Even Your Sanctification: The Essentials Part 1

ESSENTIALS OF SCRIPTURAL HOLINESS

The Acts of the Apostles affords us a picture of the sanctified life as was taught by Jesus and further expounded in the New Testament epistles. There are four basic objectives that the Holy Spirit achieved in the lives of those early disciples; and these, we are sure, are the essentials for today.

1. Heart Purity Is Essential

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).

"Purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9).

"Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:8).

The Mind. The Lord intends to purify the mind, which includes the imagination and the thought processes, by replacing the carnal mind. which is death, and establishing a spiritual mind, which is life and peace.

The Conscience. Further, the Lord desires to purge and enliven the conscience so that it may then successfully filter out impurities before they enter the interior life.

The Affections and Lusts. Carnal affections and lusts, i.e. our inordinate desires, must be purged from unholy idols. Thus, the Christian may love God supremely.

The Motives. The motives which so often indicate a dual worship of double mindedness between the carnal self and the Lord Jesus, must be purged so that one may have an eye single to God's glory.

The Will. The stubborn will which has long been a rebel to the Lord's authority must be surrendered to the Lord. One has said, "God cannot reign in the life that already has a sovereign."

Pray, then, that the Lord will purify your heart and make it as clean as the sanctifying Spirit desires.

2. Perfect Love Is Essential

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself" (Luke 10:27).

"Herein is our love make perfect... ...Perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:17-18).

In Acts 1:8 the Lord Jesus promised the power of the Holy Spirit. His Church, then, might truly be His witness to the world. Notice the progression in the great commission. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and, finally, the world. Each in its order is to experience a church bearing the fruits of divine love.

Jerusalem

It is interesting to note that disciples would then be Christlike, first in Jerusalem. Here were the temple and daily sacrifices and all that was central to their religious life. Here, also, was the scene of their betrayal and denial of Jesus, where the little band fell apart and the world looked on and laughed at their inability to get along with each other.

Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Divine love was to be the true badge of discipleship and an essential mark of the Spirit-filled life. The world was scoffing at their carnal bickering and backsliding. It still does! How Christians need to be sanctified today so as to get along with "the household of faith," the brothers and sisters with whom we worship, so that the "sanctified unity" for which Jesus prayed in John 17 might be realized.

Judea

Judea must also be convinced of the genuineness of perfect love, for they are the community at large. These represent our next door neighbors, the people with whom we trade and shop and where "squabbles" take place every day. We know them -- the haughty, arrogant, egotistical, inconsiderate, rude, discourteous, selfish people -- the people we know that are both irritable and irritating! They are impossible people!

Samaria

Samaria, also, must have the "witness" to holiness. To Jewish believers the Samaritans were half-breeds, their enemies and among whom they were to have no dealings. Racial prejudice was strong, and hatred seemed legitimate. The powerful work of entire sanctification was necessary if the Samaritans would be won for Christ.

The World

Finally, the sanctified would demonstrate perfect love to the superstitious and savage heathen nations, where not only racial but national barriers would have to be surmounted.