Distinctives of the Christian and Missionary Alliance of the Philippines
Lesson 2
JESUS OUR
SANCTIFIER
The word sanctify means
to set apart or dedicate
and
to make holy.
This is what
Jesus does for the believer.
I.
In the Old
Testament
Certain people
and objects were set apart to belong exclusively to God and be used by
Him. For example: the Sabbath day
–Genesis 2:3; the sacred tent (tabernacle) and alter –Exodus 29:44; priests
–Exodus 28:41, etc.
Under a special
agreement (covenant) with God the Israelites were also set apart from other
nations to be God’s chosen people. This included not only external, physical
evidence of their separation (circumcision), but also inward holiness
–Leviticus 20:7,8,26.
II.
In the New
Testament
Jesus Christ
Himself was dedicated –set apart –for His special work of sacrificing His life
for all mankind – Hebrews 10:9,10. Because of Christ’s death for us we are now
living under a new covenant between God and man. For the believer, the outward
sign of being set apart – physical circumcision –is no longer necessary –1Corinthians
7:19; Galatians 5:6, but rather the inward separation or “circumcision” of the
heart –Romans 2:29; Colossians 2:11.
Under this new covenant;
A. Sanctification is the setting apart or
dedication of a believer to God.
This means that
we are set apart – dedicated – to God to be holy and to be used for His holy
purpose – Ephesians 1:4; 1Peter 2:5,9.
1.
As His disciples,
Jesus dedicates us to God.
In His prayer for His
disciples in John 17:15-20
a.
What two requests does Jesus make to His Father in
verses 15 and 17?
b.
What does He not
ask His Father to do? (vs.15a)
c.
What responsibility that Jesus received from His
Father has he passed on to His disciples? (vs. 18)
d.
Why does Jesus dedicate – sanctify (set apart) –
Himself to His Holy Father? (vs. 19)
e.
What shows us that we today are included in Jesus’
prayer? (vs. 20)
2.
We also have a
part in the dedication of our life to God.
We are convicted
of sin and born again through the work of the Holy Spirit. However, even though the Holy Spirit enters
our life when we become God’s child –John 3:5,6; Romans 8:9, not all Christians
are filled with the Spirit –Ephesians
5:18.
Although as a
believer we have been set apart by God to be holy and to be used for His holy
purposes, in order to have victory over sin and temptation and become more and
more like His Son, Jesus Christ must also be our Sanctifier.
As we took the
step of salvation by faith, we must also take the step of sanctification by
faith. This faith is the absolute,
unchangeable trust of our whole nature in Jesus Christ; and we show this trust
by the dedication of our life to God and obeying His command to be filled with
His Spirit.
This initial
filling of the Spirit can take place in a believer’s life at the time he
receives Christ as His Savior if he has sufficient understanding and his
dedication to God is complete. Or it can be subsequent experience.
Of primary
importance, however, is our deep desire to do what God requires of us, “to hunger and thirst for righteousness”
–Matthew 5:6, and “to be conformed (to
become identical in character) to the
likeness of His Son” –Romans 8:29.
Only then are we prepared to obey His command to be filled with the
Spirit.
We do this by:
a. confessing all know sin in our life –
1John 1:9.
It can be helpful
to list these down, asking the Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance all that
for which we must ask God’s forgiveness.
This may also include confessing to another person and asking their
forgiveness for any wrong we may have done to them.
b. surrendering
ourself completely to God- Romans 6:13,19;12:1
There are
Christians who have never surrendered their lives completely to God and have
never been filled His Spirit. They seem
to have little interest in becoming like Jesus, lack power to overcome
temptation and are constantly defeated by sin.
The filling of
the Holy Spirit is dependent upon putting God in charge of our life. We must,
by an act of our will, deliberately give every area of our life to Him –
business, social, education, family, etc.
Even our thought life must be surrendered to His control. This act of surrender includes being willing
to obey God’s Word in everything.
c. telling God our desire to follow His command in
Ephesians 5:18 and asking Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit
d. believing – by faith – that we are filled
Because no person
is exactly like another, the manifestation of the filling will not always be
identical. Therefore we should leave
this up to the Holy Spirit rather than seek to have the same type of experience
as another. Also, nowhere does the Bible teach that a certain gift or an outward,
physical manifestation is the evidence that we are filled with the Spirit. We must never depend on our feelings or a
special experience as the proof. If we
have honestly met God’s requirements, He will be faithful to His Word. We must trust God’s promises. Read Luke 11:13 and James 1:6.
However, one
manifestation of the filling which is always evident is that the experience is Christ centered. In other words, Christ, not the Holy Spirit
is emphasized and glorified –John 16:14.
Jesus was the center of the message of the early Church. And, even as Jesus was vividly real to the
early Christians, He is equally real today to the sanctified believer. We are conscious of His presence and He is
the center of our life.
The filling of
the Holy Spirit also makes us spiritually powerful –Acts 1:8. For example, clever words and intellectual
arguments will not win an unbeliever to Christ.
It requires the power of the Holy Spirit to move a person’s heart toward
God. This spiritual power is also
present in other areas of our life.
We might not
always be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s power or “feel” it, but when here is a
need for the manifestation of His power we will see it. F.B. Meyer has written:
“ Reckoning that God has kept His word with you, dare to believe it, though you
may not be conscious of any emotion, and you find that when you come to work,
or to suffer, or to meet temptation, that there will be in you the
consciousness of a power which you have never known before, and which will
indicate the filling of the Spirit.”
