Message 27 - By Leroy Surface
Justification, Sanctification, and
The
Baptism with the Holy Ghost!
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
What
a blessed promise Jesus gives to all who come to Him. “Come unto me...
and I will give you rest.” Yet, when I hear the gospel that most
preach today, it sounds nothing like the gospel Jesus preached. I hear
nothing about rest. I mostly hear that it is “hard” to be a
Christian. I hear of hundreds of “principles” which must be kept
if one is to be an overcomer. To all this, I say, “If this is Christianity
then being a Christian is hard indeed.”
I hear a prominent preacher who is teaching from the “Sermon on
the Mount” saying, “the hardest command of all is to ‘love your enemy.”
The fact is, it is not only “hard,” it is impossible to love your enemy
if you are one who is “trying to be a Christian.” The
hardest task known to man is “trying to be a Christian.” The
“easy yoke” and the “burden light” is to those who are “born
of God.” This is the “promise” of Jesus to all who come to
Him. “I will give
rest unto your soul.”
When
Jesus called the people to “come unto me,” He did not promise them a “Romans
seven” experience, which ends with “Oh wretched man that I am…” (Romans 7:24); Instead, He
promised the “Romans eight” experience, which begins with “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me
free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Many
people believe the children of God must travel “through the wilderness”
of Romans seven to reach the “land
of promise” in Romans eight. It is
true that when God delivered the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt He
took them through the wilderness to the Promised Land, but the gospel gives no
such way for the believer. Paul says, God “...hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). He shows no interim period necessary between “deliverance from
darkness,” and “entrance into the kingdom.”
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, …
I Peter 1:3
Nicodemus
was a “ruler of the Jews.” He was a “master (a teacher) of
Israel, who also was one of the seventy elders which comprised the “Sanhedrin
Court.” He recognized that Jesus was a “teacher sent from God”
because of the great miracles he saw Him do. It was this great man of the
Jews that Jesus first told,
“You must be born again” (John 3:3-8). Nicodemus questioned Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his
mother’s womb, and be born?” Jesus
explained that unless a person is “born again of the Spirit of God,” they
cannot enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus’ final question was, “How
can these things be?” Jesus answered that question in John 3:14-15, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” The “cost” of our “new birth” was the death of the
Son of God on the cross. Peter tells us it is by the “resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead” that we are “born again.”
The reality and the mystery of our “new birth” is that it is through our
“death and resurrection ‘with Christ” that we are “born again.”
If
we are to understand the proper place of resurrection in the wonderful
salvation Jesus Christ has given us, we must first understand the proper place
of His death and burial. Theologians have, over the course of hundreds of
years, developed a system of theology that is not always in line with what the
apostles clearly taught. Due to that fact, many who are truly men and
women of God have been laboring under doctrines that simply have not worked,
either for them, or the ones they preach them to. In Hebrews 13: 9, the apostle exhorted us, “Be not carried about with divers and
strange doctrines. For it is a good
thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not
profited them that have been occupied therein.” If you believe
a “gospel” that has left you in a struggle, both with sin, and serving
God, you might well consider if what you believe is true. You may be a “true
disciple” of Jesus, but consider what Jesus told some disciples in John 8:31-32; “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye
continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.” He
concluded minutes later, saying, “If the
Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8-36).
Full
salvation consists of three elements, two of which are finished in the death
and resurrection of Jesus through the offering of His body and
blood. These are “justification” and “sanctification,” both
of which are received by faith in Jesus Christ “and Him crucified” (I Corinthians 2-2). The
third is “glorification,” which is fulfilled in the baptism with the
Holy Ghost, and is received subsequently to faith in Christ. These three,
“justification, sanctification, and glorification” will be the subject
of the remainder of this message.
Justification
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For
if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before
God. For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and
it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness.
Romans 4:1-5
Man
cannot save himself. By nature, every man (or woman) is ungodly, without
the ability to even reach out to God, much less to approach God. Abraham
is given as an example of one who was “justified by faith” before Christ
came and died for us. He is also an example of how we today must receive
justification. We know that Abraham was born and raised in an idolatrous
land. In fact, the entire world was in that same darkness of
idolatry. It was about three hundred and fifty years after the flood when
Abraham was born, and the knowledge of the true God had been horribly twisted
and perverted by powerful men of the day like Nimrod. Abraham was born to
a man named Terah who, according to Jewish tradition, was an idol maker.
