Part 6 (2/2)

This consecration may be ill.u.s.trated by the contract and union of holy matrimony. When the bride and groom enter into the covenant according to G.o.d's word, they have little knowledge of the obligations they are taking upon themselves. They know nothing of the detailed realities of life; its joys and sorrows, hards.h.i.+ps and trials that are before them; but they know that they dearly love each other, and have not the slightest fear in yielding themselves to each other completely and exclusively, so long as they both shall live. They enter into this covenant with all good confidence that the object of their love will not require anything hard or impossible, and as the future realities of life unfold and one by one they meet the many responsibilities that the covenant implies, they find that their love is equal to the responsibility, and as long as they continue to love each other they will never have the slightest disposition to break that marriage covenant.

So the heart which makes the consecration for sanctification will not comprehend the great scope of its meaning at the time of entering into this covenant, but if we love Jesus as we should we will not fear what he may require of us in the details of his will in the future. We are already enraptured with his love. He has proved himself to be a loving and faithful Redeemer in dying for us, and now as we see he requires us to yield ourselves even to death for him, we can confidently enter into the conditions of this covenant with the a.s.surance that he will demand nothing of us beyond the power of the love to fulfill.

Yes, we will know definitely when our consecration is complete, and then we will have no trouble to believe in the promises for the cleansing. As Bible repentance is the believing ground for justification, so Bible consecration is the believing ground for sanctification.

Ques. How may we keep sanctified?

Ans. By abiding in the conditions by which we obtained the experience.

As long as our consecration remains intact, and our faith remains firm in the promises, we are sanctified, no matter what the a.s.sertions of our feelings may be. To cease believing will forfeit our experience. To cease obeying in any respect will produce the same effect; but ”if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellows.h.i.+p one with another; and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Ques. If Jesus was not sanctified until his death, how can we be?

Ans. Jesus was sanctified before his death. He testifies to it in John 10:36. There is a sense in which he was sanctified by his death; that is, he became a perfect redeemer by his death. He set himself apart for this specific purpose. This is the meaning of the saying of Jesus in John 17:19--”And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” Another scripture, Heb. 5:9 has the same meaning. ”And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” In the use of the terms ”sanctify” and ”perfect” we could by no means infer that Jesus was not pure and holy before his suffering on the cross. He became a perfect Saviour by his death and through suffering. It is absurd and casts a reflection upon the redemption plan, to say that Jesus was not holy until resurrection. In this sense only was he made ”perfect” by his death. As to his people being holy and sanctified in this life, we have the whole word of G.o.d in favor of such a life. Thank G.o.d, it is his will that we should live ”in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.” It does require a death on our part to obtain this glorious grace. In this respect we must die to get it. Jesus died to purchase it for us. We must die to receive it--not a literal death, but a death to sin and the world. The river of Jordan truly signifies a death, but we can cross over it and remain in this mortal life. The land of Canaan is the land of holiness, which all of G.o.d's people can enter into and possess in this life.

Ques. Does not the Bible say, ”If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”?

Ans. Yes, but this does not teach us that we cannot be free from sin. If we were to take this verse by itself without its context we might have a scripture contradictory to the word of G.o.d, but if we read the seventh and ninth verses with the eighth verse of 1 John 1, we see plainly by these three verses connected that we can be cleansed from all sin and unrighteousness. This verse implies that if any one who has not been cleansed from sin should say he has no sin to be cleansed from, he deceives himself.

Ques. Do we not grow into sanctification and therefore reach it gradually?

Ans. No; this would be contrary to the plan of redemption. We do not grow =into= any of the graces. We are commanded to grow IN grace. The grace of pardon and justification is imparted by the Holy Spirit. We can grow in this grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour which, if we do, will soon bring us to the knowledge of our need of purity and sanctification, and we will see that this is a grace which is intended for us. We gladly comply with the conditions for the same, and enter into it by faith. G.o.d now performs the work in our hearts by the power of his Holy Spirit. We cannot do it ourselves, only in the sense that we meet the required conditions. It is impossible for us to grow into purity. This is beyond our individual power; it requires the power of G.o.d. We purify ourselves by making the separation of everything outwardly; G.o.d then purifies our hearts by an instantaneous work of grace. This grace by no means implies a maturity in growth. It only brings us into a position where we can the more rapidly grow up in spiritual things.

Ques. Why do we not get it all when we are justified?

Ans. Because the conditions for the two graces are not the same. The penitent sinner cannot, in his sinful condition, meet the requirements for sanctification, and G.o.d does not mean that he should. All that the sinner can possibly do is to repent. When he has fully repented, then he can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive his pardon. This is justification. He is justified from all his sins through true repentance and faith. Those are the Scriptural conditions for justification, but the conditions for sanctification are consecration and faith. Repentance and consecration are vastly different. The first means to give up all sinful things, with a G.o.dly sorrow for all sins committed, and a solemn determination that by the grace of G.o.d all sinning shall forever cease.

