We need to continually realize that in us - dwells NOthing good; the "us" means in and of ourselves. The "good" which we desperately need as believers, is ONLY found in Christ Jesus. He alone is our Sanctifier. A verse that has ministered again and again in my life over the years is Zechariah 4:6 - "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts". We may have been a believer for years; we may have "darkened" the doors of the church each time they were open; we may have taught Sunday School and tithed regularly. But - in the end it means NOTHING. Our walk, our life, must come from the Source not only of salvation, but also of sanctification. Regardless of how noble we may/may not be nor how "spiritual" we may/may not be: if we are NOT filled with the Holy Spirit, we are powerless (as well as disobedient).
Christ has planned a supernatural Church operating in a supernatural power. The Book of Acts is ongoing today (at least it is supposed to be). A.B. Simpson proclaimed that individually, as well as collectively, we must have our own "personal Calvary" - but we must also have our own "personal Pentecost". In our inner life - in our proclamation - and in our ministry, we have to have the divine touch of fire-baptized holiness. (Read the C.&M.A. statement on the infilling of the Holy Spirit/manifestation of the gifts "Expectation Without Agenda". We need to break/bend -- and allow Father God to possess us and gift us -- so He is truly living and reigning in and through us.) As an elderly Alliance evangelist said a few years ago, after WWII, the Alliance became "respectable" (and as a result lost a great deal of it's life/vitality/ministry) Bless God, the hunger pangs are upon us again. Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father always ready to "fill our hearts today to overflowing, with the Holy Ghost and power". Christ our Sanctifier NEVER changes!
Entire Sanctification
Started by
Revdavid
, Jan 18 2011 01:05 PM
26 replies to this topic
#21
Peasetown
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Posted 15 February 2011 - 07:44 PM
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#22
Julie Daube
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Posted 16 February 2011 - 01:18 PM
Amen, Peasetown!! That sums it up well!We need to continually realize that in us - dwells NOthing good; the "us" means in and of ourselves. The "good" which we desperately need as believers, is ONLY found in Christ Jesus. He alone is our Sanctifier.
#23
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Posted 25 November 2011 - 12:08 PM
Read Romans 8, it might help you out.
#24
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Posted 03 March 2012 - 12:00 PM
We need to continually realize that in us - dwells NOthing good; the "us" means in and of ourselves. The "good" which we desperately need as believers, is ONLY found in Christ Jesus. He alone is our Sanctifier. A verse that has ministered again and again in my life over the years is Zechariah 4:6 - "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts". We may have been a believer for years; we may have "darkened" the doors of the church each time they were open; we may have taught Sunday School and tithed regularly. But - in the end it means NOTHING. Our walk, our life, must come from the Source not only of salvation, but also of sanctification. Regardless of how noble we may/may not be nor how "spiritual" we may/may not be: if we are NOT filled with the Holy Spirit, we are powerless (as well as disobedient).
Christ has planned a supernatural Church operating in a supernatural power. The Book of Acts is ongoing today (at least it is supposed to be). A.B. Simpson proclaimed that individually, as well as collectively, we must have our own "personal Calvary" - but we must also have our own "personal Pentecost". In our inner life - in our proclamation - and in our ministry, we have to have the divine touch of fire-baptized holiness. (Read the C.&M.A. statement on the infilling of the Holy Spirit/manifestation of the gifts "Expectation Without Agenda". We need to break/bend -- and allow Father God to possess us and gift us -- so He is truly living and reigning in and through us.) As an elderly Alliance evangelist said a few years ago, after WWII, the Alliance became "respectable" (and as a result lost a great deal of it's life/vitality/ministry) Bless God, the hunger pangs are upon us again. Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father always ready to "fill our hearts today to overflowing, with the Holy Ghost and power". Christ our Sanctifier NEVER changes!
AMEN! Peacetown. So refreshing to encounter this perspective.
To Simpson's "personal Calvary and personal Pentecost" I would humbly add "personal Gethsemane" I sense that in Jesus' words in that garden: "not my will but thine..." we have the finalizing of his words in the great prayer of John 17 verse 19
19.And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. (KJV)
All things pertaining to life and Godliness are gifts from his hand...though some agonizing will likely precede.. even sanctification..
"I sanctify myself THAT they also might be sanctified.."
There's a huge website I've recently been parousing called "Enter His Rest" Hundreds of articles, from a largely Weslyan perspective, on Entire sanctification and related terms.
#25
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Posted 08 March 2012 - 10:47 PM
I think this was the most clear explanation of the process of holiness, or sanctification given; and it speaks to what the apostle Paul was exhorting the Roman church to do in Rom 8:2-14; and 12:1-2. Like salvation, sanctification is a three fold process. We are sanctified, we are being sanctified, and we will ultimately be sanctified.
Sin is the state of the heart where we place our own judgment of a person, an event or circumstance, God's truth or anything else as being more valid or valuable than God's own judgment. The various sins (to lie, steal, cheat, etc) themselves are the the outpouring of this state of the heart. As we seek God and learn to walk by the Spirit, we begin to learn that God can be trusted. We begin to learn that as we walk by the Spirit, God will reveal Himself, His will and his ways to us. Sanctification is the process where as we walk by the Spirit, it becomes ingrained into our lives in such a way where we place more value in God's judgment and in God's will than in our own. The more it becomes ingrained, the less desire or reason we have to choose anything other than God's will and His way for our lives. The idea of entire sanctification would mean that we are relinquishing more and more of the rights that we hold on our lives and instead are placing these areas into God's hands to change and to transform. The catch is that when we try to change of our own accord, it is bound to fail. Through our own efforts, we may modify our actions, but real change has to happen in our hearts. That is something that only God can do. As we relinquish areas of our lives to God, seeking Him and walking by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will change our hearts and our hearts desires. As our hearts change, those changes will in turn begin to filter through our choices, our actions and through our lives.
I know this isn't quite on subject of the original question, but it seems that this is a more spiritually healthy understanding of entire sanctification. It is a case where if we can let God show us the truth that lays hidden in the midst of the lie, we can get more at the heart of God and His will for our lives. Ultimately, sanctification at any level requires us to seek and in time to come to know the Holy Spirit and to let the Spirit guide our steps moment-by-moment, day-by-day. That is how we get started on the path of sanctification and building a relationship with God, and is the momentum that keeps us on the path and continually moving closer and closer to God.
#26
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Posted 13 May 2014 - 06:25 PM
Entire Sanctification is the perfect work of God in us. If we would try to achieve it or arrive or get closer=these are all works terms. And we have no works religion. You surrender to God every moment and He works His perfect love in you. You cannot do anything but surrender. It is totally God's work and action!
If you have the assurance of salvation in your heart. Your next step is a moment by moment surrender to Jesus Christ forevermore. Christian Perfection in you is God's work only. You cannot do anything about it except to surrender to it.
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#27
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Posted 14 May 2014 - 08:44 AM
jltjthomas...
You have condensed a whole study course and series of sermons into one post! I can only agree with heart and soul. Amen and amen!
Charlie
