Sanctification, What It Will Not Do

by Dr. Quinton J. Everest

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17.

Dr. Quinton J. Everest, was the speaker for Your Worship Hour which was heard around the world for over fifty years. He and Seth Rohrer were two of the founders of Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana and the Everest-Rohrer Chapel pictured above is named in their honor.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." II Corinthians 4:7.

For the past few Sundays we have spoken to you on the subject of sanctification -- what it is, whom it is for, when obtained, and why necessary. I fear there is considerable confusion as to what God accomplishes for us when we are sanctified and filled with His Spirit; therefore, I have felt directed to speak to you on what sanctification does not do, or what God does not perform for us when we are sanctified. There are two dangers; one is to place the standard too low, and the other is to place the standard too high. Placing the standard too high will cause confusion; placing it too low will rob us of God's promised blessing. What we are interested in is knowing exactly what God has to say about this all-important subject of sanctification.

Free Moral Agency

Fundamentally man always has been, and always will be, a free moral agent. God never takes away from man this original quality; in fact, He removes nothing from man by grace that He gave him in creation. We have sometimes heard it said as an objection to sanctification and the Spirit-filled life, that it is an experience which makes it impossible to sin. God has not provided any degree of grace that takes away our possibility to sin; we shall always be free moral agents, which in itself shows that any man may sin, and that any man can sin, but proves also conclusively that no man must sin. I have never heard a reputable minister teach that God has provided an experience of grace that makes it impossible for man to commit sin. Free moral agency has been the inherent right of man since the creation of Adam. God does not destroy this in sanctification. Man still has the power to choose his conduct as he wills to do. The power to choose and the right to obey or disobey are the moral privileges of the sanctified man, as well as the justified man, or even the sinner. To be born of the Spirit, or to be filled with the Spirit, does not mean that I have come into possession of something that it is forever impossible to forfeit under any condition, for it is clearly stated that Jesus Christ became the author of eternal life to them that obey Him, and I am sure that latter part needs to be emphasized -- TO THEM THAT OBEY HIM. (Hebrews 5:9).

The term "eternal life" does not mean that it is an eternal, unconditional possession, but rather expresses the kind of life imparted to us as the gift of God. Eternal life is God's life, spiritual life, divine life. Just as Adam and Eve, who were holy and in the image of God could sin; and just as angels, who were holy and in the very presence of God in a holy Heaven, could sin; just so, they who have been sanctified and filled with the Spirit may again yield to temptation and fall into sin.

Sanctification does not exempt men from temptation, and neither does sanctification destroy the free agency of man and so change him into a machine, making him do the things which he does not desire to do. While God has not provided a state of grace whereby we do not have power to sin, or could not sin if we wanted to, I am glad to say that God has provided something for us that will take the desire to sin out of our hearts and lives and also give us power to overcome in this world.

Neither one who professes to be born again, nor one who professes to be born again and filled with the Spirit, has license or liberty to sin. "He that committeth sin is of the devil." I John 3:8. Men are not primarily admonished to seek sanctification, or seek to be filled with the Spirit, in order to quit sinning. This was taken care of in the new birth-when one was regenerated and justified in God's sight. A man goes out of the sinning business when God regenerates him. Genuine conviction and repentance many times will result in the forsaking and abhorrence of all sin. Someone may be asking, "What then is the advantage of being sanctified?" I would answer, "Much every way." While there is yet the possibility of a man losing this grace out of his heart and committing sin, the inward responses to the temptation of Satan without have ceased in the sanctified soul. Hence the probabilities and liabilities to commit sin are not nearly so great as where there is evil within and a foe without.

When our hearts are cleansed and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the inward conflict has ended, thus giving us a free hand to cope with the enemy without. If, after God saves us, there is no possibility of falling, why has God given us the admonitions and warnings all through the New Testament, implying this possibility? Peter said, "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure." II Peter 1:10.

Paul says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." I Corinthians 10:12. Again, "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil." I Corinthians 3:6. Here is a warning given as to what bishops should and should not do, and the warning climaxes with, "lest they fall into the condemnation of the devil." Surely a man cannot fall into the condemnation of the devil and remain a child of God. The Apostle plainly declares, "There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 If there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, and this man has fallen into condemnation, surely it is made as plain as the English language can make it, that he is no longer in Christ.

Temptation

In the second place, I want to call your attention to the fact that sanctification does not place the soul beyond temptation. Even though God has filled us with His Spirit, we are human and fallible, thus being susceptible to temptation. Jesus Christ was both human and divine, and therefore susceptible to temptation. God cannot be tempted, neither tempteth He any man; yet we are told that Jesus was tempted in all points, like as we, yet without sin. Why was He tempted like as we? Because, like as we, He was human, having taken upon Himself the human nature which was susceptible to temptation. It was for this reason that the Apostle declared, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when 1 have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." I Corinthians 9:27. We must remember that the sanctified man has all the human elements with which to reckon. He has appetite, passion, human propensities, and human desires. All of these must be kept in their proper and lawful relation. In other words, the body with all its natural desires must be kept in subjection. Though we may be tempted and tried, we can be overcomers in the warfare of grace, because as John says, "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." I John 4:4

We must remember that even though God has saved and sanctified the soul, yet sin continues to exist in the world and will be temptation to the child of God. Also, to the saints, Satan comes as an angel of light. The beast is transformed into the likeness of a lamb. The very elect are deceived if they cease to live in the Spirit, through Whom comes discernment as well as power. God is able to keep us from stumbling and to bring us in the presence of His glory without blemish in exceeding joy, but we need to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation.

