MARKS OF THE CHURCH:  TRUTH

JOHN 17:17-19

PART II

MAY 25, 1997

 

The New Testament calls all Christians, saints.  The misuse of that term for a certain select group of people in the past, recognized by papal canonization has served to water-down the character of Christians.  I've heard people who claim to be Christians excuse their poor evidence of godly character by saying, 'Well, I'm no saint!'  The Bible teaches that if you are not a saint, then you are not a Christian.  Even at Corinth, a church considered to be on the low-end of holy living, Paul declares that they are "saints by calling" (I Corinthians 1:2).  The effectual call of God upon a sinner sets him apart as a saint or 'a holy one'.  

 

That may be rather unnerving to some of us, but it is biblical truth that needs to be understood.  While God calls us "saints" we may admit that our behavior is often lacking saintly qualities.  We may be saints by name, but sometimes we struggle to be saints in our practice.  This is where the biblical teaching of sanctification becomes so important.  In sanctification, the Holy Spirit continually works upon those who have been justified by faith in Christ to develop them in personal and practical holiness for every area of life.  He is turning us into saints in our character and conduct.

 

In our last study, I used an illustration of Martyn Lloyd-Jones which offers one of the clearest pictures of what it means to be sanctified in the truth.  Let me utilize this again to help us think through on what is taking place in sanctification.

The gospel is not primarily concerned to remove the sores of infection, or to put us out of the danger of infection; what the gospel does is to build up our resistance to infection to such a point that it renders us immune to it.  The church is not concerned with trying to destroy the infection.  Until our Lord returns again the infection will be there; until Satan is cast into the lake burning with fire, the infection will continue.  You cannot stop it....The Christian is not primarily concerned about that.  The business of the Christian and the church and the gospel is to see that you and I take so much of the pure milk of the word and the strong meat of the word that our resistance is built up to such an extent that we can, as it were, stay in a house of infectious disease, and be absolutely immune.  The germs are there, yes, but we are filled with these anti-bodies that destroy them the moment they attack us [Sanctified Through the Truth, 18].


We are living in the world with all of its rebellion, sin, and antagonism toward our God and His gospel.  Yet we are never to be living as though we belong to that same spirit of the world.  Sanctification ensures that we continue on in our spiritual development, so that we resemble more and more our Redeemer in our character and conduct even though we remain in this world.  Our text declares that Jesus Christ not only justified us but by His work He also sanctifies us.  Christ saved us so that He might purify us to be a people that mirror His holy life.  Paul reminded Titus that Christ "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:14).  Peter rang a similar note in his first epistle, "And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness" (I Peter 2:24).  J. C. Ryle commented upon these and similar passages, "If words mean anything, they teach that Christ undertakes the sanctification, no less than the justification, of His believing people" [Holiness, 16].

 

Having looked at the meaning of sanctification, we must now proceed to understand the certainty of it.  How can we be sure that every believer will be sanctified?  Then, along with this, we must consider the God-given means of sanctification.  How does our sanctification continue?  Let's set our thoughts upon these matters, for they deal with both this life and the life to come.

 

[I.  The Meaning of Sanctification

            1.  Its relation to justification

            2.  Its relation to the whole Christian life

            3.  Its relation to eternity]

 

II. The Certainty of Sanctification

 

It seems that there are few things that are certain anymore in life.  Probably all of us could give experience upon experience in which those things we knew would transpire for us did not happen.  We have all faced disappointments due to what seemed to be certainties falling through.  I would offer to you, according to the Word of God, a certainty that you can count upon.  If you are redeemed by Jesus Christ, justified by Christ through faith in Him, you will surely be sanctified.  The Scripture leaves no room for doubt about this truth, nor does it allow for exceptions.  Christ redeemed us for the purpose of setting apart a people for Himself who might live distinctly as children of God in this depraved world.  Our text (vv. 17 and 19) explains the certainty of our sanctification.

 

1.  Prayer of Christ

 

We have been studying the great intercessory prayer of Jesus Christ for those He redeemed.  We have noticed that there are particular matters that He addresses to the Father on our behalf.  He prays for us to be kept by the Father--that is our security for all eternity.  He prays for the fullness of joy in our lives and holiness in our walks.  Now He prays, "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth." 

