transformed into the image of our Lord from glory unto glory_, each new
gaze at Him making us more like Him; a _growing up_ into Christ in all
things, until we attain unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ. Here we see there is a progressive
work of Sanctification.
3. But we have not found the whole answer to the question of When
Men are Sanctified, even yet. We find the remainder of the answer to
the question in our text, 1 Thess. 5:23 accurately translated as it
is in the Revised Version, +"And the God of peace himself sanctify
you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire,
without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."+ Here we are
plainly told that _the complete sanctification of believers, complete
in the fullest sense, is something to be sought for in prayer and that
is to be accomplished by God in the future and perfected at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ_. The same thought is found in this same book,
the 3rd chapter and 12th and 13th verses, +"And the Lord make you to
increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men,
even as we do toward you, to the end that he may establish your hearts
unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our
Lord Jesus with his saints."+ It is "at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all His saints" that He is to establish our hearts unblamable in
holiness before our God and Father and that our spirit and soul and
body are to be preserved entire without blame. The same thought is
found in I John 3:2, +"Beloved, now are we children of God, it is
not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be
manifested, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."+
_It is not in the life that now is, and it is not at death, that we
are entirely sanctified, spirit, soul, and body. It is at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ._ This is one of the many reasons why the
well-instructed believer constantly cries, "_Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Come quickly._"
XII
THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY OF JESUS AND OF OUR BODIES
"Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David, was raised
from the dead, according to my gospel."—2 Tim. 2:8.
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; and that he was buried; and that _he hath been
raised_ on the third day according to the scriptures."—1 Cor.
15:3, 4.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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