B. Sanctification is also the process of being made
holy.
The infilling of
the Holy Spirit is not an end in itself.
It is a beginning. Sanctification
is a continuous process of spiritual growth.
This means that we well mature as a Christian as we obey the Bible and
are constantly controlled by the Spirit.
1.
To be sanctified
is to become more and more like Jesus –Romans 8:29.
It is the life of
Jesus reproduced in us. The Holy Spirit
frees us from the law of sin and death to reflect the Lord’s glory so that we
are transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory –1Corinthians
3:17,18.
It is an inward
change taking place in our life, resulting I purity and holiness – 1Peter 1:15,16;
Colossians 1:22.
a. We have a part in the process of our sanctification.
1.
This requires first of all, a conscious, on-going
decision on our part to think of ourself as “dead” as far as sin is concerned
–Romans 6:11; Galatians 5:24.
2.
We are also required to live as God wants us to live
– Ephesians 5:1; 1Thessalonians 4:7; 1Corinthians 6:19,20; 2Corinthians 7:1;
Colossians 3:16, 17.
3.
What is necessary for us to do in order to live as
God wants us to? See John 15:4,5; 1John
2:5,6,24, 27; 3:24.
b.
God’s Word is vital in our sanctification. – John 17:17
If we are sincere in our desire to be sanctified (set apart
and be made holy) God’s Word will be of utmost importance to us. A distinctive work of the Holy Spirit is to
impart truth to us –John 16:14:3. As He
helps us understand and obey the truth, it becomes an instrument used by Him in
our sanctification
In Ephesians 5:18-20 we are told to be filled with the Spirit. In a parallel portion in Colossians
3:16,17 we are told that the Word must
dwell in us richly. We cannot have
one without to other. Both are
absolutely necessary for the believer.
It is impossible for us to live a sanctified life apart from
God’s Word. Instead we must be nurtured
and matured by it –1Peter 1:22-2:3; Hebrews 5; 12-6:1. This can only be done through listening to it
being preached and taught, and in personal reading and study, meditation and
memorization. Then, as we live in
obedience to its teaching the Holy Spirit works through His Word to make us
more and more like Jesus.
b. We have Jesus Himself, through the Holy Spirit,
living in us.
As we allow Him control of
our life He is continually and patiently at work in us to make our character a
replica of His own – Galatians 4:19.
1.
What does Galatians 5:16,17,25 say about the control
of a believer’s life by the Holy Spirit?
2.
In contrast to what human nature does –Galatians
5:19-21, what qualities of character that Jesus showed when He was on earth
does the Spirit produce (like a tree produces fruit) in our life? –Galatians
5:22,23.
2.
To be sanctified is to be provided with spiritual power.
The Holy Spirit not only
gives us power to serve as Jesus witnesses –Acts 1:8 and exercise our spiritual
gifts –1Corinthians 12:4-7, He also gives us the power to live a life that is
pleasing to God and brings glory to Him.
According to Ephesians
3:14-21:
a.
Who gives us power?
through whom? (vs.16)
b.
What does the power do for us? (vs.16) NOTE: The Greek words inner selves, inner man or inner being (verse 16) include a
person’s reason (intelligence), conscience and will.
c.
Who makes His home in our hearts? How? (vs.17)
d.
For what reasons mulct our roots and foundation be
in love? (vv.18, 19) NOTE: The fullness
of god or the nature of God (verse 19), includes all the excellence and
perfection of God. It refers to the
moral qualities of God found in Jesus Christ which are given to believers, and
are shown in their lives as Christ lives in their hearts by faith.
e.
To better understand the greatness and extent of
God’s power working in us, see Ephesians 1:19, 20 and Jude 24.
f.
From Ephesians 3:21, who receives glory?
g.
How, do you think, does God receive glory in the
church? in Christ?
h.
For how long? (Ephesians 3:21; Jude 25)
To be filled with the Spirit
is an experience necessary for every Christian
in order to live a normal, everyday Christian life which is pleasing to God.
However, we must remember that our sanctification is not
complete when we surrender ourselves entirely to God and ask the Holy Spirit to
totally fill and control us. Sanctification
keeps going on. When we receive Jesus
Christ our Sanctifier we are not instantly perfect. God never takes away from us the power to
choose to do right or to do wrong.
Although we can choose to do right, what if we do wrong?
Even as the Old Testament priests had to worship in the
sacred tent with hands and feet washed clean by the water in the laver (basin)
–Exodus 30:17-21, we too must have pure hearts of worship God –Psalm
24:3,4. Although we received forgiveness
and cleansing from sin when we repented and accepted Jesus as our personal
Savior, because we are human, there are times when we sin. Jesus, as our Sanctifier, dwells in us
through the Holy Spirit, and provides for us, as we ask forgiveness for wrongdoing,
immediate cleansing.
Today there is much discussion concerning sanctification
and being filled with the Spirit, as well as differences of opinion as to the
“correct” terminology. However, the
important thing is to ask one’s self, “Does my life today show to others that I am filled with the Spirit? Am I becoming more and more like Jesus?
Life in the Spirit is a continuing experience, and as we
let the Spirit control us we will see His power and guidance in every area of
our life and in all our relationships.
We must never trust in our own ability to be holy, but
take our spiritual life from Jesus who supplies us, moment by moment, with
whatever grace or help we need. And we
can truly say, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me”
–Galatians 2:20.
