# 11- Sanctification~ BIBLE DOCTRINE 9-22-12
Today if the Lord be willing our thought will be to do with "sanctification". That's a big bible word that many of us don't know a lot about.
>>"Sanctification" is that relationship with God into which men enter by faith in Christ.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
1 Cor. 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
>> Sanctification comes about in three stages: sanctification of "spirit," "soul" and "body;" they are the objects upon which the work of sanctification is performed, and together they make up the believer's human nature.
>> The reason we know we are a trinity, "body, soul, and spirit" mainly is because of what Paul said in;
1 Thess. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;** (completely) and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
* Listen as we think on the (spirit, soul, and body).
The believer's spirit is sanctified, that is, made holy at the moment of salvation, --- while the soul is sanctified progressively throughout the on going growth in our Christian walk of life, --- and last of all the body will experience its sanctification at the appearing of Christ to transform the believer's body.
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The sanctification of our spirit occurs the moment we are regenerated, ** (born again.}
>>Listen; the only way that the Holy Spirit can be united with any person is for the person to exercises faith in Christ, the persons sinful, fallen spirit must be made holy, as Adam & Eve were before they sinned, --they were not SAVED, they were SAFE before they sinned.
>>Remember, sin was the cause of man's spiritual death in the first place, and therefore in order for that union to be re-established there must be a reversal of what caused man's spiritual death, and that is accomplished in redemption. -- Redemption means to buy back. -- have you ever taken coupons too the grocery store and RE-DEEMED them for their value?
1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
>> God can not nor will not allow sin in His presents, therefore fallen man must once again become holy.
>> For a person to be re-generated, they must also be cleansed from all sin, not only judicially, but actually.
* Paul was referring too sanctification when he said,
Rom. 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
>> I'm sure no one would accuse the great apostle Paul of being a lost sinner, in Romans 7: we see that Paul said that SIN dwelt in him in two different verses 17 & 20.
>>He describes the constant conflict between the sanctified "inner man" and the unsanctified part of his nature (which he called "the flesh" or "the members of the body. --
>> But let's understand that the "body" here includes the soul, since the body is the house that the SOUL is in.
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* Listen carefully as I read; -- Romans 7:14-25
14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. --
ƒÞ So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
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>> Let's be sure and notice that Paul's "spirit" was saved, it was sanctified, but not his "soul and body". Verse 24--- O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
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"Sanctification" is also the separation of the believer from evil things and ways. This sanctification is God's will for the believer.
1 Thess. 4:3-4 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; --
>The way we know, the way we become more knowledgeable to do with what God wants us to do in Christian conduct is by reading the WORD, this is to do with the sanctification of the SOUL as we shall see. -- It must be learned from God, as God teaches it by His Word.
ƒÞ Jesus said to the Father in His prayer --
John 17:17 + 19 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. -- 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
ƒÞ Believers are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
1 Cor. 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,--
>>We're told here that believers in Christ are-- called to be saints, -- "saints" meaning 'holy ones.' -- We don't progressively become saints, it is the state into which God, in grace, calls sinful men, and in which they begin their course as Christians.
>>We read from 1st thess.5:23 that man is a trinity, spirit, soul and body.
ƒÞ What are the functions of triune man?
>>> The "SPIRIT" is the part of man that KNOWS.
1 Corinthians 2: 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? -- Notice; "IN HIM." -- Inside the body.
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>> The "SOUL" is the seat of affections in man.
Jesus said in John 16: 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
Matthew 26: 37-38 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, (John & James) and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:
Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
>> So the soul is the part of us that has feelings.
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>>And the "BODY" is the house we live in at this time.
When you and I see each other we're really not looking at the real us, we only see the body that we live in; when the Lord calls us away we will leave these bodies behind waiting to be resurrected in our new glorified bodies. These old bodies that we're now in are not SACTFIED as yet, only our spirit.
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>>When a person is regenerated ** (born again) the spirit is sanctified, and this is instantaneous and a one time occurrence.
ƒÞ Jesus said to Nicodemus in
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. --- Not the soul or body as yet.
>> Therefore when a person is regenerated the human spirit is cleansed and made perfectly holy--which is as holy as it will ever be.
Man can contribute no more to the sanctification of his spirit than he can to his own redemption--which is nothing; it is entirely of God. Because this occurs at the moment of regeneration, it is referred to as "immediate sanctification."
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For a better understanding of the state in which the believer exists as the process unfolds might be better understood this way; --
--- When a person is regenerated (born again) he or she is right then separated from the penalty of sin, --- THEN as they grow in their walk with the Lord they are progressively separated from the power of sin, --- and finally, when they are with Christ in his presence, they will be separated from the presence of sin.
>> this is not hard to understand if we will realize that within this body of flesh that we live in are TWO natures even after we're saved, (AS Paul explained in Rom.7)
--it would be a bad mistake to think that now since we're saved all of our old sinful ways and desires are no longer there, just remember dear heart, it's our spirit that been born again not the old flesh, if that is not the case then why do we need to ask forgiveness of our sins after we're saved?
>>So our "spirit" is sanctified when we're born again, but as of now our "soul & body" or not, once again, as the saved feed on the WORD of God they will grow in their walk with the Lord resulting in a progressive separation from the power of sin, --- and finally, when we are with Christ, we will be separated from the very presence of sin.
>>Listen, dear heart, if saved people were sinless and perfect, totally SACTIFIED, "spirit, soul and body, none of us would ever sin again, and that would be wonderful, but that's not the way it is.
>> We that have been spiritually born again of the Holy Spirit, 0ur SOULS are being ** (progressively) sanctified as we read and feed and grow in understanding of the WORD, we are being (progressively) delivered from the power that sin operating through our fallen nature, has over us.
>> But thank God at the rapture of the True Church we that are re-generated, born again, saved, will suddenly be changed, we will receive our glorified bodies and then but only then we will be delivered from the presence of sin.
>>Before we must close let me say this briefly once again;
>> Remember, when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are instantly sanctified, that is, saved from the "PENALTY of sin, never to happen again, we're going too heaven regardless what happens, what we do after we're saved will determine our reward.
>> Then as born again children of God we hear and read and feed on the WORD of God, and we grow and learn as to what and how we're to live and walk in our new Christian existence, this is a PROGRESSIVE experience, not instantaneous as our spiritual birth. -- As we grow from understanding what we hear and or read from the Bible we or being (progressively) sanctified - delivered from the power of sin, the sin operating through our fallen nature, that Paul told us about back in Rom.7:14-25, read it and you'll understand more clearly.
>> And finally to do with our body, at the rapture we will be sanctified from the presents of sin.
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The -- PENELTY, POWER, and PRESENTS of sin.
