SPECIAL ABBREVIATED EDITION: Sanctification and Its Two Main Graces

Thank you for joining me for this special abbreviated edition of God, Law, and Liberty.

It is offered as a supplement to the last couple of episodes and as a precursor to the

one that will be coming out on Friday.

The topic is sanctification and its two main graces.

What follows is an understanding of sanctification that was once unfamiliar to me.

It has been especially helpful in my understanding of the essential nature of a Christian and

why apparent good works may be dead ones in the sight of God.

Personally, the Holy Spirit used it to provide an evaluation of my good works in law and

public policy over the years.

I hope it helps us consider how God might evaluate the various different works, currently

taking place in the states to end abortion.

Particularly, the tenor of some rather damning taunts made by some that called into question

the righteousness of others.

Here is my modernization of portions of Book 4 chapter 2 of the Holy Spirit by John Owen.

Sanctification is an immediate work of the Spirit of God on the souls of believers in the

sense of purifying and cleansing their natures from the pollution and uncleanness of sin,

renewing in them the image of God.

It is that which enables them from a new spiritual and habitual principle of grace to yield

obedience unto God, according unto the tenor in terms of the new covenant, or more briefly,

it is the universal renovation of our natures by the Holy Spirit into the image of God through

Jesus Christ.

Hence it follows that our holiness is the fruit and effect of this work and the end

goal of it.

It consists of the renewed principle or image of God being created in us that necessarily

consists in a holy obedience unto God by Jesus Christ.

According to the terms of the covenant of grace, it proceeds from the principle of a renewed

nature.

Paul expresses it by saying that one who is in Christ Jesus is a new creature, 2 Corinthians

5-17.

This expresses both the renovation of our natures and their endowment with a new spiritual

principle of life, and its operation with acting towards God suitable to that holiness

without which no one will see God.

He was 1214.

But some believe the Spirit of God only makes us holy by persuading us to be so.

He does it by requiring us to be holy, proposing unto us motives to holiness and gives us convictions

of its necessity.

It is by those means only that a person is excited to pursue and attain holiness, though

the Holy Spirit does, in fact, do those things by the Word and the administration thereof.

However, it is impunity for anyone who pretends to believe the gospel, to deny a work of

the Holy Ghost in the whole of the work of sanctification.

But that is effectively what the old Paul agents said and what the new Paul agents say is

the sum of the Holy Spirit to work.

What is it that they really ascribe into the Holy Spirit?

Clearly, exciting our own abilities and aiding and assisting us in and unto the exercise

of our own native power, but when that is all that is done, it really leaves the work

of holiness to be our own, and not his, and the glory and praise of our sanctification

must really be ascribed to us.

Now the ongoing work of sanctification differs from the sanctification of regeneration

in the manner in which they are wrought.

The work of regeneration is instantaneous, consisting in one single creating act, hence

it is not capable of degrees in any person.

No one is more or less regenerate than another.

Everyone in the world is either regenerate or not, and they are equally so.

Although there are degrees on their state of sanctification for other reasons.

But this other particular work of sanctification is progressive and admits of degrees.

One may be more sanctified and more holy than another, yet he or she is truly sanctified

and truly holy by a new principle of habitual righteousness.

In other words, sanctification is begun at once and carried on gradually.

Now there are some graces of sanctification whose exercise does not depend on any outward

occasions such as the graces needed to resist a particular temptation.

But two are absolutely necessary to even the least degree of the life of God.

Supernatural faith and love.

No man does and no man can live to God, but in the exercise of these two graces.

Whatever duties towards God men pay for form.

If they are not enlivened by supernatural faith and love, they do not belong to that spiritual

life whereby we live to God.

These two graces are capable of degrees and of increase because we read of little faith

and great faith, weak and strong faith.

Both are the same in their substance, but they differ in degrees.

So also there is fervent love, and that which comparatively speaking is but cold.

But in carrying on the work of sanctification, these two graces are gradually increased.

These two graces are the springs and spirit of all our holiness, and by the increase

of them in us, the work of sanctification is carried on, and universal holiness is increased.

I conclude with this verse from Galatians chapter 5, verse 6.

For Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but faith which

worketh by love.

Thank you for joining me.