The Sanctified Experience
Sanctification is a grace that effects the inner man in such a way that his affections are alienated from the love of the world and exalted to a supreme love of God. The sanctified person loves the Lord with his whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:5) When we receive the Holy Spirit and He sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, then “our love is made perfect.” (1 John 4:17) In such a state of divine love (perfect love) there is no place for the least bit of anything contrary to love itself. Hence we are able to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). We could not hate, despise or hold contempt toward him because “perfect love” is shed abroad in our heart, leaving no place for such principles to live. In this condition we can do good to those who hate us, etc. We could not well do otherwise for “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor.” (Romans 13:10) Since the heart is full of that thing that “worketh no ill,” there is is no place left in our being for that principle to operate that does work ill. The “love of God” loved its enemies and those who were ungodly and sacrificed to the limit for them. This characteristic of divine love is not changed in coming from God into our own soul.
Sanctification is also the perfecting of holiness in us. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1) Here a “perfect holiness” is referred to, but “He has perfected forever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14)
Hence we can only reach the experience of 2 Corinthians 7:1 through sanctifying grace. At this juncture some will ask: “If we are ‘perfected forever,’ how then would it ever be possible for us to sin again?” There is no part of salvation even in its most complete form that takes away man’s free moral agency, deprives him of his right of choice and reduces him to the state of a mere machine. In the sanctified experience we receive an abundance of power over sin, but if we choose to return to the life from which we have been perfectly and completely delivered, it will be with us according to 2 Peter 2:20-22; but we have the right to go back, nevertheless. As to the question that is often asked—“Can one sin and not lose their sanctification?”—we say that when one has committed a willful, knowing sin against God, they not only lose their sanctification but their justification as well and are reduced to the dead state in sin. (“When [sin] is finished [or committed], [it] bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15)) Then they must “repent, and do the first works,” (Revelation 2:5) and come all the way back over the same route they did before.
However, one may be in fault without knowledge and it not be imputed to them. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “This is the condemnation, that light is come….” (John 3:19) Condemnation does not come until light or knowledge has come to the heart. When knowledge comes to us, on the particular thing wherein we might be at fault, if we correct the fault immediately, we will escape the condemnation and go right on living without blame before God. If we still persist in the thing after knowledge has come, then it is imputed to us, salvation is lost and death comes to the soul. Some being farther advanced in the Christian life and having more light and understanding than others sometimes see such faults in others and condemn them and question their experience, their integrity, and sincerity; while God, seeing the lack of understanding in their hearts, does not charge it against them.
After all, the Christian life is very much a matter of walking in light and requires a strict honesty and open heart on the part of all. It is true that the Holy Ghost guides into all truth (John 16:13), but one does not reach the full understanding of all truth at once. As we walk in the light we have, more will be given. “The path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18) It increases as we follow on to know the Lord. Hence we see that though one who is sanctified is, in a sense, “perfected forever”; yet that experience does not mark the end of all growth and development for him by any means. Of the work of salvation it is the full completion, to be sure. It is a thorough and complete cleansing of the soul, and one will never be more pure and holy in heart in heaven than he is in sanctification. In this sense he is “perfected forever.” But in regard to his spiritual growth, his work for God, his ability to carry the burdens and responsibilities, and his power to overcome temptation, he is only well begun. One is really just getting ready to grow when he receives the Holy Spirit, because He is the One who gives him understanding. Read John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; and 1 Corinthians 2:9-16. The exhortation to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) has no end nor completeness. So long as we continue to live and walk with God, I am sure we shall continue to increase in the knowledge of Him and His truth. Never let the enemy impose on you the idea that there is no more to be done, nor any advancement to be made, nor any foes or temptations to meet after you are sanctified. The Israelites met the most formidable of all their foes in the Canaan land, which is typical of sanctification. You, too, will meet formidable foes and strong trials after you enter the spiritual land of Canaan, but the power of God will be increased within you that you will be able to overcome always and even call them “light affliction[s],” (2 Corinthians 4:17) as did the Apostle Paul. You are just letting yourself in for a prolific growth, expansion, and increase of power and glory in the soul when you surrender yourself and all into God’s hands and let Him sanctify you.
I want to refer again to those words of the Apostle Paul—“This light affliction”—to introduce another thought regarding the sanctified life: that of power. We realize to the full when we read of his afflictions that they were very heavy and difficult to bear for the human power alone. There must surely have been present within him an abundance of divine power which made the load seem light to him. Indeed, it was the divine power of the Spirit, instead of the human power of Paul, carrying the load. Such may look difficult to us, but we find the glory and power of Christ resting upon him, and his faithfulness and patience in suffering turning to the salvation of men on every hand and in every walk of life. Are we willing to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,” (2 Timothy 2:3) that we might have the same results?
But this power is closely connected with our receiving the Holy Ghost—being sanctified. Jesus said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8); a glorious, divine, holy, righteous power to enable you to witness for Him, to live for Him, to bear the fruits of the Spirit, and to overcome every trial and opposition and temptation of the enemy; a sublime power to remain calm and trust in Him through all the pressures and stress and strain of life. The Word of God says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19)
When you see the waves rolling high and the tempests strong, you need not fear if you have the Spirit of God within, for He will lift up the standard at the proper time and stop the raging of the tempest. For He says again, “When thou passest through the waters… they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned,” (Isaiah 43:1-5) etc. The sanctified person, with that spirit of power and grace within, is able to “dwell in a peaceable habitation… and in quiet resting places,” (Isaiah 32:18) though the storms may beat vehemently against him and the floods descend upon him, for he rests secure in knowing the spirit of the Lord is within to lift up the standard against the enemy.