The second means to yield up to G.o.d all our good things, every sacred treasure of our heart and affections, with our body and every ransomed power, as a living sacrifice. The first is G.o.d's requirement of every sinner. The second is his requirement of every justified believer. The first is all that the guilty sinner can possibly comprehend. The second is that which only the justified believer can comprehend. Therefore it is utterly impossible for us to get sanctified at the time of our justification. The two are distinct and separate works of grace, obtained upon distinct and separate conditions.

Some people have vainly believed, and some vainly teach, that there is but one work of grace; but such a doctrine is contrary to the word of G.o.d, the conditions of the plan of redemption, and the glorious testimonies of thousands of saints who have lived in the past and those who are living witnesses today. It is perfectly natural and logical to every honest and willing child of G.o.d who is not yet sanctified to soon believe that there is a second work of grace. Perhaps it will take a few months for some to find out their need, but it is only a question of time till every one will find an inward longing for something more, to satisfy the inward condition of the heart. To prove this statement let us listen to the testimonies of those who are simply justified and have had no teaching on sanctification, whether their Christian life be one of years or but a few months. Everyone who stands in this justified relation with G.o.d gives expression in some respects according to the following: ”I thank G.o.d for salvation and am not sorry that I ever gave my heart to G.o.d, but I do feel the need of a deeper work of grace.”

Another will say, ”Pray for me that I may have a clean heart.” Another will request prayer for perfect love; another will confess to having been overcome by sin, and having made some crooked paths, and feels sorry and wants to get nearer to G.o.d and get a better experience.

Now we cannot doubt the sincerity of these hearts, neither their experience. Their experiences are those of honest, willing children of G.o.d who are anxious to do the whole will of G.o.d. Such expressions would not be given by professors who are void of salvation. The fact is, the experiences of these hearts teach them the need of the second grace, and unless they should be deceived by some false doctrines, they would keep on with such testimonies until they should obtain that perfect love, or a clean heart, or a deeper work of grace.

Do they not testify that the first work of grace is not deep enough?

They are glad for the first work, but they want something deeper. They are glad that grace has found their heart, but they want a clean heart--one that is free from those conscious uprisings of evil which, if unrestrained, would bring them into condemnation and guilt, and perhaps have already overcome them and produced such an effect in their lives.

They are glad for the sweet love of G.o.d that has found its way into their hearts, but they long for perfect love. They are conscious of some obstacles which hinder that love from being perfect, and yet they do not understand just how those obstacles can be removed. Someone may tell them that they have all they can get from G.o.d and to ask for more would be presumption, and yet their souls cry out for that which is natural in the grace of G.o.d, and how ready they are, when they hear sanctification taught, to meet the conditions and enter into the rest for their souls--this perfect love, this deeper work of grace, and this experience of a clean heart, and this baptism with the Holy Ghost.

Now let us listen to their testimonies. What do we hear? Ah, we hear them praising G.o.d for this they were so longing for. One will praise G.o.d for a clean heart; another will say he has found the perfect love; another will testify to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Others will thank G.o.d for sanctification, and others will call it this sweet soul-rest, etc., which all mean the same blessed experience of sanctification. Now if we ask them if they believe in a second work of grace, what will they answer us? Ah, there is no question about it. They have it in their hearts, and they are spoiled for any argument upon the subject.

So it is with all G.o.d's people who have met the definite conditions for sanctification and have come into this precious grace. We know it is a second work.

Ques. How can one keep free from evil thoughts?

Ans. The pure heart and mind do not entertain an evil thought. As soon as such thoughts are presented they are banished. In 2 Cor. 10:5 we read how such things are dealt with. ”Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of G.o.d, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” An evil thought thus captivated does not enter into the heart and therefore does not become a sin to us. The apostle James says, ”When l.u.s.t hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin.” The evil thought must first enter into the heart and be conceived into a desire before it becomes sin.

This world is full of sin and iniquity on every hand. We may hear profanity as we pa.s.s along the street, or we may see iniquity before our eyes daily as we come in contact with the world, we may pick up a secular paper and read of murder and theft, and thus these evil thoughts may enter into our minds, but they do not conceive or take root in our hearts. They are brought into captivity and banished from us. If when reading or hearing of a murder or theft, someone should see an opportunity to commit a similar deed and resolve in his heart that he would do so at his first opportunity, that person would have conceived the thought in his heart, and in the sight of G.o.d he would be a murderer or a thief, even though he never had the opportunity to carry out the design. The heart that is purified by the cleansing blood of Christ and momently kept in the efficacy of that blood, is the sacred dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit, who has the full and exclusive control of the heart.

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