The tradition says that Abraham watched his father build the images the people
worshiped, and developed an understanding that these could not be the “god”
that created all things. It is possible that Abraham received some
knowledge of God from Shem, the son of Noah, who was still living in Abraham’s
day. All these things are from tradition and conjecture; all we know for
certain is that God spoke to Abraham, calling him to leave his father’s house,
his kindred, and the land of his father to come down to a land that God would
show him. Abraham “believed God,” and “obeyed God” (Hebrews 11:8). These two
things, “believe,” and “obey” cannot be separated. The idea
that a person could be both “justified by faith” and “walk in
disobedience” is ridiculous, but it is the thinking of multitudes of people
in the church today. It was his faith, however, the fact that he “believed
God” that God counted to be “righteousness.” It was the “righteousness
of faith (Romans 4:13)”
that brought him to the “obedience of faith (Romans 16:26)” in which he would answer the call of
God. Paul expressed this same principle of salvation in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Believing God
He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because
he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
I John 5:10
The
“record” that God gave of His Son is that of which Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Romans 1:16). Jesus commanded us to “Go…preach the gospel…he that
believeth shall be saved…he that believeth not shall be damned.” It
is on the basis of believing the gospel that people are justified. The
eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives a record of men and women of the Old
Testament who were “justified by faith.” Each record begins with
the words “by faith… .” Noah “believed God” when God warned
of a flood to come, and “obeyed God” in building the ark. Abel “believed
God” and “obeyed God” when He offered the “more excellent
sacrifice” (Hebrews 11:4).
It was the same with all the others who were “justified by faith;” they “believed
God,” and because they believed God, they “obeyed God.” It was
their “faith” that was counted to them for righteousness. Through their experience we know that
justification is by faith. Since Christ died for us at Calvary, however,
there is only one message from God that man must believe if he is to be
justified. It is the “gospel of Christ,” the “record
that God gave of His Son.”
Paul
tells us in Romans 4:5 that God “justifies
the ungodly.” In Romans 5:6,
he says, “…Christ died for the ungodly.” Again, in Romans 8:33, Paul said, “It is God
that justifieth.” How is it possible that God justifies “sinners,”
but He does not justify “sin?” Neither does He justify sinners “in
their sin.” The definition of the Greek word “dikaioo,”
which was translated as “justified,” is “to render (i.e. show or
regard as) just or innocent” (Strong’s Greek Lexicon). After
the ungodly are “justified,” they are “just (righteous);”
they are no longer the “ungodly.” Romans 5:19 reveals the justification of the ungodly to be the
purpose for which Christ died on the cross; “For as
by one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedienceof one (Christ’s death on the cross: Philippians
2:8) shall many be
made righteous” (justified).
How the ungodly are Justified
Romans
6:1-7 gives the record of how
God “justifies the ungodly.” The following comments on these
verses are taken from my commentary on Romans titled “I Am Not Ashamed.”
Romans 6:1-7
1 What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in
sin, that grace may abound?
This
sixth chapter of Romans begins with
a simple question. The question is based upon an erroneous interpretation
of Romans 5:20 which was held by
some, even in Paul’s day. If sin abounds, and grace abounds much more,
why not continue in sin so that grace will be more abundant? Those who believe this error are ignorant of
the truth revealed by both Peter and James that “God resists the proud, and
gives grace to the humble” (James
4:6; I Peter 5:5). Those
who continue in sin do so without grace.
2 God
forbid. How shall we, that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein?
Paul
answers their question with a question. He notes the impossibility of one
who is “dead to sin” to “live any longer in sin.” This
truth is built upon his words in Romans
5:21; “…sin hath reigned unto death.” Paul will establish in
the next verses that every child of God has died to sin through death with
Jesus Christ on the cross. Sin has lost its power to reign over those who
know the truth.
3 Know
ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized
into his death?
It
was Jesus who first told us, “...ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free” (John 8:32).
