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                                                Bible Study 21st Century    

Teacher: The Holy Spirit of God (John 14:26)  

Topic: God’s Plan of Salvation  

       The wisdom of God is evident when we remember that in His plan of redemption for lost souls human merit is entirely eliminated as a basis for salvation. Since it is the goodness and grace of God, rather than the goodness and judgment of man, through which our eternal salvation is wrought, it not only places salvation within the range of possibility for every human being, but it puts us under everlasting obligations to Him for the priceless boon which He gives us upon our fulfilling the necessary conditions. 
       “We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost ; which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit. 3:3-7).  

                                                     THE ATONEMENT       

                                                    THE DOCTRINE STATED  

       We were once far away from God. When man fell he not only became a creature of sin, but he was also without recourse or resource to get back to God. Of fallen man it is written: “All we like sheep have gone astray;” “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” “Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Neither by good works, nor by human goodness, nor by wealth, nor even by the law, could any man redeem himself from his sin-cursed state. Man was LOST-that tells the whole story. 
       But God, who had created man in His own image, was not willing that man should be without opportunity to shine in His image in eternity. So He made provision for man’s redemption, in the person of His own dear Son, Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, as “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” died upon the cross as a ransom for our sins. “By his stripes we are healed,” and “by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Through the atoning merits of the shed blood of Jesus Christ we again have access to the Father, and as fellow heirs with Jesus Christ we may again face the future with hope. That we may live for eternity. All that is required is that we believe in Jesus Christ, repent and be baptized by water and the Spirit.  

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                                                    THE DAY OF ATONEMENT   

       The atonement, like other New Testament doctrines generally, is made clearer to us because of the things written in the Old Testament. Let us take a look at the day of atonement in both dispensations:
       1. Jewish.--The Jews had a day of national humility, kept the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 23:26, 27), on which occasion they came confessing their sins and an offering was made for the atonement of their sins. Two goats were prepared, one to be slain and the other to be allowed to escape into the wilderness as the scapegoat, through the sacrifice their sins were remitted and the guilty sinner allowed to go home free. The day was observed as a sabbath, and the atonement made in the holy place, for the high priest, and for the whole congregation. There were severe penalties prescribed for its nonobservance. The importance of the day becomes more apparent when it is remembered that it was on this day that the year of jubilee began. (Ex. 30:10; Lev. 25:9; Heb. 9). This sacrifice was typical of the perfect Sacrifice to come. (Heb. 9:8, 24; 10:14)   
       2. Christian.--We also have our day of atonement. As already noted, the Jewish sacrifices were but typical of the perfect Sacrifice, Jesus Christ. There was no efficacy in the sacrifices offered up under the law, except as they typified the perfect Sacrifice in which all the sacrifices under the law were fulfilled. “The law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never . . . make the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb. 10:1). We today can look upon our day of atonement in two senses: (1) We can look back to the day in which Jesus Christ hung bleeding on the cross, where “by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified”                (Heb. 10:14). (2) The entire Gospel dispensation is a day of atonement, for we have continual access to the altar of the Lord our great High priest, not a moment in which we may not accept this Sacrifice as the atonement for our sins and go on our way rejoicing, forgiven and sinless. Through this wise providence of God, becomes our eternal hope. 

                                                    THE DEATH OF CHRIST 

       We therefore look upon Jesus Christ as: 
       1. Our Ransom.--In other words, He is our Redeemer, having offered Himself and paid the price for our redemption. Read (Lev. 25:47-49). As Christ Himself said, He came “to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Peter tells us that we are redeemed by “the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:19). Paul adds his testimony, saying, “There is . . . one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5). By the payment of this ransom we have been freed from the curse of the law, and as “heirs of glory” we are under everlasting obligations to Him who paid the price for our redemption. 

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       2. Our Propitiation.--“He is our propitiation” (1 John 2:2), the one “whom God hath set for a propitiation through faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:25). In other words, through the atoning merits of the blood of Jesus Christ we have been reconciled to God. Justice and mercy have met, and He is the “reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17), the anger of a just God has been appeased, and we can now approach God with full confidence that the price has been paid, that the ends of justice have been met. 
       3. Our Substitute.--In the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in our stead, He become our substitute. As the ram caught in the bushes by his horns (Gen. 22:13) became the substitute for Isaac in that he was offered up in Isaac’s stead, and as the paschal lamb in Egypt (Ex. 12) became the substitute for the firstborn in all the homes where the sign of the blood was found upon the door, so Christ, having “died for all” (2 Cor. 5:15), became our substitute in paying the penalty for our sins. “All we like sheep have gone astray . . . and the Lord hath laid on HIM the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). 
       4. Our Advocate--The death of Jesus Christ on earth released Him to become our advocate in heaven. He was slain, paying the price for our redemption; rose in triumph, and became “the firstfruits of them that slept;” “shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs;” made provisions for “another Comforter” during the time of His absence from earth, after which He ascended to glory and is now at the right hand of the Father as our representative, our intercessor, our advocate. It is here that Stephen saw Him (Acts 7:55, 56), here that “he ever liveth to make intercession” (Heb. 7:25) for all “that come unto God by him,” “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). 
       Christ makes it plain that He died not because He was overpowered but because He voluntarily laid down His life for our sakes (John 10:17). Expiation, not example is the great achievement of Christ upon the cross. There are many ways in which God manifests His love to men, but there is but one way (through blood atonement) in which He accomplishes the salvation of men. 

                                           THE NATURE OF CHRIST’S DEATH 

       1. It was by Divine decree. 
       He was “delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” 
(Acts 2:23), this being God’s plan for the redemption of sinful men. 
       2. It was voluntary. 
       There is abundant scriptural evidence that Christ was crucified, not because He was overpowered by superior force but because He willed it so. Read (Matt. 26:47-57; 
John 10:17, 18; 18:4-13). 

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Little did His murderers think that it was through them that God was “causing the wrath of men to praise him,” that they were but carrying out the plan of God whereby they themselves and others might have access to the cleansing power of the blood of the Lamb they were slaying. 
       3. It was penal.  
       The whole world was guilty before God. The penalty for guilt must be paid. On the cruel cross Christ paid the penalty, “a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28), for “the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). 
       4. It was expiatory. 
       “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). In the crimson flood that flowed from Calvary there is cleansing power to wash away the sins of all who come to Him in faith. Looking toward “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world,” we pray, “wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa. 51:7). 
       5. It was vicarious. 
       It was God’s plan of “the just (dying) for the unjust,” and this was so, “that he might bring us to God,” (1 Pet. 3:18). The death of Jesus Christ upon the Cross means nothing to us if it does not mean that He was offered up in our stead, as our substitute. Upon the spotless Lamb the Lord laid the iniquity of a sinful world 
(Isa. 53:6), and the price was paid which let the guilty world go free--upon condition of our acceptance of God’s terms. Jesus Christ, this greatest of all benefactors, assumed our debts and gave us another chance before God. A just debt has been justly paid, and all who accept this liberation thereby “owe their Deliverer,” are reconciled to God, and are justified in His sight. 
       6. It was mediatorial. 
       “he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15). Read also (Eph. 2:12-19). 
       7. It was heart-rending. 
       Jesus Christ, the epitome of innocence and purity and goodness, was ruthlessly taken hold of by a vicious mob, shamefully persecuted, nailed to a cross, and compelled to hang there in excruciating pain for six long hours. Then when you add the thought of this innocent Man becoming the scapegoat of all criminals in that the sins of the whole world are laid upon Him, and you have some idea of why the sun refused to shine upon Him and the face of the Father, who was too pure to look upon sin, was turned away from Him. The climax is reached when this innocent, spotless Lamb, now burdened with the sins of the world, betrayed by a friend, forsaken by His disciples, treading the wine press alone while even the sun withholds its light and the Father turns aside His face, cries out from the innermost depths of His soul, “My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?” The Son of man was dying! He “cried with a loud voice,” and gave up the ghost! This Sacrifice was done for you and for me that we might escape the second death and live! 

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       8. It was glorious. 
       Picture the Son of God upon the cross. In the midst of His sufferings He prays for His enemies, speaks the words of peace and pardon to the wretched thief by His side, makes provisions for His mother, and commits His all to the Father. The marvelous power of God was manifest in the rending of the rocks, the quaking of the earth, and the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom--so wonderful and awe-inspiring were the last three hours of the crucifixion that even the Roman centurion and they who were with him were impelled to cry out and say, “Truly, this was the Son of God.” (Matt. 27:54). By His death Christ effected our reconciliation with God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Heb. 2:17), the remission of our sins (Matt. 20:28; 1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 9:12), our justification (Rom. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:21), our deliverance (Rom. 8:3; Gal. 6:14; 
Heb. 2:14, 15), Our sanctification (Eph. 5:26, 27; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 13:12), and unnumbered millions of souls will be glorified together with Him in eternity. 

