Hearing the True God

Read Ecclesiastes 12.

As man is indebted to God for his life, for his health, and for the powers of his mind, it is proper that he should remember his Creator. We are to remember the absolute sovereignty of God, and that this authority shall call us to account for the use of the privileges bestowed upon us. We are to remember that the body is frail and mortal, but the soul is immaterial and everlasting. The soul (spirit), upon the death of the body, pursues a different course because it came directly from God. God is “the Father of spirits” (Heb. 12:9).

Death is not cessation of existence but separation of existence. The soul does not die with the body. The body pursues a different route from the soul, because its origin is different. Its origin is from the dust, whereas the soul’s origin is from God.

What does an old man hope for if he is not a Christian? His past life does not matter, whether pauper or plenty, high IQ or low IQ, when it comes to grace or no grace. His money will be no comfort to him. His sinful pleasure can no more be enjoyed. His honor has withered on his brow. His authority has dropped from his withered hand.

Thank God for the Song of Solomon. It is a revelation of the chaste and virtuous love which no splendor can dazzle and no flattery can seduce. Christians are attracted to Jesus Christ, not merely for what He has done, but because of WHO HE IS.

The Greek noun hagiasmos (sanctification) is used in the sense of separation from that which is impure. It speaks of man’s relationship with God; therefore, man is set apart for God (Rom. 6:19, 22; I Cor. 1:30; I Thess. 4:1-12; II Thess. 2:13).

The Greek verb hagiadzo (sanctify) is a derivative of hagios, which expresses the idea of separation. The verb means to place in a relation to God which answers to His holy character. The verb is used several ways:

1. It is used in a mental sense when the believer sanctifies God (sets Him apart in his life)—“…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame” (I Pet. 3:15, 16).

2. It is used in the sense of setting apart for a certain office (John 10:36; II Tim. 2:21). The man who purges himself “…will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (II Tim. 2:21).

3. It is used in the sense of the subjective work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the elect. Paul said, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours,” and “…Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (I Cor. 1:2; 2:11).

4. It is used in the sense of an unsaved mate in marriage sanctified by the believing mate. “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy” (I Cor. 7:14). Paul is advocating celibacy in the light of the “present distress” (I Cor. 7:26). This does not signify sanctification in its saving or consecrating work.

5. It is used in the sense of Christ’s sacrifice for sins. Paul said, “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10).

6. It is also used in the sense of the believer’s separation from the world. Christ’s high priestly prayer is stated in John 17:17—“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

7. The verb is used in the sense of food that is set apart by the word of God and prayer (I Tim. 4:4, 5).

Sanctification logically follows regeneration like faith follows God’s “appointment to eternal life.” Therefore, “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region” (Acts 13:48, 49).

The holiness of God’s people is not a moral quality which arises from their own actions and achievements; it is rooted in the sanctifying action of God. God said, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44-45).

After regeneration, the Holy Spirit continues His work in the believer. Sanctification logically follows regeneration like faith follows ordination, and holiness follows election. Since Israel was chosen and sanctified by God, therefore, Israel had no other task than to live under the Law of God. The sanctification initiation by God has self-evident consequences (Deut. 13:1-4). With a view to the immorality threatening the Corinthian assembly, Paul asked whether they did not know that their bodies were members of Christ and a temple of the Spirit (I Cor. 6:15, 19, 20).

Sanctification involves separation from sin as well as unto God. The one logically follows the other, just as (1) faith follows ordination (Acts 13:48), (2) holiness follows election (Eph. 1:4), (3) sanctification follows justification, (4) our love for God follows His love for us (I John 4:10), (5) conversion follows regeneration, and (6) good works follow faith. Paul said, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Positional sanctification is the birth of the soul; progressive sanctification is the education, training, and discipline of the soul. Therefore, the saint has a holy standing before God (I Cor. 1:30), with the responsibility of living a holy life for God (I Pet. 1:15, 16). The cross not only effected the position of the chosen sheep, but the cross also denotes the condition of the sheep. Therefore, by Christ’s work for the elect at Calvary, both a right relation with God is effected, and in the elect a right attitude toward God is accomplished.

Salvation is threefold: (1) the fact of past justification, (2) the present process of sanctification, and (3) the future glorification of the body. Sanctification does not mean present perfection; it means progress of the principle of life toward perfection. Sanctification is not deliverance from the penalty of sin, but it is the development of the Christian life to conquer sin. By sanctification, the Christian is enabled more and more to mortify sin. Dead wood must be cut off, and the living wood must be cut back (John 15:2).

In regeneration, the chosen ones receive the principle of life which governs the soul; however, there still remain evil tendencies which are subdued. Sin dwells in a believer, but sin reigns in an unbeliever.

The agent of sanctification is God. The Father sanctifies. Paul said, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thess. 5:23). Christ said, “So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Eph. 5:26). The Holy Spirit also sanctifies. Paul said, “But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that My offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:15, 16).

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The NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE—UPDATED EDITION is the source of all Scripture quotations in this message, unless otherwise noted.