In this verse Paul calls their “knowledge of the truth” into
question. “Know ye not that every person that is in Christ was
baptized into His death?” It is in His death that we are joined to
Christ. It must be understood, however, that the “baptism” in this
verse has nothing whatsoever to do with what is called the “sacrament” or
“ordinance” of water baptism. Jesus introduced the baptism that is
spoken of in these verses in Luke 12:50: “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened
till it be accomplished!” Jesus was speaking of His death on the
cross as a “baptism” which He would suffer. Again, in Mark 10:37-38, James and John came to Jesus with a request, “Grant
unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand,
in thy glory.” Jesus answers in the next verse, “Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink
of? and be baptized with the baptism
that I am baptized with?” The “cup” spoken of here was the same cup Jesus Himself
prayed to the Father about in Matthew
26:39, “If it be
possible, let this cup pass from me…” The “baptism” spoken of in these verses is His death on the
cross. Water baptism is only a type and a shadow of which “baptism
into His death” is the reality.
4 Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.
The
purpose of our being “baptized into His death” is our “resurrection”
to “walk in newness of life.” Peter tells us that God has “begotten
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead… (I Peter 1:3).
5 For
if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also
in the likeness of his resurrection:
Our
being in the likeness of His resurrection is based upon and subject to our
being in the likeness of His death.
6 Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
These
several verses are “foundation stones” of a Christian life that will not
fail in the storm. “Our old man is crucified with
Him…” The little word “with” is of utmost
importance, because it comes from the Greek word “sun (pronounced soon),”
and denotes “union.” “Our old man is crucified in union with
Him.” When Jesus Christ, the Son of God was nailed to the cross, our
old man of sin was nailed to that same cross with Him.
The
next phrase denotes the reason our old man is crucified; “that the body of sin might be destroyed.” In this phrase, the word “that” is very
important. It is translated from the Greek word “hina,”
which means, “in order that.” “Our old man is crucified in union with
Christ, in order that the body of sin might be destroyed.”
Next, in this verse, we must look at the word “body.” It comes
from the Greek word “soma,” which means “the body (as a sound
whole).” It is used throughout the New Testament to identify the natural
body of man, but it differentiates between a hand or a foot, which are simply “members
of the body,” and the entire body, which is made of many members. To
clearly understand the term “body of sin,” think of the difference
between a “glass of water” and the “ocean.” The ocean is the “body of water,”
and the “source of all waters.” Now we read the text as follows; “Our
old man is crucified in union with Christ, in order that the entire
body and source of sin might be destroyed….” Finally, the word “destroyed”
is translated from the Greek word “katargeo,”
which means, “to be (render) entirely idle (useless).”
“…that henceforth we should not serve sin.” The Greek word translated “henceforth” is “meketi.” It is made up of two Greek words, “me”
and “eti,” which may rightly be translated
either “no further,” or “lest still,” according to the usage in
the sentence. This writer believes this sixth verse to clearly say the
following: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified in union with
Christ, in order that the entire body and source of sin might be rendered
entirely idle and useless, lest we continue to be slaves to sin.”
If our “old man” is not crucified, and the source of sin disabled, we
will continue to serve sin all the days of our lives.
7 For
he that is dead is freed from sin.
Thanks
be to God we are not slaves to sin, because, “He that is dead (crucified
in union with Christ) is freed from sin.” In this verse, though
concealed by the translators, Paul gave us the scriptural definition of “justified.”
The word “freed” in this verse is translated from the Greek word “dikaioo,” meaning, “to render just or innocent.” It
is used forty eight times in the New Testament, and in every place with the
exception of this one in Romans 6:7,
it is translated as “justified.” The scriptural definition of “justified?” “He
that is dead (with Christ) is justified.” One can only be
truly justified by grace when the old man is crucified with Christ.
“He That is Dead, is justified”
Paul
gave his understanding of justification in a way that anyone who lived under
Roman rule with the classic Greek justice system would understand. Whenever a person was indicted and convicted
of any crime, punishment would be administered sufficient to fit the
crime. After the sentence was carried out against the one convicted, they
were said to be “justified,” and fit to re-enter society with a clean
record. If, however, a person were convicted of a “capital crime,”
the sentence would be “death.” After the sentence was “executed”
and the guilty party was “dead,” it was said that they were “justified.”