It is by trial and temptation that God proves us and discovers the spirit of our purpose and the fidelity and loyalty of our hearts. As He said to the children of Israel, "The Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no." Deuteronomy 8:2

Not only does He thus prove us, but it is in the hour of temptation that we prove God and demonstrate to others His faithfulness and the reality and power of His saving grace. It is thus as Peter says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I Peter 1:7.

As long as there is a devil, we will have temptation. Temptation is that which proceeds from the enemy, but sin is that which proceeds from the individual. The devil works through the intellect, sensibilities, and the will; and so long as you have not willed to sin, you have not transgressed God's law, and can be assured of the fact that you are still God's child; your heart is cleansed, and you are filled with His Spirit.

Let us not be surprised when the devil tempts us. He will do all in his power to drag us down, because the victorious life is the only one that really counts. Every child of God will be tempted, but we can count it all joy, for we are told that the shield of faith is able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)

Mistakes

In the third place sanctification does not guarantee against mistakes. Some have said that those who teach this truth not only claim deliverance from sin, but from all error, limitation, and defect. Such have not understood, or have perverted, the teaching of God's Word on this subject of the Spirit-filled life. Christian perfection or sanctification is not infallibility. It does not deify men; it does not rob us of humanity, but sanctifies us. A clean heart does not imply a perfect head. So long as we are in this world, there will be unavoidable errors and imperfections of judgment. A mistake is that which you do because you do not know better. Sin is that which you do when you do know better. Many have confused mistakes and sins, and cast away their confidence. We may be perfectly honest and sincere, and yet err in judgment. Having wrong premises, we may arrive at wrong conclusions, even though the heart is pure and the motive right.

In Matthew 5:48, we read that Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." It must be remembered that here He speaks of the perfection of love. Our hearts may be perfect in love, and yet our powers of discrimination may be at fault. Thus, it is evident that though the heart is perfect toward God, the work of God in the soul is perfect, and the experience of heart cleansing is without fault -- our ethics may not be perfect because of limited light and lack of keen discrimination.

As I have said, the Bible demands perfection, but we must remember that there are different standards of perfection. The highest state that we know anything about is absolute perfection. None but God lives in this realm. Then there is another standard of perfection that is called angelic perfection. There is still another, which is much lower, called Adamic perfection. Finally, there is what we call Christian perfection. This is the only kind which we are commanded to attain, but Christian perfection is not expected to exempt us from mistakes. Sanctification is only love made perfect and not judgment made infallible. If a man is faulty in his judgment, he will likely go astray in his conduct, for one cannot do better than he knows.

To be filled with the Spirit does not carry with it the gift of omniscience, thus making infallibility an impossible fruit of the sanctified life. Someone has said that there are only three classes that never make any mistakes; those who are dead, those yet unborn, and those who have never done anything. I am sure, of course, that you are not among the first two classifications, and I trust that you are not one of those who have never done anything. Therefore, if you are saved and filled with God's Spirit, there is certainly a possibility of making a mistake, but we can be assured that God will not hold this against us, and we can go on serving Him faithfully, having His smile of approval upon our lives.

Maturity

The fourth thought is that of maturity. Here we must remember that there is a difference between purity and maturity. Our hearts may be pure, and yet we are not mature Christians. The new birth brings us into the family of God, making us sons and daughters of the Most High. Sanctification cleanses our hearts and fills us with the Holy Spirit; then we are in a position to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christian maturity comes as a result of growth and development. Purity is an obtainment; maturity is an attainment. Purity is moral cleanness; maturity is moral stature. Purity is the work of destruction; maturity is the work of construction. Purity is a crisis; maturity is a process. To have the heart cleansed and to be filled with the Spirit is not the final goal of the Christian, but is only the gateway into the blessings of the Christian life.

There is always more beyond. God said to Joshua after he had been in the land a long time, "There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." Joshua 13:1 What He said to Joshua, I am sure could be said to each one of us in our Christian life and experience. There remains much land ahead of us in various realms. Much land ahead to be possessed in Christian living; in the Word of God; in Christian work -- especially in the effectiveness of that work; and also in the realm of Christian experience. While sanctified people are likely to make mistakes because of mental infirmities and physical limitations, it is nevertheless true that the liabilities are not so great and the mistakes perhaps not so numerous, owing to the fact that they are walking in the clear light of God, and hence have keener discernment, a clearer vision, and quicker moral perception.

A man working in the clear light of the noon-day sun is certainly not as likely to stumble as he who walks in the shadows. Doubtless because some have failed to distinguish between mistakes and sins, they have concluded they could not live the Spirit-filled life and consequently concluded also that no one else could live this life. We conclude this thought, then, by saying that sanctification does not produce infallibility but a holy heart. We should be thankful to God that we can have a holy heart, and in the sight of God, can live a holy life.

Uniformity

Finally, let me say that sanctification does not produce uniformity; in fact, this would not be, or is not desirable. In John 17 Jesus prayed that His disciples might be sanctified, that they might be one, that the world might believe. This is sanctification, in order to unification, in order to evanglization. When we speak of unity, there are some who seem to think that we mean uniformity, and because they do not find uniformity, they seem to have the idea that we do not have unity, and therefore there is no such thing as sanctification or the Spirit-filled life. This certainly would be a monotonous world in which to live if we would all think alike, act alike, dress alike, and so on. Someone has said that there are Irish "taters," sweet "taters," commentators, but the worst kind of a "tater" is an imitator, and I am sure God does not desire imitators in His kingdom. He does not change our personality; He does not make us like someone else, but He gives us an experience that exactly suits our own personality and our own make-up. To be sure, many times the personality of the individual is beautified and becomes more attractive after an individual is saved and filled with the Spirit, but we should not seek something that will cause us to appear or act like another individual.

Many churches and preachers have seriously impaired their ministry because they insisted on uniformity. Some seem to feel that we must act and talk just as they did on the day of Pentecost, or we have not been filled with the Holy Ghost. The important thing is not to seek something that will make us all speak with other tongues, but to seek that which will enable us to use the tongue we have to the glory of God. We may be well saved and sanctified and yet differ in our abilities. Jesus recognized this in the parable of the talents. The question is not whether we have as many talents as our fellow church member, or a fellow minister, but are the talents which God has given us sanctified and being used for His glory?

I am also sure that those who are filled with the Spirit will not always think alike. Their minds will differ. We will never be able to think alike on the practical things of life. Some will see things in one light, and some in another. We do not think alike doctrinally. We cannot all think alike regarding the doctrine of water baptism, the doctrine of divine healing, the doctrine of the second coming of Christ and so on. I fear that many people have given way to unkind criticism because the opinions of others did not always coincide with theirs. May God help us to have the Christ-like spirit of tolerance that seems to be lacking in many circles.

I am not asking for the broad shallowness that is leading us into compromise, but that we have a Christlike consideration for our fellowmen who are serving the Lord to the best of their ability and who may not always see as we do. I am sure we do well to study carefully the admonition of the Apostle Paul when he says, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3.

These are a few of the things that sanctification will not do for us. I am sure if we ask God to help us to be sane and sound in our study and interpretation of the scriptures, it will save us much confusion. Paul has said in our text, "Let us remember that we have this treasure in earthen vessels."

We are still human, and the failure to realize this will cause considerable difficulty. Carnality is wilful rebellion. Thank God, provision has been made for that, but humanity is weakness, rather than willfulness. If you are a believer, if you have been born into the family of God, your sin.s are forgiven; but if you are conscious of the fact that there is something in your heart that should not be there, I am glad to tell you that right now God can cleanse you and fill you with His Holy Spirit. If you will right now consecrate your all to God, ask the Holy Spirit to come into your heart, you will be the possessor of a new joy, love, power, and a new effectiveness in your Christian life. May God bless you and help you to follow the leadings of the Spirit is my prayer.

Note: This is the last of a five series radio broadcast originally aired from June 15 - August 3, 1947. Let God Lead Us will be posting all the sermons in the series as follows: 1) Sanctification, what is it? 2) Sanctification, whom is it for? 3) Sanctification, when obtained? 4) Sanctification, why necessary. 5) Sanctification, what it will not do.

Sanctification, Why Necessary?

by Dr. Quinton J. Everest

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17.

Dr. Quinton J. Everest, was the speaker for Your Worship Hour which was heard around the world for over fifty years. He and Seth Rohrer were two of the founders of Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana and the Everest-Rohrer Chapel pictured above is named in their honor.

"And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith."

Acts 15:8, 9.

All anyone needs to do to realize the necessity of the sanctified life is to take a look at the Pre-Pentecostal church and at any Christian or church today that ignores or rejects this important truth.

E. Stanley Jones in his book, "The Christ of Every Road," says: "The church is living between Easter and Pentecost. Easter stands for life wrought out, offered; Pentecost stands for life appropriated, lived to its full, unafraid and clearly and powerfully witnessing to an adequate way of human living.

"The church stands hesitant between the two. Hesitant, hence comparatively impotent. Something big has dawned on its thinking -- Christ has lived, taught, died, and risen again and has commissioned the church with the amazing Good News. But something big has yet to dawn in the very structure, make-up, and temper of the life of the church -- Pentecost. Easter has dawned; Pentecost has not. If the church would move up from that between-state to Pentecost, nothing could stop it -- nothing!"

There isn't any question but what this is true. We are confronted with great needs and find ourselves inadequate to meet them. If the Apostles and their associates would have failed to "wait for the promise of the Father," Acts 1:4.

The early church would have been utterly and completely defeated. The great business of the church is to present Christ to a lost world. The world needs to know of the virgin-born Son of God, of the miracles, of the cross, the blood, the resurrection, the ascension, and the ministry of intercession. The only organism, the only body, the only group that can make this great message known is the true church filled with the Holy Ghost. Peter and the rest of the Apostles were not filled with the Holy Ghost just to enjoy a personal experience or blessing, but to be a blessing. They were saved and sanctified to serve.

Samuel Chadwick says, "The church is the body of Christ, and the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. He fills the body, directs its movements, controls its members, inspires its wisdom, supplies its strength. He guides into truth, sanctifies its agents, and empowers for witnessing. The church that is managed instead of God-governed is doomed to failure. A ministry that is college-trained, but not Spirit-filled, works no miracles. The church that multiplies committees and neglects prayer may be fussy, noisy, enterprising, but it labors in vain and spends its strength for naught."

What we need my friends, is purity of heart and power for service. We can run an organization without God the Holy Spirit, but if the church is to fulfill its God-given mission, she must experience the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost.

Purity

The negative phase of sanctification or purity of heart is necessary before there can be the impartation of power. Purity of heart is to meet my need.

Propagating Power is to meet the need of a lost world. Before the need of a lost world can be met, the individual needs of Christians must be supplied. Jesus was very clear in His command that the disciples were to wait for the promise of the Father before going into the world with the message of salvation. Examining the lives of the disciples before and after Pentecost, I am sure one of the great problems was not to get them to see the necessity of being filled with the Holy Spirit, but to get them to see the need of being cleansed of their self-seeking and carnal spirit. Perhaps the ten days were not so much for the purpose of infilling as emptying and cleansing. Many people today would have been filled with the Holy Spirit long ago had they been willing for God to cleanse and purify their hearts.