 

There is a simplicity in the words of this prayer.  It is not a suggestion Christ is making to the Father, as we might do sometime in our prayers.  Jesus prays with great authority.  The use of the imperative mood shows that this is a non-negotiable with our Lord.  While so many Christians spend time praying about a multitude of non-essential matters, Jesus focuses the energy of His prayer upon those few essential areas of life.  It is imperative that we be sanctified.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us of its importance, that we are to pursue "the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).  J. C. Ryle pointed out that "sanctification...is the only certain evidence of that indwelling of the Holy Spirit which is essential to salvation" [17].  He then goes on to quote Romans 8:9, "But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him."

 

Our Lord's prayer was not one of ignorance of the will of God.  He knew what we needed and what the Father demanded.  Jesus always prayed in the will of God.  He had the assurance of all of His prayers being answered because they lined up perfectly with the will of the Father.  Perhaps we struggle at this point because we are viewing the praying of Jesus with our own praying.  Often we have a low-view of prayer, thinking of it as nothing more than a wish list, but never a matter of certainty.  Jesus Christ was not flinging a casual wish list to the Father.  He prayed authoritatively as our Great High Priest with the certain confidence that whatever He asked the Father would do.  He asked the Father to sanctify us who have believed.  He had the confidence that the Father will do this.

 

Remember how the Lord told the disciples that as they prayed to the Father they  were to ask in His name (John 16:23-24)?  We saw in that study of the Word that to pray in Christ's name is to pray with the authority of asking according to God's will.  It is praying with the image of Christ stamped upon the prayer.  To pray in His name is to pray His prayers.  His prayers are always answered by the Father.

 

So, the very fact that He prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth," assures us that the Father will do it.  That is why sanctification is an evidence that we have been justified.  For if you have one work you will also have the other.  They go together.  Just as the Father will "keep" those who are in Christ for all eternity, He will "sanctify them" as well.  We have the assurance of our sanctification because Christ prayed for it to take place.

 

2.  Provision of Christ

 

The certainty of our sanctification is two-fold.  First, Christ prayed for our sanctification and we know that His prayers are always answered.  Second, Christ sanctified Himself so that we might be sanctified.  Notice verse 19.  "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified."  What did Jesus mean by sanctifying Himself?

 

In knowing the character of Jesus Christ we affirm that He could not add to His holiness.  He is God.  God is infinitely holy.  There are no deficiencies in His character nor failings in His conduct.  There was never the least hint of sin or disobedience or impurity in our Lord.  So it is obvious that Jesus is using the term, "I sanctify Myself," to refer to a specific act of being set apart rather than as an improvement in His moral condition of life.

 

This points us to the subject of the early portion of this prayer.  There Jesus referred to "having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do" (17:4).  It was the suffering of the cross and the glory of the resurrection for which He sanctified Himself.  That is, He set Himself apart, willingly and freely, for the work of redeeming sinners.

 

Notice that He prays, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself."  It was not for Him but for us that He sanctified or set Himself apart to face the ignominy of crucifixion.  Christ's suffering was vicarious, that is, it was on our behalf or for our sakes.  He left heaven to be clothed in humanity in the Incarnation for our sakes.  He fulfilled the Law and all righteousness for our sakes.  He faced shame, humiliation, and suffering for our sakes.  He was tempted in all points as we are, yet He remained without sin for our sakes.  He endured the agony of bearing our sin in His own body on the cross and being separated from the Father because of the repulsiveness of His condition as the sin-bearer; again, for our sakes.  He faced the eternal and infinite measure of suffering under the weight of divine wrath toward sinners for our sakes.  He bore the agony of the hell we deserve for our sakes.  He remained in the grave for three days for our sakes.  He rose from the dead by the glory of the Father for our sakes.  He ascended to the right hand of the Father to continue interceding for us as our Great High Priest; again, for our sakes.  