That is the basis from which Paul said in Romans
6:7, literally translated from the Greek, “He that is dead, is justified
from sin.” I will finish this chapter on “justification” by
referring again to the commentary on verses
eight through eleven.
Romans 6:8-11
8 Now
if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
The
message of our union with Christ is carried over from the sixth verse into this
eighth verse. The Greek word “sun (in union with)” is used
in two places. “If we died in union with Christ…we also live in
union with Him.” Drop the
word “shall,” as it is not found in the Greek text. Our
union with Christ in life is now, even in this present evil world. Paul
explained this “mystery” as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
9 Knowing
that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more
dominion over him.
This
is the third time the matter of “knowing” has arisen in this sixth
chapter of Romans. These are great and wonderful truths that we must “know”
if we are to be free from sin. In this verse Paul begins an example for
every believer in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus died
once. Being raised from the dead, He will never die again, because death
has no more dominion over Him.
10 For
in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto
God.
This
verse is most important as establishing the basis for our great confession in
the next verse. Jesus died! He died unto sin; and He died but
once! Jesus lives! He lives unto God. This is the pattern of
our salvation through death and resurrection “in union with” Jesus Christ.
11 Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
“Likewise (in
this way) reckon ye also
yourselves…” The word “likewise” ties us to the facts that were stated
about Jesus in the previous verse. He “died unto sin once…likewise, we
died (with Him) unto sin once.” He “liveth unto
God…likewise, we live (in Him) unto God.” When Jesus “died
unto sin once,” we were “with (in union with) Him.” In
that our old man died with Christ, we are “dead indeed unto sin.”
In His resurrection, a “new man” was born, and we are “alive unto God
through (the Greek word is ‘in’) Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Our union with Christ is both in His death and in His life.
The
sentence structure of this eleventh verse is very interesting. The word “indeed”
is key to the power and reality of the confession. It is translated from
the Greek word “men.” The “Strong’s Concordance” definition
is as follows: “men:’ a primary particle; properly, indicative of
affirmation or concession (in fact); usually followed by a contrasted
clause with 1161 (the Greek word for ‘but’).” The “concession” in this verse is “In fact,
I am dead unto sin.” The contrasted clause is, “But I am
alive unto God in Jesus Christ my Lord.”
The
“reckoning” in this verse is not only that we are dead unto sin, but
also that we are alive unto God. The power of our “reckoning” is
also found in the word “indeed;” it is a “fact” that, “in
union with Christ,” we are both dead to sin and alive to God. It is a
fact, but until you reckon it so, you will continue to struggle with sin in
your heart and nature.
Sanctification
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people
with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Hebrews 13:12
Contrary
to the theology of many, sanctification of the believer is neither taught nor
mentioned in the book of Romans. Sanctification is revealed in the book
of Hebrews, and while it is God that justifies the ungodly through death at the
cross, it is His Son Jesus Christ who sanctifies the believer with His own
blood. A very common misconception is that the “Holy Ghost” is
given for our sanctification. It is not! And there is not a single
scripture in the bible that clearly says so. The following scriptures are
those that reveal the truth of our sanctification:
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified
are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Hebrews 2:11
Notice that the “sanctifier” calls
those “who are sanctified,” “brethren.” The Holy Ghost is
not our “brother,” but Paul said in Romans
8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren.”
Jesus is the firstborn, and we
“who are sanctified,” are His “many brethren.”
By the which will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:10
Another
misconception about sanctification is that it is a “lifetime process,”
accomplished with the “help” of the Holy Ghost. Again, it is
not! It is “through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ” that we are sanctified. It is very
important that we see the message of Hebrews
10:4-7: “For it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou
wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and
sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come
(in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” This text
refers in part to a prophecy of Jesus Christ in Psalms 40:6-8. It so clearly shows the reason Christ came in
a body of flesh. He came to do what the sacrifices of the law “could
not do (Romans 8:3),”
which was to “take away sin” (John 1:29). His
purpose of coming in a body of flesh was to offer His own body, and shed His
own blood for the sanctification of the people, hence Hebrews 10:9-10 says, “Lo, I
come to do thy will O God… by the which will we are sanctified by the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ.”