A minister heard a servant of God preach on entire sanctification. He told the speaker that he agreed that there was a baptism with the Holy Ghost and that he felt the need of it and was seeking it. "But," said he, "I do not care for your teaching on entire sanctification or heart cleansing." The speaker told this minister that if he ever got the gift of the Holy Ghost, he would have to take entire sanctification with it, for the first thing the baptism with the Holy Ghost does is to cleanse the heart from all sin. He later permitted God to sanctify him and was filled with the Holy Spirit and mightily empowered to work for God.

Many have looked at the results of Pentecost and the results of other Spirit-filled lives and desired to possess such power, but were unwilling to permit God to cleanse the heart. The great hindrance in the hearts of God's children is that dark, defiant, destructive, evil something that struggles for the mastery of the soul. It refuses to be meek, lowly, patient, forbearing, and holy.

In our text, Peter is reiterating the time when the people on the day of Pentecost and the people at the house of Cornelius were filled with the Holy Ghost. Evidently the purifying effect of that occasion made a deep and lasting impression upon him, for years afterward in the Council of Jerusalem he stood up and affirmed that when they were filled with the Holy Ghost, their hearts were purified.

When unsanctified men see themselves as God sees them, it is not so much the need of power, but the lack of purity that troubles them. This is illustrated in the life of the Prophet Isaiah. He had a vision of the Lord upon His throne, and he cried out, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts," Isaiah 6:5.

The scene that follows is then one of purification.

Power

The natural consequence of purity is power. Even a man who lives a clean, moral, respectable life has a certain power which a vile, cursing, liquor-drinking man does not possess. Men are not influential because they are vile sinners, but many men, even though they may lack in ability and education, if they live good lives are admired and have a dignity and power about them which others do not possess. If a certain amount of outward correctness of conduct increases influence and has a certain power connected with it, how much more powerful will be the life that is cleansed by the power of God. It will not only be the power of good living, but it will also be the power of the Holy Ghost emanating from the life. Unquestionably this power is needed to live victorious over the world. We need to be,

"Dead to the world and all its toys,

Its idle pomp and fading joys."

The world has mastered many a church and professor of religion. The Laodicean church characteristics picture to us the church of the present day. This Laodicean church boasts that she is "Rich and increased with goods, and has need of nothing."

But God says, "Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Revelation 3:17. They were neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm. Present-day conditions could not be more clearly depicted. Subtle and sneering influences are producing distrust and unbelief in the definite works wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit. The blood of Christ is underestimated. The miraculous is rejected. Repentance is replaced with reformation and good works. The witness of the Spirit is called "misguided emotion." Real, genuine, scriptural revivals are scarce. An increasing number of professors of religion dance, play cards, attend theaters, dress immodestly, and read the Sunday newspapers instead of the Bible. Only a fraction of one percent go to mid-week prayer meeting. Very few are found in Sunday evening services. In some instances, pulpit fads, sensational, programs, and extravagant methods are used to catch the masses, but they are many times sent away from such a service less susceptible to the real Gospel than when they came. Surely the world has invaded the church or perhaps I should say the church has invited the world. Many leaders are wondering what to do. They want to know how to get back the old-time power and how to get the world out of the church. My friends, when we are willing to let God in our lives and in our churches, the world will go out. The two never dwell together. Worldly power, position, and fame are ruled out when the Holy Ghost comes in. Paul said, "The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14.

They whipped, stoned, and imprisoned his body and finally cut off his head, but his soul was free. The Apostle had the Holy Spirit in his life, and as a result had power over the world. This same power is for you; it is for the church, and it is the only power that will do for us what needs to be done.

There is also power over the flesh. God has given us desires for self-preservation and race propagation. These desires are normal and legitimate, but the devil perverts them to wrong uses. Every Christian needs the power of the Holy Ghost in his life to enable him to live victorious over the flesh. When the Holy Ghost enters a man's heart, He does not destroy these desires, but He purifies and regulates them. I know men, who for years, used tobacco and liquor and were given to other sinful habits. God saved and delivered them from these things in regeneration, but in some instances at least, it took the fullness of the Holy Ghost's power to enable them to overcome the temptations that came to them later on.

Again, let me say that we need the Holy Ghost in our lives to overcome the power of the devil. Some would have us believe that there is no personal devil, but I would like to ask, what is the source of all the present-day evil if there is no devil? Jesus knew all too well that there was a devil; the Apostles knew it, and I am sure you know it. He is constantly busy seeking to destroy the work of God and damn the souls of men. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, we can overcome and outwit Satan. Power over all evil and over Satan is God's promise to His children. If you do not have this power, I entreat you to yield yourself fully to Him and ask in faith, and you shall receive.

Unity

Sanctification is also necessary in order to unity. In John 17, Jesus said, "Sanctify them.. that they all may be one." Verses 17, 21

What we want is not some blessing that will make us independent of the Lord Jesus, but something that will make us one with Him -- one in desire, one in will, one in motive, and one in God's desire for the salvation of a lost world. If this is not what we are seeking, we will get little that is of any value. Religion does not consist alone of ecstasies, emotions, thrills, and talking in tongues. It is rather that which brings me into oneness with Christ, not only in a life of holiness, but also in a desire to help a lost world find Christ. Some people are always wanting something that will make them feel good -- something that will give them a thrill. What is needed far more than that is the Holy Spirit Who will help us to look at the world as He looks at it, feel as He feels, love and walk as He loved and walked in the person of Jesus.

This vital unity with Christ will also produce a unity in the church. The same Holy Spirit dwelling in all the hearts of the believers will enable them to love one another and work together with love and consideration. There would be fewer church feuds and factions if the Holy Ghost's sanctifying power would be experienced by each individual.