                               WHO IS BENEFITED FROM THE DEATH OF CHRIST 

       1. The whole world is included in God’s terms of salvation. 
       God’s invitation is extended to “all the ends of the earth” (Isa. 45:22), and salvation is free to “whosoever believeth” (John 3:16). It is not God’s will that “any should perish,” nor does God take pleasure in the eternal death of the wicked (2 Pet. 3:9; Eze. 18:23, 32), this is why Christ gave Himself “a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:6). In God’s great plan of salvation there is provision made for all men, in every clime and age, as He “is no respecter of persons” (Rom. 2:11). Christ’s commission to His disciples to “teach all nations . . . to observe all things whatsoever” (Matt. 28:19, 20) He commanded them is in keeping with the Divine Plan that provisions should be made for the salvation of all people. 
       2. The atonement is available to all penitent believers. 
       While the atonement is for all, it is available to such only as are willing to accept the conditions; for salvation is forced upon no one. The Scriptures abound in evidence that only penitent believers who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord can be saved. I will make this point clear in the sections on Faith and Repentance. The fact that only penitent believers may be saved, emphasizes the other fact that all penitent believers will be saved, subject to the promises of God and His terms of salvation. To all such the message comes: “Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). 
       It is sin that is the cause of our misery. It is sin that provoked God and brought His curse upon man. God hates sin with a perfect hatred, and will do everything to root it out. It is to take away sin that God gave His Son, that Jesus gave himself. It is God who sets us free, not only from punishment and curse, from disquietude and terror, but from sin itself. Let us receive the thought deep into our hearts: it is Jesus who takes away our sins. 

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                                                           REDEMPTION  

       No sooner had man fallen than God provided a plan for his redemption, and the only possible redemption for man is through the atoning merits of the blood of Jesus. The meaning of redemption is to buy back, to liberate, to deliver. (Lev. 25:25-27; 
1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). The soul of man, hopelessly lost in sin, has by the grace of God, been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 

                                                         “SOLD UNDER SIN”  

       The condition of man in his fallen state is pathetically stated in the words, “I am carnal, sold under sin” (Rom. 7:14). As Esau, for a mere mess of pottage, sold his birthright (Gen. 25:27-34), so the poor sinner sells his birthright in the world beyond for a mere “morsel of meat” with which the tempter effects his eternal ruin. Being sold, he is without recourse,--a poor, lost, helpless, miserable mortal, destined to be doomed forever in the eternal flames. 

                                                  “REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD”  

       It being impossible for man to effect his own redemption (Psa. 49:7); his only chance for redemption is through the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus, and through which the redemptive price is paid (1 Cor. 1:30). Peter tells us that we are redeemed, not with corruptible things as silver and gold, “But with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:18, 19). 

                                                  GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PLAN 

       1. He sent His Son into the world. Read carefully (Eph. 1:1-14). 
       2. He sent His Spirit into the world. Read (Joel 2:28, 29;Luke 24:40; 
John 14:16, 26; 16:7).   
       3. He has decreed that man must be redeemed through sacrifice. 
       “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). Man must continue under the curse of the law until redeemed by the sacrifice of “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). 
       4. Human sacrifice can not avail. 
       Of human effort it is written, “not of yourselves . . . Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9). Man can not be redeemed by corruptible things as silver and gold (1 Pet. 1:18, 19), nor “by works of righteousness” (Tit. 3:5), nor by the law 
(Heb. 10:1); for there is no other avenue left for man but to turn to God for His redeeming grace. 

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       5. Christ is our only hope. 
       “when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4, 5). The price for our redemption was paid in “the precious blood of Jesus,” and our gratitude goes out to God in that “by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). Read (Lev. 17:11; Acts 20:28; Rom. 5:6-8; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15; Heb. 9:12, 22). 

                                                      REDEMPTION FOR ALL 

       One of the refreshing thoughts connected with God’s plan of redemption is that it is for all people, in all nations, in every clime and age. That not all people will be privileged to sing Redemption’s blessed story in eternity is wholly the fault of man, for God made every provision for the eternal redemption of all people. Redemption is---
       1. For the Old Testament Saints.--“he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” 
(Heb. 9:15). 
       2. For the New Testament Saints.--“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” 
(Tit. 2:14). 
       3. For the Wicked.--“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18). Read also (Rom. 5:8). 
       4. For all the World.--“Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev. 5:9). 

                                                  REDEMPTION FROM WHAT 

       1. From Sin.--“he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Read also 
(Rom. 6:18-23; 8:3). 
       2. From the Bondage and Curse of the Law.--“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law . . . To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 3:13; 4:5). Read also (Rom. 8:1, 2). 
       3. From the Dominion of the World.--“Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4). It was this deliverance in which Paul rejoiced, saying “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14). 
       4. From the Power of the Devil.--“that through death he might destroy him that 

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had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:14, 15). 
       5. From Death.--“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26). The promise is, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death” (Hos. 13:14). The grave has no terrors for the ransomed of the Lord, for the return of the body to dust means also a return of the spirit to God, and in the end there will be a “redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23) as well as of the soul. 
      6. From Destruction.--While the wicked will be “punished with everlasting destruction” (2 Thess. 1:7-9), the righteous rest assured in the hope of Him “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction” (Psa. 103:2-4). The redemption through the blood of Jesus is perfect and complete, reaching all people who accept the price paid for their redemption and delivering them from the curse of sin, both in this life and in that which is to come. 

                                                    RESULTS OF REDEMPTION 

       The work of redemption is universal in its application, reaching “whosoever will” in every clime and age “if” they are willing to receive Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. It means not only a deliverance from every form of evil but also an inheritance of every form of blessing. It procures for the redeemed--
       1. Reconciliation to God.--“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight: “If ye continue in the faith” grounded and settled, “and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel”” (Col. 1:21-23). Two things are especially mentioned: (1) Reconciliation of man to God through the death of His Son; (2) “If ye continue . . . and be not moved from the hope of the gospel.” Another though worthy of note is that God has at all times been willing to be reconciled, sacrificing His only begotten Son to that end. He has done His full part, and made it possible for man to do his. Are You Willing? 
       2. Forgiveness of Sins.--“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). We get this forgiveness “through the richness of his grace.” When we accept God’s proffered terms of redemption we are only “sinners, saved by grace.” 
       3. Justification.--“Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). The redemption wrought through Christ not only saves us from sin but also brings the recognition from God that justifies us in His sight and imputes unto us the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 
       4. Heavenly Peculiarity.--“that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:14). Peter gives us a similar thought, declaring the people of God to be “a chosen generation, a royal 

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priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Pet. 2:9). We call this a “heavenly peculiarity,” for it portrays the people of God as having been called out from a sinful world, as “a people for God’s own possession.” 
       5. Adoption.--“The adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:5), Paul calls it. We thank God that through the redemptive work of Christ we belong to a new family, the family of God. 
       7. Sanctification.--“Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church” (Eph. 5:25-27). Read also (Tit. 2:11-14; 
Heb. 10:9, 10, 14; 13:12). It is the crowning work of God for His people. 
       When we “encourage ourselves and other saints to remember” that the redeemed of the Lord, saved and “sanctified and meet for the Master’s use,” are His own “purchased possession” (1 Cor. 6:20; Eph. 1:14), that they walk safely on the King’s highway of holiness (Isa. 35:8, 9) awaiting the time when with the ransomed hosts of God they will return to Zion with joy (v. 10), and they alone will sing together redemption’s blessed story in heaven, we have reasons to praise the Lord with overflowing gladness and to serve Him faithfully and willingly the remainder of our days. 

                                                                 FAITH  

             Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.--(Hebrews 11:1) 

       The three essential elements of faith are: belief, confidence, trust. It is (1) “the substance of things hoped for,” (2) “the evidence of things not seen.” In other words, it supplements the things of which we gain our knowledge through the special senses. Some things we know because we have perceived them through the sense of sight, of hearing, of touch, etc.; other things we know only upon the assurance of others in whom we have confidence. For instance, you believe that such men as Caesar, Luther, Washington, and other historic characters existed, not because you have seen or heard them but because you have perfect confidence in the channels through which you get your information. Things that come to us direct through the special senses are not faith but knowledge. 
       Faith rests upon evidence. We believe in God because we have such substantial assurances, such incontrovertible evidences of His existence that all doubt on this point has vanished and we accept it without question. Another thought about faith is that we can not get through life without it. Men cry out against it, claiming that it is ignorance which prompts people to accept something as a fact without direct and positive first-hand evidence; but their very life belies their claim, for there is scarcely a day but that they take others’ word for things without question. On every hand they are surrounded by things or circumstances concerning which they know absolutely nothing except what others have told them . 

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       As Christian faith is essential to Christian life, so faith in the abstract is essential to any kind of life. 