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,
suffered without the gate.
Hebrews 13:12
This
is a most amazing verse of scripture, though obscure to many. In only
seventeen words, everything you need to know about the sufferings and death of
Jesus on the cross is explained. There are six questions every reporter
is supposed to answer in reporting any event. They are “who, what,
when, where, why, and how.” In this very short verse the writer
answers all but one of these, and that is “when,” but we already know
when. Follow closely: Who? “Jesus also.” What? “Suffered.” When?
(The only question
not answered in this verse, but we know the approximate answer.) Where?
“without (outside) the
gate.” Why? “that He might sanctify the people.” How?
“With His own
blood.” Certainly
this is one of the most complete records ever given in such few words, if we
can only receive it.
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted
the blood of the covenant, wherewith
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the
Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:29
The
greatest wrath of God is reserved against those who, as Paul also said in Romans 1:18, “...hold the truth in
unrighteousness.” Those who “trod the Son of God under foot;”
those who “count the blood of Jesus, wherewith (we are) sanctified,”
to be no more than the common blood of animals, which can never “take away
sin (Hebrews 10:4),” and
those who “despise the Spirit of grace” even as Esau “despised his
birthright” (Hebrews 12:16-17; Genesis 25:29-34).
What is sanctification?
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare
the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his
temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he
shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his
coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And
he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge
them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in
righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in
the days of old, and as in former years.
Malachi 3:1-4
We
have seen the scriptures that reveal who the sanctifier is, and how He
sanctified the people, but we need to clearly understand exactly what
sanctification really is. The prophet Malachi foretold the coming of
Christ into the world to “purify and purge” the people. “He is like a refiner’s fire (to purge),and
like fullers’s soap” (to wash and purify). The
definition of the Greek word translated “sanctification,” is “purification,”
which is the purpose of the shed blood of Christ; it “purifies” the
people. Notice the words of John in Revelation
1:5, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood,” and in I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” John also said, in the seventh verse, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ
his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Using the word “purge,” the writer
of Hebrews said, “How much more shall the blood of Christ…
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14)?” Each of
these scriptures testify to the purifying power of the blood of Jesus
Christ. The person that is sanctified is
“pure.” “Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Justification and Sanctification:
Inseparable
About
a hundred and fifty years ago Charles Finney said, “Modern legalists do not
expect to be justified by works; they know these are inadequate—they know that
the way to be saved is by Christ. But they have no practical belief that justification
by faith is only true, as sanctification by faith is true, and that men
are justified by faith only, as they are first sanctified by faith….”
The idea that a person can be “justified” by faith and continue in sin
until he is “sanctified” is ludicrous because the same faith that
justifies also sanctifies. Both of these works were accomplished in the
same offering of the body and blood of Jesus Christ through His death on the
cross. Both were “finished” at Calvary, therefore no time period
is necessary to receive that which is accepted by faith. Paul sheds some
light on this subject with his question in Galatians
2:17; “But if, while we seek to be justified
by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ
the minister of sin? God forbid.” Three verses later, Paul had this to say in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless
I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave himself for me.” The question he asked in the seventeenth
verse is, “Can I truthfully say that Christ is living in me when I am
continuing in sin? Is it Christ who is
sinning in me?” Paul expressed the absurdity of such a thing; “God forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein (Romans
6:2)?”
Many
who believe that salvation is “by grace,” which it certainly is, also
believe in a “justification” which does absolutely nothing for the one
justified (“it is only a decree in heaven,” they say), and a “sanctification”
which is a lifetime process of “putting away sins” through continual
counseling and learning of principles. This is not only the recipe for a
lifetime of struggle as described in the seventh
chapter of Romans; it is also the definition of “salvation by works”
because “grace” has done absolutely nothing for them. It is the “doctrine”
of those Jude warned of, who “turn the grace of God into lasciviousness”
(Jude 4).
