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Welcome to the Final Word where we present a subject
both thoroughly and concisely and come to a final conclusion
or as the title suggests, the Final Word on that subject.
We have been in a series on the Holy Spirit
and answering from the Bible what God says
about certain ideas concerning the Holy Spirit.
Today we'll see the Holy Spirit in Sanctification.
Last time we saw how the Holy Spirit helps in Conversion -
today we will discuss how he helps in Sanctification.
Now, the following information is from Wikipedia,
- I don't usually take my information from Wikipedia,
because of some weaknesses- but, for our topic today
I think we are safe in using it as a source.
The following information comes from there.
"In the various branches of Christianity, sanctification
"usually refers to a person becoming more holy in some
"sense, with the details differing in different branches.
"Anglicans teach that sanctification is a process
"of changing to become holy.
"Richard ***, one of the founders of Anglican thought,
"argued that sanctification is based on works
"while justification is only by faith.
"Calvinist and Evangelical theologians
"interpret sanctification as the process of being made holy
"only through the merits and justification of Jesus Christ
"through the work of the Holy Spirit.
"Sanctification cannot be attained
"by any works-based process,
"but only through the works and power of the divine.
"Sanctification is seen as a process in Calvinism
"and not instantaneous.
"As the process of sanctification flows,
"the person becomes, in their essence, a different person.
"When a man is unregenerate, it is their essence
"that sins and does evil.
"Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism,
"taught in his Large Catechism
"that Sanctification is only caused by the Holy Spirit
"through the powerful Word of God.
"The Holy Spirit uses churches to gather Christians together
"for the teaching and preaching of the Word of God.[9]
"John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, says,
"This is the doctrine that by the power
"of God's sanctifying grace and attention
"upon the means of grace may cleanse a Christian
"of the corrupting influence of original sin in this life,
"though not every Christian may experience this.
"It is explained in depth in the essay,
"Entire Sanctification" by Adam Clarke when he states,
"Initial salvation" is sometimes seen as
"an initial step of acknowledging God's holiness,
"with Sanctification as, through God's grace/power,
"entering into it.
"For mainstream Methodists, it is a life-long process
"of healing humanity's sin-distorted perspective
and way of life."
So, what is sanctification?
What is the Holy Spirit's job, in sanctification?
The religious world seems to be rather confused
about the subject.
I know some in the Lord's church have questions about it.
So let us ask Keith Mosher to help us
better understand it, shall we?
I invite your attention to Matthew 6:9.
There are four words in your New Testament, four Greek words,
and they come from one root.
Four Greek words but they're all from the same root.
"Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed," hagios ,
the word means "to venerate, to hallow, to purify,
to separate from that which is profane."
It's the same term used in I Peter 3:15,
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts."
If you'll look at Exodus 13:2, you'll see
the Hebrew word there translated that has the same meaning
of this word to hallow, to purify, to venerate.
Moses was told to teach his people "to separate unto me
"the firstborn," Exodus 13:2.
In verse 12, it says,
"Set apart unto me all them that open the matrix."
If you have your New Testaments, look at II Timothy 2:21.
The reason I'm going over this is
that there are so many people that have
the most peculiar idea of being sanctified.
"If a man therefore purge himself of these, he shall be
a vessel unto them sanctified or suitable
or meet for the Master's use and prepared unto every good work.
This is the same term used John 17:17,
"Sanctify them through the truth, thy word is truth."
It's the same term used in I Corinthians 6:11.
"Ye are sanctified, ye are washed and ye are washed
by the water through the word."
If you'll look at I Thessalonians 5:23,
finally you'll see the last use and I skipped a number
of these verses of this particular term.
To venerate, To hallow, to separate.
I Thessalonians 5:21,
here he's talking about the second coming
and he encourages them to do something concerning that,
I Thessalonians 5:23.
Here he's encouraging them about the second coming
and encourages them to understand that when he comes
it will be that case that they will be sanctified holy.
Hopefully as he prays for them that
their whole soul and body and spirit be preserved
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now that's the first term from the same greek word,
it's hagios .
But we have another word that is used only twice
in the New Testament in the sense that it's used here.
Look at I Peter 2:9, and we can put the passage
John 17:16 with it.
This word means to be gone to God exclusively.
It's the word that's often translated "saint."
And have you ever noticed that the word "saints"
is always plural in the New Testament?
Maybe he's trying to teach us to be brethren.
So we have the word hagias - it comes from the same root
as the other one except in this context it means to belong
to God exclusively.
Then we have a word that's only used twice in the New Testament,
same root however, but this is the effect or noun
that comes from this verb.
This is the effect of sanctification
which is translated holiness in I Thessanlonians 4:7
and Hebrews 12:14, and the Hebrew writer says without
this particular characteristic, we cannot see God.
And finally we have one verse that talks about
the property of holiness
and that's the idea of sanctity and that's Hebrews 12:10.
But having said that we have four words here
all from the same root, all meaning to separate,
to set apart, to sanctify, to purify, to venerate.
What in the world is sanctification?
Let's look at I Corinthians 6:17
Here is sanctification.
"Wherefore come ye out from among them and be ye separate,"
let's underline that word, "be ye separate sayeth the Lord."
Coming out from among whom?
These that serve Belial, the world.
"And touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you
"and be a Father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters
sayeth the Lord Almighty."
Now notice, sanctification is being separated, for God's use.
The denominational world thinks of sanctification
as being sinlessly perfect, sinlessly perfect.
However, sanctification simply means you are set apart.
I want you to know that sanctification is not,
is not sinless perfection.
The apostle John knew that better than anybody.
He said to the church, "Confess your sins."
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
"to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
of all unrighteousness," I John 1:9.
It's interesting to me, we're talking about elders
in the open forum, relationships, I get the sense
that some brethren who think they're perfect,
think the rest of us should be.
Nobody's perfect, folks, nobody's perfect,
there's no such thing as perfection.
And yet it's taught in the denominational world that
when you're sanctified, you are sinlessly perfect.
It's also the case that sanctification
is not freedom from inborn sin.
I have no inborn sin, I was not born in sin.
I was not the person, I was never one who inherited sin
from his parents, John 3:6.
And brother B.J. explained to us quite clearly this morning
that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was limited
to 2 occasions, and only 2.
And it certainly does not set us apart
in a sinlessly perfect situation.
Because after we received, after we believed and got rid
of our inborn sin, we were suddenly baptized
with the Holy Spirit and got rid of our sin.
We had a second act of grace.
We have a song that teaches that.
"Be of sin the double cure."
You know what the writer meant?
He meant you need to get rid of your inborn sin and your sin.
And so, I think that's Rock of Ages, isn't it?
And that line in there, "be of sin the double cure."
I say "be of sin the only cure" when I sing it.
Because I know what the Calvinistic writer
had in mind when he said that.
It's not the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Do you remember that those who receive the baptism
of the Holy Spirit were already clean?
Through his word, John 15:6.
Well, who are the sanctified and how do they get that way?
Well, let's look at I Corinthians 1:2.
This is a strange thing to be saying to people
who are supposed to be sinlessly perfect if they were.
Because he's writing to the Church of Corinth he says,
"Unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are
sanctified in Christ. Well, how do we get into Christ?
Well, we talked this morning about the Holy Spirit's
activity in conversation through the word.
So if I obey the word,
I'm in Christ, therefore I'm sanctified.
It's that simple.
I'm not sinlessly perfect, yet on these passages
as the Church of God and Prophecy insists,
they must have a second act of grace
so that they are sinless, and all sin will be removed.
Who is the sanctified?
Well, these Corinthians were, and they were a sinful bunch.
If I set something apart over here to use, that doesn't
make it any different than if I set it apart over here.
Just because I'm sanctified means I'm simply set apart.
so that God can use me.
It has nothing to do with sinlessness,
except that it's come to mean that in our language.
Go back to Exodus 13:2, 12,
"set apart unto me the firstborn."
Let's read Acts 26:18 and see if we can tell when
sanctification occurs, where in the world does this occur?
Acts 26:18, here's Paul's charge
from Christ himself to go out and preach this to the Gentiles,
"to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light,
"from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive
"forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them
"which are sanctified," watch this, "by faith that is in me."
Now how can you go around saying you have faith in Christ?
Well, if you're in Christ, you can say that.
We are all children of God by faith that is located in Christ
"for as many of us that were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ."
If you're in Christ, you have the Biblical right
to say you have faith in Christ
because that's where it's located.
And those in Christ are set apart for God's use.
Paul said on one occasion to the elders at Ephesus:
"I now commend you to God the word of his grace which is able
"to build you up and give you an inheritance among all them
who are sanctified."
They were set apart for God's use
and yet this Church of God and Prophesy argues that
sanctification takes place after salvation.
But we're going to see a passage in a moment
that teaches us when that occurs.
It is a setting apart in Christ, it takes place at the moment
you are saved, you are sanctified.
It's a once-for-all act.
Look at I Corinthians 6 with me now, beginning in verse 9.
This is an aorist tense here: a once-and-for-all act.
It happens when you're baptized into Christ.
Ever meet anyone who said an alcoholic was born that way?
Or a homosexual is born that way?
This passage denies that, just listen to it,
verse 9: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not
"inherit the kingdom of God?
"Be not deceived, not fornicators, idolators,
"adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind,
(that's the homosexual) nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers," (come on wind, where am I?)
"Nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God,"
now watch this line, "some were such as you."
You preachers this Sunday when you get into the pulpit start
naming the brethren and telling them what they were.
You have scriptural authority to do that,
but you'll be fired, right?
But Paul told these Corinthian brethren -this is what you were.
Well, if that's what they were and they were born that way,
wouldn't they have stayed that way?
He says you were that, but you've changed.
I read an article recently that said once you're
this kind of sinner, you'll always be this kind of sinner.
Did you read that article?
You ought to read it, I could tell you the publication
but I don't get it anymore.
"Such were some of you but you are washed, you are set apart."
Are they sinless?
No, they're set apart, "you are justified."
I love that word, I am justified, I am not perfect.
God looks at me "just if I'd never sinned,"
I am a justified person, a forgiven person
and I was made that way when I obeyed the gospel
because of the Holy Spirit's message,
because of what he taught, I obeyed it and I was sanctified.
That's as simple as it gets, that's what it says
in the scripture here and by the Spirit of our God.
But these groups asked God to let them praise through
to sanctification.
Let's see if Peter thought this was not a one-time act.
He thought that it happened to the brethren sometime
before he wrote this and I'm looking at I Peter 1:22.
Here is a person who is sinless, "who did no sin,
neither was there guile found in his mouth."
Now that's the Christ, he is sinless,
I, on the other hand, am a justified person.
Now look at II Peter 1 with me.
Well, I guess I should keep reading in I Peter first,
shouldn't I?
Let's get I Peter 1 now.
They gave me ten minutes to get this sermon ready.
"Seeing you have purified," this is verse 22, "Seeing you
"have purified your souls in obeying the truth through
the Spirit on the unfeigned" and so on, "being born again."
There's a set apart person,
and he was born again by the word of God.
Sanctification occurs, that is why Jesus said,
"Sanctify them through the truth. Thy word if truth."
I want you to look at Hebrews 13:12 now.
"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people
with his own blood, suffered without the gate."
When did you contact the blood of Christ?
When you were baptized into Christ and put on Christ.
"Do you not know that so many of us that were baptized
unto Christ were baptized unto his death?"
Romans 6:3.
Sanctification is a once-for-all act
that puts us into Christ and set apart for God's use.
If that's not what the word means.
if it means sinless perfection,
I want you to read some verses with me.
Let's see what sanctification would mean in these verses
if that were the case that that's what it meant,
that somehow im a sanctified person, I am totally sinless.
Let's go to John 17:19.
Jesus said, "For their sakes, I sanctify myself."
Did Jesus forgive his own sin
so that he would be sinlessly perfect?
Is that what sanctify means?
No, it means "I set apart myself that they also may be sanctified
through the truth."
How could the word "sanctify" mean to get rid of all your sin,
our inborn and your sin, if Jesus did it to himself?
He set himself apart in order to be our Savior.
Look at I Peter 3:15.
If sanctification is something the Holy Spirit does to you
to remove all your sins, inborn and yours,
does it directly?
This is an interesting passage.
He said, "But sanctify the Lord God in your heart."
Does that mean to remove God's sin?
In your heart? Separate it somehow?
Make God sinless? I don't think so.
Do Christians remove inborn sin from God?
It says, "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts."
Look at John 10:36.
The Bible says God sanctified Christ.
What did he do?
Remove the inborn sin from him and remove his own sin?
John 10:36, Do animals have inborn sin?
Anyone have a goat?
Brother Woods, do you have a goat?
Is it a billy goat? All kinds. They ever butt you?
Maybe they've got inborn sin?
Maybe we should sanctify those animals
the way Moses told his people to do.
Can you imagine Moses teaching these people,
remove the inborn sin and the sin from those animals so that
they'll be sinlessly perfect so I can offer them to God?
I think the goat probably said that's a ba-a-ad idea.
And if depravity, this inborn thing,
is removed by sanctification and they're looking for a second act
of sanctification, then I've got a problem.
If you regenerate somebody to a sinless state
and then regenerate him again, where is he?
He's back to his sinless state. I have a problem with that.
The Bible says we're sanctified by the word of the Spirit
and justified at the same time.
We just read that in I Corinthians 6:11,
but if you're not satisfied look at Romans 15:16.
We are justified and sanctified at exactly the same time.
"That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ
"to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God that
"the offering up of the Gentiles,
"the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles,
that their salvation might be acceptable being set apart,"
the Gentiles were, by the Holy Spirit.
And so it is the case that we are sanctified and justified,
not by a baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I already said the apostles had the miraculous outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-4,
but they were already clean through the word, John 15:3.
In fact, Cornelius is the only unsaved person who ever received
the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
and incidentally it didn't save him.
He had to have words whereby he might be saved, Acts 11:14.
When I enter Christ, I am sanctified.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, he's sanctified.
How am I sanctified? By Christ.
Stay there in Romans 15:16, "by the Spirit."
Look over in John 17:17, "by the word."
I'm sanctified by faith and the will of God.
Stay there in Acts 26:18 - that's what he said.
I'm sanctified by faith and by the will of God,
I'm sanctified by the entering in of Christ into the veil,
a lot of things are said to set me apart.
I'm also to purge myself, II Timothy 2:21.
I'm separated because I obeyed the God of heaven,
II Corinthians 6:17, 18.
I'm sanctified by baptism, Ephesians 6:25, 26.
I'm sanctified by being in the Church.
Acts 18:8 says the Corinthians hearing believed
and were baptized and Paul says to the sanctified in Corinth
who are in the Church of God, I Corinthian 1:2.
Brethren, this battle is the battle line
between us and denominations.
This battle over what it means to be sanctified.
We want to thank Keith Mosher for his study of this topic.
He will have more to say for us next time.
Sanctification really means to be set apart.
Today we are sanctified, we are set apart by the word of God.
John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through thy truth;
thy word is truth."
When we do what God says- when we obey his word,
he sets us apart to do his will.
We are to be separate - Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:17,
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
"saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
"and I will receive you.
"And will be a Father unto you,
"and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty."
We are to be separate- that is, we are to be separated
to do God's will and work.
But, sanctification is not spiritual perfection.
It is not complete sinlessness.
Sanctification also is not freedom from inherited sin -
because we are not born in sin.
Now if you need more information on that,
we have resources online at - www.tftw.org -
I invite you to go and look for topics of Calvinism
to help you understand that subject a little better.
Also, sanctification is not the "holy spirit baptism."
Only two times in history was anyone baptized
with the Holy Spirit, and that is with the Apostles,
and then with Cornelius and so
this was not sanctification as the Bible says either.
Folks, you can be set apart, you can be sanctified,
if you will live your life in obedience to God,
he will save you.
But, if you are watching today
and you have not been sanctified-
the word of God tells you how to do that.
Here is what it says.
First, it says believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
(Joh 3:16 KJV) "For God so loved the world,
"that he gave his only begotten Son,
"that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life."
Secondly, you must repent of your sins. Change your mind,
and that change of mind will bring about a change of action.
(Act 2:38 KJV) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
"and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
"for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Thirdly, today you need to confess that
Jesus is both Lord and Christ.
(Rom 10:9 KJV) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
"the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Verse 10 says, "For with the heart man believeth
"unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation."
Upon that confession, you will fourthly be baptized
in order so that your sins can be washed away.
(Mar 16:16 KJV) "He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Folks, this is how you are set apart to do the work of God.
This is how all of us are sanctified.