                                                          KINDS OF FAITH 

       The term “faith” may be applied in a general way, as “We walk by faith,” or, as in Luke 18:8 and Jude 3, it may be applied to “the body of revealed truth.” Faith may be the result of our confidence in men or causes, or it may be a special gift as set forth in 
(1 Cor. 12:9). We can also speak of faith as being either a natural or a Christian faith.
       What is considered natural faith would be a matter-of-fact confidence which human beings have in each other. When it comes to Christian faith, we enter a new realm. 
       The Persons or Being whom we are called upon to believe are not seen but unseen. The man with natural faith only, stops at the limit of his own personal knowledge or the knowledge of others in whom he has confidence. His faith stops with the creation (or, perhaps, with the dawn of history) on the one hand, and with death on the other. But the man possessed with Christian faith goes beyond this. He believes that the Bible is a divine and miraculous revelation from God to man; that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, was born of a virgin, gave us an unerring Gospel, died for our sins, rose for our justification. 
       From the Christian viewpoint we must also consider two other kinds of faith; namely, a dead faith and a living faith. 
       1. “Dead” Faith.--We get this name from what is often called a “historical faith” from the writings of (James 2:14-26), who makes works a test of real faith. The keynote of his teaching on this point is that “faith without works is dead.” In other words, where works are lacking it is an evidence that the faith is not genuine. There are multitudes of people who profess to have faith in God and His Word who are no more stirred by the prospects of heaven than if they had never heard of such a place; their life is as devoid of spirituality as is that of the average worldling around them. If they have any faith at all, it is a “dead” faith, for it produces little or no works. 
       2. Living Faith.--It is the “faith which worketh” (Gal. 5:6) that constitutes the living faith. It is the faith that grips the soul and moves the individual to act. 
       Ask yourself this question, Why do some people fall away from God? The answer, Because of lack of faith. It is the living faith that grips the heart of man, moves him to seek God’s pardoning grace; and having found this grace, to keep it to the end. God warns us that “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). The only possible way to the saving grace of God is through the avenue of living faith which is essential to salvation. The righteous shall live by faith; the whole life of the righteous, from moment to moment, shall be by faith. We must understand that “whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23), because every deed and disposition of our life is to be full of faith. The only salvation is in Christ by faith alone. No Faith, No Salvation.  

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                                                         HOW FAITH COMES  

       1. By Hearing.--“faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” 
(Rom. 10:17). It is the plan of God that people are to be brought to a knowledge of the truth through the instrumentality of their fellow men. That is the main reason why God has commissioned me, and why “I wrote this study” for you, so that the nonbelievers could be delivered and the believers encouraged. But, “all the Glory and all the Credit will go to God.” Of the unsaved millions it is said, “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher” (Rom. 10:14)? 
       2. By the Word of God.--The burden of (Rom. 10:14-17) is, “faith cometh by hearing . . . the word of God.” 
       3. By Prayer.--The prayer of the apostles to their Lord, “Increase our faith” 
(Luke 17:5), should be ours also. It was the prayer of Cornelius (Acts 10:30, 31) that brought the messenger who led him and his household into the living faith. Do you feel a lack of overcoming faith? Pray. Do you feel that others should be blessed with a stronger faith? Pray. Do you feel the need of a revival that will bring both saved and unsaved into the realms of a victorious faith? Pray. 
       4. By the Spirit.--“To another, faith by the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:9). It being the mission of the Spirit to lead us into all truth (John 16:13), to testify of Christ 
(John 15:26), to bring the Gospel of Christ to our remembrance (John 14:26), we can see that through Him the saints of God are led into fuller faith, while through His convicting power sinners are moved to accept the faith brought to sinful men through the preaching of the Word. 
       5. Through the Example of Others.--“be thou an example of the believers” 
(1 Tim. 4:12). As your faith becomes stronger through the influence of others, so your influence over others will strengthen or weaken their faith, depending upon the kind of example that you are. 

                                                   WHAT FAITH WILL DO 

       Faith is the key that unlocks the door to all the blessings of a saved life. Christ sums it all up when He says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). 
       1. It will assure us salvation.--“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Read also (John 3:16; Rom. 3:28; 5:1). 
       2. It will assure us a place in the family of God.--“as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” 
(John 1:12). “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26). 
       3. It will insure our justification.--“by him all that believe are justified” 
(Acts 13:39). “we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds” Rom. 3:28. 

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       4. It will bring joy and peace.--“though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8). “being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). 
       5. It will secure healing for the body.--“the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up” (Jas. 5:13-15). You must believe that the day of miracles, even in the healing of the body, is not past. 
       6. It will afford a shield to the Christian.--“Above all, taking the shield of faith, where with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16). 
       7. It will put an end to boasting.--“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith” (Rom. 3:27). 
       8. The Christian is guided through faith.--“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” 
(2 Cor. 5:7). Walking by sight, we walk “according to this world.” Walking by faith, our heavenward steps are directed by our trust in God. 
       9. It will sanctify us.-“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light,... that they may receive forgiveness of sins, . . . them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:18). 
       10. It will bind us to God.--“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” (Eph. 1:13). Read also (1 Pet. 1:5). 
       11. It will assure us divine spiritual power from God.--“If ye have faith . . . ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove . . . and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matt. 17:20). “all things are possible to him that believeth.” 
(Mark 9:23). There is an inseparable connection between faith and power. Mountains of difficulty “will” vanish before the power of the prayer of faith. Your “will” to believe will activate the power that is in you by the Holy Spirit that lives within you. BELIEVE!!! 
       12. It will assure us OVERCOMING power.--“this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” “Who is he that overcometh the world, . . . he that believeth” 
(1 John 5:4, 5). 
       James presents the practical side of faith when he reminds us that “faith without works is dead.” It is easier to say, “I believe,” than it is to demonstrate this belief in actual trial or test. So long as there were only loaves and fishes to hand out everybody seemed to believe on Jesus; but when He preached His Bread of Life Sermon 
(John 6:26, 38, 64) which put people to the actual test it is said that “many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.” (John 6:41, 42, 60, 66). Their faith had been tried, and found wanting. You should read all of (John 6).  
       What is the object of your faith? The proof is that even when we do have faith in Jesus, that faith will sometimes be affected by circumstances around us. Our prayers must be presented in faith. Even if we do possess a sincere faith, this does not mean that it will not be tested. And even if we have a deep faith and are persistent in our prayers, God’s will must always be considered (1 John 5:14). When God is silent, persist in faith! 

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                                                      THE TRIAL OF OUR FAITH  

       1. Proves the genuineness of our profession. Christ’s searching sermon on the Bread of Life resulted in a culling out of the faithless disciples. The faithful ones remained with Him; the rest “went back.” Another example is furnished in the story of Ruth. She stood the test, went all the way with Naomi, while Orpah, much as she would have liked to go along, turned back when she was brought face to face with all that going along would mean. So today there is a sifting out of the unfaithful among church members in every time of great opposition or temptation, in which case the faithful ones remain while the unfaithful ones become backsliders. 
       2. “Worketh patience.” James’ testimony, “the trying of your faith worketh patience” (Jas. 1:3), is often verified in the lives of Christian people. There is a refining power in the trials of life which burn out the dross and brings out the best that is in man. So you should “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (Jas. 1:2), knowing that God will supply His grace “that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13) and that every trial when endured adds to the richness of our lives and usefulness in the service of God and men.
       3. When endured, it insures the crown of life. They who stand the test can say with Paul in the end, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day” (2 Tim. 4:7, 8).  

                                   THE CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDE TOWARD FAITH 

       What should be your attitude (as a Christian) towards faith? Turning to the Word we should: 
       1. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). This Scripture has been considered before as a condition for salvation. We now submit it for your consideration as a Christian duty. Obey this commandment, and you will naturally comply with all the requirements of the Christian faith. It binds us to Christ in His threefold character: 
(1) “Lord”--our Master, in authority over us in all things; (2) “Jesus”--the Man from Galilee, Who was born of a woman, and came in the flesh as the Man-God; 
(3) “Christ”--the anointed of God. If your faith includes an acceptance of Christ in this threefold sense, you have met all the requirements of the Christian faith. 
       2. “Contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). It is not enough that we simply believe; we are exhorted to promulgate this belief. This attitude is admirably exemplified in (Luke 1:1-4) and this is why I write to “you.” We prove the sincerity of our faith in Jesus by faithfully supporting His Gospel and making it known to others. 
       3. “Stand fast in the faith” (1 Cor. 16:13). This suggests several thoughts: 
(1) Having accepted the faith of Jesus, stick to it--“stand fast.” (2) While others fall away, be sure that you “stand fast,” be “unmoveable” (1 Cor. 15:58). (3) Do not give it passive 

October 31, 2001                                                                                                 page# 14  
                                          
assent only, but embrace it with your whole heart--“stand fast.” (4) Let your steadfastness be in “the faith,” not the doctrines of man. 
       Lest any one might get the idea that faith in the abstract--without a thought of obedience--is sufficient, let us remember this warning from God through James: “Faith without works is dead.” 
       4. “be thou an example. . . .in faith” (1 Tim. 4:12). Your obligations do not end with yourself, but extend to others also. Let your example be such as to encourage others to accept the faith, and live it. 
       5. “Continue in the faith” (Col. 1:23; 1 Tim. 2:15). The faith of Jesus Christ is not intended for temporary service but for a continuance unto the end. One of the most important words connected with Christian life and service is the word CONTINUE.
       6. “Lord, increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). Where this is our daily prayer we will not be disappointed. 

                                                           REPENTANCE 

                 Godly sorrow worketh a repentance to salvation not to be repented of. (2 Cor. 7:10).   