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such
were some of you: but ye are washed,
but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
I Corinthians 6:9-11
Paul
did not mince words when he wrote, “The unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God.” He became much more specific: “Neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, (etc,) shall
inherit the kingdom of God.” Paul gave a much longer list of those who
“shall not inherit.” They can “believe in one God,” but
they are still lost (James 2:19).
They can believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and even profess that God raised
him from the dead, but they are still lost and “shall not inherit the
kingdom of God.” Nevertheless, these are the “ungodly” that
Christ died for. They are also those whom God will justify if they will “believe
on Him that justifieth the ungodly” (Romans
4:5). Do I sound as if I am contradicting myself? I am not! Paul continued in the
eleventh verse, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the
Spirit of our God.” Notice the “order” he gives in the
salvation of those who “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” “Ye
are washed… ye are sanctified… ye are justified….” You are no longer
the “ungodly” because, “you are washed… you are sanctified… you are
justified… you are ‘made righteous’” (Romans
5:19).
The
weakness of the predominate doctrines of justification and sanctification are
in part because traditional theology has given us a view of justification that
is too “narrow,” and a view of sanctification that is too “broad.”
The view of justification is so narrow that it is considered “orthodox”
to believe that the “justified” are still “sinners.” The
proper “view” of justification is to see our “old man” nailed to
the cross “with Christ;” it is to see the “body (the source) of
sin destroyed,” and ourselves delivered from its bondage (Romans 6:6). It is to see ourselves as “dead unto sin,
but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). This is a much “broader” view of
justification than that which is predominate in the churches today, but it is exactly
as Paul said that it is, for
“He that is dead, is
freed (is justified) from sin”
(Romans 6:7).
Sanctification,
on the other hand, is actually “narrower” than traditionally
taught. Sanctification simply means that
the one sanctified is “clean,” and “pure.” Get this simple
picture; the person “justified” is “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11), and the person “sanctified”
is “cleansed from all sin” (I
John 1:7), and “washed from sin” (Revelation 1:5). The child of God is both “dead”
and “pure,” which is the constant state of those who “abide in
Christ,” and Christ “abides in them.” It is as Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with
Christ (I have died to sin with Christ),nevertheless I live(unto
God), yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
I
heard a friend and great man of God say, “It is a dangerous thing to confuse
your justification with your sanctification. If you do so,” he said, “you
will never know that you are saved.” I disagree. Instead, it is
a dangerous thing to separate your justification from your sanctification.
The confusion comes when you connect sanctification with the baptism with
the Holy Ghost. The old time “holiness movement” of the nineteenth
century made that mistake. They were
godly people, but they were ignorant of the “initial evidence” of the
Holy Ghost as indicated in the scripture, and believed that “sanctification”
was the evidence they had received the Holy Ghost. Based upon the
question in Acts 19:2, “Have ye
received the Holy Ghost since ye believed,” these came to believe that
sanctification was a “second work of grace,” received “after ye
believed.” When the Holy Ghost began to be poured out afresh on the
first day of the twentieth century in Topeka Kansas, it was upon people who
were already sanctified. They did not need the Holy Ghost to sanctify
them, because they were “washed from their sins in the blood of the Lamb.”
The Holy Ghost came in great power, just as it did on the day of Pentecost,
with all the grace and glory that is recorded in the book of Acts. Some
came to understand that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is a “second work,”
but others believed it was a “third work” of grace. Today, many
have reverted to the view of the original sanctified movement, confusing
sanctification with the work of the Holy Ghost, and turning it into a “process,”
which can never bring “true holiness.” We should also notice in Ephesians 4:24 that “true holiness”
is the result of “creation,” and not “process.” Those who
believe in the “process” continue to struggle with sin because they have
separated justification and sanctification.
They believe that justification is only a “decree of God”
received by grace, while sanctification is a progressive work of man with the
help of the “Holy Ghost.” These will live in the “Romans
seven” experience of struggle and failure all the days of their life, for
no other reason than, they do not “know the truth” that will make them
free.
The
“danger” of separating justification and sanctification is that
multitudes have been deceived into believing they can “continue in sin”
without eternal consequence until such time as they are “sanctified.”
