The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 516

SANCTIFICATION

476 the

first

Satanic incitement to pride, and all spiritual

unholiness

still

grows from that poisonous

and carnal

root, it is evident that

first eflEect of the implanted, holy disposition must be the humbling of this pride, the pulling down of this stronghold and at the same time the quickening of a humble, meek, and childlike

the

;

spirit.

The idea

that sanctification consists in inspiring the saint with

horror for gross and outward sins, without a previous breaking

down

of self-conceit, is unscriptural

churches.

The

and opposed by the Reformed

Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit never ap-

plies sanctification to the believer without attacking all his sins at

A

"

once.

to all the

Of tions

sincere resolution to live not only according to some, but

commandments

all sins

it is

pride

is

of

God" (Heidelberg Catechism).

the most accursed, for in

the transgression of the

first

all its

commandment.

manifesta-

Hence

real

and divinely wrought sanctification is inconceivable without, first of all, destroying pride, and creating a humble, quiet, self-distrusting, and childlike disposition. And this solves the whole difficulty. He who fears that gradual sanctification will lead to pride and self-conceit confounds its hu-

man

counterfeit with the real

work divinely wrought.

Wherefore,

with this objection, he must attack the hypocrite, and not

us.

However, a wrong interpretation of what the Scripture calls "flesh" might suggest it. If " flesh " signifies sensual inclinations and bodily appetites, and sanctification consisted almost entirely in warring against these sins, sanctification thus understood might be accompanied by an increase of spiritual pride. But by sinful " flesh " the Scripture denotes the entire man, body and soul, including sins which are spiritual as well as sensual; hence sanctification aims at once at the change of man's spiritual and sensual inclinations, and first of all at his tendency to pride. In the preceding article

we

said that sanctification included a

When the Lord raises us, we also an ascent. descend. There is no rising of the new man without a death of the old and every attempt to teach sanctification without doing full justice to both is unscriptural. We oppose, therefore, the attempts of the Pietist and of the Perfectionist, who say that they have nothing more to do with the old man, that nothing remains in them to be mortified, and that all

descent as well as

;

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