_Prayer for Purity_. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, "And the very God of
peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul
and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
This prayer is also remarkable if we notice the spiritual condition of
the Thessalonians, for of them we read that they had received the word
of God with joy, and had turned from idols to serve the living God, and
yet the Apostle prays for their sanctification. By this he does not
mean sinlessness, and a careful study of his position would lead us to
know that he does not teach that sanctification may be ever apart from
growth. We must day by day come more and more into the likeness of
Christ. There are three words which it would be well for us to
remember in our study of this subject.
First: _Position_. If we would grow unto his likeness we must be where
he can let shine upon us the light of his countenance. Frances Ridley
Havergal had an aeolian harp sent to her which she tried to play with
her fingers, and failed. At last a friend suggested that she place it
in the window, and the music as the wind touched the strings was
entrancing. We must be where he can use us.
Second: _Purification_. Sanctification is necessary because God uses
only that which is clean, never an unclean life.
Third: _Possession_. It is really Christ filling us, and he will fill
us if we give him the opportunity. The extent of this work is made
plain in Paul's prayer:
(1) The spirit is touched, and the spirit is that part of our nature
which is capable of fellowship with God.
(2) The soul is filled, and the soul is the seat of all our
intellectual faculties.
(3) The body is possessed, and since the body is just the servant of
the higher powers of man, we can easily understand how necessary the
work is. It is needful,
(_a_) For our peace, for the God of peace is to sanctify us.
(_b_) For our prayers. For Paul is talking about prayer when he
praises.
(_c_) For our praise, for we are told that we must rejoice evermore.