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The Agency of Christ and the Agency of Believers in Sanctification
John Murray
John Murray (1898–1975). Born on October 14, 1898, in Badbea, Scotland, John Murray was a Presbyterian theologian and preacher renowned for his Reformed theology. Raised in a devout Free Presbyterian home, he served in World War I with the Black Watch, losing an eye at Arras in 1917. He studied at the University of Glasgow (MA, 1923) and Princeton Theological Seminary (ThB, ThM, 1927), later earning a ThM from New College, Edinburgh. Ordained in 1927, he briefly ministered in Scotland before joining Princeton’s faculty in 1929, then Westminster Theological Seminary in 1930, where he taught systematic theology until 1966. His preaching, marked by precision and reverence, was secondary to his scholarship, though he pastored congregations like First Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Murray authored Redemption Accomplished and Applied and The Imputation of Adam’s Sin, shaping Reformed thought with clarity on justification and covenant theology. Married to Valerie Knowlton in 1937, he had no children and retired to Scotland, dying on May 8, 1975, in Dornoch. He said, “The fear of God is the soul of godliness.”
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In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of God in our work and salvation. He highlights Philippians 2:11-13 as a key passage that clearly points to the activities of sanctification. The preacher also discusses the concept of Christ being in believers and the Holy Spirit advocating for them. He references several Bible verses, including Romans 8:10, Galatians 2:19-20, Ephesians 3:17, and Colossians 1:27, to support his points. Overall, the sermon emphasizes the need for believers to rely on God's work in their lives and to actively work out their own salvation.
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Let us pray. O Lord, our God, we ask that our understanding may be according to thy word, that our understanding may be clarified, that it may be strengthened, and that in the fullness of understanding... Now then we came to the agency of... ...required a little... ...agency. Namely, that there is a virtue... ...deciding in Christ... ...by a reason... ...which constantly emanates from... ...and is really the dynamic... ...in progressive sanctification. The dynamic in progressive... Now this is just another... ...what we noted already... ...Ephesians 1.20... ...another way of saying... ...that in Christ... ...is the plenitude... ...of grace... ...of power... ...of wisdom... ...of truth... ...of love... ...of goodness... ...go through the whole catalogue. In Him is the plenitude... ...and sanctification advances... ...by communication... ...from His fullness. And that, I submitted, was the reason why... ...the Church is called... ...the fullness of Him... ...that filleth all in all. It is the receptacle... ...the impartation... ...of the fullness... ...that is in Christ. Now the way I'm stating it now, however, is... ...that there is a virtue in Christ... ...that is constantly emanating... ...the dynamic... ...in progressive sanctification. Now there are other features. There is, secondly, the indwelling. Believers are not only in Christ... ...but Christ is in the believer. Mysterious inhabitation indeed... ...but an inhabitation apart from which... ...sanctification does not. I'll simply mention some of the references... ...pertinent to that indwelling of Christ. Romans 8.10. Galatians 2.19.20. Ephesians 3.17. Colossians 1.27. Paraclete, the right hand of God... ...is in one of the external... ...and he tells me that... ...know that this only with reference... ...to the Holy Spirit is advocated... ...with and in believers... ...in the arena of this world. According, of course, to the promise of Christ... ...but he is the Paraclete. End of quote. Occasional progress... ...are... ...and John introduces... ...in and committed... ...by the believer... ...creates in reference... ...that is irremediable... ...here and now. ...leader... ...of Christ... ...to support the last... ...is denoted by... ...his intersection... ...in the script... ...hand of God... ...many passages... ...and just a word... ...to illustrate... ...the intersection here is... ...in connection with salvation... ...that therefore has... ...guarantee... ...guarantee... ...that salvation... ...is very inclusive... ...because it means salvation... ...complete... ...and perfect... ...and so the inference... ...is that the intersection... ...brings within its scope... ...all that is necessary... ...to salvation... ...in its consummative... ...perfect... ...the intersection... ...covers all... ...and realized it... ...that no grace... ...no blessing... ...no benefit received... ...can be removed... ...of Jesus' intercession... ...consequence... ...there is nothing... ...that belongs... ...to progressive sanctification... ...or that promotes... ...that does not come... ...within this... ...Jesus... ...i.e. Christ... ...an index... ...to rule out the agency... ...of the emphasis... ...that falls... ...on the agency... ...of three persons... ...of the Godhead... ...and that... ...the members... ...which are... ...in its context... ...and Colossians 3... ...three... ...you have the indicative... ...he died when... ...he died... ...in your life... ...the believer... ...the believer... ...died to sin... ...these tenses... ...implies... ...the believer... ...died to sin... ...isn't it... ...contradictory... ...to be asked... ...but... ...here is the... ...calling... ...the New Testament... ...teaching... ...that the imperative... ...is as relevant... ...as the indicative... ...and the imperative... ...is that... ...because the... ...to the same effect... ...in Romans 8... ...13... ...we read... ...by the Spirit... ...put to death... ...the deeds of the body... ...he shall live... ...ready in another context... ...we emphasize this... ...by the Spirit... ...but now... ...we're thinking about... ...the agency of the believer... ...if he... ...put... ...indicators... ...from Romans 6... ...cleanse