Jhn 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Eph 5:26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
Tit 2:14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
1Pe 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
Col 1:22-23 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast
Heb 2:11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.
Jhn 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
Love (tenderness, attachment, devotion, passion, appreciation, compassion, warmth, unselfishness, benevolence, zeal, caring, kindness, treasure, deep affection),
Joy (rejoicing, happiness, delight, radiant, satisfaction),
Peace (calm, quietness, still, composure, at rest, contentment, security, joy, harmony, untroubled, at ease),
Long-suffering (patient, tolerant, uncomplaining, accommodating, forgiving, meek),
Gentleness (tenderness, lenience, mercy, forgiveness, understanding, sympathy, compassion, love, mild, peaceable, considerate),
Goodness (respectable, purity, just, fair, benevolent, decency, compassionate, tender, kind, helpful, thoughtful, polite, nice),
Faith (trust, belief, conviction, reliance, dependence, hope, persuasion, confidence),
Meekness (humility, humbleness, obedience, softness),
Temperance (self-restraint, restraint, moderation, self-control, self-discipline, self-denial)
Sanctification depends greatly on a diligent use of scriptural means. The “means of grace” are such as Bible reading, private prayer, and regularly worshiping God in Church, wherein one hears the Word taught and participates in the Lord’s Supper. I lay it down as a simple matter of fact that no one who is careless about such things must ever expect to make much progress in sanctification.
Sanctification is a thing which does not prevent a man having a great deal of inward spiritual conflict. By conflict I mean a struggle within the heart between the old nature and the new, the flesh and the spirit, which are to be found together in every believer (Gal. 5:17). A deep sense of that struggle, and a vast amount of mental discomfort from it, are no proof that a man is not sanctified. No, rather, I believe, they are healthy symptoms of our condition and prove that we are not dead, but alive. A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within. I shall never hesitate to tell people that inward conflict is no proof that a man is not holy, and that they must not think they are not sanctified because they do not feel entirely free from inward struggle. Such freedom we shall doubtless have in heaven, but we shall never enjoy it in this world. The heart of the best Christian, even at his best, is a field occupied by two rival camps, and the “company of two armies”.
Sanctification is a thing which cannot justify a man, and yet it pleases God. The holiest actions of the holiest saint that ever lived are all more or less full of defects and imperfections. They are either wrong in their motive or defective in their performance and in themselves are nothing better than “splendid sins,” deserving God’s wrath and condemnation. To suppose that such actions can stand the severity of God’s judgment, atone for sin and merit heaven is simply absurd. The Bible distinctly teaches that the holy actions of a sanctified man, although imperfect, are pleasing in the sight of God. He looks at the motive, principle and intention of their actions and not merely at their quantity and quality.
Sanctification is a thing which will be found absolutely necessary as a witness to our character in the great Day of Judgment. It will be utterly useless to plead that we believed in Christ unless our faith has had some sanctifying effect and been seen in our lives. Evidence, evidence, evidence will be the one thing wanted when the great white throne is set, when the books are opened, when the graves give up their tenants, when the dead are arraigned before the bar of God. Without some evidence that our faith in Christ was real and genuine, we shall only rise again to be condemned.
Sanctification, in the last place, is absolutely necessary in order to train and prepare us for heaven. Most men hope to go to heaven when they die; but few, it may be feared, take the trouble to consider whether they would enjoy heaven if they got there. Heaven is essentially a holy place; its inhabitants are all holy; its occupations are all holy. To be really happy in heaven, it is clear and plain that we must be somewhat trained and made ready for heaven while we are on earth. We need the work of the Holy Spirit as well as the work of Christ; we need renewal of the heart as well as the atoning blood; we need to be sanctified as well as to be justified.
