Scriptural Sanctification - Media Sabda Org

commencement of our Lord's ministry, God revealed himself chiefly, if not solely, through the
ministry of angels and men. And this revelation was not so full, explicit, and clear as that made by
Jesus Christ. See John i. 17, 18; xv. 15; Hebrews i. 1, 2; ii. 1-4; and other passages. Especially did
His revelation of the love of God, made in His ministry, His miracles of mercy, and particularly in
His death, draw men in confidence and love to the Father, whom they had previously regarded and
served chiefly as their Lawgiver. By His unfolding of the doctrine and work of the Spirit, and the
promises of His coming in the fullness and richness of His grace and blessing, especially in John
xiv.-xvi., he prepared them for the baptismal and uplifting power of Pentecost.
Besides this fuller revelation, as before intimated, by His atoning work he had removed the
obstacles out of the way of a fuller and closer communion between man and God -- the return of the
Spirit to His heart. The sacrifice that would "make the conscience perfect" and bring His promised
heritage of peace and joy had been made. But this was not enough. "The promise of the Father" must
be fulfilled before man's salvation would be full and complete.
2. That promise was redeemed in the abundant gift of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. That the Spirit
was given in much larger measure at that time than he had ever been given before is very plainly
taught in both the Old and the New Testament Scriptures. In the prophecies of Ezekiel and Joel is
found this "promise of the Father" to which our Lord refers. See Ezekiel xxxvi. 25-27; Joel ii. 28,
29. These prophecies are thought to point to Pentecost. Indeed, Peter quotes the one from Joel and
applies it to that eventful occasion.
Certain prophecies of John the Baptist and Jesus point directly to a fuller and richer gift of the
Spirit and His glorious baptism at the opening of the new dispensation. And in His wonderful
farewell discourse, found in John xiv.-xvi., our Lord plainly and repeatedly promises His coming and
glorious work in and for the disciples. There is a very remarkable passage in John vii. 37-39 which
throws a flood of light on this subject. The reader will note that in these prophecies and promises the
gift of the Spirit under this dispensation is represented as being so abundant and full as to eclipse all
His former manifestations. In them God seems almost absolutely to ignore all His previous
operations in the minds and lives of men. Through Ezekiel he says, "I will put my Spirit within
them," as though he had never, in any measure, possessed man before. Through Joel he says, "I will
pour out my Spirit upon all flesh," as though all flesh had not before Pentecost been to any extent
the subjects of His enlightening and helping grace.
Jesus promises that he would send the "Comforter" into the world to do a more glorious and
helpful work for them than he had ever done before for even His nearest disciples. And especially
does he teach in the last passage referred to that after His glorification the Holy Spirit would do a
work in them and through them that would far transcend in power and glory anything that he had
wrought under any former dispensation; and he teaches that this wonderful work should accompany
the "gift of the Holy Ghost," which was soon to follow His ascension and glorification. Indeed, this
bestowment of the Spirit at Pentecost was so far to transcend any former like gift of the Father that
our Lord calls it "the promise of the Father," as though he had given no other promise to His people.
And John would so emphasize this abundant outpouring of the Spirit that he says, "for the Holy
Ghost was not yet given" previous to that time. He thus, in the language of hyperbole, so magnifies
this richer gift of the Spirit at Pentecost as seemingly to deny that he had ever, in any measure, been