Get the Experience

It can scarcely be hoped that in this brief treatment of the difficult subject of sanctification every question has been dealt with that may have come to the reader’s mind, but it is believed that sufficient has been said to show that the blessed experience of heart-purity and Holy Spirit baptism is graciously provided for all God’s children.

Now the important question is, do you have the experience? “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”* (Acts 19:2) This was Paul’s method of getting at the subject. This is the most practical and profitable thing in relation to the subject. If you get the Holy Spirit’s baptism, He will take care of the cleansing part of the experience. You do not need to be greatly concerned about that nor to understand all the mysteries and philosophy of it.

Sanctification Is Not by Growth

As a first step in showing how one may know one is sanctified, or how one may obtain sanctification, it is necessary to give proof that sanctification is a definite, instantaneous work and not a gradual growth. In preceding chapters the idea of a definite, instantaneous second cleansing has been assumed. We now endeavor to give reasons for holding that view. The very nature of the work of sanctification, as we have set it forth, is opposed to the idea of a gradual cleansing. The growth theory is more in harmony with the idea of sanctification of the life than of the heart, and is usually held by those who define sanctification as being merely a purifying of the life. We readily allow that the purifying of the life in the sense of growth in grace is a gradual process. But we also allow and hold that there is an instantaneous cleansing of the heart from depravity subsequent to regeneration.

A change of nature is more than a mere development of it. A lion may be tamed, but this does not change his nature. The sight or smell of blood may awaken all the ferocity of his nature. The sanctification under discussion is not a mere suppression, but an eradication of the depravity of man’s nature. It is accomplished by the blood of Christ as is regeneration, and regeneration is not a gradual growth. A definite work is implied in the cleansing or “purging” of John 15 and also in the typical entrance to the holiest place by the blood of Jesus as described in Hebrews 10:19-22. The Bible describes some as having been already sanctified. It is worthy of remark that those who hold the growth theory and confuse the cleansing of the heart with growth in grace never seem to get sanctified; and they cannot, because no man ever reached the limits of growth in grace. We do not say that God could not sanctify from depravity gradually; but it seems clear that such is not taught in the Scriptures, and we prefer teaching what is taught in God’s Word rather than what is not taught there.

Also it is a noteworthy fact that those who testify to having really attained to the experience say they obtained it as a definite, instantaneous work of God in the heart. The following statements are from able exponents of sanctification.

Inquiring (in 1761) how it was that in all these parts we had so few witnesses of full salvation, I constantly received one and the same answer: “We see now we sought by our works; we thought it was to come gradually; we never expected it to come in a moment, by simple faith, in the very same manner as we received justification.” What wonder is it that you have been fighting all these years as one that beateth the air?

[John Wesley; Wesley’s Works, Vol. 7, pp. 377]

You may obtain a growing victory over sin from the time you are justified. But this is not enough. The body of sin, the carnal mind, must be destroyed; the old man must be slain, or we cannot put on the new man, which is created after God (or which is the image of God) in righteousness and true holiness; and this is done in a moment. To talk of the work as being gradual would be nonsense, as much as if we talked of gradual justification.

[John Wesley, quoted in Journal of Hester Ann Rogers]

I have continually testified for these twenty-five years in private and public, that we are sanctified as well as justified by faith. And indeed the one of these truths does exceedingly illustrate the other. Exactly as we are justified by faith, so are we sanctified by faith.

[John Wesley; Wesley’s Works, Vol. 1, pp. 338]

We are to come to God for an instantaneous and complete purification from all sin, as for instantaneous pardon. In no part of the Scriptures are we directed to seek the remission of sins seriatim—one now, and another then, and so on. Neither in any part are directed to seek holiness by gradation. Neither a gradation pardon nor a gradation purification exists in the Bible. For as the work of cleansing and renewing the heart is the work of God, His almighty power can perform in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. And as it is this moment our duty to love God with all our heart, and we cannot do this till He cleanse our hearts, consequently, He is ready to do it this moment, because He wills that we should in this moment love Him…. This moment, therefore, we may be emptied of sin, filled with holiness, and become truly happy.

[Adam Clarke; Clarke’s Theology, pp. 208]

Sanctification is instantaneous, in opposition to the idea of growth gradually to maturity or ripeness.

[Randolph Sinks Foster; Nature and Blessedness of Christian Purity]

Conditions for Sanctification

That sanctification is obtainable in this life has been sufficiently shown in foregoing chapters. The importance of the experience has also been shown. How is the experience obtained? The conditions may be stated briefly as follows: The apostles received it by prayer (Acts 2). The Samaritans and Ephesians by prayer and laying on of hands (Acts 8:15,17; 19:6). It is received by faith (Acts 15:9; 26:18). In the very nature of the case, however, a dedication of ourselves is necessary to the cleansing and infilling of the Spirit as in the sanctification described in the Old Testament. This should not be understood to be a dying to sin and the world, for that is necessary to regeneration. It is rather a dedication to God for service, and is beautifully illustrated by the dedication of Solomon’s temple in ancient times to be a dwelling-place for God. When built it was in one sense already God’s; but after it was finished, Solomon dedicated it to God’s special service and invited Him in. Then it was filled with God’s glory (2 Chronicles 7:1). So when we dedicate ourselves to God’s service to be a temple of the Holy Ghost, He comes into our hearts in sanctifying power as an abiding Comforter.

We should not regard sanctification (as is too often done) as a wonderful experience that only a favored few may obtain, or that can be had only after long years of praying and struggling. It is to be received by faith in answer to prayer and is for everyone, even the weakest, of God’s children, and God wants all to have it. As Peter said in his sermon at Pentecost in telling the penitent Jews of the possibility of their receiving the Holy Ghost, “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”* (Acts 2:39) If you are saved—or if, in other words, God has called you—then God has promised you the Holy Spirit baptism and a pure heart. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”* (Luke 11:13)

If you are saved and not yet sanctified, at once dedicate yourself wholly to God, invite God’s blessed Spirit to come in and abide, and as you ask believe with all your heart that He does come in, and the experience is yours. It is received by faith as is justification or any other thing through prayer.

The Knowledge of Sanctification

It is reasonable to believe that one may know when he receives the second cleansing as truly as he may know he is regenerated. But in what does that knowledge consist? It is certain that a spiritual work in the moral nature is not to be known by the physical senses. Some critics of the second cleansing would oppose it on such ground. But one might as reasonably reject all experimental religion on such a ground. A spiritual work must be spiritually known.

This is the way we know when we are regenerated. In the words of Paul, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”* (Romans 8:16) There are two ways of knowing we are saved; first, by the witness of the Spirit in our hearts and, second, by the knowledge of the fact we have through noticing the phenomena in our lives as agreeing with the fruits which the Bible teaches should accompany the new birth. To illustrate: A man believes on Christ and at once notices that he possesses a love for God, the brethren, and even his enemies, such as he never had before. Also, he finds that the world no longer attracts him, but instead of finding pleasure in worldly things he now finds his “delight… in the law of the LORD.”* (Psalm 1:2) So his own spirit reasons and witnesses that he has been converted. But the witness of God’s Spirit is not to be confused with this. It is a conviction that comes direct from God.

In some cases people have this and yet do not recognize it as being the Spirit’s witness. It does not normally consist in words. Spiritual people often receive a witness, sometimes that their prayer for physical healing has been heard and that the sick will be healed, sometimes that God would have them preach the gospel, sometimes that God would have them go to the foreign mission-field. The Spirit witnesses to the sinner that he is a sinner and lost. We commonly call this conviction of sin by the Spirit. He witnesses to the regenerated that they are a child of God. And, as in every other spiritual work, we understand that He witnesses as surely to entire sanctification. This is a fact of experience even if it is not stated in the Scriptures in so many words.

But as in regeneration, so in sanctification there is also the witness of our own spirits to the second cleansing. A great change is noticed to have taken place in the heart. Certain feelings impelling to evil are no longer felt. So one’s own spirit reasons and witnesses that he has been wholly sanctified.

But just as some may not clearly recognize the witness of the Spirit of God, so others may fail to discern clearly this witness of their own spirits to sanctification. And just as some may be confused and uncertain as to the work of regeneration, so others may be confused or uncertain for a time as to their being sanctified. But to reject a second cleansing because someone fails of certain proofs of it in his own experience would be as unreasonable as to reject regeneration because someone doubted his experience.

But someone may object that he did not notice any special change in his heart when he sought God for the second cleansing. This may be due to his not really having obtained the experience; but if he met the proper conditions, it is more probable that he failed to notice a very marked change for the same reason that some do not notice so great a change in their regeneration as do others who were more depraved than themselves or in whom depravity was more manifested. Some are more depraved than are others; and in others, though not so greatly depraved, yet the depravity is very definitely manifested in some particular respect such as in feelings of anger. Those of either of these classes may notice a very special change in regeneration and also in sanctification, but the person of naturally good moral character or one who has lived a moral life before conversion or who is of event temperament may notice comparatively little outward change either in regeneration or in entire sanctification. Yet the experience is none the less real to them. Such persons because they did not feel such a radical change in their conversion have been led to doubt their experience, and some who have not noticed so great a change in their hearts in sanctification as others testified to have doubted their being sanctified personally or have questioned the reality of the experience of those who testified to a special change. This is an unreasonable attitude to take.

The second work of grace in the heart is as definite and real as the first work, and one may have as definite knowledge that he has the experience.

The plain statements from God’s Word and the undeniable facts of Christian experience given so far are conclusive and unanswerable proof of a second work of grace. The argument may be summarized briefly as follows:

1. The Holy Spirit baptism, in every instance described in the Bible, is always subsequent to conversion.
2. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “Whom the world cannot receive.”
3. Two forms of sin furnish a ground for two works of grace or a double cleansing.
4. That depravity remains in the regenerated is certain from the Scriptures and also from the experience of Christians generally.
5. Various texts of Scripture teach clearly that this remaining depravity is removed in a second cleansing that takes place at the time of the Holy Spirit baptism.
6. A second work of grace is strikingly set forth in the Old Testament types.
7. This second cleansing is a definite, instantaneous work, not a growth.
8. This second work of grace is the completion of the work of salvation in the heart that is begun in conversion.
9. God wills that all His children have this blessed experience.
10. You should obtain the experience at once if you do not now possess it. And those who do possess it need not fear the attacks of critics of the second work, for it rests on the unshakable foundation of God’s eternal truth.