 

Why did He do all of this?  "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth."  Apart from what Christ did vicariously, we have no sanctification.  This shows the essential marriage of justification and sanctification through the work of Christ.  Our Lord removed the enmity between us and God through the sacrifice of His own life.  There is a consciousness that develops in the believer that the enmity has been removed, so that there is now "no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).  By that act on our behalf He redeemed us.  He paid the eternal debt of our sin as part of the fallen race of humanity, so that we might be freed from the curse that fell upon Adam and upon all His heritage.  He not only redeemed us from the "bondage under the elemental things of the world," but He adopted us as sons, so that the Spirit has been sent forth into our hearts and we cry, 'Abba! Father!' as sons of God (Gal. 4:3-6).  Our sanctification is simply living out our sonship in God's family.  

 

Jesus Christ secured our sanctification through His work on behalf of us.  Just as He secured our justification, He also secured our sanctification; that is the essential meaning of this verse.  Those whom He has justified, He will also sanctify.  And rightly so, for He has given to us a new nature, He has made us partakers of His own divine nature, He has placed a new disposition for holiness within us.  As Martyn Lloyd-Jones expressed it, "He is 'the first born among many brethren', the beginning of a new humanity.  He is starting a new race of man, and we who are put into him become the beneficiaries of everything that is true of him" [41].  The work of Christ secures a new life for us, one that is "created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Eph. 4:24).  Remember, in sanctification we are not just getting rid of some unwanted things in our lives, but we are putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh in living out its lusts and desires (Romans 13:14).  We are living as Christ lived.  He has given to us what is necessary for us to grow as sons and daughters of the King of kings.  We are no longer enemies, but sons.  Sanctification is that great work that will surely take place in all who are truly sons of God through the new birth.  Jesus' prayer and His vicarious work makes this a certainty.

 

III. The Means of Sanctification

 

We know that we are justified through no contribution on our part.  Our justification comes wholly through the righteousness of Christ, actively and passively, on our behalf.  We can work hard, doing everything right before God and not add one speck to our justification.  But that is not true with our sanctification.  Justification is complete and whole, in and through Christ.  Sanctification begins in Him and continues by the work of the Spirit and our work as well.

 

I would commend the reading of the 19th century Anglican bishop, J. C. Ryle, in his work entitled, Holiness, as being one of the clearest studies on sanctification.  I have taken a quotation from his book which helps us to see this distinction between justification and sanctification, as well as the means to sanctification.

The righteousness we have by our justification is not our own, but the everlasting perfect righteousness of our great Mediator Christ, imputed to us, and made our own by faith.  The righteousness we have by sanctification is our own righteousness, imparted, inherent and wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, but mingled with much infirmity and imperfection....

 

In justification our own works have no place at all and simple faith in Christ is the one thing needful.  In sanctification our own works are of vast importance, and God bids us fight and watch and pray and strive and take pains and labour....

 

Justification is a finished and complete work, and a man is perfectly justified the moment he believes.  Sanctification is an imperfect work, comparatively, and will never be perfected until we reach heaven.   [Holiness, Durham, England: Evangelical Press, first published 1879, reprinted in 1995, p. 29]


The means for our sanctification is made clear in our text.  "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth."  If there were no other passages dealing with the veracity or truthfulness of God's Word than this one, it would be enough.  For the very certainty of our sanctification, without which we cannot see the Lord, is dependent upon the truth of God, which is His Word.  While there are many things that help us in our Christian lives, the one thing that our Lord states to be the means for our sanctification is God's Word.  What did He mean by this statement?  How does the Word of truth sanctify us?

 

1.  Within the realm of truth

 

When our Lord speaks of "truth," He is referring to something that is identifiable.  There are many things which we consider to be 'truths' in the natural realm of life.  If I stand on the edge of the roof in this building then take a step forward, it is a truth that I will descend rapidly to the ground.  If I said that I believed I would be suspended in mid-air, it might be my belief, but it would not be a truth.  Now, if I did this same thing but I was standing on the edge of the Mir space station, I would not descend, but I would be suspended in space.  My location would dictate the limitations of that truth for the natural realm.  But our Lord was not speaking of truths in the natural order of the world as such.  He was speaking of something much greater, something eternal, unchanging; always true in all situations, circumstances, and locations.  "Thy word is truth," identifies precisely what Jesus Christ meant was the means of our sanctification.

 

We are of all men most blessed, for we have the truth of God recorded for us and available for all of us to read:  the Bible, God's Word.  The Bible is the revelation of God to man.  It does not simply contain the word of God, it is the Word of God.  It is not the Bible plus the Book of Mormon that is truth.  Nor is it the Bible plus the Koran which is the truth.  Nor is it the Bible plus someone's personal revelations from God which is truth.  It is the Bible; nothing more, nothing less that is the truth of God.  

 

I am amazed at the people, even those claiming to be evangelical Christians, who think that we need something more than what God has given to us in His Word.  How can we add to this perfect book?  Have we even begun to fathom the depths of its wisdom and storehouse of knowledge?  Have we come close to understanding all that it reveals of the Godhead, the workings and ways of God, and the fullness of God's character?  Have we grasped all that is meant even in the first four words of this Book, "In the beginning God"?  

 

It is this Book that is the means of our sanctification.  But specifically, it is the whole of truth which we can identify in God's Word that becomes the instrument He uses to sanctify us.  It is not just a few areas of the Bible for which we may have a special interest, but it is "the whole counsel of God" that is necessary for our sanctification.

 

The Bible is not to be viewed as a novel or a history book.  It is a book of truth; THE BOOK OF THE TRUTH.  It is as we begin to read the Word of God or listen to the Word of God or discuss the Word of God or meditate upon the Word of God that its truths begin to sink into our minds and hearts.  This is when we begin to see it as not just a great book but as truth, the truth of God.  It is truth which we find ourselves applying constantly and living in daily.

 

I would propose to you that many Christians, without realizing it, say they believe the Bible to be the Word of God, but they have not been much affected by truth.  They read the Bible, they memorize verses, they can state various historical or even doctrinal issues.  But they have failed to be gripped by the reality that it is truth.  The Bible is true, they would say.  But is it truth?  Has its life-giving message so consumed my thoughts and mind that I realize I cannot live without it, yes, I dare not even try to live without it?   My great longing and passion is to be filled with this truth, letting it sink deeply into my life, and producing the wonderful fruit of righteousness.

 

We understand the Bible to be truth when we take the time to read, study, and listen to it so that we properly interpret it.  If I read a passage from God's Word, but interpret it wrongly, my wrong interpretation is not truth.  The Bible is truth but my incorrect interpretation is not.  So I may change my views, amend my lifestyle, and go through all sorts of new practices based upon my incorrect interpretation of Scripture.  I may be very satisfied that I am doing the right thing.  I may find great fulfillment in this.  But I have deceived myself.  Staking my life on incorrect interpretations does not sanctify me in the truth.

 

So, we must not only read, study, listen to, and meditate upon God's Word, but we must also seek to "rightly divide the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15).  We must give all diligence to this matter for the measure of our sanctification depends upon our handling truth properly.

 

The truth of God's Word will teach us more of what Christ has done for us so that our faith is strengthened, our stand against Satan is solidified, and our joy is made full.  The truth of the Word will also instruct us in those things that we are to refrain from, on the one hand, and pursue, on the other hand.  I don't believe that I am simplistic in stating that the epistles, for the most part, give us the instruction of truth for our sanctification, along with the gospels as well.  It seems that the intent of so many of the epistles is to ground believers in the truths of the gospel, then instruct them in the practice of godliness for their sanctification (e.g., I Corinthians, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Titus, I Peter, I John).  "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth."

 

This is why we must all be a people of the Word.  You cannot be sanctified apart from the Word.  You will slow and hinder your sanctification by neglecting the Word, whether in its public teaching and proclamation, or in your own personal reading, study, and meditation upon the Word.  Some people are lop-sided in the matter of truth.  Perhaps they are regular in attending the preaching and teaching of the Word, but weak in personal reading, study, and meditation upon it.  Or perhaps they are faithful in the personal level of reading, study, and meditation on the Word, but inconsistent in attending its proclamation and teaching.  I believe that both of these areas are vital to a balanced growth and continued sanctification in our lives.  And I would add, it is imperative that we seek to understand the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) and not simply zero in on those things with which we may be comfortable.  Satan wants to keep us ignorant of the truth because he knows that when we are hindered in our sanctification we will inevitably be ineffective in our mission in this world (17:18).

