"How Do I Know that I am Sanctified?"
(1 Thess. 5:23-24 & 1 Thess. 4:7)
Did you know that the author of Amazing Grace (John Newton), prior to his conversion, years as a pastor and theologian had sunk very low in his life. Early on in his life, Mr. Newton stole away on a ship, where he was found and sold to a black woman in Africa as her slave. He sank so low that he fed himself from the crumbs from this woman’s table and from digging up wild yams in the night hours. His clothing was reduced to a single shirt which he would wash in the ocean.
After years in slavery upon the Dark Continent, Newton came across a Christian mission station, where he came under the mighty power of God. After giving his life to the Lord, John Newton became a captain on a ship; then, the Lord called him to preach and he became a minister.
Also, Newton became a hymn writer; he authored well known hymns like: Safely through Another Week, Come, My Soul, Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken, How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds & One There is Above All Others, to mention a few.
In the Church in London where Newton labored for years as pastor, you can find the epitaph (that he wrote himself) - "Sacred to the memory of John Newton, once a libertine and blasphemer and slave of slaves in Africa; but, renewed, purified, pardoned and appointed to preach the Gospel which he had labored to destroy!"
Take notice that John Newton wrote his own words for his own tombstone. On it, he focused upon what God had done in his life; and, in those words Newton confidently establishes the fact that God had "purified" him!
So, how can one really know that God has, in fact, entirely sanctified and cleansed your heart (sanctification vs. entire sanctification)? Let me reassure you that you can know for sure that God has baptized you with His Spirit, or entirely sanctified you! While there really isn’t any ’test’ you can take to prove this, these questions I wish to pose to you may help:
I. "Have I made a total consecration to Christ?"
When you ask this question, amend the question this way: "Can I identify a moment in time that I can easily recall when and where I made a complete consecration of my all to Jesus?" Is there a time when you decided to submit to the Lord’s will in every area of your life? Perhaps this was a "big event," or it could have been the "final straw!"
A. The BIG EVENT - Consecration.
This moment is a memorable moment to those who are truly sanctified! You may remember that (before you were sanctified wholly) that you resisted and struggled against the Lord for many years; you resisted His lordship in one or more areas of your life. You lived in "part-time" victory and you sensed little to no power from God in your life. Finally, sick and tired of your own repeated uncooperative spirit, you surrendered everything to Christ! It may have taken place at an altar in a Church; maybe it took place in a certain revival or camp meeting. Maybe it took place at your bedside; maybe behind the wheel of your car or under a tree somewhere. But, you remember as if it took place yesterday! You "died out" to self! You made a total surrender to Christ! You asked Him to become the absolute Master of all your life! The date and time are fixed firmly into your heart and mind, that moment you made that final abandonment to God’s will! There was such joy and relief! This became a monumental event in your spiritual walk. So, only one question remains: Have you experienced a "BIG EVENT" consecration like this?!
B. The FINAL STRAW.
Then again, maybe you did not have such a dramatic event of consecration. Perhaps the total surrender was not as dramatic for you. Perhaps (for you), the final surrender came after many years of "walking in the light." Sometimes you resisted the Lord’s claims upon you, but more often you obeyed Him. One by one you yielded to God particular attitudes, thoughts or practices. Finally (and this is crucial), in your growth in grace, you came down to a "FINAL STRAW" area of commitment! You have been living with a heart and life that was willing to commit to the Lord…except one area in your life; you just could not let go. You could hear God saying: "Yet, one thing you lack." Finally, you determined that even this area would be His! With this final area in His hands, God now had all of you! It was the "FINAL STRAW!" Can you trace just such a story like this from your experience? REMEMBER: Though there was a process through grace that maybe some (maybe you) have come through, there still came (or must come) a moment where you finally commit your all and all to Christ!
Regardless of which of these stories comes closer to your own experience, this question remains: "Can you say that there was a time when you totally submitted your whole will and ways to Christ and you became determined to Christ and determined to obey Him in every way from that day forward?" Was there a time when you "settled all the questions" once and for all; the question of who would be "boss" in your life? More important, can you now say that there is no area of your life not under complete consecration to Christ? Nothing held back?
This fist question is focused on consecration. Have you made a total consecration of every area of your life to God’s absolute will? Have you surrendered? Died out? Do you know (this very moment) that your will is in total submission to Christ? No rebellion? No holdbacks? Is the Lord the "Boss" of all your life? Have you made a complete consecration to Him?!
II. "Do I have power over willful sin?"
Can you say that there is absolutely no willful disobedience in your life right now? Is there something that God has clearly convicted you of, yet you continue to do it? Or something you say? Something you think or mentally dwell upon? Is there something specific that the Lord is directing you to do, yet you refuse to do it? If there is willful sin in your heart and life, you should keep seeking cleansing! So, ask yourself this question: "Can I say that I am free of purposeful, premeditated sin against God?" Do you have that kind of power of sin? Holiness and disobedience do not dwell together!
The next question posed to us today is this (it deals primarily with obedience) - "Can you say with certainty that you are obeying God in every area that the Lord has convicted you about?" This is the kind of power that the baptism of the Holy Spirit provides over sin. This is the extent of the term "entire" in entire sanctification. It simply means this: Entirely pure in desire to please Christ and Christ alone; 100% purity of intention!
III. "Have I experienced a distinct increase in love?"
Has God changed your "orientation" toward others so that your heart and will are completely committed to love them? Are you becoming "perfect in love" as Christ is?
