Brothers and sisters, over thirty years ago when we spoke about sanctification, we taught the same doctrine that was taught by the Brethren. But as we studied the Bible again, we gradually learned that the word sanctification does not merely mean separation. Separation is on the negative side, but sanctification has also a positive meaning. In these recent years we have seen that we cannot truly say that sanctification does not include the meaning which John Wesley taught. What the Brethren taught is right also, but they overemphasized it. It is true that the gold is sinless, and the bull, the sheep, the bread, and the milk are also sinless, but today we cannot say that we do not have the problem of sin. There is no thought of sin in the separation of gold and in the separation of bulls, sheep, bread, and milk. However, you and I were sinful from the beginning, so we cannot say that when we are separated to become holy, there is no element of being delivered from sin. The matter of sanctification with respect to gold, bulls, sheep, milk, and bread does not have the significance of the deliverance from sin, but with respect to sinners such as you and I, God’s separation includes our being separated from sin and being delivered from sin. If you have not been delivered from sin, how can you be separated unto God? Thus, this separation includes being delivered from sin, the world, the flesh, and all things and matters that are contrary to and against God.
Dear brothers and sisters, at the time of John Wesley, God’s recovery of the truth of sanctification was only the recovery of the first step, that is, of purity. Later, at the time of the Brethren, it was the recovery of the second step, which was separation. And now, we see that it is not only separation. The Brethren spoke much, but it was only on the matter of being separated. They forgot the matter of being made holy. Sanctification is not only a matter of being delivered from sin or being separated unto God but also a matter of being made holy. How can we be made holy? It is by having God Himself added into us inwardly. When the element of God that is added into us increases, you and I become more separated from sin, from the world, and from the flesh. Moreover, the divine nature and image in us also increase. Therefore, sanctification is to put God and Christ into us and to release us from sin, the world, and the flesh. He does not only separate us, but He also makes us holy.
Therefore, in its final step sanctification is simply transformation. In Christianity you can rarely hear a message on transformation. You can search through all the Christian bookstores, but you can hardly find one book on transformation. There are many books that speak about holiness and also many books that speak about separation, but it is difficult to find a book on transformation. This is because the light concerning this matter was not clear in the early days. Now this light has become more and more clear. Sanctification is not merely a matter of purity or separation but also a matter of being made holy.
What is it to be made holy? To be made holy is to have the element of God and of Christ added into us through the life-giving Spirit. In this way we are separated and made holy. Furthermore, once the element of God is added into us, there is transformation within us.
The sanctification taught by the Brethren is only separation, and it is really only positional separation and not dispositional separation. Today, however, the sanctification which we speak about is not only a positional change but also a dispositional change. When you take the gold out of the shops or homes and place it in the temple, this is merely a positional change. When you take bulls or sheep out of the herds or flocks and place them on the altar, or when you take bread from the bakery and place it onto a Christian’s dinner plate, this too is merely a positional change. There has been no change of disposition. However, when 1 and 2 Thessalonians mention the Spirit of sanctification, this sanctification is not only a positional change but also a dispositional change. Today the life-giving Spirit in us is continually infusing and constituting Christ into us. Consequently, we do not have only a change of position, but we also have a change of disposition. Thus, we do not have mere separation, nor do we just have purity, but we also have holiness. The truth of sanctification includes these three matters: separation, purity, and holiness.
The ultimate result of sanctification is glorification. God has come into our spirit, then He is spreading outward into our soul to do the work of transformation, which is also the work of sanctification, and lastly He will transfigure our bodies. This is sanctification to the uttermost and is also glorification. Glorification is God expressed, God manifested. At that time, our condition from the inside to the outside will be God manifested.
Now let us come back to 1 and 2 Thessalonians. These two books teach that the goal of the believers’ living on earth is to await the Lord’s coming. When we wait for the Lord’s coming, our spirit, soul, and body are all sanctified. Who is doing this work of sanctification? It is the Spirit with our spirit mingled as one spirit who is doing this work. Thus, these two books show us that the apostle preached the gospel to us in the Holy Spirit, and we also received the gospel in the Holy Spirit, so God put “the Spirit the Holy,” His Holy Spirit, into us to be mingled with our spirit as one spirit. Therefore, we should not quench this Spirit. Rather, we should allow this Spirit to do the work of sanctification daily in us. Because of the Spirit’s sanctification we will eventually be completely saved, so that at His coming back our spirit and soul and body will be preserved complete, without blame (1 Thes. 5:23). This should be the way we await the Lord’s coming. In the process of sanctification we are waiting for the Lord.
This sanctification is carried out by the Holy Spirit. However, there is a particular point to consider here. In Romans we have “the Spirit of holiness” (1:4), while here we have “sanctification of the Spirit” (2 Thes. 2:13). These two terms, holiness and sanctification, have the same Greek root with different endings. In Romans, in the phrase the Spirit of holiness, holiness refers to the nature of the Spirit. In 2 Thessalonians, in the phrase sanctification of the Spirit, the word sanctification refers to the effect of the Spirit. The Spirit of holiness is the Spirit with the holy nature, while sanctification of the Spirit refers to holiness as the result of the Spirit’s working in us.
Thank and praise God that in the first book of the Epistles there is “the Spirit of holiness,” but in 2 Thessalonians a result has been produced, that is, “sanctification of the Spirit.” In the very beginning there was the Spirit of God, but now He is the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Christ, the life-giving Spirit, and the Spirit of sonship doing the work of sanctification in us with God’s holy nature. Thus, He is the Spirit with the holy nature who is doing the work of sanctification in us, and after we pass through the process of sanctification, He will produce the result of sanctification, which is the Spirit’s sanctification. We thank God that eventually we will have not only the Spirit of holiness but also the Spirit’s sanctification! At the beginning we only have the Spirit of holiness coming into us, but eventually we will be sanctified by this Spirit. We have the process of sanctification, and we also have the result of sanctification. This is the work that the Spirit is doing in us.
Home | First | Prev | Next