If time would permit, we could speak of Sanctification as necessary to bear reproach, to bring us to the place of perfect obedience, etc., but we will close by saying that it is necessary in order to be prepared for the Second coming of Christ. Paul says in I Thessalonians 5:23, "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." In Titus 2:13 and 14 Paul says: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Holiness of heart and the second coming of Christ are vitally connected. Surely it would be an embarrassing, disappointing thing if Jesus would come and find in our hearts envy, pride, malice, uncharitableness, unbelief, unconcern, the fear of man, and the shame of the cross. I don't know how much of these things you want in your heart, but as for me, I want to have everything taken out of my heart that is foreign to God's will. When God says, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord," Hebrews 12:14.

I believe He means just that. If He has made provisions for me to have a holy heart, then it is my business to accept those provisions. If I reject them, it will mean that I will have to take the consequences. Someone says, "Oh! we must have a little sin in our lives to keep us humble." Someone has said also that if we really believed that and if it were true, the devil would be the humblest creature in all God's creation. Any man with the smallest amount of judgment knows that such a thing is not true. It takes the grace of God to make and keep men humble.

The sanctifying baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire is an important part of the preparedness and fitness for the second coming of Christ. My friend, God has revealed this need to you. He calls you to a life of heart purity and propagating power. He calls you to unity and love. With the Holy Spirit's revelation before you, only Christ as your sanctification, appropriated and put on, can make you ready for His appearing.

May God bless and help you to accept that which He has provided for you.

Note: This is the fourth of a five series radio broadcast originally aired from June 15 - August 3, 1947. Let God Lead Us will be posting all the sermons in the series as follows: 1) Sanctification, what is it? 2) Sanctification, whom is it for? 3) Sanctification, when obtained? 4) Sanctification, why necessary. 5) Sanctification, what it will not do.

The Testimony of Charles G. Finney

Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was a Presbyterian minister who became an important figure in the Second Great Awakening. His influence during this period was enough that he has been called "The Father of Modern Revivalism".

(from the “Life of Charles G. Finney” by A. M. Hills)

On a Sabbath evening in early October, 1821, when Finney was past twenty-nine years old, he deliberately made up his mind that he would settle the question of his soul's salvation at once, and, if it were possible, would make his peace with God. On Monday and Tuesday he was not much occupied, and read his Bible, and engaged in prayer most of the time. But when he began to seek God in real earnest, it developed that he was very proud without knowing it. He became ashamed to let any one know of his seriousness. He stopped up the keyholes of his room and office, and only whispered his prayer, ashamed to have it said of him, as of Saul, "Behold, he prayeth!" Before that time his Bible had laid openly on the table in his office among his law books; now, from wicked shame, he hid it from the sight of others. Like other convicted sinners, he resorted to the familiar device of hiding away from his pastor and all others who might have the slightest concern in his salvation. The wicked cowardice of a guilty sinner! Tuesday night the conviction was so great that he thought he should die; and he knew, if he did, that he would sink down to hell. Wednesday morning an inward voice seemed to say to him: "What are you waiting for? Did you not promise to give your heart to God? And what are you trying to do? Are you endeavoring to work out a righteousness of your own?"

He had started for his office, and was in the street, when the voice spoke to him. "Just at this point," he says, "the whole plan of salvation opened to my mind in a most wonderful manner. I saw the atonement of Christ was a finished work as clearly as I ever saw it in my life. Gospel salvation seemed to me to be the offer of something to be accepted, and that it was full and complete, and that all that was necessary on my part was to get my own consent to give up my sins and accept Christ." "I had stopped in the street, where the inward voice seemed to arrest me. How long I remained in that position, I can not say; but, after this distinct revelation had stood for some time before my mind, the question was put, 'Will you accept it now, today?' I replied, 'I will accept it today, or I will die in the attempt.'" He started for the woods to pray; but again his pride appeared, and he found himself skulking along under the fence, for fear some one might see him. As he entered the woods, he said, "I will give my heart to God, or I will never come down from there."

A quarter of a mile in the woods he crept into a covert where great trees had fallen across each other, making a closet for him. He thought that he could be alone where he might pray freely and not be overheard! But lo! when he came to try, he was dumb; he had nothing to say to God! He found himself fast verging to despair, and he cried, "My heart is dead to God, and will not pray!"

He thought several times he heard a noise, and he stopped to listen and see if any one was overhearing him. Then and there the senseless, wicked pride of his heart was revealed to him. "An overwhelming sense of the wickedness of being ashamed to have a human being see me on my knees before God took powerful possession of me. The sin appeared awful, infinite! 'What!' I said, 'such a degraded sinner as I am, on my knees, confessing my sins to a great and holy God, and ashamed to have any human being, and a sinner like myself, find me on my knees, endeavoring to make my peace with an offended God!' It broke me down before the Lord. I cried at the top of my voice that I would not leave that place if all the men on earth and all the devils in hell surrounded me." Then his heart was melted, and his tongue was loosed, and he could pray.

The Spirit brought a promise to his mind: "Then shall ye go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. Then shall ye seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for me with all your heart." He seized upon the heavenly promise with the grasp of a drowning man, and cried, "Lord, I take Thee at Thy word!"

He continued thus to pray and appropriate promises for a long time, until he found himself tripping through the bushes on the way to the road, and saying, "If ever I am converted, I will preach the gospel." In his ignorance he did not realize that peace with God had come, and he was already converted.

