There is all the difference in the world between this spiritual life and the death which preceded. However, it is only too evident that this life is often a sickly one. For it is a fact that the Christian still sins. Sometimes he sins so much that it almost looks as if the new life had left him entirely, and he were dead again. But we know that he is not dead. His infirmities will gradually disappear. In the meantime, however, there is no doubt that he is really sick.
That the born-again person sins is obvious from his own experience as well as from Scripture. Each Christian is aware only too bitterly of the sinful failures in his life. He may even feel despondent at times because of the seeming victory of sin in his life, and he may exclaim with converted Paul, "What a wretched man I am!" (Rom. 7:24). Humbly he feels the need of the prayer that Christ taught the saved: "Forgive us our sins." John confirms this by remarking that if anyone, including the regenerated, says that he has no sin, he deceives himself, the truth is not in him, and he makes God a liar (1Jn. 1:8, 10).
In fact, the remarkable truth is that the holier and more sanctified a Christian becomes, the greater is his awareness of his own sin. The closer a person is to the holy God, the more sensitive are his feelings for sin. Not only do his gross sins grieve him more, but also, those that before did not trouble him because of their seeming unimportance now loom large in his mind. It was just because Paul had attained such a great degree of sanctification and was thus so sensitive to sin that he complained, "What a wretched man I am!" It was just exactly when Isaiah had a vision of the holy Lord, and when the seraphim cried: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts," that Isaiah said, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" (Is. 6:5). Thus, none are completely holy in this life, not even the greatest saints of God. Regenerated man still sins. Although he still has life, it is a sickly one.
This now poses the problem for us: How may we overcome this sin? How may we conquer the anger, temper, hate, envy, sexual lusts, and other evils that well up inside us? Every real Christian is concerned with this. He seeks victory over the sin in his life. How is he to gain it?
The answer the Bible gives to this pressing problem is found in the title…"The Sanctifier of the Faithful." The eternal Spirit of God is the source of sanctification. So that this will be absolutely clear, however, it is necessary, first of all, to observe two solutions that have often been given to this problem of sin, both of which are unbiblical and therefore erroneous. One is essentially: Fight sin all you can. And the other is diametrically opposite: Do not fight sin. By seeing the error of these two proposed solutions we shall understand more accurately what the only and victorious solution is: the biblical answer.
"Fight Sin All You Can!"
The first proposed answer commands us to rely on our own strength. It leaves sanctification entirely up to us. We are told to control our sinful desires by reason. The advantages of virtue and the sweet promises of the gospel are pointed out. The reasonableness of our duty to God is shown. The consequences of sin to our bodies and souls, both here and in eternity, are cited. Knowing what is good and holy, we are then told: Now, master your life. Conquer all evil tendencies. Exercise all the discipline, determination, resolution, and control that are within you. Follow the example of a man such as Benjamin Franklin, who records in his autobiography how he improved himself by making a daily check list of all his bad habits. If we know what is right, and use our reason and resolution, we can conquer sin by our own strength and power.
"Do Not Fight Sin!"
A second answer that has been set forth is diametrically the opposite of the first one, and it is equally wrong. If the error of the first-mentioned solution was its assertion that we must fight sin in our own strength, the error of this solution is its belief that we must not fight sin at all, but let Christ do it for us. It is the difference between the mottoes: "Do all" and "Do nothing at all." (1)
Keswick ("Victorious Christian Life") leaders assert, for example, that "deliverance [from sin] is not attained by struggle and painful effort, by earnest resolution and self-denial." If man does anything to defeat sin, sin will defeat him. Man must "simply give God a chance to take hold of the personality….The Holy Spirit wants to free and liberate the personality," but cannot until man lets him.
In this country Hannah Whitall Smith, in The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, stressed that the Christian must surrender completely to the Lord. He must put his life in the Maker's hands like clay in the potter's, and then be passive. "The potter must do all the work." "When we have put our case in the Lord's hands our part is simply to 'sit still.'" "And we must remember this–that if we carry a burden ourselves, the Lord does not carry it."
Trumbell, in his "Victorious Life" movement, urged the motto, "Let go and let God." He said also, "If it isn't easy, it isn't good." "Any victory that you have to get by trying for it is counterfeit. If you have to work for the victory, it is not the real thing." "We must not try not to sin." Such efforts "can and do effectually prevent such victory." When victory is gained it will be "victory by freedom rather than victory by fight," "effortless freedom" from all "sinful impulses." "Therefore, stop trying. Let him do it all."
Often in these movements the stress is on the second blessing. It is taught that, just as a man receives Christ in justification without works by faith, so man receives Christ a second time in sanctification by an act of faith that is distinct and separate from the one by which a Christian is justified. They believe that, as in justification, the Christian receives Christ instantaneously and completely, so also in sanctification he receives Christ suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, and not gradually. The difference is that the first time he receives Christ as his personal Saviour, and the second time as his Lord who gives him complete victory over all known sin. This is what they call instantaneous, sinless perfection by the second blessing.
Both of these proposed solutions to victory over sin are unbiblical. Man will never find holiness only by striving with might and main in his own strength. Something else is needed–supernatural help. Neither will man gain the victory by simply relying on supernatural help without striving with all that is in him. But victory over sin may and can be had by what might superficially seem to be a combination of these two. The secret of holiness according to the Bible, is to be found in a twofold activity: God's working in us and our working, too. This is the way of victory for the Christian.
