The same apostle says to the Thessalonians, "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." This is the true
election and the true salvation, a salvation from sin, through
sanctification of the Spirit and this is to be obtained by faith.
And the apostle of the circumcision uses language very similar in
addressing the Jewish Christians who are scattered abroad, and whom he
addresses as "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ." Comparing these two citations we observe
again, that the blood of Jesus Christ is the ground of our
sanctification, and by a continuous sprinkling we may have a
continuous cleansing, and also that the Holy Spirit is the effective
agent in applying that precious blood, and in sanctifying our souls, on
condition that we believe the truth. God help all Christians to be not
faithless, but believing.
CHAPTER XIV.
SANCTIFIED BY THE TRUTH.
We have just seen that the Spirit operates in the work of
sanctification in connection with belief of the truth on our part. And
with this agree the words of our Lord in His intercessory prayer.
"Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth." The word here is
not the eternal Logos, but God's revealed truth as given in Holy writ.
And it is a statement of the highest importance, made by Him who is the
truth, that the medium or means of our sanctification is in the truth
of God as made known to us in the gospel of His Son. Here, again, the
Apostle Peter gives expression to the same sentiment when he says:
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that
by these ye might be partakers of the Divine nature having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust." If we are favored to
escape the corruption that is in the world, we are sanctified wholly,
and this is effected, Peter says, not by works of righteousness, not by
resolutions or penances, not by striving to do holiness, before we seek
to be holy, but by faith in the promises of God. These promises are
very numerous, and varied in character on the pages of the Bible. By
seizing upon them as written specially for us, we make them our own,
and they become in and by Jesus Christ yea and amen, that is to say, we
realize them in our own experience to be the truth, and thus when we
read "This is the will of God even your sanctification," or, "The very
God of peace sanctify you wholly," or, "I will circumcise your heart,"
or "I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my
statutes," immediately the truth is impressed upon our hearts as a
glorious reality, and we are enabled to reckon ourselves dead, indeed,
unto sin, and alive unto God, and to realize that the Saviour's prayer
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account