He reached the village, and found that it was noon. He had spent the whole forenoon with God. Such a wonderful quiet and peace had come to his soul; all sense of sin and all consciousness of guilt had so completely departed, and his repose of mind was so unspeakably great that he thought he must have grieved the Holy Spirit entirely away. But no burden came back. And when, after dinner, he took down his bass-viol and began to sing a sacred hymn, his whole heart melted before God, and he began to weep.

And now began the spiritual wonders of this wonderful life. Night came on. Squire Wright bade him good-night, and went home. He built a fire in the front room of his office, and went to the back room to pray. He says:

"There was neither light nor fire in the room; nevertheless it suddenly appeared perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door after me, it seems as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me at the time, nor for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. I have always since regarded this as a most remarkable state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality that He stood before me, and I fell down at His feet, and poured out my soul to Him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed His feet with my tears. I must have continued in that state a good while, absorbed with the interview. I returned to the front office, and found that the fire that I had made of large wood was nearly burned out. But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism with the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression like a wave of electricity going through and through me. Indeed, it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love. It seemed like the very breath of God.

"No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart. These waves came over me and over me and over me, until I cried out: 'I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me. Lord, I can not bear any more!"

The next morning these marvelous experiences were repeated, till he was overwhelmed with the baptism, with the Spirit, and with the resulting emotions. He wept aloud, and poured out his soul to God.

I question if there is a parallel to this in all the literature of the saints -- a man receiving such a baptism with the Spirit so soon after conversion, without asking for it or expecting it, and when he was too utterly ignorant of the whole subject to even think about it. In this instance God seems to have stepped beyond the bounds of His ordinary method of conferring the great gift. Finney was the instrument God wanted, and He used His sovereign right to deal with him spiritually after an unusual manner, and equip him at once for a matchless service.

Sanctification, When Obtained?

by Dr. Quinton J. Everest

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17.

Dr. Quinton J. Everest, was the speaker for Your Worship Hour which was heard around the world for over fifty years. He and Seth Rohrer were two of the founders of Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana and the Everest-Rohrer Chapel pictured above is named in their honor.

"And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Acts 15:8, 9.

"Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" Acts 19:2.

The past two Sundays we have considered Sanctification -- "What It Is" and "Whom It is for." Today we will consider when it is obtained. I am sure we will find an answer to this question if we search sincerely and with open hearts. Certainly we should be interested in defending the doctrines of God's Word -- as Jude says, "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." vs. 3.

However, I am not primarily interested in defending a doctrine, but desirous of presenting a truth which needs a definite and sane reemphasis in the day in which we are living.

If because of an impure heart condition and if because of the need of spiritual power, the disciples and others in Jesus' day needed to be sanctified, surely it can be said without fear of contradiction that the need of this experience is equally as great today. If God's sanctifying power is needed to purify the heart and to empower for effective Christian living and service, where is the honest, sincere Christian who would object to the application of this sanctifying grace? Surely every one of you Christians listening to me is interested in having all that God has for you, and furthermore, you are no doubt interested in the greatest possible advancement of Christ's cause. This being true, I trust you will prayerfully consider whether you have been sanctified and filled with the Spirit.

When? -- Subsequent To Conversion

As we study the scriptures and as we consider Christian experience, we are impressed with the fact that "the when (or the time) of sanctification" is an important phase of this doctrine. If every individual is sanctified when he is born again, then, of course, we need not spend much time in urging sanctification. As I said last week, sanctification is begun in the New Birth, but if Jesus' words are true in John 17:17, we know that there is still a further work of sanctification necessary.

Some attempt to prove that sanctification or the Baptism with the Holy Ghost is not subsequent to regeneration by stating that the Apostles and their company were only converted on the day of Pentecost. We soon realize that this statement and theory is false when we consider such passages as Luke 10:20 where Jesus said to the disciples, "Rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."

Anyone knows that evil spirits are not subject to sinners, but sinners are subject to evil spirits. Here we see that evil spirits were subject to the disciples; therefore, the disciples were not sinners. We know also that sinners' names are not written in Heaven, but here Jesus says that the disciples' names are written in Heaven; therefore, the disciples were not sinners, When we remember that these words of Jesus were uttered some months before the baptism at Pentecost, we are forced to the conclusion that the disciples were pardoned, regenerated men long before they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Jesus also says in John 17:12: "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition."

If none of them were lost but Judas, then the eleven disciples were saved. This statement was made before Pentecost. In the sixteenth verse Jesus also says, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

Any candid mind reading chapters 14 to 17 of St. John cannot ask for further proof that the disciples were regenerated men long before their sanctification by the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Again, consider the revival held by Philip at Samaria. A genuine work of grace was performed in the hearts of the Samaritans. We read that: "The people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake... unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them... And there was great joy in the city." Acts 8:6.

We can be sure that the great joy was not among sinners, who rejected Philip's message. Those who rejoiced were of the number out of whom the unclean spirits had been cast, and others who, believing the Gospel message, had forsaken their sins and accepted Christ. We read further that, "When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women," Verse 12.

Luke then goes on clearly revealing what follows the regeneration and baptism of these Samaritan converts: "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: For as yet he was fallen upon none of them," Verses 14-16.

Surely nothing could be more plain or clear. They had received the word and believed in Jesus; the unclean spirits had been cast out of them; they had great joy and had been baptized. No one would dare say that they were not forgiven and made children of God. But they had not yet received the Holy Ghost. We note, however, that when Peter and John prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost and laid their hands on them, they did receive the Holy Ghost. The ]act that they were sanctified by the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to regeneration is an undisputable fact.

Take the case of Cornelius for another illustration of the fact that sanctification is subsequent to regeneration. It certainly would be heard to doubt that Cornelius was a pardoned man prior to Peter's visit to him. The Scripture says of Cornelius that he was: "A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway." Acts 10:2.