The “drug addict,” the “drunkard,” the “pornographer,” and
the “fornicator,” etc, are assured they are “saved” and in “right
standing with God” as long as they are “trying,” or most especially
if they are involved in a “program” to help them through their
problem. This is the end result of separating justification and
sanctification.
In
the great “Pentecostal revival” of a hundred years ago, it did not
matter if there was one, two, or three “works of grace,” because with
the outpouring of the Holy Ghost there was such “conviction” of sin that
those convicted seldom left the altar of repentance until they were “saved,
sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost.” It did not matter to
them if it came in “stages” or “all at once,” they were not
satisfied until they received all that God would give. Today it is almost
universally accepted that people are “justified” and “saved” if
they repeat a sinners prayer, even if the Holy Ghost has never convicted them
of sin. With the “guarantee of heaven” most are perfectly content
to “continue in sin.” They are reassured continually that “no
one is perfect,” which is true in a human sense, but ignores the fact that
Jesus has “by one
offering… perfected (completed) for
ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). This simply means that we are “complete in Christ…”
(Colossians 2:10). We are “…circumcised with the circumcision
made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ (Colossians
2:11). We are “washed,” we are “sanctified,” we are “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11).
The Baptism with the Holy Ghost
Having
been justified and sanctified, the believer is now prepared to receive the Holy
Ghost. The baptism with the Holy Ghost is definitely a “second work,”
received subsequently to “believing.” Notice again the question in
Acts 19:2, “Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” This was the question Paul asked those disciples in Ephesus
when he first came to their city. Now notice what he said in his letter
to the saints at Ephesus; “…in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our
inheritance…” (Ephesians
1:13-14). The baptism with the Holy Ghost is only given to the
sanctified, which is in itself evidence that sanctification is not a lifetime
process. Peter recognized this when he saw Cornelius and his household
filled with the Holy Ghost, and heard them speak with other tongues as the
hundred and twenty did on the Day of Pentecost. He testified before the
skeptical Jewish elders of the church at Jerusalem in Acts 15:8-9, saying, “And God,
which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even
as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying
their hearts by faith.”
Remember, the definition of “sanctification”
is “purification.” These Gentiles were sanctified in a moment of
time. They received it by “faith,”
believing the words of the gospel that Peter spoke to them.
Many
people, including this writer, received the Holy Ghost only moments after they
were saved. It was “after they believed,” but not “after a
process of sanctification.” It was about the middle of the twentieth
century that some began to believe that an unsanctified vessel could be filled
with the Holy Ghost. The old men of God that were a part of the original
Pentecostal revival had a saying, “The Holy Ghost will not dwell in an
unclean temple.” That was an established truth in that day, and it is
still true today. If there were those who were living in sin who also “spoke
in tongues,” it was believed that they had received a “religious demon,”
because the Holy Ghost will not co-habit with sin. It was just before the
1960’s that another movement began to form. It was the result of several
well-known preachers of that day who wanted to make “Pentecost” more
acceptable to the “mainline denominations.” In the beginnings of
that movement, they determined not to speak of “Pentecost,” but of the “Charismatic
renewal.” They would not “speak in tongues,” but they would “practice
glossolalia.” Soon, millions of people from
every religious background were “speaking in tongues,” but there was
something about this movement that was drastically different from the
Pentecostal revival before it. These were “learning how” to speak
with tongues. They were “developing” their “prayer language.”
To the carnal eye and ear, it seemed that they had received the same experience
the Pentecostal’s had received fifty years before, but many who had truly been
baptized with the Holy Ghost knew something was terribly wrong. It was
not only that the “spirit” did not “bear witness,” it was also
the lack of true sanctification and justification. Unregenerate people
began to “imitate” the same things by the “precepts of man (Isaiah 29:13)” that the Holy
Ghost was given to do. Almost every church and denomination in the world
has suffered from the error, whether they were a part of it or not.
Today, “motivational speakers,” and “counseling psychologists”
have built the largest churches in the world, but they have filled them with
those who are content to “continue in sin, that (supposedly) grace
may abound” (Romans 6:1-2).
In
closing, I will refer to my “Verse by Verse Commentary on the Book of Ephesians,” chapter one, verses thirteen and fourteen for
a small sample of what Paul knew about the “Holy Spirit of Promise.”