Being perfect in love is more than being cleansed from bitterness, grudges, malice, ill will, envy, hate and the various other inward sins (though this does take place in entire sanctification). Beyond this freedom, His cleansing and energizing brings a distinct increase in actual love for other people; not just likeable people, but those who are unlikable; even those who call themselves our enemies. Also: Our love for God (and all His attempts to mold us) must be on the increase every day of our lives in Him!
This love is more than a "feeling;" it is a mind-set! It is a commitment of the will to love! It is saying: "I shall love others, for that is what the Lord would have me to do (This is the key to the whole matter of perfect love)!" It is active; it is pursuing the best for others in each and every case. It is compassionate; it is selflessly aiding others without concern for the personal or corporate return!
You may not know (at first) what is happening to you (in the workings and attributes of entire sanctification). Then, you begin to realize that a particular bitterness you once harbored is now gone. Next, you may find yourself saying and doing things quite out of character for you; acts and words of love for others which were not your usual behavior. If you have surrendered your self-will to Christ, He will do a work in your heart and life that will result in a new love for others which is not natural (even the world will not understand it)! Can you recall a time when you settled the question of who would be "Boss" in your life and then you received new spiritual energy?!
IV. "Is obedience the consuming passion of my heart?"
Have you ever been asked the question: "Are you perfect?" If you say you are sanctified wholly, then can you say that you are "perfect?" If you say "yes," you set yourself up as a target. Anything that looks questionable to anyone will be offered as evidence that indeed you are not "perfect." Yet, if you say "no," then it could be said that no second work of grace has been wrought in you at all. So, what is the answer? Can you have it both ways? Well, the answer is yes and the answer is no.
One can say: "I’m not as perfect as Jesus, the heavenly Father or even the angels. I’m not as perfect as Adam and Eve were prior to the Fall. I fall short of God’s perfect standard of performance every day. I still have a long road to become everything that God yet intends for me. In these ways I am not perfect." So, how can one say that they are "perfect?"
First of all, John Wesley did not like the word "perfect." I am not completely comfortable with the term myself; at least we must be careful when we use it in theology. There are better words to use when describing this life of total obedience. The word "perfect" has an egotistical flavor to it. The word "perfect" gives most of us the impression that there is no need for growth or maturity; that everything is finished and complete. So, I (personally) do not care to use the word "perfect" too much; when I do use it, I use it in the strictest theological terms only. So, in what sense is an entirely sanctified person "perfect?"
One day not too many years ago, I decided to settle the issue of Christ’s control of my life, and I placed my total life in His hands. I decided that the Lord would sit at the steering wheel of my life! These decisions meant that I would no longer run the affairs of my life! Ever since that day I have had a consuming passion to obey Christ! He has become the central force in my life. Because of these changes in my life, I have a new thirst for holiness!
Now, I am not suggesting that I always "feel on top;" I’m not suggesting that I am full of boundless energy. The aspect of feeling in this experience is not nearly as important as the matter of the will! No matter how we feel (if we are truly sanctified wholly), we choose to obey the Lord!
I may often fall short of what God wants me to be - not because I purposefully disobey Him, but because I am not able to be as compassionate as Christ, or as patient as Christ. What I have is a new passion to be like Jesus! Holiness is not just a high priority for us; it should be the central priority of our lives around which all other priorities orient!
This is the perfection which we can testify to: It is the perfection of intention! It is the dominant hunger for holiness and obedience! A hunger to be holy! A hunger to be more & more & more like Jesus Christ! A hunger to be Christ-like in all of our thoughts, words, deeds & ways!
Obedience to Christ (in the life and experience of entire sanctification) must be the central purpose of our lives!
To be like Jesus must be the consuming passion of our lives! This is what it means to be entirely sanctified! Thank the Lord for just such an experience with Him!!
(Lastly…)
V. "Does the Holy Spirit witness to my heart?"
Down deep inside our being the Holy Spirit confirms within us that He has adopted us into God’s family. This is not a feeling; it is an inner certainty and conviction; not totally dissimilar to how I know that I am in love with my wife…I just know it, for sure! And, when I know this, when I have this inner assurance of the work accomplished within me, it is evidenced in my living; I attempt to live (by God’s enabling grace) to live to please the Lord in all of my ways!
The evidence of our new heart…our sanctified state of being is evidenced in our total consecration! We have new power over willful sin…We have a fresh love for others…We have a consuming passion to obey Christ. But, there is more. Somewhere along the line, the Holy Spirit will witness to my heart that He has in fact cleansed my heart and life. But (as I have attempted to show you in the past), this "witness of the Spirit" is an ongoing witness! We need to be careful here, because we will be seeking a "feeling," in stead of seeking God’s touch by faith and maintaining our walk with Him by faith!
This witness of God’s work in our lives will come; it will come (to some) with intensity; for others, it will not be as intense. The witness of God’s Spirit may be strong at times; other times it may be weaker. But, the Holy Spirit of God is faithful! He will convince, even re-convince, of His work in our hearts and lives!
So, we can safely answer these questions with deep surety that God has performed His second work of grace in holiness! We can know that God has cleansed and energized us in holiness! IF WE HAVE DONE ALL THAT WE MUST DO! So, if you do not know for certain that you are sanctified wholly, wait upon the Lord to deal with your heart and life! You can be entirely sanctified right now!
ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU WILLING? BECAUSE GOD IS READY & WILLING!!
Andrew Murray once said: "May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love and joy of God’s presence; and not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love."
