Lesson 263 - Senior
Memory Verse
"The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:11, 12).
Cross References
I Entire Sanctification
1. Sanctification brings unity between believers, [JHN:17:21-23]; [HEB:2:11].
2. Christ died to sanctify the Church, [EPH:5:25-27]; [JHN:17:9], [JHN:17:16-17], [JHN:17:20]; [HEB:13:12].
3. Sanctification is for believers in this present life, [TIT:2:11-14]; [LUK:1:75].
II Holy Living
1. The fruit of the Spirit is manifest in a sanctified life, [GAL:5:22-23]; [EPH:5:9]; [2PE:1:5-7].
2. Put off the "old man," [EPH:4:17-22]; [COL:3:5-9].
3. Put on the "new man," [EPH:4:23-32]; [COL:3:1-4], [COL:3:10-15].
Notes
Sin
When Adam was created in the Garden of Eden he was made in the image of God. He was perfect, free from any tendency or desire for evil. His thoughts and motives were pure and holy. He was "created in righteousness and true holiness" [EPH:4:24]). It was not inward depravity, but temptation from without, which caused him to exercise his free will and disobey the command of God.
Death
When Adam sinned he died spiritually: was separated from God; his natural desires became depraved; his emotions and affections became degenerate. From that time forward all the seed of Adam has borne the image of the first parents. Instead of being born holy and righteous, they were born in sin. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" [PS:51:5]). "Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" [ROM:5:12]).
Carnality and Sanctification
This sin nature, which is inherited by us all from Adam, soon leads people to commit actual transgressions, or acts of sin. There are therefore two phases of sin: the principle of sin, which is born in us, and the acts of sin, which are committed by us, after the age of accountability is reached. The principle of sin is sometimes called "Adamic nature," "inbred sin," the "old man," "body of sin," and "carnal nature." When a sinner comes to God in true repentance, and is saved, his sins are forgiven; that is, the acts of sin, which he has committed, are pardoned through the Blood of Jesus, and the carnal nature is given a hard blow. Though held in subjection -" nailed to the cross -" the carnal nature cannot be destroyed except through a second application of the Blood. The "old man" is crucified at salvation, but remains alive upon the cross until sanctification brings death and destruction to the body of sin. "Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed" [ROM:6:6]).
Sanctification is the cleansing of the heart and nature through the Blood of Jesus. The inbred sin is destroyed and the nature is cleansed of its depravity and restored to the original purity with which man was created. However, the body is still subject to infirmities, and the mind to mistakes and temptations, but the heart has been made pure and holy and is able to resist the power of evil. Thus we can see the difference between Adamic perfection and Christian perfection. Before they fell, our first parents were perfect in heart, soul, mind, and body. Their natures had not been defiled or corrupted in any way as ours have been. But when we are sanctified our natures are cleansed and our hearts are made pure and holy. We are not perfect in the same sense and to the same degree as Adam was in his original, sinless state. We have, instead, a perfection that has been called Christian perfection.
The Bible gives us clearly to understand that sanctification is not for the sinner. Sanctification is for the re-deemed ones -" the Church. "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" [EPH:5:25-27]). Jesus prayed for the sanctification of His disciples, "I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me;... They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" [JHN:17:9], [JHN:17:16-17]). Sanctification, therefore, is an experience subsequent to salvation.
Consecration
With the experience of sanctification in the heart, and a nature that is holy and free from sin, the Christian is then in a position to present his body "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God," which is his reasonable service [ROM:12:1]). Though it is the natural thing for a sanctified person to serve the Lord, yet having the infirmities of the flesh, and living in a world dominated by sin, it is necessary for him to be constantly consecrating and yielding his life to God, in order to live "in holiness and righteousness before him," [LUK:1:75]) all the days of his life. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" [TIT:2:11]).
Temptation
Satan is still able to tempt a sanctified person through the eye and through the mind. He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, but Jesus resisted him. We, too, have power to resist Satan, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" [2CO:10:3-5]).
Thoughts and imaginations are used by Satan to lead the child of God astray. Oftentimes these thoughts and imaginations are presented that Satan might create ill will or differences between the brethren. Sanctification brings a unity or oneness, which the devil hates and is constantly trying to break down. Our spiritual weapons enable us to cast down these imaginations and to bring our thoughts into captivity, and by so doing we resist the devil.
Unity
"That they may be one, as we are." "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us." "That they may be one, even as we are one." "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one." All these expressions of unity or oneness are from the prayer of Jesus for his disciples ([JHN:17:1-26]). How important it is for us today to be sanctified that we may be fortified against the devil's aims to divide and conquer!
Forgiveness
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." [COL:3:13]). Oh! if those who call themselves God's people could ever get the fullness of the measure of that grace in their soul, there would be less petty criticising, bickering, and trouble-making among the people of God. You think of God's forgiveness and what it took in the measure of the grace of God to forgive us our sins and to blot out our debt of obligation toward God! How much more ought we to forgive one another! "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts" [COL:3:14-15]).
Paul said to the Hebrews, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." It is a hard thing for some people to follow peace with all men. With some men they can easily follow peace, but it is harder to follow peace with some other people. Sometimes it puts our patience and our gift of grace to the test to really live in peace with certain people. There are those who are naturally more or less contentious and filled with strife, and who talk much. Usually such people are saying the wrong thing. And if there is anything that they can say that is wrong about someone or that would implicate him and bring trouble, they will say it. They will enlarge upon it, and oftentimes they will twist it and turn it around and put the wrong construction upon it. Such people try your gift and your grace. But God's Word says, "Follow peace with all men" -" not some men, but all men.
Selfishness
If we endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit and walk in lowliness and meekness of heart and in long-suffering, forbearing one another, we will forego some of our own ideas, some of our own ways, in order that we might yield one to the other and be true to God's Word.
We cannot live a selfish life and retain the anointing of Heaven upon our life. We must be unselfish. The trouble with many people is that they are selfish and self-centred and self-occupied, and the old self has to have things coming its way all the time or there is going to be trouble on hand. That is not the life of a sanctified soul, or even a justified person, but is the state of an unregenerated heart.
A Surrendered Will
A saved person lives a life free from sin. Bitterness, wrath, anger, evil speaking, malice, covetousness, and lying are put out of the life when Christ comes in at salvation. One does not lose his temper after he is saved. There may be felt a stirring of the root of sin within, but it will not manifest itself in anger or bitterness after justification. Sanctification will remove the root of sin and cleanse the heart. Carnality is destroyed and self is purged of its depravity and evil tendencies, at sanctification. There remains a natural self or free will, which is holy and without sin but which must be kept surrendered to God by daily consecration. We, like Jesus, must pray, "Not my will, but thine, be done" [LUK:22:42]). We must die to self that we might live unto God. Paul said, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" [1CO:9:27]). "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" [ROM:8:13]). With a will surrendered, his own desires relinquished, and a life consecrated, the sanctified soul can say: "I am crucified with God: 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" [GAL:2:20]).
Inventory
If we take inventory every now and then and look into our own lives and see our own shortcomings, and endeavour by the faith of God and the Word of God to overcome our shortcomings, our weaknesses, and our frailties, God will put something into us that will make us strong in Him. The trouble with people many times is that they pamper their weaknesses and cater to them, and the first thing they know they are developing their weaknesses. God does not want us to do that. He wants us to overcome them. We overcome by resisting our weaknesses -" putting off those things that are of the flesh and yielding ourselves to the things of the Spirit -" putting on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and, above all these things, charity, which is the bond of perfectness [COL:3:14]).
Inward Holiness
The palm tree grows from the inside: the outer leaves die, and the inner leaves come out and are beautiful. The tree roots go deep down into the earth and strike the water way down under the ground. This is typical of a real child of God. His spiritual life is growing through the deep in wrought work in the heart that works outward.
Many people try to be sanctimonious and humble, and they try to appear to be extremely holy. That is of no value. The necessary and urgent thing to do is to get the holiness within, get the consecration within, let that root go deep down into the Word of God. Then it will work out; and when it works out, it will produce perfect fruit. If you are trying to get it from the outward, it will be marred fruit; but if it works from the inside, and comes out, then the fruit is perfect and your service to God will be a perfect service.
"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" [COL:3:15]).
Questions
1. What are some of the Biblical names for inbred sin?
2. Give Scriptural proof that sanctification is an experience subsequent to salvation.
3. What are some of the things accomplished through sanctification?
4. What are some of the results of the fall of man that are not removed at sanctification?
5. Is the Adamic nature in man suppressed or removed at sanctification?
6. Give Scriptural proof that sanctification is for us in this present life.
7. Name the fruit of the Spirit.
8. What are some of the things that are mortified or put off when one becomes a Christian?
9. What are some of the things a Christian is commanded to "put on"?