SERVANTS UNTO HOLINESS
The
Psalmist wrote, “...Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever” (Psa.
93:5). For His “house” or Church, to be holy, its members must be holy. In
order to live a holy life, one must be set free from sin, and free from the law
in its penal aspect. True Biblical freedom is not freedom to do as one pleases.
Rather, it is freedom NOT to do as the flesh pleases. When one is in bondage,
he must serve his taskmaster. The sinner’s taskmaster is Satan. “...the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Gal. 5:1) is true liberty to serve the God
who loves us and who is worthy of our praise and obedience. The graces of
justification and sanctification sets us free to honor God through holiness of
life. Actually, we become partakers of HIS holiness (Heb. 12:10):
“...partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption. that is in the world
through lust” (2 Pet. 1:4).
It
is written, “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord thy God am holy” (Lev. 19:2);
also, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your
God” (Lev. 20:7). The Lord does not command the impossible: and what He
commands, He requires.
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness,
but unto holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7).
I.
FREE FROM SIN (Rom. 6:18, 19,20,22)
We
have seen that sanctification makes one free from sin. This frees us to become
servants of righteousness; freedom to live a holy life. The religious world’s
current lust for “freedom” and “liberty of conscience” is a corruption of true
Biblical freedom, Paul asks (6:16), “Know ye not, that to whom [or whomsoever]
ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servant ye are to whom ye obey;
whether [servants] of sin unto death, or [servants] of obedience unto
righteousness?” Before justification, we were the servants of sin. Before
sanctification, in justification we were free from the guilt of our personal
sin, but not its power in the Adamic nature. Without sanctification we were in
a dangerous measure, still servants of the inbred sin nature-bond-slaves to the
old man-the Adamic nature. But, as Paul says (6:17), “God be thanked” that when
we obey from the heart that “form of doctrine,” the doctrine of entire
sanctification, Satan loses his prey, and the freed slave is at liberty to
wholly serve Another-his great Emancipator! Yes, Paul, “GOD BE THANKED!”
II.
FREE FROM THE LAW (Rom. 7:1,6)
Paul
relates sin to the law many times in his epistle to the Romans. Chapter 7 is
said to deal with freedom from the law. Here he begins by using an analogous
illustration of death and the law. This thought advances from freedom from sin.
Since
sin takes advantage (occasion) of the law to deceive, sin loses its power when
we are made free from the law by accepting God’s grace by faith to save us and
to direct our lives. Paul’s analogy is complex, but the essence of it is that
since Christ died for us, we as believers also die with Him. We have died to
the law “by the body of Christ,” or by Christ’s death in the body God prepared
for Him to offer as the great eternal Sacrifice for sin. By His resurrection,
and ours with Him, we are free from the old relationship to the law, and free
to be joined to Christ in the new relations.
In
using this analogy, Paul’s words also apply to remarriage, whether so intended
or not. The death of a companion frees the other to remarry, but only death
grants this freedom. Unfaithfulness to the marriage relationship is pointedly
ruled out. If either remarries while the other is living, the one who remarries
commits adultery. Since God says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” sin is the
verdict, and “spiritual death” is the sentence.
III.
THE WRETCHEDNESS OF THE UNSANCTIFIED (Rom. 7:11-14)
This
seems to be the convenient and appropriate place to consider the much-debated
passage in Romans 7:7-14, a passage which has suffered endless conjecture and
supposition at the hands of those who reject sanctification as an instantaneous
work of grace. It is clear that Paul was relating his personal spiritual
situation while sin was taking its advantage by use of the law to deceive him.
Here he both defends the law in its rightful place, and shows how its misuse
“slew” him. He explains, or confesses, that the law eventually served God’s
intended purpose by showing him his sin’s exceeding sinfulness. Apparently, the
commandment that the law used to convict his heart and mind was, “Thou shalt
not covet” (7:7). (For other individuals, other commandments may serve God’s
purpose). Paul was made to understand the futility of law-obedience when his
heart lusted to do otherwise. Thus, the law showed its power to convince of
sin, but its weakness in being unable to render perfect heart-obedience. In so
doing, it pointed to Christ, who had the power to justify and sanctify (Gal.
3:22-24). Therefore, he concluded that the law itself was holy, just, and good,
and had actually served him well—to convict, but not to save.
(Note:
We must remember that the “law” goes beyond the Mosaic code, back to the
eternal principles of God which infinitely preceded Sinai, and which will never
change.)
Seeing
that the law had revealed the exceeding sinfulness of sin, he realized that the
law was actually spiritual in its intent. It was himself that was carnal while
in that state. He discovered that he had been sold into slavery, with sin as
his taskmaster.
The
vacillating experience of verses 15 through 23 began before Paul was justified, but perhaps
more after he was justified but not yet sanctified. He may have been born
again, but not cleansed (1 John 1:9). He may have been undergoing the struggle
of the flesh and the Spirit described in Galatians 5:17. At any rate, the
answer to his concluding question is clear: “O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?” The answer-”…Jesus Christ our
Lord.” This indicates that he had found the solution in and through Him “...who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness [justification], and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor.
1:30).
IV.
FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS (Rom. 6:18-22)
Reverting
to the earlier subject of freedom from the corrupt nature, we observe the fruit
of this deliverance, “...Righteousness unto holiness” (v. 19); “...fruit unto
holiness” (v. 22). Holiness is the fruit of sanctification. Sanctification is
freedom from inbred sin, and there is no sin in holiness. The holy life is a
separated life, carrying the admonition to “...cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”
(See 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and 7:1).
V.
DOING THE WILL OF GOD (1 Thess. 4:3,4; Heb. 13:12, 13).
A.
Living the “Experience”: Sanctification is “the will of God” (v. 3) because it
enables the sanctified one to live in “...holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). The sanctified individual will “abstain from
fornication” in all of its forms. He will responsibly be in charge of his
“vessel,” soul and body, conducting himself honorably. He will not indulge in
“the lust of concupiscence [strong, abnormal passion of lust].” He will not
engage in fraudulence; he will avoid all “uncleanness,” and will respond to his
call to holiness.
“For
the grace or God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11, 12).
B.
Following the Great Example: Though Jesus needed no personal sanctification, He
became our Example by leading the way and shedding the blood necessary for our
cleansing. In this, He fulfilled that relevant portion of the law as our great
High Priest. (See Numbers 19:1-10.) Perhaps it should be noted that the Church
is “a kingdom of priests” (Exo. 19:6) and “a royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9),
and therefore all should be sanctified. “Let us go forth therefore unto him without
[outside] the camp, bearing his reproach.”
If you have never accepted or if you have fallen away from Jesus Christ here are three steps you need to take to be saved:
You must admit you are a sinner, confess your sin to Jesus, repent (turn from all you know is wrong), ask Jesus to come in your heart, and begin to follow Jesus by reading and obeying his word and go to a bible believing church that teaches his word. And tell someone what Christ Jesus Has Done For You (Rev 12:10)
If you enjoyed this blogpost and believe some else can be helped and may be blessed pass it along:
If you have never accepted or if you have fallen away from Jesus Christ here are three steps you need to take to be saved:
You must admit you are a sinner, confess your sin to Jesus, repent (turn from all you know is wrong), ask Jesus to come in your heart, and begin to follow Jesus by reading and obeying his word and go to a bible believing church that teaches his word. And tell someone what Christ Jesus Has Done For You (Rev 12:10)
May God through Christ bless you!
If you enjoyed this blogpost and believe some else can be helped and may be blessed pass it along:
If you have a prayer request or have questions that need clarification please contact me at: neverstoppraying8@gmail.com