       The first thought to be impressed upon our minds as we study this subject is that repentance is a primary Gospel requirement which none should lightly esteem. It was the opening message in the ministry of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), in the ministry of Christ (Matt. 4:17), in the ministry of the Spirit (Acts 2:38), and occupied a prominent place in the teaching of the disciples--all in harmony with this declaration in the ministry to the Gentiles: “God . . . now commandeth all men every where to repent” 
(Acts 17:30). Our study of the subject of repentance will be conducted under four heads: What it is, what it is not, how brought about, other facts. 

                                                      WHAT REPENTANCE IS  

       The essential elements of repentance may be stated in four words: Conviction, contrition, confession, restitution. In other words, it includes a consciousness of guilt, a godly sorrow for sin, a desire to forsake sin, a confession of sin, and a willingness to make restitution for sin. At this point it might be well to note that while the Bible speaks of God as repenting, [“grieved”], (Gen. 6:6; I Sam. 15:11), in none of these cases did He repent in the sense that man repents, for “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent” (Num. 23:19); and being perfect in every respect He is subject neither to error nor to sin. And while God at times represents Himself as man (Gen. 18:2, 8, 16, 22, 33) and speaks as man (as He did to Abraham-- Gen. 22:12), and in this sense meets changed conditions in the semblance of repentance, yet we should not forget that with Him “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” 

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(Jas. 1:17). But now lets answer the question: What takes place when one repents? 
       1. Conviction.--This is the first step in repentance. Because of things seen and heard, the conviction grows upon us that we have done wrong. The two powerful factors in bringing about conviction are the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), and the conscience 
(Rom. 2:15). 
       2. Godly Sorrow.--Let us notice that not all sorrow can be classed as “godly sorrow.” People convicted of crime often weep and mourn as though their hearts would break; but it is grief over their dilemma of being caught, rather than penitence for sin. Judas Iscariot was sorrowful enough to go and hang himself, yet that did not move him to come back to Christ for restitution and for pardon. Paul in (2 Cor. 7:10), speaks of a “godly sorrow” and a “sorrow of the world.” The first “worketh repentance to salvation  not to be repented of;” the second, “worketh death.” No man has ever truly repented of any sin without a deep feeling of sorrow because of it. Penitence without sorrow is unheard of in the experience of any penitent sinner; but it is grief for having sinned against God or man, a smitten conscience and consequent contrition, and not grief over being found out. 
       3. Confession.--A sense of shame and humiliation usually accompanies true penitence for sin, but this should not keep back the sinner from confessing his sins to God. True penitence invariably prompts confession to God of the things repented of. The truth be known, the greater the reluctance in confessing to God, the less penitence there is in the heart because of sins committed. “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom. 10:10). 
       4. Forsaking Sin.--The truly penitent not only confess their sins to God but they also forsake them. “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein” (Rom. 6:2)?  
       5. Restitution.--Restitution belongs to true penitence. This includes making wrongs right with both God and man. 
       6. A Change of Heart.--A man may change his mind and quit his bad habits, but still be an unforgiven sinner. He may be very sorry for what he has done (because he is found out), “but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” He may, for policy’s sake, even make restitution and live the life of a respectable man, and still his righteousness be as “filthy rags.” While all the things so far named are essential elements of repentance, it takes a changed heart to complete the experience. In every case of true repentance there is a change of mind, a change of feelings, a change of attitude toward sin and righteousness, and a change of heart. 
       Repentance is bound up with faith and inseparable from it, since without some measure of faith no one can truly repent, and repentance never attains to its deepest character till the sinner realizes through saving faith how great is the grace of God against whom he has sinned. On the other hand, there can be no saving faith without true repentance. Repentance, it is thus to be seen, is the gift of God (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 
Rom. 2:4). But as with faith so with repentance--it is left with men to make the decision.  

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                                                    WHAT REPENTANCE IS NOT 

       1. A mere change of mind is not repentance.--Not, Have you changed your mind? but, Why have you changed your mind? is the vital question. 
       2. It is not merely being sorry because sins have been committed.--The only sorrow for sin that belongs to repentance is the kind that grips the soul, impels the penitent sinner to come to God for pardon, to forsake his sins, to make his wrongs right. 
       3. It is not joining some church.--Some people actually join some church that it may be easier to keep on sinning without getting into ill repute. Joining the Church is right, provided the applicant is joining the Church for the right reason and not as a substitute for repentance. 
       4. It is not merely confessing sin.--There is no special virtue in confessing sins--unless it is prompted by godly sorrow for sin. 
       5. It is not mere reform.--True repentance brings genuine reform, in all things where the light of the Gospel makes the penitent sinner conscious of his wrong-doing; but a man may give up all his bad habits, and still cherish them in his heart. A reform, to be recognized in heaven, must be from the heart. 

                                            WHAT BRINGS ABOUT REPENTANCE  

       1. The goodness of God.--As I have already revealed, repentance itself is a gift from God (2 Tim. 2:25). While repentance is man’s part in God’s plan of salvation, no man can claim any credit for it, since it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance 
(Rom. 2:4). Yes, it is the GOODNESS OF GOD that leads us to repentance. So, let us reverently acknowledge His grace and show by a penitent life that we appreciate this goodness. 
       2. Hearing the truth.--“faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” 
(Rom. 10:17). How can a man believe himself a sinner without having a knowledge of that fact? The preaching of God’s Word in its fullness is a very necessary work on bringing sinners to repentance. 
       3. Convicting power of the Spirit.--To “reprove the world of sin” (John 16:8) is one of the principal missions of the Holy Spirit. What we call “conviction” on the part of the penitent sinner is but the result of the operation of the Spirit upon his heart and conscience. 
       4. A knowledge of sin.--Until the sinner is conscious of his sinful condition there can be no repentance for sin. True, there may be a prodding on the part of the Spirit, so that there is a consciousness that something is wrong, as is the case of the troubled heathen longing after--something; but he must first be shown wherein he is wrong before he can be led to repent of whatever wrong exists. 
       5. Abhorrence of sin.--People seldom turn away from sin so long as it tastes sweet. 

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The sinner who feels himself “down and out” and like Job abhors himself and repents “in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6), is much more easily reached than is the sinner who is blinded to his condition through love of sin. It is when people “abhor that which is evil” that they are ready to “cleave to that which is good.” 
       6. Faith in God.--You believe that God is your Friend, loving and true. He tells you of your awful condition and of sin’s awful results. Knowledge of sin deepens into conviction, and conviction into contrition; your heart is crushed and your soul cries out to God. This takes place only when people believe in God, for people are never moved by any warning which they believe to be untrue. 
       7. Rewards and penalties.--This should not be our motive in serving God, but there is no denying the fact that it exerts a powerful influence in bringing sinners to their senses. The growing tendency to sneer at the idea of preaching about hell to awaken sinners to their dangers ahead is responsible to a large extent for the rising tide of crime. Why has hell so little terror for the sinner? It is not generally preached; too few people believe that there is such a place. You should read the Bible Study on the “Future” for proof that hell is a place that really exists. The cause of salvation suffers, and sinners die in their sins, because preachers, and “priest” especially, are to faint-hearted and not willing to warn sinners to flee from the terrible wrath to come. But, I have warned all through the Bible Study on the “Future” for I have no worry of declining church membership because of my warning, since I am not a religious “church leader.” 

                                FUNDAMENTAL FACTS CONCERNING REPENTANCE  

       1. Repentance is commanded.--God (Acts 17:30), Christ (Matt. 4:17), John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), the apostles (Mark 6:12; Acts 2:38; 20:21), all commanded it in unmistakable terms. It is divinely commanded to be taught “among all nations” 
(Luke 24:47), God commanding “all men every where to repent.” 
       2. It is essential to salvation.--“except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” 
(Luke 13:3, 5). It is remarkable that the first and last recorded public utterances of Christ (Matt. 4:17; Luke 24:47) on earth were on the subject of repentance. Since “the soul that sinneth, it shall die,” it follows that one sin in the soul unrepented of means eternal death. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” 
       3. It is coupled with remission of sins.--Christ died and rose again, to the end “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.” God is ready to blot out our sins as fast as we repent of them. (Acts 3:19). There is no promise of remission, except upon condition of repentance. 
       4. It precedes every act of divine grace and every Christian ordinance.--As for ordinances, repentance precedes the first among them, baptism. (Acts 2:38). Unrepented people can not be baptized and you can not be forgiven of sins you have not repented of. 
       5. Beyond repentance.--Important!!! Please read (Heb. 6:4-6; 1 John 5:16). 

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                                                        JUSTIFICATION 
            “being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Rom. 5:9).  

       Justification is the gracious act of God in which He imputes to all penitent believers the righteousness of Jesus Christ. While the “accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10) is plying his satanic arts in having them condemned before God, the great Judge is virtually saying, “These are mine. They were once guilty, condemned, ‘strangers from the covenants of promise,’ but things have changed. The price for their redemption has been paid, they have accepted the proffered terms of mercy, have been cleansed by the blood, and are now justified in my sight.” Christ having been raised “for our justification” (Rom. 4:25), we must and should praise His name for the privilege of standing before God, uncondemned, justified. 

                                                   HOW WE ARE JUSTIFIED 

       1. We are justified by the grace of God.--“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Tit. 3:5). Justification, like salvation, is God’s free gift to man, unearned, unmerited. The grace of God puts us under everlasting obligations to Him. 
       2. We are justified by faith.-- It takes something on our part to put us into touch with God’s grace. It is written that “all that believe are justified” (Acts 13:39); that “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28) that the just God is “the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). This corresponds with the words of Jesus: “He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). Faith, then, marks the dividing line between the saved and the unsaved, the justified and the unjustified. It is clear from the above references that God, without waiting for a single evidence in the form of works, knowing the thoughts and intents of the heart (Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:12), justifies the individual as soon as He recognizes the penitent sinner as a believer in Jesus. It is important that we keep this fact in mind, as it helps us to keep balanced when considering the next point. 
       3. We are justified by works.--The most direct scripture in support of this assertion is that of (Jas. 2:14-26). The burden of the argument there presented is that “faith without works is dead.” In accord with this teaching is the declaration of our Saviour: “by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” 
(Matt. 12:37). Hence the conclusion: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (Jas. 2:24). The burden of Paul’s writings is that every believer is justified; of James, that the absence of works proves that the faith professed is not genuine. Read (Rom. 6:1, 2; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 2:10). The faith that justifies in the sight of God is the “faith which worketh;” in other words, produces works that may be seen of men.

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       4. We are justified by the blood of Christ.--All the sacrifices under the law, including the “Passover” which Christ replaced with the “Lord’s Supper” Christ having become “our passover” (1 Cor. 5:7), were but types and shadows pointing to Christ. Read (Heb. 5-10). It is distinctly stated that “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified” (Rom. 3:20), and just as distinctly stated that we are “justified by his blood” 
(Rom. 5:9). Comparing these statements with other references teaching justification by faith, we conclude that all who have faith in the blood of Jesus Christ as the atonement for their sins are justified in the sight of God. 
       5. “It is God that justifieth” (Rom. 8:33). Self-justification will never make a satisfactory substitute. 

                                         WHAT JUSTIFICATION MEANS FOR US 

       1. It means obedience to God.--This is of necessity true, for only obedient servants of God are justified. (Ex. 23:7; Rom. 2:13; 10:5). As to God’s attitude toward disobedience, read (1 Sam. 15:23; Heb. 2:1-3). The Gospel of Christ gives absolutely no assurance of justification to the disobedient. 
       2. It means freedom from condemnation.--“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” (Rom. 8:33). Even “the accuser of our brethren” can not prevail against the protective care of God for His own. Read (Rom. 8:1, 2). 
       3. It means peace with God.--“being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Rom. 5:1). Read also (Rom. 8:33, 34; Isa. 32:37; 
2 Cor. 5:18; Eph. 2:14). 
       4. It means eternal salvation.--“Much more then, being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” We may try to justify ourselves, our friends may try to justify us; but only they who are justified by the blood, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, can rightfully lay claim to the salvation which Jesus Christ alone can bring. 
       5. It means an eternal inheritance.--“being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Tit. 3:7). To be fellow heirs with Christ is the Christian’s most delightful privilege on earth. 
       6. It means glorification.--“whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Rom. 8:30). Sonship, salvation, inheritance, glorification, all belong to the favored of God who have complied with His conditions for justification. 
       I pray that you understand that justification is simply a divine act whereby an infinitely Holy God judicially declares a believing sinner to be righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has borne the sinner’s sin on the cross and has become “to 
us . . . righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:24). In this marvelous operation of God the infinitely Holy Judge judicially declares righteous the one who believes in Jesus. A justified believer emerges from God’s great courtroom with a consciousness that another, his Substitute, has borne his guilt and that he stands without accusation before God. 

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                                                         CONVERSION  
                           “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul:” (Ps. 19:7).  

       The word “conversion” is used in the Bible but once. (Acts 15:3). The word itself means a turning, a change, a bringing back. 

                                                    THE DOCTRINE STATED 

       We were “by nature the children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3) like Ephraim, wedded or our idols. To get back to God there must be a turning around, a change--a change of mind, of heart, of affections, of attitude toward God and toward sin, a change in everything needed to bring us back to God and in harmony with His Word. While the exact words, “Things I once loved I now hate, and things I once hated I now love,” are not in the Bible, yet the experience therein expressed is true of every sinner who has been converted to God. It takes a complete turning around, a complete about face, a new love in the heart and new life in the soul, to constitute a real evangelical conversion to God. 

                                               NO CHANGE, NO CONVERSION  

       A fundamental change must take place before the sinner can become a child of God. There must be a change of mind, of heart, of life. Without such change the sinner may unite with some church but he can not become a child of God, for in Christ Jesus nothing will avail but to become “a new creature” (Gal. 6:15). When one is converted to God he will change his ways, forsake all sinful habits, and in his daily walk he will manifest the fruits of a righteous life within. Where such change does not take place and daily habits still indicate more pleasure in the sinful things of this world than in the things pertaining to the world to come--we conclude that since there is no change without, there has been none within, that the individual thus described is not converted to God.  

                                                 EXAMPLES OF CONVERSION 

       We have an accurate idea of what conversion means as we take note of the changes which take place in the lives of people as they turn to God. Here are a few:  
       1. The Woman in Simon’s Home (Luke 7:36-50). She had been a vile sinner, but having been brought to repentance because of her iniquity, she accepted Christ as Saviour  
       2. Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-20). This is perhaps the most conspicuous example of conversion noted in the Bible, hence deserves more than ordinary attention.  
       3. Cornelius (Acts 10). He was a man who had lived up to all the light that he had.  
       4. The Jailer (Acts 16:27-34). He was apparently a hardened sinner, ready to commit suicide the moment he recognized his danger. 

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                                             FACTS CONCERNING CONVERSION 

       1. Conversion consists of a change of life and service rather than a change in personal traits. If we take Saul of Tarsus for example you will notice that he retained his enthusiasm, energy, courage, and zeal for the cause he loved. The change consisted in transferring his faith from Pharisaism to Christianity, his membership from Judaism to the Church of Christ, and his self-righteousness was exchanged for the righteousness of God. Morally, conversion means a change from the standards of the world to the standards of the Gospel; spiritually, from the standards of Satan to the standards of the Holy Trinity. 
       2. The conversion of man is accomplished through the grace of God. In genuine cases of evangelical conversion it always was and still is brought about, only by the grace and power of God in the hearts of those willing to receive the transforming power of God into their souls. Jesus says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:” (John 6:44). It is when “the hand of the Lord” (Acts 11:21) is with His servants that sinners are brought to the Gospel light and converted.  
       3. The best of people fail of salvation except through conversion. Nicodemus, Paul, Cornelius, Lydia, and other noble characters needed to be converted to the Lord Jesus Christ before salvation was theirs. Not good works, not attainments, not worldly renown, not human greatness, but as “a little child” (Matt. 18:3), being nothing of itself but a creature of God, a life “hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3), is the Bible standing of goodness and greatness before God. It is in this light only that any one is worthy of the grace of God. 
       4. The more contrite the heart, the more striking the conversion. Saul of Tarsus, after he realized into what depths of iniquity he had fallen, notwithstanding his eminence and apparently good character (1 Cor. 15:9, 10; 1 Tim. 1:15), stands out to this day as one of the brightest examples of conversion. 
       5. Repentance precedes conversion. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted,”--not, be converted and see how sinful you were; but “Repent . . . that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19); in other words, you will be converted if you truly repent. People who see nothing wrong with their sinful lifestyle that moves them to repentance may become willing to unite with a church, but in that frame of mind and heart they will never be converted to God. 
       6. The Word of God is an essential element in conversion. Peter says, “as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them” (Acts 11:15). Paul says that the Gospel of Christ is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16); that “in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). What was it that first directed the mind of the three thousand on the day of Pentecost, of the Ethiopian eunuch, of Saul of Tarsus, of Cornelius, of Lydia, of the jailer, and of others to Christ? The Word of God. 
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul:” (Ps. 19:7). 

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       7. God uses human beings in bringing about the conversion of others. The disciples at Pentecost, filled with the Holy Ghost, were instrumental in bringing about the conversion of three thousand (Acts 2:4, 14-41). There is not a conversion mentioned in the epistolary writings but that some servant of God was connected with the event. God through James tells us that “he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). 
       8. Youth is the time to turn to the Lord. It means easier turning, less sins to repent of, less wrongs to make right, less influence in leading other souls astray, a longer life of Christian service, and (as a rule) a brighter Christian experience. God tells us through Solomon that we should “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not,” (Eccl. 12:1). While this Scripture applies to the young at age, it can not be used for an excuse for the aged to ignore God and reject Jesus Christ. To do that will guarantee your place in hell after death at whatever age. 
       9. It is God that does the turning. Man has his part, but it is God who performs the miracle of grace in the heart which brings about the wondrous change. “It is God which worketh in you” (Phil. 2:13). “No man can come to me except the Father . . . draw him” 
(John 6:44). Our part is submission and obedience, God does the rest. God draws, man yields, and God finishes the work.  

