05 - Chapter 5
CHAPTER V. THE DEFINITION OF THE DOCTRINE TESTED.
Every dogma, or doctrinal proposition of a Bible Christian, must be brought to the test of Scripture. This should be done by ascertaining facts, and thus verifying our definitions. By this means errors in our dogmatic statements may be detected, and the sincere inquirer into the truth is led into the light. Accordingly our next duty is to see that: THE DEFINITION OF THE DOCTRINE IS TESTED.
If Sanctification is only to be predicated of believers, then,
1. It can never precede justification, regeneration, pardon, cleansing of the personality and conversion. Of course, we are now speaking of sanctification as a Christian doctrine. We would be safe in resting this proposition on a mere affirmation of it, as it is not denied except as to the cleansing. That is, it is now conceded that justification does not follow sanctification. As Dr. Hodge says, "The apostolic, Pauline, deeply scriptural doctrine that . . . pardon, justification and reconciliation, must precede sanctification." When the sinner is convicted the first step he is directed to take is that of "repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" [Acts 20:21]. Genuine faith includes repentance. Hence, he is often simply directed to believe. But faith is the naturally necessary condition of justification. By faith we are saved (Mark 16:15), born of God (John 1:12), receive everlasting life (John 3:16John 6:28), receive the pardon of our sins (Acts 10:43), are justified (Romans 4:5Romans 10:4Galatians 2:16). These blessings all follow upon genuine faith in Christ by the penitent sinner, and are not preceded by sanctification.
2. Neither does sanctification precede pardon and cleansing. Pardon is the official, governmental suspension of penalty. It implies guilt, which is blameworthiness and liability to penalty. But both these are removed before, not after, sanctification. It is the sinner that is pardoned, not the sanctified one. And being justified and pardoned he has peace with God and is free from condemnation and guilt. He is also purified as to his personality. For it is the sinner, who cannot be sanctified until he has ceased to be a sinner, that is to be purged, purified. Hence James, "Cleanse your hearts, ye sinners" (James 4:8). On the other hand, Christians are purified, as Peter declares, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obedience to the truth" (1 Peter 1:22). "And hath forgotten the cleansing from his old sins" (2 Peter 1:9). But Paul is yet more definite as to the relation of sanctification to the cleansing of the personality, the self. He says of the church, that "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word" (Ephesians 5:26). This is the washing of regeneration, a cleansing of the personality, not of the nature, and precedes sanctification.
3. We are prepared, then, to go a step farther, and say that not only does sanctification not precede justification, pardon, regeneration, purifying of the personality; but that these precede sanctification essentially, but not chronologically. That is, while in essence the former must precede, yet in time we cannot separate them. The renewed soul is to be sanctified. But it is sanctified at once. Our justified state is only maintained in sanctification. This seems the evident testimony of Paul. "Present your members as servants to righteousness into (eis) sanctification" (Romans 6:19). "Ye have your fruit into (eis) sanctification (Romans 6:22). We must be trees before we can bear fruit. "That God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). But it is not the office of the Spirit in the sinner to sanctify. Hence, according to Paul, God by the Spirit sanctifies us, having cleansed us (Ephesians 5:26).
4. Let it not be overlooked that we are speaking of the sanctification of the "I," "the mind," the personality: the intelligent, voluntary agent. And this consists in the consecration of the person to God. As such an act it cannot be deferred for days, and weeks, and months, and years after justification or regeneration. As an act of consecration of the person it must take place in the believer at once. As a condition or state (in sanctification) of believers it is a state of continued devotion, dedication to God. Both are necessary. The act begins the state. And only while we remain, as to the personality, in this state are we saved.
5. The fact that the Scriptures often speak of believers, or truly regenerated persons, needing sanctification, and of sanctification as something coming after regeneration, will be fully explained further on. These two apparently contradictory facts, sanctification simultaneous with justification and regeneration, and sanctification following both, need both to be taken up into a true doctrine of sanctification. The one must not be pressed to the exclusion of the other. In some way they must be reconciled. And we are on the way to such reconciliation. We are now speaking of the former, and we find it a fact, a universal fact, that justified persons are sanctified persons. This is the sanctification of the personality.
6. In this sense it is true, (1) That every regenerated person is sanctified. (2) That he must continue in sanctification to maintain his justified state. (3) That this sanctification of the personality, the "I," is instantaneous. It partakes in this respect of the nature of justification. All changes in the personality, in the will, at the ultimate point are instantaneous. Time is required only in approaching the point of action. But when it acts the will is like lightning--there is no perceptible time required in which it acts. Personality is sanctified in an instant.