Now with the thought of power still in mind, let us turn to those texts which refer to the Holy Spirit as “The Comforter.” Read John 14:15-18; 14:26-27; 15:26; and 16:7-11. The word comfort is a compound word composed of the Latin prefix com- meaning with; and the Latin word forte meaning strength, or to be strengthened. Thus, to be comforted is literally to be strengthened by being with. After all, what is comfort as we know it, but a certain power or ability of mental and spiritual faculties to look through and beyond present woes and distresses of whatever nature, and see by faith better, more favorable conditions coming to us? Paul expressed the thought I have in mind when he said, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) But from whence cometh this superhuman power and strength of our faculties to do this? It comes only from God who is the source of all power and only as we are able to contact him are we able to do this. That, then, is the work of the Holy Spirit in His capacity as “The Comforter”—to continually bring our mental and spiritual powers and faculties into contact with the heavenly, the divine; in short, with God Himself, that that divine power might flow from Him into our being through the Spirit. I shall again refer you to the Word of God to bring out the point more clearly. “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man….” (Ephesians 3:16-19) We see here that this strength, might, and power of spiritual comprehension all come to us through the Holy Spirit. How badly every Christian needs Him in their hearts!
A striking contrast between the weakness of man and the power of the Spirit is seen in comparing the conditions of the Apostles before and after Pentecost; in their justified state before, and in their sanctified state afterward. When they had not the power of mental and spiritual faculties to see beyond the present distress they were weak indeed: Peter denied the Lord in the face of a servant maid, and all the others fled in confusion upon Christ’s arrest. But on the day of Pentecost, when they were filled with the Holy Ghost and by Him comforted and strengthened to see spiritual things and eternal prizes to such an extent that they no longer feared those who could kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul (Matthew 10:28); these same men stood right up in the face of the enemies of Christ and boldly preached Christ unto them, and declared unto them that they themselves with their own hands had been His murderers. Not only did they speak boldly, but with such power that those who heard them were pricked in their hearts and began to inquire the way of salvation. Ah! dear ones, if you would have that convincing force and melting power in your life and in your words to pierce through the hardened outer crust of men’s hearts and penetrate to the more tender inner parts of the heart and win them to Christ, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit in your heart to furnish the driving power for those words.
In the 4th chapter of Acts it is recorded of some 5000 (verse 4) that “when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31) “And with great power gave the apostles witness.” (Acts 4:33) Oh! for the day when the entire company of believers shall be sanctified wholly and filled with the Holy Ghost, and be able to produce spiritual earthquakes, that will shake men’s souls to the very foundation, and God’s people shall be able to give witness to the things pertaining to God with great power. Then “sinners [shall not stand] in the congregation of the righteous,” (Psalm 1:5) etc.
Now let us notice one more thought concerning power and strength, and how necessary it is from that standpoint for God’s people to be sanctified. In Revelation 12:1 the Church of God is compared to a woman clothed with the sun, etc. In verse 2 we find that this woman was with child, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. In verse 5 we find that she brought forth a man child. This picture represents the early church and her burden for souls and the bringing forth of the 3000 souls on the day of Pentecost. In every case where a child is born, there is travail. It has been the happy privilege of God’s people through the years to carry that burden for souls and to travail in birth spiritually until sons and daughters were born into the family of God. Now we are down to the point and let us get it well. We know that it takes a full grown, fully-developed woman to bring forth healthy children into the world. It is the same with the church, if her spiritual children be normal and healthy. Those who are only justified are in the child state spiritually. Those who are sanctified have the divine graces developed to a sufficient degree that they are represented as coming to age or being grown. Therefore, I believe you can readily see the great necessity of a sanctified church and sanctified people for this very important work of bringing new children into the family of God. God speaks in the 66th chapter of Isaiah of bringing to the birth and not being able to bring forth. It is surely a sad condition when God’s people are not sufficiently developed in Him to bring forth into a good spiritual experience when the soul is there ready to be brought forth. Oh! if you would have power to make the heavy afflictions seem light, if you would have power to witness for Him, to live for Him and bear the fruits of the Spirit; if you would have power to create spiritual earthquakes and shake the soul of the sinner to its very foundation; if you would have that all-glorious power to travail in birth until sons and daughters be born into Christ through you, then quickly renounce everything that be of self, completely surrender all to Him, and consecrate to let Him destroy that self-life and purge you through and through. The He may fill you with the Holy Ghost, for “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” (Acts 1:8)
One who is justified has life (John 5:25). Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life.” (John 10:10) Then the sanctified experience is expressed in these words of Jesus immediately following in the same verse—“and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Sanctification is the “more abundant” life—such an abundant and expansive and glorious life as was expressed by Jesus, when he said, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38) Oh! to think—rivers of it! But “This spake he of the Spirit.” (John 7:39) Only those who are filled with the Holy Ghost can enjoy such an abundant life. Jesus again said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14) From the sanctified heart filled with the Holy Ghost, the love of God and the vigor and vitality of eternal life becomes a regular geyser in the soul.
Jesus said, “Every branch [in me] that beareth fruit, he purgeth [cleanses, purifies, sanctifies] it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2); not a different kind, but more fruit of the same kind. A sanctified person is able to bear much more of the spiritual fruit than the justified person.
We get a very beautiful comparison of the work of sanctification in the resurrection of Lazarus. When Jesus stood and called him, he came forth from the grave a living creature. Life was there all right, but he did not have free use of himself for he was bound with grave clothes and a napkin about his head. Then Jesus issued a second command: “Loose him and let him go.” () Oh, the glorious liberty and freedom of that second experience! One comes forth unto life when he is justified, but in many instances he is hampered, hindered, and bound by timidity, fear of man, and other things, from using himself freely for God; but when he is sanctified and the Holy Ghost has loosed him from those things and let him go by empowering and emboldening him, how free he feels!