                                                   RESULTS OF CONVERSION

       Conversion means a change, a turning around, an about face, a transformation, a “newness of life.” This is what the Bible says takes place when one is really converted: 
       1. You are now “a new creature.” (2 Cor. 5:17). The life after turning to God is described as a “newness of life.” 
       2. You are now adopted into God’s happy family. (Rom. 8:10-15). 
       3. You will now be “clothed with humility.” The true standard of greatness is set forth in (Matt. 18:1-3). It is universally true that when people are truly converted to God they become a meek, unassuming, humble people. Christ refers to Himself as being “meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29). His true disciples are like Him. Read 
(Phil. 2:5-8).  
       4. You are now clothed with righteousness. (Isa. 1:27). When a person is converted he brings his own righteousness to the cross and receives the righteousness of God in its stead. Read (Rom. 10:3, 4). It is the real righteousness of Jesus Christ that becomes the light which causes others to glorify God.
       5. You will become zealous in the Master’s cause. (Tit. 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9). The brightest examples of true conversion have invariably been men and women whose zeal for righteousness and truth were seen and known to those about them. 
       6. You will walk “not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 7:9-8:1).  
       7. You will enjoy Christian fellowship. (Acts 2:41, 42; Phil. 2:1, 2; 1 John 1:3, 7). 

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                                                       REGENERATION 
                          “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7).  

       Literally speaking, regeneration means the act of begetting again. The word is used but twice in Scripture (Matt. 19:28; Tit. 3:5), but, like conversion, the doctrine of regeneration is very much in evidence in all Bible teaching pertaining to salvation. “Regeneration is related to the new birth as cause and effect, the same as atonement and redemption, justification and righteousness, sanctification and holiness. God regenerates, man is born again; God atones, man is redeemed; God justifies, man is reckoned righteous; God sanctifies, man is made holy.”--J. B. Smith. 

                                          HOW CHARACTERIZED IN SCRIPTURE 

       1. “Born Again.”--“Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,” (1 Peter 1:23). The first assertion holds out the necessity of the new birth; the second, of its nature, and how brought about. 
       2. “A New Creature.”--“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17) 
The same term is used in (Gal. 6:15), showing that it takes a new creation to bring about a right standing before God.
       3. “Begotten.”--“In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” 
(1 Cor. 4:15). “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth” (Jas. 1:18). In both references the idea of a new creation through the Word of God is the prominent thought.
       4. “Begotten Again”--“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again” (1 Peter 1:3). We have here the further thought that this new birth is entirely distinct from our first (natural) birth. As a child born into the world has its first existence on the earth, so a child of God, “born of water and of the Spirit” (John 3:5), thereby gets its first existence in the family of God. And since the first birth is essential to a natural existence in the natural world, so the second birth is essential to a spiritual existence in the kingdom of God. Children that die before the age of accountability belong to the kingdom of God 
(Matt. 18:14; 19:14). Because they “had not known sin, but by the law” (Rom. 7:7). Children reach the age of accountability when they know right from wrong. 
       5. “Washing of Regeneration.”--“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit. 3:5). The term, “washing of regeneration,” is explained by the expression that follows it. 
       6. “Newness of Life.”--“As Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). 

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       7. “Created in Christ Jesus.”--(Eph. 2:10). The work of God and the works of men both should be evidenced in the regenerated life. 
       8. “The Divine Nature.”--“That by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). Every one born of God has “the divine nature” in him; for, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Rom. 8:9). 
       9. “A New Heart.”--(Ezek. 36:26). With this new heart our affections are set “on things above,” whereas, while the old stony heart is still in the flesh the affections are set “on things on the earth.”
       10. “The New Man.”--“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Col. 3:10). There can be no “new man” without having “the body of sin” destroyed. (Rom. 6:6). 
       It will be seen by the references quoted that regeneration consists not in merely working over or reforming the old man of sin, but that it is an entirely new creation, the calling into being of “a new creature,” “which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). 

                                              WHAT REGENERATION IS NOT 

       1. It is not mere reformation.
       2. It is not mere conviction of sin.--Conviction is a favorable sign that the Spirit is working, but a man becomes “a new creature” only when he surrenders to God and allows Him to work the miracle of grace in his heart. 
       3. It is not joining some church.--The curse of modern churches is that there are too many members in whom “the old man” still reigns. We do not become children of God because we belong to some church, but we unite with the church that we believe to be most completely in harmony with the Word of God, after we have been “born again”  
       4. It is not living a mere moral life.--If the good moral man who is so sure that he never did anything very bad would take a good, honest look at himself in the Gospel mirror (2 Cor. 3:18) he would find himself to be but a poor, deluded, self-righteous sinner. 
       5. It is not mere social uplift.--No community is ever saved except as individuals living in it turn to the Lord and become “new creatures” in Christ. 
       6. It is not merely espousing correct Christian doctrine.--You may hold to a theology that is faultless and still be an unsaved sinner. It is one thing to accept the Gospel in the mind as being correct, and quite another thing to accept it in the heart as “the power of God unto salvation.” 
       All of the things herein mentioned are good in their place, but they have no place as substitutes for salvation.  

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                                                THE WORK OF REGENERATION   

       1. It is the work of God.-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are all recognized in this work
(John 1:13; 3:6; Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3; 1 John 2:29). It is “the washing of regeneration,” not “mighty works,” that brings about salvation. 
       2. It is wrought through the instrumentality of the Word.--The Gospel of Christ, we are told, “is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). “Begotten you through the Gospel,” is another way of stating the same truth. The work of regeneration is described by R. A. Torrey as follows: 
                           “In the new birth the Word of God is the seed: the human heart is the soil: the preacher 
                             is the sower, and drops the seed into the soil (Acts 16:14); the Spirit quickens the seed 
                             into life in the receptive heart; the new divine nature springs up out of the divine Word; 
                             the believer is born again, created anew, made alive, passed out of death into life.”  
       3. It is not accomplished without man’s co-operation.--While salvation is wholly the work of God, that does not mean that man has no part in it. In the first place, God uses men to bring other men to Him. Besides, God never saves any one contrary to his will. God does indeed smite men mightily through the convicting power of the Spirit, but not until man responds with what virtually means, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” is he created anew in Christ Jesus. Salvation is offered upon conditions which man must meet in order to receive it. Regeneration is the result of faith on man’s part. (John 1:12; Gal. 3:26). 
       4. It is not needed by the innocent child.--When mothers brought their children to Jesus He blessed them, saying, “of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). Little children are under the blood, fit subjects for heaven, until they come to the time when it is true of them that “sin revived, and I died” (Rom. 7:9) after which they must be “born again” to enter the Kingdom. 
       5. It is essential to salvation.--The proof is in the Scriptures already quoted, the most direct among which is (John 3:3, 5, 7). 

                                                EVIDENCES OF REGENERATION  

       1. Righteousness.--“every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” 
(1 John 2:29). Read also (Acts 10:34, 35). There can be no such thing as an “inside religion” without it becoming manifest on the outside. (Matt. 5:14-16). 
       2. The Sinless Life.--“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin” (1 John 3:9). Whatever your interpretation of this scripture may be, be careful that you do not explain it away. It is there for a purpose. The Bible makes plenty of allowance for the infirmities of the flesh, but it offers no excuse for wilful sinning. Read (Rom. 8:1; Eph. 2:1-12; 
Tit. 3:3-7; 1 John 1:4-7). “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). People who are born of God do not commit sin, not 

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because they make no mistakes but because they do not wilfully go against better knowledge, and therefore sin is not imputed unto them. (Ps. 32:2; Rom. 4:8). 
       3. The Spirit-led Life.--The contrast between carnality and spirituality is forcefully set forth in (Gal. 5:19-23). Whether we are walking “after the flesh” or “after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1) is determined by the other question as to whether in our daily life we manifest “the works of the flesh” or “the fruit of the Spirit.” When you see a person whose daily record shows clearly that his whole life is directed by the Spirit of God you may be sure that such person has been “born again.” 
       4. Obedience.--“Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 John 2:3). Read (John 15:14). James warns us when you read 
(Jas. 1:22). 
       5. Love.--“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” (1 John 3:14). “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God” (1 John 4:7, 8). 
       6. Hatred of Evil.--(1 John 5:18). The Spirit-filled child of God, like the psalmist, is able to say, “I hate every evil way.” 
       7. Faith.--“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1) 
This is as plain as language can make it. But faith, like love, may be put to the real test by determining whether we believe all of God’s Word, and are as ready to obey those commandments of the Lord which are crucifying to the flesh as we are those which are more popular and not objectionable to the carnal man. Read (John 1:12). 
       8. The Victorious Life.--“Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world” 
(1 John 5:4). One rooted and grounded in the faith is not easily moved from the hope of the Gospel. It is through the power and influence of Spirit-filled lives that men are won for God. 
       In speaking of love and hatred as evidences of regeneration it is important to bear in mind that the children of God, as far as they have the light, love the things which God loves and hates the things which He hates. The rule is, love everything pertaining to God and godliness, and hate everything that is in opposition to Christ and Christianity. 

                                                          ADOPTION
“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:14, 15).  
       This chapter logically follows, rather than precedes, the chapter on Regeneration; for we can not conceive of God receiving unregenerate people into His family. The two subjects have much in common; the distinction being that while in regeneration the emphasis is on spiritual life, in adoption we think of spiritual relationship. 

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       Adoption is the gracious act of God in receiving into His happy family, upon certain conditions, the children of this world. As Moses was adopted as a son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Ex. 2:1-10) and Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 9:1-10) was sheltered in the family of David as his son, so does God receive into His family, as His sons and daughters, those who have become heirs of glory through becoming new creatures in Christ Jesus. 

                                                  ADOPTION PRESUPPOSES--  

       1. That there are those who are not of God.--In the parable of the wheat and the tares Christ explains that “the good seed are the children of the kingdom” while the tares are “the children of the wicked one” (Matt. 13:38). When man fell he lost his place in the family of God, and can be restored only through regeneration and adoption. 
       2. That God is ready to adopt as His own, those who are not members of His family.--In (Eph. 1:4, 5) we are told that God “hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world . . . predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” In this the wonderful love of God is manifest, in that He made provision for the wayward sons of earth, thousands of years before many of them were born. Many people get hung up on the word predestinate. Predestinate simply means; God had foreknowledge before the foundation of the world that you and I would accept Him; become saved by Salvation through Jesus Christ and live for all eternity. Do not let the word predestinate become a stumbling block to salvation, you are not a robot or preprogrammed you have free-will.        
       3. That there are those willing to be adopted.--It is important to understand that this is a fact which God foreknew when He made provisions for man’s restoration. One of the well-established principles which God follows in His dealings with man is that He never forces any one to become His child. As I have said we have the power of choice. And I will say again that “predestination” is based upon the foreknowledge 
(Rom. 8:29) rather than upon the foredetermination of God. So God, while He made provision for the adoption of every soul, opens the divine family hearth to those only who are willing to come. Read (Isa. 55:1; John 1:12; 3:16; Rev. 22:17). 

                                         SCRIPTURAL CONDITION FOR ADOPTION 

       1. Faith.--(John 1:12; Gal. 3:26). 
       2. Regeneration.--(John 3:3, 5, 7). 
       3. Scourging.--“Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Heb. 12:6). It is a fact that no sinner, especially none who has spent years in sin, is ever brought to Christ without a remorse of conscience. Conviction is one of God’s kindest acts, because it leads us to a closer relationship with Him. 
       4. The Grace of God.--Adoption, like justification is not based upon human merit. 

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       We are by invitation and action of God made His children. As such we are joint heirs with Christ, having in store the eternal inheritance of the “saints in light.” The Spirit’s indwelling and guidance, the fellowship of God and of saints, the privilege of shining in the image of our heavenly Father, the opportunity of being in His service, the comfort attending the knowledge that we have made our “calling and election sure,” and finally the blessed hope which fills and thrills our souls with glorious anticipations presents to us an array of priceless blessings of sonship that should fill our souls with overflowing gratitude toward God, and our mouths with unstinted praises of Him whom all blessings flow.

                                                    EVIDENCES OF SONSHIP 

       1. Following After the Spirit.--“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14). The children of this world are under the dominion of the flesh, while the sons of God are under the dominion of the Spirit. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16). 
       2. Obedience.--“Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 John 2:3). Read also (1 John 5:1-3). They who willfully disobey God thereby confess that they do not know Him and can not therefore be His children 
(1 John 2:4; Rom. 6:16-22). 
       3. Childlike Confidence in God.--Childlike faith and childlike simplicity belong to the child of God. 
       4. Love of the Brethren.--(1 John 5:1). It is one of the surest evidences of sonship when our hearts are melted together in fervent charity for one another, knit together in the faith and service of Jesus Christ, showing our love to God by manifesting love one for another, who together belong to the Spirit-led family of God. 
       5. Peaceableness.--“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9). 
       6. Godliness.--(Eph. 5:1). As children resemble their parents, so do the children of God resemble Him in all matters pertaining to life and godliness. 
       7. Love of Enemies.--It is very, very important that you live by (Matt. 5:43-48). If you don’t you can not be the child of the Father which is in heaven. This you must do! 
       Simply put, adoption denotes that act of God by which He restores penitent and believing men to their privileges as members of the divine family and makes them heirs of heaven. Taking the Scripture teachings as a whole, adoption, it appears, while not the same as our justification, is necessarily connected with it, as forgiveness would be empty without restoration to the privileges forfeited by sin. Adoption and regeneration are two phases of the same fact, regeneration meaning the reproduction of the filial character, and adoption the restoration of the filial privilege. Adoption is a word of position rather than relationship. 

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                                                       SANCTIFICATION 
    “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Tim. 2:21).  
       The primary use of the word sanctification is that of a setting apart or consecration to some special work, cause, or purpose. The word, in some form, is used frequently in both Old and New testaments, and in no case would the meaning of the sentence be changed very materially if the word “separate” or “set apart to” were substituted for the word “sanctify.” As applied to the work of God in setting apart His people to a holy purpose, the word takes on the added meaning of purity, holiness, consecration to God, etc. In this sense we speak of sanctification as-- 
       1. A Preparation--“And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” (Josh. 3:5). In other words, purify yourselves and get ready for tomorrow. “Sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Tim. 2:21). Read also (Ex. 19:10, 11). 
       2. To Hallow.--“The LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Lev. 10:3). Read also 
(2 Chr. 31:18; Ezek. 36:23; 1 Pet. 3:15). 
       3. A Setting Apart, or Consecration.--“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (Gen. 2:3); that is, set it apart as a day to be hallowed. How we have come to the first day of the week, as being “sanctified by man,” as our day of worship is a long story and a topic for another study. But the first day of the week was never hallowed by God, nor is there any commandment from God to sanctify the first day of the week. You will always get the truth from me, I promise. For a general idea of a setting apart, or consecration by God read (Ex. 13:2; Lev. 8:10, 11; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 4:3; Heb. 9:3). 
       4. Cleansed, Pure, Holy.--Read (1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Tim. 2:21; Heb. 10:10, 14). We can not conceive of any one being set apart to the service of God without being cleansed by the blood, converted to God, holy in His service. Without holiness “no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). 

                                                       SANCTIFYING AGENTS  

       God never sanctifies any man, in the sense that we are now considering the word, who is not willing to co-operate with the Lord in bringing it about. In other words, God sanctifies those who comply with His conditions. Let us notice briefly how the three Persons of God contributes: 
I. Divine Workmanship 
       1. God the Father.--“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly” 
(1 Thess. 5:23). “To them that are sanctified by God the Father” (Jude 1). This work was foreshadowed in the prophecy of (Ezek. 37:28). 
       2. God the Son.--“Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his 

October 31, 2001                                                                                                 page# 30  
                                      
own blood, suffered without the gate.” (Heb. 13:12). “We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb. 10:10). Paul further instructs the Ephesians that Christ sanctifies the Church through “the washing of water by the word”
(Eph. 5:15-27). 
       3. God the Holy Ghost.--Paul assures the Thessalonians that their salvation was wrought “through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). Peter refers to the Church as the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2). Read also (Rom. 15:16; 
1 Cor. 6:11). 
       4. The Word of God.--“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 
(John 17:17). The Word of God is an essential factor in the work of sanctification. You must read the Word of God everyday and conduct intensive Bible Study several days a week if not everyday. Christ says, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63).  
II. The Human Side 
       1. Faith.--Christ our Substitute--“is made unto us . . . sanctification” (1 Cor. 1:30). How? As we take hold of Him, grasp His promises by faith He becomes our sanctifier. Faith is the most important thing that we must exercise because “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). “He that believeth not is condemned” 
(John 3:18)--neither saved nor sanctified. “He that cometh to God must believe that he is” (Heb. 11:6). 
       2. Knowledge.--We have already referred to the efficacy of the Word of God in procuring our sanctification. On God’s side, He gives us this Word; we accept it; hence we are sanctified through “the washing of water by the word,” (Eph. 5:26) are made “clean through the word” (John 15:3). Through a knowledge of the Word we are made cognizant of our sins, and being made conscious of God’s provisions for our sanctification we act upon them. Read (1 Peter 1:2). 
       3. Obedience.--Read (Rom. 6:19-23). The Holy Spirit is “given to them that obey him.” (Acts 5:32). The disobedient are without promise. 
       4. Separation from the World.--The Word of God says “know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself.” (Ps. 4:3). “Be ye separate, saith the Lord . . . and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17). 
       5. Following After.--The promise is, “seek, and ye shall find” (Matt. 7:7). This is true of all spiritual blessings, the truth of God’s Word, and sanctification. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness (sanctification, R.V.), without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6) 
Jesus says that “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24). Jesus says “I am the door of the sheep.” 
(John 10:7). “He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out . . . and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” (John 10:3, 4).  

