Sanctification
does not declare that they are righteous in themselves, but that they are clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
3. It is often said that this doctrine leads to licentiousness, since they who are justified are apt to think that their personal piety is a matter of little importance. However, in justification the sure foundation is laid for that vital and spiritual union with Christ, which is the surest guarantee of a truly godly life.
Questions for Review:
What is the meaning of the Scriptural terms for "to justify"? What is justification? How does it differ from santification? What elements are included in justification? In how far are sins forgiven in justification? Proof. Why is it necessary to pray for the forgiveness of sins? What is included in the adoption of children? In what sphere does justification take place? How do active and passive justification differ? What is the Antinomian position respecting the time of justification? Does Scripture teach justification from eternity? In what sense can we speak of a justification in the resurrection of Christ? How is faith related to justification? What is the ground of justification? What objections are raised to the doctrine of justification, and how can they be answered?
References for Further Study:
Berkhof, Reformed Dogmatics, II pp. 107–125; Hodge, Outlines of Theology, pp. 496–514; McPherson, Christian Dogmatics, pp. 379–
386; Orr, Side-Lights on Christian Doctrine, pp. 154–159; Buchanan, The Doctrine of Justification.
SANCTIFICATION
A. The Scriptural Terms for Sanctification. The Hebrew word for "to sanctify" (qadash) is in all probability derived from a root which means "to cut," and therefore emphasizes the idea of separation. This is also the primary idea of the New Testament word (hagiazo). In dealing with the subject of sanctification it is necessary to bear this point in mind. To the minds of the great majority of Christians it conveys first of all the idea of spiritual renewal, of the endowment of man with moral and spiritual qualities. And yet this is not the original idea. The Biblical words express the idea of a position or relationship between God and man rather than that of spiritual qualities wrought in the heart. The man who is sanctified is in principle lifted out of the sinful relations of life and placed in a new relation to God, in which he is consecrated to Him and to His service.
The Old Testament speaks repeatedly of holy persons and holy things, referring to persons and things which are externally set aside or consecrated to the service of God. This external consecration to the service of God symbolized the deeper and inner devotion of the heart. But while the Scriptural words are first of all indicative of a relationship, they also denote that operation of God by which He, through the Holy Spirit, works in man the subjective quality of holiness, John 17:17; Acts 20:32; 26:18; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 5:23.
B. The Biblical Idea of Holiness and Sanctification. In Scripture the idea of holiness is applied first of all to God. It denotes primarily that God is absolutely distinct from the creature, is exalted far above it in heavenly majesty, and is therefore the unapproachable One. Out of this first idea a second gradually developed. Since sinful man is more keenly conscious of the majesty of God than a sinless being, he becomes aware of his impurity as over against the majestic purity of God, cf. Isa. 6. Thus the idea of God's separation from the creature passed into that of His separation from all impurity and particularly from sin. Only the clean in heart can stand in His presence, Ps. 24:3
f. But even this is not all. Positively, the idea of the divine holiness shades right into and becomes almost identical with that of the light of the divine glory.
In the second place the idea of holiness is also applied to persons and things that are placed in special relationship to God. Israel had its holy places, such as Jerusalem and the temple, its holy persons in the priests and levites, and its holy rites in sacrifices and purifications.
These persons and things were separated unto the service of God.
But this external consecration of certain persons merely served to symbolize the inner consecration of the heart, and did not necessarily carry this with it. One might be a sacred person, and yet be entirely devoid of the grace of God in the heart. And yet only they who possessed the latter were truly holy unto the Lord. Through the influence of the Holy Spirit ethical qualities are wrought in their heart. This Old Testament idea of holiness passed right over into the New Testament. It is of great importance to observe that this Biblical idea of holiness is never that of mere moral goodness, considered in itself, but always that of ethical goodness seen in relation to God. A man may boast of great moral improvement, and yet be an utter stranger to the work of sanctification. The Bible does not urge moral improvement pure and simple, but moral improvement in relation to God, for God's sake, and with a view to the service of God.
Sanctification may be defined as that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit by which He purifies the sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God, and enables him to perform good works.
C. The Characteristics of Sanctification.
1. God and not man is the author of sanctification. This does not mean, however, that man is entirely passive in the process. He can
and should co-operate with God in the work of sanctification by a diligent use of the means which God has placed at his disposal, 2 Cor.
7:1; Col. 3:5–14; 1 Pet. 1:22.
2. Sanctification is not, like justification, a legal act of God, but a moral and re-creative activity, by which the sinner is renewed in his inner being and made to conform ever-increasingly to the image of God.
3. It is usually a lengthy process and never reaches perfection in this life. In cases in which regeneration and conversion are soon followed by death, the process may, of course, be very short.
4. The process of sanctification is either completed at death or immediately after it as far as the soul is concerned, and at the resurrection in so far as it pertains to the body, Phil. 3:21; Heb.
12:23; Rev. 14:5; 21:27.
D. The Nature of Sanctification.
1. SANCTIFICATION IS A SUPERNATURAL WORK OF GOD. Some
have the mistaken notion that sanctification consists merely in the drawing out of the new life which is implanted in regeneration by presenting motives to the will and thus persuading man to increase in holiness. In reality it is a divine operation in the soul whereby the holy disposition imparted in regeneration is strengthened and its holy exercises are increased. It is essentially a work of God, partly immediate and partly mediate In so far as God uses means man is expected to co-operate by the proper use of the means at his disposal, 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 13:20, 21; 2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 12:14.
2. IT CONSISTS OF TWO PARTS:
a. The Mortification of the Old Man. The negative side of sanctification consists in this that the pollution and corruption of human nature which results from sin is gradually removed. The old man, that is, human nature in so far as it is controlled by sin, is gradually crucified, Rom. 6:6 Gal. 5:24. b. The Quickening of the New Man. The positive side of sanctification lies in this that the holy disposition of the soul is strengthened, its holy exercises are increased, and thus a new course of life is engendered, Rom. 6:4, 5; Col. 2:12; 3:1, 3. The new life to which it leads is called "a life unto God," Rom. 6:11; Gal. 2:19.
3. IT AFFECTS THE WHOLE MAN. Since sanctification takes place in the heart, it naturally affects the whole organism. The change in the inner man is bound to carry with it a change in the outer life,
Rom. 6:12; 1 Cor. 6:15, 20; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Thess 5:23. It is completed especially in the crisis of death and in the resurrection of the dead.
Scripture teaches that it affects the understanding, Jer. 31:34; John 6:45, the will, Ezek. 36:25–27; Phil. 3:13; the passions, Gal. 5:24, and the conscience, Tit. 1:15; Heb. 9:14.
4. IT IS A WORK IN WHICH BELIEVERS CO-OPERATE. That man
must co-operate in the work of sanctification follows from the repeated warnings against evils and temptations, Rom. 12:9, 16, 17; 1
Cor. 6:9, 10; Gal. 5:16–23; and from the constant exhortations to holy living, Micah 6:8; John 15:2, 8, 16; Rom. 8:12, 13; 12:1, 2, 17;
Gal. 6:7, 8, 15.
E. The Imperfect Character of Sanctification in This Life. While sanctification affects every part of man, yet the spiritual development of believers in this life remains imperfect in degree. Believers must contend with sin as long as they live, 1 Kings 8:46; Prov. 20:9; Eccl.
7:20; Jas. 3:2; 1 John 1:8. According to Scripture there is a constant
warfare between the flesh and the spirit in the lives of God's children, and even the best of them are still striving for perfection, Rom. 7:7–
26; Gal. 2:20; 5:17; Phil. 3:12–14. Confession of sin and prayer for forgiveness are represented as a necessity, Job. 9:3, 20; Ps. 32:5;
130:3; Prov. 20:9; Isa. 64:6; Dan. 9:16; Rom. 7:14; Matt. 6:12, 13; 1 John 1:9. This truth is denied by the Perfectionists, who believe that man can attain to perfection in this life. They appeal to the fact that the Bible commands believers to be perfect, 1 Pet. 1:16; Matt. 5:48;
Jas. 1:4; that holiness and perfection are often ascribed to believers, 1 Cor. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 5:27; Heb. 5:14; Phil. 3:15; Col. 2:10; that some Biblical saints led perfect lives, as Noah, Gen. 6:9; Job, Job 1:8; and Asa, 1 Kings 15:14; and that John declares explicitly that they who are born of God do not sin, 1 John 3:6, 8, 9; 5:18. But all this does not prove the point. God demands holiness of the unregenerate as well as of the regenerate, but this certainly does not prove that the unregenerate can lead a holy life. If the Bible occasionally speaks of believers as perfect, this does not necessarily mean that they are without sin. They can be called perfect in Christ, or perfect in principle, or perfect in the sense of fullgrown, 1 Cor. 2:6; 3:1, 2; Heb.