yourself... ...as applied in these others... ...because in the preceding context... ...you have the prop... ...and the sequence... ...of conscience... ...and conscience... ...so there is no contradiction... ...between the promissory... ...and... ...and just take another example... ...it is derived from... ...if he live after the flesh... ...no, that's from Romans... ...pardon me... ...walk in the Spirit... ...1 John 3... ...3... ...everyone who has this hope... ...in him... ...and what does it arise from? ...everyone that has this... ...there you have... ...self-purifying activity... ...on the part of the believer... ...and what does it arise from? ...the certainty of hope... ...everyone that has this hope... ...purifying himself... ...the coordination... ...parallel... ...to what we found... ...in the coordination... ...of unity... ...certainty of final realization... ...it helps... ...to suck... ...pure... ...and the more certain... ...we are... ...we realize... ...in the fullness... ...manifestation of the... ...diligent will... ...grace... ...grace... ...all attends... ...the fear of God... ...and nothing could be more right... ...than those very exhortations... ...which appear... ...for no past... ...elaborates more... ...in definitive sanctification... ...than does Romans 6... ...in all passages... ...13 and 19... ...that you have these exhortations... ...present yourselves to God... ...as those alive from the dead... ...and your members went to holiness... ...now as you... ...every instant... ...read... ...our whole presence... ...not only drawn within the scope... ...but also endless... ...in all its exercises... ...in that process... ...that moves to the goal... ...failing to make the impact... ...in connection with... ...there is one... ...that there are... ...fear... ...pain... ...ill... ...torn... ...soterial... ...tangible... ...fear... ...the term... ...salvation... ...this term salvation... ...is not used... ...in the sense of... ...initial... ...to be... ...when he believes... ...not with any... ...they are... ...addressed as beloved... ...and are therefore considered... ...as a very... ...imposition... ...of salvation... ...such a doctrine... ...that salvation... ...imposition... ...is something to be worked out... ...and taken... ...a polemic... ...of the... ...all of his... ...false position... ...by grace... ...and saying... ...through faith... ...that not of yourself... ...is a gift of God... ...not of what... ...has been mentioned... ...what then is... ...the denotation... ...of salvation... ...is quite often... ...in the sense of the... ...future salvation... ...the eschatological salvation... ...Romans 13... ...11... ...1 Thessalonians 5... ...8 and 9... ...and elsewhere... ...in the New Testament... ...very clearly... ...Hebrews 1.14... ...Hebrews 9.28... ...1 Peter 1.5... ...1 Peter 2.2... ...and consequently... ...the usage of the New Testament... ...is the key... ...to the interpretation... ...Paul is thinking... ...of the salvation... ...brought... ...consummated salvation... ...rules... ...take... ...when that goal is reached... ...the salvation... ...a way in which... ...the believer himself... ...promotes... ...by his own... ...activity... ...that goal... ...remains... ...that our agents... ...to be enlisted... ...to the fullest extent... ...in the promotion... ...our work... ...bended... ...God works in... ...nor is God's work... ...conjunction... ...then be... ...what Paul teaches here... ...respect... ...as the encouragement... ...and the incentive... ...encouragement and incentive... ...work of... ...all it is God... ...God is... ...Chaos dies... ...then see... ...the energizing cause... ...both... ...in respect of... ...willing and doing... ...the energizing power... ...is on God... ...then be... ...is the index... ...the index... ...our working... ...is the index... ...or the proof... ...if you will... ...of God's work... ...we cannot... ...work... ...just as God works in us... ...it appeared in the priest... ...cannot work... ...but... ...what... ...appears now is... ...that if we do not work... ...the working of God in us... ...is... ...either ease... ...pardon me... ...ease... ...we call reliance... ...our depend... ...is efficacious work... ...but... ...our reliance... ...the very exercise of God... ...our reliance is directed... ...to the very exercise of our work... ...in other words... ...it is reliance... ...urance of God... ...well... ...the very... ...the more assured we are... ...that God works... ...in us... ...more diligent and persevering... ...are we in our work... ...more assured we are that God works... ...now if... ...the fear and perserverance... ...is wowed out... ...by every consideration... ...and fear and trembling... ...in us... ...are the reflection... ...you might think you see... ...that fear and trembling... ...is not compatible... ...in all circumstances...
The Agency of Christ and the Agency of Believers in Sanctification
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John Murray (1898–1975). Born on October 14, 1898, in Badbea, Scotland, John Murray was a Presbyterian theologian and preacher renowned for his Reformed theology. Raised in a devout Free Presbyterian home, he served in World War I with the Black Watch, losing an eye at Arras in 1917. He studied at the University of Glasgow (MA, 1923) and Princeton Theological Seminary (ThB, ThM, 1927), later earning a ThM from New College, Edinburgh. Ordained in 1927, he briefly ministered in Scotland before joining Princeton’s faculty in 1929, then Westminster Theological Seminary in 1930, where he taught systematic theology until 1966. His preaching, marked by precision and reverence, was secondary to his scholarship, though he pastored congregations like First Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Murray authored Redemption Accomplished and Applied and The Imputation of Adam’s Sin, shaping Reformed thought with clarity on justification and covenant theology. Married to Valerie Knowlton in 1937, he had no children and retired to Scotland, dying on May 8, 1975, in Dornoch. He said, “The fear of God is the soul of godliness.”