ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION AS TAUGHT BY JESUS CHRIST.
Gabriel said to Mary in the annunciation, "Therefore, that holy thing
that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Or in the
Revised Version, "Wherefore, also, that which is to be born shall be
called holy, the Son of God." The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews
speaks of Him as "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,"
and Peter says that "He did no sin, neither was guile found in His
mouth." He is called "Thy holy child Jesus." Jesus Christ, therefore,
was wholly free both from sin committed and sin indwelling. He was
absolutely holy in heart and holy in life, holy in word and holy in
act, holy in His birth, holy in His death, holy in His resurrection,
holy in His ascension, holy in His eternity. Glory be to His Holy
Name.
And if the Divine Founder of the Christian Church was thus a holy man,
it would, naturally, be expected that He should desire to have a holy
people; and if He desire it, that He should also make provision for it;
and if He both desire it and hath made provision for it, that we should
find allusions to it in His teachings. In this, we are not
disappointed, as we shall proceed to show.
The Sermon on the Mount contains an epitome of the public preaching of
the Lord Jesus, and every sentence is pregnant with meaning. From
beginning to end, it inculcates holiness as the privilege and duty of
believers. Many things are enjoined which would only be possible to
those who are sanctified wholly, such as, "Bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, love your enemies, resist not evil," and
many others.
The teachings of our Lord are like the headings of chapters, which are
filled out and developed in the writings of the apostles. This is
remarkably true of the Sermon on the Mount, which, without going
largely into details, sets forth the principles which are to govern His
kingdom on earth. The application and interpretation of these
principles, He leaves to the inspired apostles and evangelists, who
continued to teach and preach after His departure, and to the Holy
Spirit who is promised to the believing church as its guide, teacher
and comforter until Christ Himself shall come again.
But besides many precepts and injunctions which imply holiness, there
are several, also, which expressly require it. Among the beatitudes at
the beginning of the Sermon, we find this striking statement: "Blessed
are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Now, heart purity
cannot exist while there is any sin in the heart. Wherever there is sin
in the heart, whether actual or indwelling, there is also defilement;
and purity and defilement are incompatible terms.
Heart purity, therefore, is identical with entire sanctification, and
heart purity is not only a great energizer, so that a man is powerful
for good in proportion to the purity of his heart and life, but it is
also a great illuminator, so that it enables its possessor to see God.
This, of course, does not imply an open or an outward vision, but a
spiritual apprehension of God, whereby we are brought into fellowship
and communion with Him, and in a spiritual sense, we maybe truly
regarded as seeing Him who is forever invisible to outward sense.
This inward purity, as distinguished from a blameless outward walk, was
by no means unknown to the Old Testament writers. In the Twenty-fourth
Psalm, David asks the question "Who shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place?" And He immediately answers
it by saying, "He that hath clean hands and a pure heart." The clean
hands imply that his works are in accordance with God's law; in other
words, that his outward life is free from condemnation. But the "pure
heart" means more than this, and suggests what the same royal Psalmist
remarks again in the Fifty-first Psalm. "Behold, thou desirest truth in
the inward parts, in the hidden part, Thou shalt make me to know
wisdom." It is also noticeable in the Twenty-fourth Psalm, as already
quoted, that the clean hands or justification comes before the pure
heart or entire sanctification. So accurate is the blessed spiritual
logic of the Holy Ghost.
Returning to the Sermon on the Mount, we find at the end of Matthew
fifth the direct command, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect," or if we take the Revised
Version, which is more accurate in translation, the command becomes a
positive assertion, which is equally forcible. "Ye, therefore, shall be
perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
But whether command or declaration, it is at first sight simply
astounding. It is overwhelming. So much so, indeed, that our poor
human spirits shrink back in amazement, and we are ready to say, This
is wholly impossible. Surely, Jesus cannot mean what He says. Or if He
does, then my case is hopeless. But let us examine the words a little
more carefully.
In the first place, we are to notice that He does not say that we are
to be equal in perfection to our Father in Heaven. That would, indeed,
be too absurd for the wildest fancy to conceive. God is infinite in all
His attributes and, therefore, infinite in perfection, and this in all
directions. We are poor, finite, sinful human beings, and can never
even approach the boundless perfection of Him who is wholly without
limit, either as to power, space or duration, or righteousness, justice
and holiness.
But the command is not, Be ye equal to your Heavenly Father in
perfection, but, Be ye perfect with the same kind of perfection which
appertains to Him. It may be similar in kind whilst falling infinitely
short of His perfection in degree. Now, God is infinite and perfect in
all His attributes, but apart from His attributes is His essence. And
what is the perfection which is predicated of the essence of God? Or,
rather, what is His essence itself? It is love. "God is love," says the
apostle. "Thy nature and Thy name is love," says the great
hymnologist, Charles Wesley. The essential perfection of the Godhead,
therefore, is a perfection of love. And we are assured by the beloved
John that it is possible for us, also, to be made perfect in love, and
to possess the perfect love which casteth out fear. Hence, if we are
perfect in love we are perfect even as our Father who is in heaven is
perfect. Behold the blessed simplicity of the gospel.
The context of the command referred to proves the same thing. Jesus had
just been telling His disciples that it is not sufficient for them to
love their friends, and do good to those that do good to them. All
these things and more are done even by worldly minded people and open
sinners. Unsaved people love those who love them. But Jesus continues,
"I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good
to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and
persecute you." Why? "That ye may be the children of your Father who is
in heaven," for that is just the way He does. He does not wait for a
man to be His friend before He loves him and shows kindness to him. "He
maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust." And, if we are to be the children of such
a Father, we must adopt His sentiments and love in our measure as He
loves. His essence being love, all His infinite activities are
controlled and regulated and directed by love, and when there is
nothing contrary to love in our hearts, so that all our finite
activities are in like manner impelled and swayed and directed by love,
then we are perfect in love, and perfect even as our Heavenly Father is
perfect. Glory to His Name.
I believe that if we search carefully and prayerfully we shall find the
doctrine of entire sanctification in many of the parables of our
Saviour. Take, for instance, the parable of the sower. Here we are
expressly told that the seed is the word of God, and, of course, the
sowers are all ministers and Christian workers who are trying in any
right way, to diffuse a knowledge and acceptance of gospel truth. They
are devoting themselves to the salvation of human souls. Now, mark the
difference as to the ground upon which the good seed falls. (1) The
wayside hearers are not concerted at all. (2) The stony ground hearers
are converted but not established. Their shallowness is such as to
prevent them from withstanding trial and temptation and hence they fall
into backsliding. (3) The thorny ground hearers are converted, but
inbred sin remains in their hearts in form of the love of riches,
whether these riches are possessed or only desired, or too much care
and cumber, having so much regard to the secular as to neglect the
spiritual, or in the form of unsanctified desire, "the lusts of other
things," and so by sin that dwelleth in them the word is "choked," and
though they may bring forth a little meagre fruit of inferior quality,
yet they bring "no fruit to perfection." They are justified but not
sanctified wholly.
Now, our Heavenly Father desires not a little fruit but much fruit.
"Every branch that bringeth forth fruit, he purgeth it that it may
bring forth more fruit." To purge is to purify or, in a spiritual
sense, to sanctify, and this is the condition of abundant fruitage.
When the thorns are removed the good seed will grow and flourish. When
inbred sin is taken out of the heart the Christian believer will bring
forth fruit to perfection, even the perfection of love, and this will
be the "much fruit" whereby God is glorified.
On one occasion we are told that a lawyer asked Jesus "What shall I do
to inherit eternal life?" and when asked in reply what were the words
of the Mosaic law he answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbor as thyself." Jesus commended his answer and added "This do and
thou shalt live." Hence, our Saviour teaches that holiness consists of
nothing more nor less nor else than perfect love to God and man. What
constitutes this love has been already explained.
Martha was a good Christian, but she was "careful and troubled about
many things." Mary was a good Christian and still earnestly seeking the
one thing needful, which is full salvation, or holiness of heart and
life. Even good Christians may be "cumbered about much serving," and so
miss this one thing needful. We cannot doubt that both the sisters, who
vividly typify the two experiences, obtained the blessing of holiness
when the pentecostal baptism was poured out upon the church of the
hundred and twenty, if not before. In the marvelous intercessory prayer
of the Lord Jesus, given in the seventeenth of John, we find these
expressions, "Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth." And
again, "For their sakes I sanctify Myself that they also may be
sanctified through the truth." Here we discover the two senses of the
word sanctify. Jesus sets Himself apart or consecrates Himself to the
work of human redemption in order that His followers, in all ages, may
be not only set apart or consecrated, but also sanctified wholly, or
made holy in heart and life. He gave Himself for the world of sinners
lost, that they might be forgiven and saved. He gave Himself for the
church, on the other hand, that He might "sanctify and cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a
glorious church, not having spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing, but
that it should be holy and without blemish." Thus, the atoning
sacrifice of Christ procured pardon and acceptance for the penitent
sinner. It procured not less, certainly, entire sanctification for the
consecrated believer. And it is only by accepting Him as a perfect
Saviour that He "is made of God unto us, wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption."
For the blessed Saviour does not leave us in doubt as to the method of
obtaining this great blessing of holiness, nor as to the price, which
must be paid for it. Entire sanctification is "one pearl of great
price," and he who would possess it must go and sell all that he has.
The rich young ruler had a first-class record as to morality and the
outward observance of the law of God, yet Jesus said to him, "One thing
thou lackest," and that one thing was perfect love, for He added, "If
thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor,"
and then interjecting a promise, "Thou shalt have treasure in heaven,
and come take up the cross and follow Me." The price was too great, and
the young man went away sorrowful. Alas! Myriads of souls since have
found the price too great, and by refusing to pay it, have deprived
themselves of unspeakable blessing. Christ would not have us become His
followers without counting the cost, and the cost is all that we have
and all that we are. "Whosoever forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be My disciple."
First, we are to forsake, with full purpose of heart, all known sin. It
may be the sin which "easily besets," our own bosom sin, near as a
right eye or a right hand, but if it causes us to stumble, it must be
relentlessly sacrificed. And even if the sacrifice seems like crippling
and maiming us, yet Jesus assures us that it is better to enter into
eternal life with one eye or one hand, than to be consigned to
everlasting death with two eyes or two hands. In the first place,
therefore, we are to "reckon ourselves dead, indeed, unto sin, but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ, our Lord."
But we are to become dead, indeed, not only to all sin, but we must be
dead, also, even to lawful things, except as God in His mercy may grant
them to us, to have and enjoy in moderation and to His glory. Jesus
teaches us that our highest affection, our deepest love must be
fastened upon Him alone, and that if any individual love, father or
mother, son or daughter, wife or husband more than Him, such a one is
not worthy of Him. We are to love His gifts and thank Him for them, but
still more are we to love the Giver Himself.
And when we love Him supremely, we shall learn to be satisfied with
Himself, and what He in His love and mercy chooses to give us. If He
permits us to have an abundance of earthly goods, we shall thank Him
and use them as stewards of His for His glory. If He allows our family
circle to be invaded by death, and one dear one after another is
carried away to the tomb, or if He permits our wealth to be taken from
us and consign us to poverty and desolation, if His gifts one by one or
altogether are withdrawn from us, why, praise the Lord, we still have
the Giver, and can still say with Job "The Lord gave and the Lord hath
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
It thus appears that the teachings of our Lord require us to be dead to
sin, and dead to self, yea, even to lawful self, in order that we may
possess this inestimable blessing of entire sanctification. Let us not
hesitate, then, beloved, to lay down our lives. "Whosoever will save
his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for My sake,
the same shall save it."
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone;
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."