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, …
Ephesians 1:13
“In whom ye also trusted…” In the first twelve verses of this epistle, Paul has spoken
in the “first person, plural,” repeatedly using the words “we”
and “us.” Beginning in this thirteenth verse, he begins to use the “second
person” pronouns, “you,” and “ye.” Why he does this is
not apparent until the second chapter of this epistle, where we will find that
he was speaking first of the Jews, who “first trusted in Christ,” and
then to the Gentiles, who “also trusted.” This becomes very
apparent in Ephesians 2:11-19 where
he identifies both the Jew and the gentile, and says in the sixteenth verse, “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the
cross….”
“…after that ye believed…” The Gentiles “heard the word of truth” in the gospel
of Christ, and they believed it. “After” they believed, they were “sealed
with the holy Spirit of promise.” This speaks of the same “baptism
with the Holy Ghost” the hundred and twenty Jews received on the Day of Pentecost.
In Acts 10:44-46 the record is given
of the first incident of Gentiles being saved and baptized with the Holy Ghost:
“While Peter yet spake
these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And
they of the circumcision
(the Jews) which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter,
because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy
Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.”
It
should be noted that Paul said, “after that ye believed” instead of “when
ye believed.” The “baptism with the Holy Ghost” is an
experience to be received subsequently to believing. This is confirmed in
Acts 19:1-6, where Paul found “certain
disciples” while he was in Ephesus and asked them the question, “Have ye
received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”
“…sealed with the holy Spirit of promise.” This phrase is another confirmation that the Gentiles
received the same experience the hundred and twenty Jews had received on the
Day of Pentecost. Jesus had told the believing Jews to “wait for the promise of the Father,” and explained what He meant in the next verse; “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” (Acts 1:5). These
Gentiles at Ephesus were “sealed” with a mighty baptism with the Holy
Ghost just as the hundred and twenty had been on the Day of Pentecost. A
partial record of their “day of Pentecost” is given in Acts 19:6: “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all
the men were about twelve.”
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:14
“…the earnest of our inheritance…” Every child of God knows they have
an “inheritance” waiting for them in heaven. Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you…” (I Peter 1:3-4). We are “born
again” to an “eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15)” which is “reserved in heaven.”
The Holy Ghost is given to us as the “earnest of our inheritance.”
An “earnest” is a portion that is received in advance of the full
inheritance, which will be received at the return of Christ when the “dead
are raised incorruptible” (I
Corinthians 15:52).
The
“holy Spirit of promise,” is the “earnest of our inheritance.” It
is received with a mighty “baptism,” just as the “hundred and twenty”
received it on the Day of Pentecost (Acts
2:1-4), and the “twelve” received it in Ephesus (Acts 19:6). Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come
upon you…” (Acts
1:8). In Acts 4:31-33
there is the record of a second great outpouring of the Holy Ghost in
Jerusalem: “And 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. …And with great power gave the apostles witness of the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Two things were very obvious about those who were “filled
with the Holy Ghost;” it was “great power” and “great grace”
that was upon them all. The book of Acts is a record filled with the
accounts of miraculous works of God that were done by those who were filled
with the Holy Ghost. Yet, that “great power” and “great grace”
is only the “earnest of our inheritance.” It is only a portion of
that which God has prepared for those who love Him. It is given to us for
this present time in this present evil world.
“…until the redemption of the purchased
possession…” Paul spoke of this in Romans 8:23. He said we are “…waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of
our body.” Our
mortal body is the “purchased possession.” Paul confirms this in I Corinthians 6:19-20, saying, “What?
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Our body is not “sinful” even though it is both “mortal
(liable to die)” and “corruptible (subject to decay).
Paul speaks of the redemption of our bodies in I Corinthians 15:51-54; “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory.” Our spiritual redemption is complete.
Sin has been “taken away.” Only our body, which is the “temple
of God,” which Paul also said “is holy (I Corinthians 3:17),” waits to be redeemed at the return of
Jesus Christ. Until then, we have the “earnest of our inheritance”
of which we shall then receive the “fullness.”
Message
27 - By Leroy Surface
Justification,
Sanctification, and The Baptism with the Holy Ghost!
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