The angel who visited him said, "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial be]ore God," Verse 4. Surely God could never say all this of a man who was still a sinner. I am sure you will agree that there is no such thing as a "devout" sinner " fearing God with all his house." God says that, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight." Proverbs 15:8.

If Cornelius had been a wicked man, his prayer and alms would not have come up for a memorial before the Lord. What he did was accepted and acceptable to the Lord; therefore, we must conclude that he was not a sinner.

But now note! Even though Cornelius obeyed, feared, and worshipped God, yet he had not received the Holy Ghost. While Peter preached to this devout, prayerful, charitable, righteous, obedient, God-fearing man, the Holy Ghost fell on him and on his household, purifying their hearts by faith. No one could ask for a clearer case of sanctification by the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to regeneration.

I could give other scriptures bearing out this same thought, but surely this is sufficient to convince any honest man or woman. Listen, my friend, have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? Have you been definitely filled with God's Holy Spirit since you became a child of God? If you have not, it is provided for you. And, furthermore, let me say that you will not be the victorious Christian that God wants you to be and that even you yourself desire to be until you are sanctified by the baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

What we need in most of our churches is not more machinery, more committees, more members, or more organization, but more of the Holy Ghost. The more of the Holy Ghost we get, the less of the world we will have, and we surely can stand less of the world. The church is being ruined and cursed with an overdose of worldly plans and programs. The only hope of the church is salvation through the blood of Christ and sanctification by the baptism with the Holy Ghost.

To every humble, believing, born-again heart in my audience, I want to say that the Comforter is promised to you. By sincere prayer and faith consecrate your redeemed and ransomed powers to the Lord, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. All through the history of the church of Christ witnesses can be found who will gladly testify from personal experience that the promise was not restricted to the few, but was promised to "All that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call," Acts 2:39.

Some have said that sanctification is a work which takes place at death. Personally I do not know of anything in the Bible to substantiate such a view. The idea of death purification springs from the false notion that sin is in matter. I am sure that just a little careful thought will prove this to be absurd. Sin is not found in wood, cloth, skin, bone, muscle, and heart of man. The body is simply an instrument of the soul and spirit within. The body will die, but the real man will live on eternally. Death, therefore, is not an entity -- it is not a purifier or sanctifier -- but it is simply the dissolution of soul and body and seals destiny. There is nothing in this dissolution to impart spiritual life or to sanctify the soul.

The Bible declares that death is an enemy, but if it could do what some have claimed, it would certainly be a friend. Jude in writing his Epistle writes to those who "are sanctified by God the Father."

He does not say sanctified by death or by some other process, but by God the Father. No, my friend, there is no saving efficacy in death. If there were, God would never have permitted His Son to suffer and die for the salvation and sanctification of lost, sinful men. If death could perform it, everyone would have his need met in the hour of death.

Still others contend that while pardon and spiritual life are realized in regeneration, heart sanctification comes as a development. That is, if we attain it at all, it must be by the long process of a silent growth. I have found that one trouble with the people who advocate this is that they never arrive. Evidently the people to whom Jude had written had arrived, for he writes to those who "are sanctified."

I have yet to meet the first person who has testified that he was sanctified by growth. I have heard thousands testify that they definitely, instantaneously experienced the sanctifying baptism with the Holy Ghost. The mistake made here is confusing purity of heart with Christian maturity. Christian maturity or ripeness comes with the flight of time, both in nature and in grace, but heart cleansing and the baptism with the Holy Ghost is to be obtained as suddenly and sensibly as pardon and regeneration. A sinner cannot grow into the experience of salvation; neither can a Christian believer grow into the experience of sanctification. Consecration and faith on the part of the Christian and the cleansing power of God are the factors producing sanctification, and when this is effected, then there are unparalleled possibilities for Christian growth.

Revelation Of Experience

The experiences of born-again individuals reveal that there is need of a further work of grace in the heart of man. It was very evident in the lives of the disciples. A study of their lives previous to and following Pentecost will reveal the fact that something definite took place. Following the infilling of the Holy Spirit, there was greater faith, a new power, and a more intense love. Selfish desires and personal interests were subservient to the plans and desires of the Spirit of God.

Of the Corinthians Paul said, "Ye are yet carnal," I Corinthians 3:3. They were in the state of prolonged babyhood. Paul had to feed them on milk when they should have been feeding on the meat of God's Word. Paul says, "I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ," Verse 1. There were among them envying, strife, and division. If many a professor of religion would search his heart and if many churches would make a bit of investigation, they would find that carnality is the thing that is causing trouble. What is needed is the sanctifying baptism of the Holy Ghost. On every hand a lack of something is felt and expressed by God's people. Their Christian experience is not all that they expected it would be. Instead of expected victory, it is oft recurring, dreaded defeat; instead of deep, abiding heart rest, it is disquiet and discontent; instead of advancing, it is losing ground. The question is -- is this life of constant disappointment the normal life of the Bible Christian? To these questions God's Word answers with an emphatic, "No!" The grand, glorious, adequate supply is the sanctifying fullness of the Holy Spirit. This fullness is the birthright of every believer. My dear listener, what have you done with your birthright? Have you claimed it, and are you this very moment living in possession of it, or are you, Esau-like, "despising your birthright?" It is my prayer that every one of you will have the desire awakened to inherit your birthright blessing.

To have our sins covered by the blood -- to have our transgressions forgiven -- is a wonderful experience, but it is also possible and is the gracious privilege of each believer to have his heart cleansed and purified, thus ridding him of all unrighteousness.