The first thing necessary for conquering the power of sin in our lives is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit is working in our lives, Jesus Christ comes to live in our hearts. We become mystically attached with him. This is not a union by memory, nor by some feeling, nor by love as might exist between two friends. But in an ontological way Christ comes and dwells within our lives and is united with us. The union is just as real as, although not identical to, the union of branches to their vine (Jn. 15:5), or of the Son to the Father in the Trinity (Jn. 17:21), or of the head to the body (Eph. 4:16, 17). It is of such reality that Paul can say: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).
When the Spirit thus regenerates, and a union is established with Christ, then victory over sin follows–a victory which is instantaneous and not gradual. To be sure, there is not a complete eradication of sin in the Christian on earth, yet there is a victory that is secured in a moment, so that John can write, "This is the victory that has overcome the world" (1 Jn. 5:4). And Paul can declare emphatically, "For sin shall not be your master" (Rom. 6:14). Sin is conquered. The sinner is victorious. It may seem at times that he has no hope and is more the victim of sin than the victor over it. Yet, he who is born of the Spirit and united to Christ cannot abandon himself to sin. For he is dead to sin, and sin shall not have dominion over him. Sin may conquer temporarily and in different ways, but it shall be completely eradicated in every way. Satan has been given a mortal blow–he is doomed. But in the meantime he goes down fighting.
The victory may be compared to the Allied victory over the Japanese in 1945. Victory was won. The Japanese surrendered. The fighting was over. But even after the peace treaty had been signed and the bulk of the Japanese army had capitulated, there were some who kept on fighting when Americans attempted to occupy the islands. Similarly in the life of everyone who is mystically united with Jesus Christ, the victory has been won. Satan and sin are defeated. It has already happened. There is still guerrilla warfare carried on sporadically, and at times it takes on great proportions, but the victory is sealed, and it is only a matter of time before the last vestige of opposition (sin) will be done away with. In this biblical sense, it is possible to speak of the victorious life (1 Jn. 5:4).
It is not easy to characterize the actual sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. It is a mystery, just like regeneration, and yet a few things can be said about it.
In the first place, sanctification is primarily the work of the Spirit. Although it is true, as we mentioned, that spiritual life comes from being mystically united to Jesus Christ; and although Jesus said in John 14:23 that not only the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer, but also the Father and the Son; and although we know we may not divide the work of the Trinity; yet the scriptures do indicate that sanctification is chiefly the work of the third person of the Trinity. He is the one who regenerates (Jn. 3), renews (Ti. 3:5), sanctifies (2 Thes. 2:13; 1 Pt. 1:2), leads (Rom. 8:14), dwells within man (Jn. 14:17; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16), and writes on his heart (2 Cor. 3:3). And Paul says clearly that "if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" (Rom. 8:9). These passages indicate that the Spirit is absolutely essential for this victorious life in Christ. He who lacks the Spirit does not belong to Christ–does not partake of his life. Hence, if Christ is to sanctify man by dwelling in him, he must do it through the Spirit. Christ and the Father do not indwell and thereby sanctify man directly or immediately, but through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In short, sanctification is principally the work of the third person of the Trinity.
The second characteristic of this sanctifying work is that the Spirit, just as in regeneration, affects the very heart or soul of man. He does not merely use moral, rational persuasion, leaving it to man to sanctify himself or not; but he continually affects his basic nature, touching man in his subconscious life, in the inmost recesses of his soul, where man can neither cooperate nor resist. The result is that good works follow, for the fruit of the tree is governed by its nature, and out of the heart are all the issues of life (Prov. 4:23).
David saw that the Holy Spirit must touch his heart or soul. After his twofold crime of murder and adultery, he pleads for forgiveness. But he wants more than forgiveness: he wants the root of all his sin changed. If God should forgive, and if his heart should remain the same, then the same sins would appear again. So, in addition to asking for forgiveness, he pleads to God, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10). Only with a clean heart touched by God will he be able to make progress in avoiding future sins, for, as Christ said, out of the heart of man proceed murder and adulteries.
Thanks be to God that in sanctification the Spirit does operate in that subconscious area of our souls where we cannot resist. Otherwise, we would never be sanctified, for apart from the Spirit we would always resist.
Thirdly, the Holy Spirit causes the whole of man to be affected in sanctification. He does not sanctify only the will, for example, so that the Christian determines to do the good, but does not understand the good, or love the good. Rather, he sanctifies all of man: his will, his emotions, and his understanding. He does not give a complete sanctification at the new birth, but it is a sanctification that affects all of man and starts him on the way of holiness in his entire being. It is similar to the birth and growth of a baby that is perfectly created. The baby has all of the faculties of the mind and body, even though small. His fingernails may be tiny, yet they are perfectly made. He has the right number of fingers, toes, ears, eyebrows, and internal organs, even if they are not fully developed. In a similar fashion, the Holy Spirit regenerates and sanctifies the entirety of man. It may be just a beginning, but every portion of man is affected. His spiritual understanding does not develop to the neglect of his will, nor his will to the detriment of his emotions. But he grows in all parts. He is perfect in parts, but imperfect in degree.
This comprehensiveness of the Spirit's work is derived from such passages as Proverbs 4:23, which tell us that the heart governs all the activities of man, and Mark 7:20-23, where Jesus enumerates the wickednesses that proceed from the heart. If the innermost being of man, his heart and soul, is changed, then all of its products and effusions will be altered, too. This is also seen from the various places in the Bible which specifically mention the will, the intellect, and the emotions as being sanctified.
A fourth characteristic of the Spirit's work in sanctification is the gradualness of the process. Man never attains instantaneous, sinless perfection on earth. