The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 501

SANCTIFICATION WITH IMMANUEL

461

" He shall receive of Mine and He shall glorify phrase, but sober reality. no empty Me." What a redeemed soul needs is a human holiness. A man must be sanctified, not an angel. The latter can not be sanctified. Once Created and fallen like Adam, he can not fallen, he is lost forever.

takes from Christ.

This

;

is

be restored like Adam.

Knowing nothing

of redemption, angels

Hence when, despite sin, God brings an innumerable company of men and angels to eternal life, He effects this by sanctifying the elect among unholy men while the elect angels need no sanctification, for they have never become unholy. desire to look into

it.

;

Sanctification refers, therefore, exclusively to 7nen ; imparts a holi-

ness

made

possible and ordained only for

human form and the human heart.

bearing a

needs of

The Holy

men

;

creates a disposition

character, calculated for the peculiar

Spirit finds this holy disposition in its required form,

not in the Father, nor in Himself, but in Immanuel, of

God and

the Son of

man possesses holiness

who

Son human

as the

in that peculiar

form.

Christ also guarantees to us this gracious

gift.

Justification

being

at once an accomplished fact does not require this, but sanctification is

gradual.

The

lack of such guaranty would

tainty concerning our

own

fill

us with doubt and uncer-

sanctification, seeing that its

beginning

and concerning that of deceased infants and persons converted late in life. Such doubts would cause us fear and rob us of the comfort of the finished work. Christ says " Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavyladen, and I will give you rest"; yet experience teaches that to is

small and progress slow

;

:

many

believers the inherent unholiness causes constant unrest.

They know forted; for it

only read,

"Be

holy,"

that in Christ they are righteous, yet they are not com-

says in His Word: " Be ye holy as I am holy." If Act holily," Christ's merits might suffice but it reads,

God "

;

and that means

inherent,

holy dispositions.

Or

if it

read, " Become holy," their gradual approach to the ideal

would inBe holy," and

them with hope. But it reads inexorably, " wounded souls to fear. Not as tho every believer is troubled on this account. Alas! many scarcely ever, and the large majority never, give the matter any thought. So long as they have reconciliation and satisfaction. spire

that causes their

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen