Scriptural Sanctification - Media Sabda Org

prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ."
2. There is not the slightest intimation that their having backslidden is the reason for the prayer
of the text, as may have been the case with his prayer for "the churches of Galatia." On the contrary,
he greatly rejoices in their faithfulness and steadfastness, after having sent Timotheus to see if they
did "stand fast in the Lord," if they had kept from backsliding. After the latter reported to the apostle,
he commended them most highly, as worthy examples for others, without giving the slightest
intimation of any thing wrong in their spirit or lives. Bishop Hendrix says that Paul "has nothing but
commendation in His first Epistle to them."
3. Yet he wanted to "perfect that which was lacking in their faith," and prayed that God would
"sanctify" them "wholly," that their "faith" might be made "perfect" -- be freed from mixture of
unbelief, and that they might be so established in love, so freed from every antagonistic feeling or
temper, as to be "preserved blameless" in heart and life, in "spirit and soul and body," "unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
4. What was implied in this complete sanctification? (1) Was it merely an act of fuller "separation
from the world" and "self consecration" to God? In addition to this, it was evidently a more thorough
work of God wrought in and upon man's moral or spiritual nature. "The very God of peace Himself
sanctify you wholly" is the language of the prayer. By grace man consecrates himself to His service,
but God, by the power of His Spirit, fits him for that service and preserves him in it so long as he
remains fully consecrated and trustful. (2) Was this prayer for an entire sanctification which results
from a series of God's gifts of the Spirit, promoting a gradual growth into this grace? On the
contrary, as already seen, the aorist indicates that this work was completed by a momentary act, one
mighty baptism of the Spirit, to be followed by a "blameless" life proceeding therefrom -- a life that
might expand indefinitely.
(3) The terms "wholly," "whole spirit, and soul and body," and indicate the completeness of this
work, even salvation from all spiritual depravity. The assurance of God's faithfulness in doing this
work indicates its certainty, when the human conditions are favorable, while the "blameless" life that
follows shows that this thorough work may be wrought before death, and be permanent.
Now let us look at Paul's teaching in the epistle to the Ephesians, written to that church some nine
years after he found those twelve disciples there who had not received "the Holy Ghost" since they
believed, and about four years after he closed His pastorate there, and had such a pathetic parting
from the elders of that church, a record of which we find in the nineteenth and twentieth chapters of
the Acts.
Take the passage found in chapter i.15-19:
(1) Paul here says he gives God thanks unceasingly for them, because he had heard of their "faith
in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints." Here is not the slightest intimation of backsliding on
the part of these "saints which are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus," as the reason for His
prayer, but rather the contrary for which he gives thanks.