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                                                    TIME OF SANCTIFICATION

       1. Sanctification is an instantaneous work, at the time of conversion.--“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 6:11). “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all . . . For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Heb. 10:10, 14). 
       There are those who would put a “wilderness experience” between the time of conversion and of sanctification. But there are a few scriptures standing in the way of such conclusion. In the first place, Paul’s reference to the Corinthians, “Ye are sanctified,” (1 Cor. 6:11) was to a class of people who themselves were living a wilderness life. (1 Cor. 3:3). Again, Paul assures us that “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Rom. 8:9); that without holiness (sanctification) “no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14); that “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Gal. 5:24). John also adds his testimony, saying, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin” (1 John 3:9). These are scriptures that stand in the way of the theory that provides first for justification, then for an indefinite period of sinning religion, then a great awakening, then sanctification. It is unthinkable that God should set apart a sinning Christian and as such consecrate him to a holy cause. And yes it is true that the record of Christian people reveal shortcomings after their conversion. Paul who had a weakness of the flesh and because of the Wisdom of God it was not revealed in the Scriptures (2 Cor. 12:7-10), Paul and Barnabas who were both “filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 15:36-39), Peter (Gal. 2:11-13), and others whose standing before God was beyond question. All people, saints as well as sinners, have their shortcomings. 
       We conclude, therefore, that at conversion one is justified, sanctified, regenerated, and will be saved after baptism by water and the Spirit; and that, so far as salvation is concerned, the work is instantaneous and complete. But there is, however, a subsequent growth, “in grace,” that is as natural and as inevitable as is the physical growth of the natural child. And there are subsequent infillings of the Spirit (Acts 4:31), which mean added joys, greater spiritual attainments, and loftier heights in power, zeal, and service. 
       2. Sanctification is a progressive work, continuing throughout one’s normal Christian experience.--Once in grace, we naturally “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord” (2 Pet. 3:18). Because of this growth the children of God “increase and abound” (1 Thess. 3:12), “abound more and more” (1 Thess. 4:1), going “on to perfection” (Heb. 6:1), “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). As the natural child would not be normal if it did not continue to develop from its infancy, so the child of God is not normal if he or she does not continue to grow spiritually and mature through the knowledge of God’s Holy Word. Spiritual immaturity long after conversion is a sure sign that the Word is not being read nor applied to one’s life. 

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       So with the babe in Christ, just born into the Kingdom. “Very good,” says the Creator, and you yourself are pleased with the start made. But that child of God, because of neglect of means of grace, fails to develop spiritually. You see that individual years after, and can see no evidence that he is any farther along in the work of the Lord than he was years before. “Spiritual idiot,” you say. Growth is a natural result of life, and whoever fails to grow, physically or spiritually, is not normal. 
       You start in your Christian life, a normal Christian. God is satisfied with your condition, and you have reasons to praise the Lord. You have clear conscience before God and man, You continue to grow. Your fellowship with God and saints, your companionship with the Bible, your daily devotions and active Christian service keep you well nourished and you grow stronger and better--in knowledge, in understanding, in endurance, in spirituality, in Christian graces, in capacity for service. You look back over your past record, and you wonder how it was possible for you to do some of the things that you did in your earlier Christian experience without a remorse of conscience, as you could not do them at all now. What has happened? 
       You have been growing. As light dawned upon you, one thing after another that you did in former years appealed to you as being wrong, and one inconsistency after another was repented of and dropped from your life and record. This has continued for years; and as you now compare your record with what it was in former years, you are astonished that you did not see those things then. But you have been growing. During all these years your light has been shining brighter and brighter, and by the grace of God, if you will continue as you have been doing, you will continue to shine more brightly, for “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4:18). This is progressive sanctification.  
       Sanctification, perfect and complete, will be the happy lot of every saint at the coming of our Lord, for then no mortal robe will dim the life and light of God within the soul, and our state will be perfect then, as our standing is now. 

                                                 RESULTS OF SANCTIFICATION 

       1. Union with Christ.--“Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one” (Heb. 2:11). When God sets us apart to His service it means two things: (1) separation from sin (Rom. 6:1, 2; 12:1, 2; 2 Cor. 6:14-18); (2) union with Himself (John 17:21-23). 
       2. Christian Perfection.--“By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Heb. 10:14). How is Christian perfection possible in the life of an imperfect human? Answer: through the cleansing power of the blood, the keeping power of God. Perfect love was the theme of our Saviour when He commanded His disciples to be perfect--perfect through the Blood is the perfection wrought through the “one offering.” Christ’s perfection is made ours. (1 Cor. 1:30). 

October 31, 2001                                                                                                 page# 33   
                                       
       3. Eternal Inheritance.--That all the sanctified ones in Christ are joint heirs with Christ is evident, because: (1) God has promised to all the faithful ones “an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). (2) Holiness (sanctification) is mentioned among the conditions required to “see the Lord.” (3) The “all things” of 
(Rev. 21:7) are promised to overcomers--and there are no overcomers outside of the saved and sanctified ones. 
       4. Preparation for Service.-- If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Tim. 2:21). Sanctification insures the power of the Spirit, a prime essential in efficient service. Consecration, a synonym of sanctification, means the surrender of all to God, which means all human powers upon the altar, to be used of Him to full capacity. This accounts for the fact that some possessing very ordinary talents accomplish more for the Lord than many who are blessed with much greater talents but less consecration. Yes, that means you! Use your talents for the Glory of the Lord. 
       5. A Continual Growth in Grace.--Read (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Thess. 4:1-10; 
2 Peter 3:17, 18). There is no more favorable condition for rapid, constant growth than a consecrated, holy life. Such a life means the power of the indwelling Spirit in the work of accomplishing great things for God. It puts one into the heavenlies, fills his soul with the richness of God’s grace, prompts spiritual activity which is so essential to spiritual development, and furnishes a fertile soil favorable to abundant fruit of the Spirit--and as vegetation grows most rapidly when it is favored with an abundance of warm sunshine, so does the child of God make most satisfactory progress heavenward when enjoying the sunshine of heaven in a sanctified life. 
       For God’s Plan of Salvation to work in your life towards the ultimate goal of eternal salvation. You must trust the Bible completely and totally. There can be absolutely no room for doubt. Let me assure you that you can trust the Bible. How can I, you ask?         
       If the Bible had been written by one person at one time, one could understand how it would be unified in general thoughts and specific details. But consider these diversities in its origin:  
•	It was written by 40 different authors.
•	It was written over a period of 1,600 years.
•	It was written in three languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
•	Its writers came from many walks of life: prophet (Jeremiah), priest (Zechariah), shepherd (Amos), king (David), servant (Nehemiah), doctor (Luke), tax collector (Matthew), and Pharisee (Paul). 
•	It was written on three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.
•	A gap of more than 400 years separated the writing of the Old Testament from the New Testament. 

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       In spite of this wide diversity, the Bible is one book. As branches, roots, trunk, and leaves are part of one tree, so the parts of the Bible make up a single unit. It agrees in doctrine, details of prophecy, what it says about Jesus Christ, and its offer of rescue to mankind. The Bible is a unified book made up of 66 books. It is a book you can trust! The text of the Bible is protected by God. And the supernatural protection of the text of the Bible is another reason for trusting it. This protection occurred in two forms: (a) its unity amid great diversity, and (b) the miraculous preservation of the text itself. 
       The Bible is the only book authored by God and thus the only book that shows us how to know Him, how to live, and how to receive eternal life. The Bible has proven itself to be a book of truth because it supports its claims with historical and geographical facts. Also it is important to grasp that the Bible prophets did not originate what they wrote. Rather, they recorded what was given to them by God. They were moved (literally “borne along”) by the Holy Spirit. Now, that doesn’t mean that their individual personality or style of writing was overpowered. It means that they were kept from having any error creep into what they wrote. They were moved by the Holy Spirit to record only what God wanted man to know. When the Bible mentions historical facts, alludes to science, or predicts the future, its accuracy gives evidence that it is a book you can trust. To reject the Bible, is to close one’s eyes to an overwhelming amount of evidence in its favor. 
       As time goes on, the questions of the critics are being answered by reliable scholarship and the findings of the archaeologist spade. And it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference. But the clearest confirmation of the Bible’s reliability is the accuracy of it’s prophecy. Whenever the Bible speaks prophetically the accuracy of it’s predictions have been 100 percent. Hundreds of prophecies have been literally fulfilled. On this basis, we can also believe what the Bible has to say about things to come. The next prophecy to be fulfilled will be (1 Thess 4:15-17). ARE YOU READY! YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME! (1 Thess. 4:15-17) will happen very soon and “as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” (Luke 21:35). You will not be counted worthy to be included in (1 Thess. 4:15-17) if (1 Cor. 12:13) has not happen to you, because of (John 3:5). If God’s Plan of Salvation is not being applied to your life you  will be very disappointed because “in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man   cometh.” (Matt. 24:44). I can not over stress the importance of being ready for 
(1 Thess. 4:15-17) because “God is not a man, that he should lie,” it is “impossible for God to lie” (Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18). Read (Tit. 1:2). If you use the formula found in 
(2 Pet. 3:8) it appears that God has given us a clue in (Luke 2:46) and (Hos. 6:2) as to how much time must pass before Christ will return. When I apply the formula in 
(2 Pet. 3:8) to (Luke 10:35) I am totally convince of how much time must pass before 
(1 Thess. 4:15-17) will happen. You will have to draw your own conclusions. I want to accredit Daniel Kauffman’s Doctrines of the Bible in assisting me with this study. Amen!  

                     God Bless. Peace and Love!   

                                                                                                                                                      George B. Condry  

                                                                                                                                                 George B. Condry