5:14; 2 Tim. 3:17. The Bible contains no examples of believers who led sinless lives. Even the men mentioned as examples fell into grievous sins, Gen. 9:21; Job 3:1; 2 Chron. 16:7 ff. And the statement found in the Epistle of John that he who is born of God does not sin evidently means either that the new man as such does not sin, or that the believer does not live in sin. Moreover, this statement of John would prove too much for the Perfectionist, namely, that the believer actually never sins. Even the Perfectionist does not maintain that.
Consequently it proves nothing to the point.
F. Sanctification and Good Works. Sanctification naturally issues in a life of good works. These may be called the fruits of sanctification, and as such come into consideration here.
1. THE NATURE OF GOOD WORKS. When we speak of good works, we do not mean perfect works, but works which, at least in principle, answer to the divine requirements and which are good in the spiritual sense of the word. Such good works spring from the principle of love to God and the desire to do His will, Deut. 6:2; 1
Sam. 15:22; Isa. 1:12; Matt. 7:17, 18; 12:33; they are not only in external conformity to the law of God, but are also done in conscious obedience to the revealed will of God; and whatever their proximate aim may be, their final aim is the glory of God, Rom. 12:1; 1 Cor.
10:31; Col. 3:17, 23. Only they who are regenerated by the Spirit of God can perform such good works. This does not mean, however, that the unregenerate cannot do good in any sense of the word. To say this would be to contradict the plain teachings of Scripture, 2
Kings 10:29, 30; 12:2; 14:3; Luke 6:33; Rom. 2:14. They can perform works that are in external conformity with the law, that spring from noble motives respecting their fellowmen, and that answer to a proximate aim which meets the approval of God. These works find their explanation only in the common grace of God. While they can be called good in a general sense, they are yet radically defective, because they are divorced from the spiritual root of love to God, represent no real inner obedience to the law of God, and do not aim at the glory of God.
2. THE MERITORIOUS CHARACTER OF GOOD WORKS. The good
works of believers are not meritorious in the strict sense of the word, that is, they do not have the inherent value which naturally carries with it a just claim to a reward. If God does reward their good works, it is not because He is under obligation to them, but only because He has graciously promised to attach a reward to works that meet with His approval. It is a reward like parents occasionally bestow upon their children. Scripture clearly teaches that the good works of believers are not meritorious, Luke 17:9, 10; Rom. 5:15–18; 6:23;
Eph. 2:8–10; 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 3:5. There are several reasons why they cannot be: (a) Believers owe their whole life to God, and cannot merit anything by giving God simply what is His due, Luke 17:9, 10.
(b) They cannot perform good works except with the strength which God imparts to them from day to day, and therefore cannot claim credit for them, 1 Cor. 15:10; Phil. 2:13. (c) Even their best works are imperfect, while God can be satisfied with nothing less than perfect obedience, Isa. 64:6; Jas. 3:2. (d) Their good works are out of all proportion to the eternal reward of glory. The Roman Catholic
Church holds that, after the sinner has received the grace of God in his heart, he can perform meritorious works, that is, works which give him a just claim to salvation and glory.
3. THE NECESSITY OF GOOD WORKS. There can be no doubt about the necessity of good works, but this necessity should be properly understood. They are not necessary to merit salvation, nor even as a necessary condition of salvation. Infants enter heaven without having done any good works. The Bible does not teach that no one can be saved apart from good works. Yet they are necessary in the lives of adult believers as required by God, Rom. 7:4; 8:12, 13;
Gal. 6:2, as the fruits of faith, Jas. 2:14, 17, 20–22, as an expression of gratitude, 1 Cor. 6:20, unto the assurance of faith, 2 Pet. 1:5–10, and to the glory of God, John 15:8; 1 Cor. 10:31. Their necessity must be maintained over against the Antinomians, who assert that believers are free from the obligation to keep the law as a rule of life, since Christ did this for them. This is a thoroughly false position.
Christ fulfilled the law as a covenant obligation and bore its penalty in behalf of His people, but He kept the law as a rule of life for Himself and for Himself only. By the operation of His Spirit He enables believers to keep the law in principle for themselves, and they, without any constraint, willingly obey it from the heart.