SANCTIFICATION: MEANS AND RESULTS

Luke 1:74-75; John 17:15-17; 1Thes.4:3-5, 7-8; 5:22-24

“That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, All the days of our life.” (Luke 1:74–75, KJV 1900).

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:15–17, KJV 1900).

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:” (1 Thessalonians 4:3–5, KJV 1900)

“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7–8, KJV 1900).

“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 our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22–24, KJV 1900)

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25–27, KJV 1900)

What is sanctification? Sanctification is the removal of the nature of sin in the believer. This sin nature is called by some theologians, the Adamic nature. Sanctification results from the renewing work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. It leads to the renewal of believers, making them equipped for ministry in the world. Entire Sanctification is a definite work of God's grace, subsequent to the New Birth, by which the believer's heart is purified and made holy. It cannot be attained progressively by works, struggle or suppression, but is obtained by faith in the sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ. Holiness of life and purity of heart are central to Christian living.

By what means is the believer sanctified? What are the results of sanctification?

1.       Means Of sanctification

a.       The Holy Spirit (1Cor.6:11; 2Thes.2:13; 1Pet.1:1-2)

“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.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, KJV 1900)

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:9–11, KJV 1900)

“But we are bound to give thanks alway 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:” (2 Thessalonians 2:13, KJV 1900)

Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. Through it He prepares us and makes us fit for heaven. He takes away from us the dishonour caused by sin and makes us vessels unto honour, fit for the Masters use.

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:19–21, KJV 1900)

b.      The Holy Scripture (Deut.11:18; 1Pet.2:2-3; John 17:17; Col.3:16; Psalm 119:9)

“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 11:18, KJV 1900)

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 2:2–3, KJV 1900)

Here we see the three A’s of meditating on the word of God:

a.       Attitude – as new born babes –who always cry out for their mother’s milk, we should cry out and reach out for God’s Holy word that sanctifies us.

b.      Appetite – Desire the pure milk of the word, nothing adulterated or watered down to suit the flesh.

c.       Aim – that ye may grow thereby. The more we study the word and meditate on it, the more we grow their by and we become sanctified.

God wants us to lay up His word in our hearts, yes, to memorise it God’s word.

        c.       The Holiness Habit (1Tim.6:11-12; 2Cor.7:1; Gal.5:24; 1Tim.5:22)

“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:11–12, KJV 1900)

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1, KJV 1900)

An active pursuit of righteousness and holiness is to be our life style and watch word. That kind of life will always be rewarded with sanctification. We reject all forms of filthiness of the flesh. In fact we are told to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh. How? Keep away from contaminants. Avoid filthy TV programs, adverts, bill boards. Make a covenant with your eyes (Job 31:1).

d.      The Habit Of Obedience and self-denial (Rom.6:9-22; 8:5-14; Gal.2:20; 5:16-24; 1Pet.2:11)

“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Romans 6:19–22, KJV 1900)

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, KJV 1900)

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Galatians 5:16–24, KJV 1900)

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” (1 Peter 2:11, KJV 1900)

According to scripture, fleshly lusts will wage war against our souls. But the Holy Spirit brings His fruit into our lives producing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. A life filled with the fruit of the Spirit is a life of sanctification.

e.      The Habit Of Prayer (Psalm 145:18; 55:16-17; Mat.5:6; 7:7-8; Acts 4:31)

“As for me, I will call upon God; And the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: And he shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:16–17, KJV 1900)

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, KJV 1900)

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7–8, KJV 1900)

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16, KJV 1900)  

Prayer will open the doors of heaven and the doors of blessing. A praying heart will quickly be sanctified.

2.       Hindrances To Sanctification

a.       Lack Of Faith (Heb.11:6; 1Tim.1:18-19)

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Sanctification like salvation is by grace through faith. Lack of faith will hinder sanctification.

“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:” (1 Timothy 1:18–19, KJV 1900)

What is a good conscience? A conscience that is void of offence towards God and towards man (Acts 24:16). Without a good conscience, faith will be void.

b.      Rebellion (Ezek.18:24;Deut.32:15-18;Gal.1:6-7; 5:7-9; Rev.2:4-5)

Let the Bible speak about rebellion and its effects. A rebellious heart will not be sanctified because it will not accept the will of God.

“But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.” (Ezekiel 18:24, KJV 1900)

This debunks or nullifies the doctrine of eternal security – “once saved, always saved”. It means if you were sanctified before, you could lose it by being careless, by going back to sin.

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” (Hebrews 12:15, KJV 1900)

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:4–5, KJV 1900)

A heart that is a state of rebellion against God is a heart that refuses to repent from sin. Such a heart will not be sanctified.

c.       Satanic Temptations (1Pet.5:8-9; Acts 5:3)

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, KJV 1900)

“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3, KJV 1900)

Satan can hinder the believer’s sanctification through his whiles. A devoted child of God will be sober and vigilant in order to defeat the enemy. Satan deceived Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit. They lost their lives and their place among believers.

d.      Self-indulgence and Greed (Luke 12:5; 21:34; Eph.4:19; Mark4:18-19)

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15, KJV 1900)

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” (Luke 21:34, KJV 1900)

Self-indulgence is very subtle and can come to even the most committed believer if we are not watchful. It can show up in what we eat, how much we eat; what we buy; how much we buy. It can come in the form of food, amusements, habits etc. self-indulgence will effectively hinder sanctification.

e.      Yielding To sinful desires (1Cor.10:6-8; 1Pet.2:11; 2Pet.2:14-18; 1John 2:15-17)

“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.” (1 Corinthians 10:6–8, KJV 1900)

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15–17, KJV 1900)

Worldliness will kill of any desire for sanctification. The soul in pursuit of worldliness and worldly lusts will yield to sinful desires. Such a souls will not be sanctified till it turns its back on those sinful things and turns to Christ for salvation.

3.       Results Of Sanctification

a.       Good Works (2Cor.9:8; Col.1:10; Col.3:15-17; 2Thes. 2:16–17; Heb.10:24-25)

Good works do not bring salvation or sanctification. Only faith in God through Christ brings sanctification. But good works become the lifestyle of the believer after he has been renewed by the Holy Ghost!

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; And the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” (Isaiah 32:17, KJV 1900)

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” (2 Corinthians 9:8, KJV 1900)

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (Colossians 1:10, KJV 1900)

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:15–17, KJV 1900)

b.      Christ-like Lifestyle (John 13:15; 1Pet.2:21; Rom.8:28-30; 2Cor.3:18; 1John 3:2-3)

“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15, KJV 1900)

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:” (1 Peter 2:21, KJV 1900)

Sanctification means that we are willing to suffer with Christ and Christ’s people. It will us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28–30, KJV 1900)

It is the purpose of God that all believers should be like Christ. The Holy Spirit through the work of sanctification changes us into the image of Christ.

c.       God-like Lifestyle (Mat.5:48; Eph.5:1-2; Col.1:21-22)

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48, KJV 1900)

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:1–2, KJV 1900)

We walk as Christ walked in following after God. The sanctified believer will live a godly life. He will not keep company with rioters and revellers.

d.      Perfection (Mat.5:48; 2Cor.13:11; Col.1:28)

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48, KJV 1900)

e.      Blamelessness (2Pet.3:14; Eph.1:4; Col.1:21-22; 1Thes.5:23)

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” (Colossians 1:21–22, KJV 1900)

“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (2 Peter 3:14, KJV 1900)

f.        Seeing God in The End (Mat.5:8; Heb.12:14)

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8, KJV 1900)

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” (Hebrews 12:14, KJV 1900)

What is the goal of sanctification? To make us fit for heaven at last. Heaven at last, after all the struggles and all the battles. We shall see God face to face! We shall see Jesus! We shall see all the patriarchs of God – we shall see Noah. We shall see Enoch, we shall see father Abraham. We shall see Moses. We shall see David. Time will fail me to talk about Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, Paul, Peter, James, Matthew a host of those who walked with God in righteousness and holiness and have made it to haven. We shall be their companions!