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NASB | Ephesians 4:3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. |
Subject: Who constitutes the church? |
Bible Note: Part II.................. ******************************************* Yet, what is Entire Sanctification? Scripture speaks of it as something accomplished in the past, as something which is an ongoing process in a believer’s life, and as something yet future. The best way to look at Entire Sanctification is to see it as a multi-faceted spiritual experience which is: 1. Accomplished at the Cross! 2. Applied at Consecration! Entire Sanctification is Accomplished at the Cross In one sense, sanctification is an accomplished fact for every believer. Consider the following verses: 1) 1 Cor. 1:2 - "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:" 2) 1 Cor. 6:11 - "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 3) Heb. 10:10 - "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." These verses indicate that all believers are sanctified through faith in Christ and the atoning work of Christ on the cross. At the cross, the power of sin is broken in our lives - as Rom. 6 illustrates - and we are made into new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). The death of Christ on the cross is the Divine act which makes this transformation possible. At the cross, Christ has accomplished through His death what the law could not accomplish in our lives - the taking away of sins. (Rom. 8:3 and Heb. 10:4) Year after year, animal sacrifices were made for the people, but those sacrifices could not take away sins. They were only an annual reminder of sin. But the cross has utterly broken the power of sin. It is at the cross that our sanctification is made possible. Entire Sanctification is Applied at Consecration There is a sense in which sanctification becomes a part of our Christian life at the moment of new birth. It is at that moment that we become new creations. It is at that moment that our old man dies. That is why those in the church at Corinth are called "…those sanctified in Christ Jesus…." (1 Cor. 1:2) But, it is more of a positional sanctification. We have been declared righteous, even though we may not actually be living righteously. This explains the many passages in Scripture where sanctification is referred to as something which has not yet been experienced by Christians. It also explains why so many Christians are not living holy lives. Sanctification has been accomplished at the cross, but it must be applied at consecration. Entire sanctification becomes a reality in a believer’s life when he finally comes to grips with the reality of the demand to be holy and the reality of the new creation he has become. When that happens, a believer consecrates himself to Christ fully (Rom. 12:1) and the Holy Spirit purifies his heart from sin (Acts 15:9). Scripture indicates that sanctification is accomplished in several ways in a believer’s life. 1) It is accomplished by faith (Acts 26:18 and 2 Thess. 2:13). 2) It is accomplished by His sacrifice and blood (Heb. 10:10, Heb. 10:14, Heb. 10:29, and Heb. 13:12). 3) It is accomplished through the Word of God (John 17:17 and Eph. 5:26), and 4) It is accomplished by the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:16, 1 Cor. 6:11, 2 Thess. 2:13, and 1 Pet. 1:2). Through these means and through consecration to Christ, a believer can be entirely sanctified. This is the promise of Rom. 6:22 - "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." This is the message of Rom. 6 and this is the meaning of the doctrine of entire sanctification - that believers can and should be holy. As Paul said, "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…" (2 Thess. 4:3). And, as Paul prayed: "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5:23 This has been made possible through the death of Christ and will become a reality in our lives if we will consecrate ourselves to become slaves of righteousness (Rom. 6:19). *********************************************** This is definitely a work in progress, but I thought I would share with all of you so that I could benefit from your insights! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |