathing rebuke to mean that there was a man who, though he was baptized, was never regenerated. Beware of the false teaching that urges the believer to seek Positional Sanctification after he has been saved. Sanctification, like salvation, is by grace through faith. Christian Holiness and Entire Sanctification - MANUAL 2017-2021 A woman, whose parents were missionaries to India, told me that she did not need to be born again because she was born right the first time and simply needed to continue being good. The mother expressed to the pastor her appreciation for the scholarship, but added the lack of necessary funds for travel, clothing, etc. But in the case of biblical justification, all men are sinners, and since all sin is against God, He only must be satisfied. . This is an evil without any authority in the Bible. The word regeneration appears only twice in the English Bible. The unsaved man is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1), alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18). Paul set forth this doctrine clearly in II Corinthians 5:21 when he said, For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Justification is only in Him, for apart from Him no basis for it exists. So here's what I conclude. It is nowhere taught by Christ nor expressed in the writings of the Apostles that infant baptism was believed by them. Notice it does not say that some of them were baptized into the Body, but that all were. Entire Sanctification: Nazarenes are a Holiness people, open to complete regeneration and sanctification by the Holy Spirit. Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest said, God is the objective standard which determines the content and meaning, and at the same time keeps that content of meaning constant and unchanging, since He only is the unchanging One. A just person is one who has been declared righteous by God. God has children but no grandchildren. He said, The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit (John 3:8). The Bible illustrates this: If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then shall they justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked (Deuteronomy 25:1). That He came to earth none can deny, but any biological explanation remains a mystery. Being introduced to and transformed by the Spirit to be fashioned to live in the presence of God for all eternity is entering into the realm of sanctification. It is of their nature to be definitive. The holy man of God will honor God with his body. Like the Corinthian believers, and all true believers, I was at that moment justified by God. There is no other way of one getting into Christs Church apart from the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. A judge has no right to condemn the innocent or to clear the guilty. As a matter of fact, I have never met an advocate of the death to self movement who could tell me how I might die to self. To the child of God who reads and studies the Bible, it becomes a cleansing, sanctifying power in life. What is regeneration according to the Bible? | GotQuestions.org By taking heed thereto according to thy word (Psalm 119:9). The Apostle Peter wrote, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied (I Peter 1:2). But Christ having taken away my sin, I now have access into Gods presence. Her boy had not earned the money. This is the problem simply stated, and it is the basis upon which God acts in Justification. This is Perfect Sanctification. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (I Thessalonians 4:3). This is the cooperative work of the Holy Spirit and the believer. If a criminal is found guilty and convicted of crime, he may be forgiven by the offended party and even pardoned by the governor, but he remains guilty of his offense. The Holy Spirit was active in the generation of the physical universe. If we accept it, He will pardon, forgive, free, cleanse, and justify us. It was no mere incident when I enrolled as a student in The Philadelphia School of the Bible in 1935. . God has but one way of saving people. And even when man does know the directions of the wind, he is unable to regulate or control its power. The will of God is the present sphere of Christian obligation. The only way that God could be both merciful and just was through Calvary, where Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin. Let us put it another way--the only righteous basis for our justification has been provided through the death of Christ. But since all men are both guilty and condemned sinners before God, all need both forgiveness and justification before entering the Kingdom of God. hagiazo) is to separate, or to set apart. The work accomplished by Christ is applied to the elect by Christ's Spirit. . One day the pastor visited the home to congratulate the boy and his mother. Once more the mother expressed her regrets that her son was unable to accept the scholarship. It is Gods coming great society, the Theocracy in the earth. to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness (Romans 4:5). Look carefully at the text and notice that word freely. The Greek word (dorean) translated freely means without a cause. The same Greek word is so translated in John 15:25. Dr. Chafer said, Even if Sanctification were limited to the field of human experience, there would never be an experience that could be proven to be its perfect example, nor would any human statement of that experience exactly describe the full measure of the divine reality. Sometimes the word perfect is used in the comparative degree. The Apostle Paul wrote, And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh . He was pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church (Highland Park, Michigan) until the end of 1963 when he resigned More. He says, . In Adoption the regenerated son of God is placed in the position of perfect sonship. The need for being regenerated is universal. Our Lord said that the Holy Spirit would abide with you forever (John 14:16). Regeneration, Justification and Sanctification | Bible.org It is future--When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory (Colossians 3:4 R.V.). What He said is that the Father set Him apart and sent Him from Heaven to earth to accomplish the Divine mission of redemption. In chapter 2:1-16 he shows that the self-righteous are equally guilty before God. This includes even that little member (James 3:5) which too often hurts the membership. What Is the Catholic View of Regeneration and Sanctification? All the doctrines of the Bible are important, but none is more vital to the peace and rest of the child of God than the Bible truth of Justification. Sanctification is the process whereby God the Holy Spirit transforms the believer into the image and likeness of Christ. Here Peter is saying the same as Jesus said in John 3:5. God stands at the commencement of all life. There is a mystery attached to both. The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to every believer; therefore, every believer has been positionally sanctified permanently. In his first reference to the new birth, the Apostle John refers to those which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). Let us examine three erroneous views and then attempt a correct biblical interpretation. Sin manifests itself through the members of the body. Our bodies belong to God by a two-fold right, His right by creation and by redemption. . Not posse non peccare (able not to sin), but non posse peccare (not able to sin). It is the first step in the experience of the believer. Christians are now saints, already set apart, sanctified. The verb in Romans 6:6 is in the past tense, so that the correct translation reads, Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Christ. The reference is not to something the Christian must try to accomplish, but to the perfect and completed work of Christ. The regenerated person can testify that things are different now. Heaven may be reached without education, wealth or worldly acclaim, but it will not be inhabited by those who have not been regenerated. Who then are the sanctified? Jesus Christ modeled a holy, sinless life, and his Spirit enables believers to become more Christlike day by day. The theory known as Spontaneous Generation, that is, that life can spring into being of itself, is no longer believed by modern day scientists. The Word of God assures us that all one needs in order to pass from death to life is to believe the facts and receive the Saviour. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10, 23). Some students make the mistake of confusing Adoption with Regeneration. These results of justification by faith are given to us in Romans, chapter 5. Paul gave Abraham as an excellent biblical illustration of justification by faith. . The living word came from the living God, and it has power to impart life to all who believe it. If there is going to be any disagreement among us, please let us disagree agreeably. It is Gods gift to every regenerated man (Romans 5:17). No distinctions are as much as hinted at in these verses, nor would we expect any because of the very nature of a gift. James is stating how a believer who has been justified by God is justified before men, namely, by works. Christ is finishing the good work that He began in us ( Philippians 1:6 ). I am more ready now to judge my grandchildren justly, but love kept me from so judging my own children. Baptism does not avail to cleanse the heart from defilement, but our Lord did say, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). In the Divine plan God set apart Jeremiah for His work before ever Jeremiah was born, separating and appointing him to be a prophet to the nations. By taking heed thereto according the Thy Word (Psalm 119:9). That there is something incomprehensible about Regeneration no one can deny. In Romans Paul is merely emphasizing the truth that faith is the means of justification, while James stresses the fact that good works are the fruit of justification. William Evans THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION. Its unseen power lies beyond the reach of our vision and understanding The wind is sovereign in its movements and silent as to its mystery. There was but One. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God . And make certain that you are clear on one point, namely, the new creation begins with Christ. Certainly it is not through struggling nor self-confidence nor by trying to duplicate those experiences to which others testify. Think you it was a fair exchange? Only God can communicate life. Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6). Heaven was bankrupt to make you righteous. Having become partakers of the Divine Nature we now see sin as God sees it. The kingdom of Christ on earth will be a time of world-wide subjection to the authority of Christ, when sin, sorrow, sickness, suffering and strife will not touch earths inhabitants. When we sin against the Spirit we break fellowship with him, thereby cutting ourselves off from the supply of His power. Divine foreknowledge is not limited to mere foresight of what men will do at some future time. . God is life. In all human jurisprudence such a procedure is proper. This is a clear illustration of the Preparatory Sanctification of God the Father in Election and Foreknowledge. Another significant passage appears in the opening of the First Corinthian Letter. Here is the believers heritage in Christ. (3) The house in which a man lives can be sanctified. 1. (2) A building and its contents can be sanctified. Justification can be defined as that act of God whereby He declares absolutely righteous any and all who take shelter in the blood of Christ as their only hope for salvation. Perfect sonship is that for which we are waiting. And I am convinced that my own conversion and call to the ministry were of Gods choosing and not mine. Did you ever question why Christ died on the Cross? We often lapse into works righteousness and see spiritual disciplines as the rule for growth. Faith is not the end in itself; it is a means to the end. I can testify with Paul that God put me into the ministry and has enabled me to continue (I Timothy 1:12). But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. So if you have trusted Christ to save you, then you have been set apart once for all; you are Gods sanctified one. At some level, of course, this consecrated status entails . Are you rejoicing in His imputed Sanctification? A sad picture, but true! In theological discussion, sanctification usually denotes something we do or strive to obtainpersonal godliness, the process of becoming increasingly godly, and so on. But our present hope and future glory are not jeopardized by tribulation. Regeneration is particularly ascribed to the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8) working through the gospel (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23-25). Put God into a miracle and doubt gives way to faith. Before the ages God planned to bestow upon the redeemed a glory, unique and appropriate only to the Church in Christ. It happened in December 1927, and it has been blessedly real. Any person who is truly saved and who sincerely wants Gods will shall have it. It was dignifying to Pauls office as an apostle to know that it all did not just happen, but that he was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:14). We must beware of that disproportionate emphasis on experience which neglects or omits doctrine. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father (Galatians 4:6). There was no discrimination among the mixed multitude of believers in Corinth. He must judge and condemn the guilty. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth (II Thessalonians 2:13). How does one pursue Sanctification? In Christ Jesus our Lord . God said to Jeremiah, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). According to Protestant thought, regeneration is "the mighty work of God by which unbelievers are given a new nature, being born again. All who have received Jesus Christ have been sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ (Jude 1). Now there is a difference between Regeneration and Justification. You cant train a bird to crawl, for the same reason you cant train a snake to fly. Elsewhere Paul speaks of the peace of God (Philippians 4:7), an experience of those believers who learn to cast their cares on Him. However, in the redemptive plan God restores that image and likeness. A Protestant View of Regeneration and Sanctification. Regeneration begins the process of sanctification wherein we become the people God intends us to be ( Romans 8:28-30 ). He had set Himself apart for the purpose for which the Father had set Him apart. Those who are justified by faith can take pleasure in tribulation (II Corinthians 12:10), for we know that it is but for a moment, and that it worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (II Corinthians 4:17). In Pauls day, and later in the days of the Protestant Reformation, and in our own day, it would be difficult to find a truth more cardinal to our historic Christian faith than the doctrine of Justification. These items are neither moral nor immoral; they are amoral. The Bible so solemnly shows us that he who justifies himself by his own works must be condemned by God, but he who condemns himself and trusts in Christ will find complete justification in Him. An interesting passage in the book of Isaiah shows that men can sanctify themselves (set themselves apart) to do evil. The sanctification of the believer is in three realmspositional, progressive, and ultimate, reflecting the past, present, and future aspects of salvation. From time to time he added to the account, which continued to bear interest. The source of the old creation was Adam, and from him we inherited sin and death. Every temptation can result in blessing if when we are tempted we are driven to Gods Word and prayer and win the victory. The New Birth is no less a mystery than is the Virgin Birth of our Lord. Follow . His name is Jesus Christ, and He was the only Just Man. Faith is the vital point of contact between the sinner and God. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God (Romans 10:2, 3). Of this miracle John wrote, This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him (John 2:11). . When we came into the world by means of our physical birth, we were born of corruptible (or perishable, dying) seed, because two human parents can beget a child only in their own likeness. Mans heart has been evil continually, but God loves him. Sanctification is different from equally important theological terms, like regeneration and justification, because sanctification invites us to participate. Our Lords words to Nicodemus, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5), have been given widely different interpretations. In the Latin version the word freely is gratis, being justified gratis. Gods method of justifying men gives us a glorious demonstration of His sovereign grace. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Child of God, the Holy Spirit is in you. We were brought there by Christ Who said, I am the Door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture (John 10:9). In the New Testament the Apostle Paul, chief exponent of the doctrine of Justification, developed it more fully. There is no short-cut to spiritual maturity. holiness (Hebrews 12:14), that is, pursue it, press on after it. But on the other hand, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). The act of regeneration itself is instantaneous. We began with man down in the depth of sin, Jew and Gentile alike, both guilty and condemned before God. These passages of Scripture all lend support to the fact that Gods Word is the Divine means used in the regeneration of sinners, and that the water in John 3:5 is used as a symbol of the Word of God. This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise (Isaiah 43:21). alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18) because his iniquities have separated him from God (Isaiah 59:2). This is positional truth, and it is important that we continually reckon ourselves dead to self. . We believe that sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. The moralists of Pauls day were men of culture, refinement, and intellect, but they too were inexcusable. Sanctification by Justification: How Christians Change The italicized words to be should have been left out. God, in keeping with His holiness and justice, cannot deal unjustly with guilty sinners. Is Sanctification Monergistic or Synergistic? A Reformed Survey Paul wrote about this in closing his First Epistle to the Thessalonians. There must be a moral basis for a holy God to justify a sinful man. But the moment we receive Gods Son we are said to be in Him, a phrase used more than seventy times in Pauls Epistles denoting the believers unaltered and unalterable position. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). Two words in this verse stem from a common root; they are the verb sanctified (Greek hagiaso) and the noun saints (Greek hagios). According as He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love (Ephesians 1:4). My own regeneration is to me the miracle of miracles. Within herself she thought, If this is supposed to be a joke, it is in very poor taste. The effects of Regeneration are nothing short of miraculous because there is no power within man that can produce them. The Greek word translated perfect is teleios. . If any person would be saved by keeping the Law, then he must keep it wholly, not merely in part, for . . . And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). PDF SANCTIFICATION: THE BIBLICAL BASICS - The Master's Seminary For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10). If you have not experienced the new birth, trust Christ now, and the Holy Spirit will give you new life. The only means of regeneration is by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Through natural birth they pass on to their offspring their own nature and likeness. If in His word to Nicodemus our Lord was referring to baptism by water, then it follows that all who have died and were not baptized are lost. This aspect of the believers Sanctification is then a matter of choice on our part. Both appearances are in the New Testament. Positional Sanctification takes place at the time of Regeneration. Earlier in this Epistle Sanctification precedes it, and the Holy Spirit prepares the heart of the individual, making him ready to receive it. It is growth in Christian knowledge and in the Christian graces. Third, biblically emphasized particulars of sanctification help to distinguish between the past, present, and future elements of a Christian's experience. AS TOUCHING THE INTELLECT. Related Topics: Regeneration, Justification, Sanctification, Lehman Strauss taught Old Testament history for eight years at Philadelphia Bible Institute, and served as pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, Bristol, Pennsylvania, from 1939 to 1957. Our Lord left no doubt as to the indispensable necessity of the new birth as a pre-requisite to entrance into the Kingdom of God. Perfect (or ultimate) Sanctification is that aspect of Sanctification related to the final perfection of the children of God. Paul wrote, . What is impossible for the Christian who is resisting or grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit is possible for the one who is walking by the Spirit. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1). The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:30, 35). Paul is here addressing all believers in the Corinthian Assembly, not only those who were spiritual but the carnal ones also. And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (I Corinthians 6:11). A man is born again., not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). He makes his point clear by use of illustration: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? (James 2:21). It is His own glory which He has given to us (John 17:22), and it is the result of our being declared righteous through faith in His Blood. From the above passages it is clear that the act of imparting life has been the Holy Spirits work from the beginning. Somewhere I heard or read of a tragedy at sea in which a young fisherman was washed overboard and lost. Our Lord admitted that to the natural mind there is mystery attached to this mighty subject. Man was created in the likeness and image of God, and he was Gods possession by creative right. Grace has dug a foundation so deep that men have been drinking from its cleansing, justifying stream for centuries. Before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee. That is Preparatory Sanctification. God gives away His justification freely; and if you bring anything to pay for it, He will throw it in your face and will not give His justification to you.. The Spirit gives birth to faith, which alone is the instrument of justification. Abraham justified himself before men after he had been declared acquitted by God. And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them (Numbers 7:1). When a man says he has been justified by God, his fellowmen have a right to expect him to prove his faith by his good works. Regeneration, Justification, and Sanctification - God's Bible School Inasmuch as our Lord said, Ye must be born again, you better believe it! He guides us through His Word. Men have varying standards of righteousness, and they are sometimes sincerely zealous, but not according to knowledge. Both appearances are in the New Testament. 4. It gathers up the truth of what precedes and sheds light upon the truth about to be affirmed. PDF Sanctification: the Work of The Holy Spirit and Scripture Several weeks later, another pastoral call brought up the subject again. . It becomes a stronghold in temptation. Many of the students stressed the idea of purification from moral evil. After the simultaneous events of regeneration and justification, believers begin the process of sanctification. Justification cannot be on arbitrary grounds. Relational sanctification, the state of being permanently set apart for God, flows from the cross, where God through Christ purchased and claimed us for himself ( Acts 20:28; 26:18; Heb. The following passage teaches that water is sometimes a symbol of the Holy Spirit--In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.