Can Be Obtained Now

Some have inquired as to the time that must elapse between the regenerating by the Spirit and the filling with the Spirit. In the case of the Apostles, a little over three years elapsed between the day when they heard the call of Christ to "Follow Him" and the day when they were "filled with the Holy Spirit." In the case of the Samaritans and Ephesians, there were a few weeks, and in the case of Saul only a few days. In a meeting where I served as evangelist, one man was both born of the Spirit and filled with the Spirit the same night. As soon as God forgave him of his sins he prayed that God would fill him with His Spirit, and his need was met. From this, we conclude that there is no definite period of time which the believer must wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but as soon as God reveals the need, there should be an obedient seeking.

Some contend that there must be a prolonged period of tarrying and that the gift of the Holy Spirit is always accompanied with "speaking in tongues." But we find that in Acts immediately when prayer was offered for the infilling of the Spirit, there was an answer. And not in every instance did they speak in tongues; in fact, Paul argues quite strongly against this in I Corinthians 14.

It is both foolish and unwise to try to force God to a certain outward manifestation. My friend, the thing you need to see is that if you have never been sanctified, it is your privilege to have this experience now. If you are definitely assured that you are justified freely, consecrate yourself and all you have to God right now. Ask Him to cleanse your heart, and you can be assured that the Holy Spirit will infill you.

The Testimony of Gordon Lilly

Rev. & Mrs. Gordon Lilly

I, Gordon Lilly, will forever be grateful for the saving, sanctifying and keeping grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I praise God for allowing me to be born into a Christian home where Christ and His Church were first place at all times. I cannot remember a time when work took priority over the church. I grew up on a farm where the work never seemed to be done. However, that did not keep our family from attending church. The word vacation was not in my father’s vocabulary. We did, however, observe the Lord’s Day religiously. On Sunday the field work stopped, although the cows were milked morning and night and the other farm animals were fed and watered. We were in church Sunday AM and PM and back in church on Wednesday night and every other night when extended evangelistic meetings were scheduled for one to two weeks. Every time the church door was open we were there. Only Sunday afternoons were rest times.

The only thing close to entertainment was listening to the radio. My father listened to little except the radio preachers, the news and farm reports. Radio gospel messages were a constant companion while I was growing up, whether in the house or in the barn. Many mornings I awoke to Mrs. D Howard Cadle singing “Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?” There was no place to hide from God’s influence. I must admit, that on the sly, I tried to listen to the Detroit Tiger’s baseball games. It was mostly futile because the radio stations were too distant to come in clearly. Some weekday nights I was able to listen to “The Lone Ranger,” and “Sky King” before father came in from his work. When he did come in the radio dial belonged to him.

I believe every child is born with a sin nature which is the cause of the wandering of every prodigal son or daughter from the things of God. My parents made heroic efforts to keep worldly influences from drawing my heart from God. I have said, in humor, “My mother was almost omniscient in detecting and heading off the sin in me.” PTL! However, because of the indwelling sin nature, I needed to be saved and was saved as a young child. I soon discovered, by experience, what the Apostle Paul described in Romans as the inability to do all he should and the inability to refrain from all he should. He then went on to describe a victorious life in Christ lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. As a young person, I was not always victorious, nor did I love Jesus with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.

I had heard the message of holiness all my life and was fully convinced of the validity of the theology. Three texts that I heard preached over and over were:

1. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

2. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification . . . .

(I Thessalonians 4:3)

3. 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 (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). This text rings in my memory. I can still hear Dr Kenneth Geiger preaching it at Prairie Street Camp in Indiana.

I was a member and traveled with the Helmsmen Quartet from Bethel College located in Mishawaka Indiana. One summer while the quartet was at the Ludlow Falls Camp in Ohio, the Holy Spirit convicted my heart of my spiritual need. The quartet was sleeping in a tent some distance from the tabernacle. Early one morning when I awoke I was under deep conviction and in the quietness of my heart I cried, “Oh God, I need you.” With that cry, the sanctifying power of God sent a deep settled peace into my soul. Previously all my spiritual striving had left me needy, but now the power of God filled and produced a victorious life which has held me steady for over 50 years. In a moment of time God made a radical change in my heart’s desires. Yes, maturity and growth were still needed and still is. By God’s grace I expect it to continue. About 20 years later I returned to Ludlow Falls Camp and was delighted to find a little prayer chapel had been built on the spot where the tent in which I was sanctified was pitched. PTL!

I am painfully aware that many who have professed the experience of sanctification have not exhibited a sanctified life. Hypocrites have always dwelt with the saints. The tares have always grown with the wheat. Only God can separate them at the end of the age. The dust had hardly settled from Pentecost when Anaias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. They came under judgment in order to keep the church pure. The failure of Anaias and Sapphira or the failure of any professed saint does not disprove the clear command of Scripture to be holy; the essence of which is loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves. Peter’s recounting of what happened at Pentecost was that their hearts were “purified by faith” (Acts 15:9). The evidence of a drastic change in Peter between John 18 and Act 2 cannot be denied. In Peter’s own words his heart was “purified by faith.” Nothing else can explain the change of a coward’s heart into a martyr’s heart. I pray that Pentecostal purity and power will return to the church and that hearts will again be “purified by faith.” If Peter’s heart was not cleansed and changed by faith he was deceived as to what took place.

In the Holy Bible I read of a God who is Holy and commands His people to be Holy. The closing chapter of the Word warns that nothing unclean will enter the Holy City and further warns that to add or take away from the Word is to forfeit our right to the Tree of Life and our right to the Holy City. Our names will also be removed from the Holy Book where the names of the saints, the Holy Ones, are recorded.