 

2.  Through the revelation of truth

 

We have already seen in our study of verses 6-8 that truth is revealed to us.  It is not simply something we can sit down anytime, read in a book, and grasp it as truth.  It is something which the Holy Spirit manifests to us or drives home to our minds.  This is why our study of the Word and our hearing the Word should always be with the utmost seriousness and prayerful attentiveness.  We need to be seized by the fact that when the Word of God is read or expounded, God is speaking to us through His Word!  "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth."

 

The word 'truth' implies something that can be stated propositionally.  It is "the content of Christianity as the absolute truth" [BAG, 35].  So, we are not speaking of something that you 'feel to be true', though truth is something that affects your feelings.  Instead, we are referring to that which can be stated in principles, doctrines, and precepts.  You can discuss it.  You can think about it.  You can mull it around throughout the day.  You can write it on paper, though sometimes the depths of it cannot be expressed by our feeble vocabularies.  

 

It is truth that reverberates in your mind.  It excites you and delights you at times.  Or it may convict you and melt your heart at other times.  It is not a lifeless idea connected to nothing, but the voice of God speaking through the written word and commanding your undivided attention.

 

Do you have this kind of interest in the truth of God?  I spoke with a young man this week who told me of sitting in his church and hearing a preacher read a verse from God's Word, then spending the next thirty-five minutes telling jokes and stories.  He was grieved over that abuse of the Word of God.  But even more so, he was grieved because truth had not been spoken to feed his soul, enrich his mind, and nourish his walk with Christ.  For those who are being sanctified, only the truth of God can satisfy their minds and souls.

 

3.  By the application of truth

 

Lest there be any misunderstanding concerning this matter of truth, I am not speaking of a mere academic knowledge of truth.  No indeed!  I'm speaking of applying the truth to every part of your life.  But the order must first be understood.  "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth."  

 

First, the truth affects our minds and understanding.  We see the biblical pattern in I John 3:3, in which John addresses the whole matter of sanctification with utmost clarity.  "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."  Notice that the mind is affected by having our hope fixed on Jesus Christ and one day seeing Him as He is.  It is a truth that so grabs the mind that the believer's attention is immediately thrust upon Jesus Christ and the glory that is to be revealed when He returns.

 

Second, once the truth affects the mind, then the believer acts, he "purifies himself, just as He is pure."  This is sanctification.  The believer sees truth concerning Christ and says to himself, 'I must be like that by God's grace!  I must seek to lay aside everything that hinders the beauty of Christ in my life'.  Truth is revealed to the mind, so that it then affects the will in the believer and he acts in holiness.  We are not talking about a complicated process, though it is not an easy one due to our dullness and weakness.

 

So many Christians have a bad-taste concerning sanctification because they have been under legalistic teaching that tries to manipulate the will without first affecting the mind with truth.  These kind of teachers bombard the will, trying to coerce a person into some kind of action.  Many times they respond, but they cannot respond out of joy and true love for Christ.  Instead, they respond out of guilt and bondage.

 

Sanctification results from the application of truth to our lives. Our minds grasp the truth so that our wills act upon it.

 

Conclusion

 

If you are a believer, then you are being sanctified in the truth.  You are assured of that by the prayer of our Lord and His provision through His saving, sanctifying work.  But remember that this sanctification is not passive.  It is an active work by the Spirit who constantly applies the Word of God to our lives so that we in turn understand and apply the Word in our behavior, conduct, relationships, service, conversation, etc.

 

I exhort you to press on in sanctification.  There is no lack of the Spirit's work in this area.  You and I must make sure that we are seeking to go on in our spiritual development and the application of God's truth.  That is real Christian living.

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