The Witness of Entire Sanctification

After one has entirely consecrated himself or herself to God, and has exercised faith, one has the promise from God that He will entirely sanctify you. When He does, you will have the witness of the Holy Spirit that the work has been done. What is this witness? Is it a feeling? Is it an assurance? Is it a peace? What exactly is it? Is it equally strong at all times, or does it come and go? We will spend a few days on this subject so you will have clarity on this subject.

When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to enter into Canaan (which typifies the experience of entire sanctification), Joshua selected twelve men, one from each tribe, to do a special service. After all the people had passed over and the twelve priests were standing still in the River’s bed, with the ark of God, Joshua commanded the twelve men to go to the middle of the Jordan and each take up a stone, place it on his shoulder, and carry it across to the camp in Canaan. The stones were to constitute a memorial: “And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:7)

We can call these stones the “stones of testimony.” They testified to a great fact, a great miracle, a great crossing, to the beginning of a new era in the lives of those hundreds of thousands of Israelites that had crossed over into Canaan. This is a lesson for us. As you cross the Jordan of entire consecration, the line between the place where you are not wholly consecrated and where you are wholly consecrated, the line between the time when you hope to be sanctified and the time when you shall know you are, as you cross this, carry over your stone of testimony. You have never passed this way before, and you need not pass it again; so get your stone of testimony now. Note that the memorial was stone. It was not wood that it could burn up or float away to the Dead Sea. It was a stone, it was solid and enduring as is the Word of God.

For me, I made a written record in my journal that I kept at the time. It described my experience of entire sanctification. Many times I have gone back to my memorial. Sometimes in our lives, the witness is not as strong as in other times. However, praise God, I have a memorial! When the enemy shouts, you are not sanctified. I can take him back and say, “Look at the memorial!” It is a reminder and a testimony of what God has done for me. I recommend listing the Bible verses that were influential to you when you crossed the Jordan into spiritual Canaan.

It is generally, but not always, a battle to become entirely sanctified. Self-will does not like to die. Further, it does not like to stay dead. Having a memorial will assist you to keep walking in faith on the highway of holiness.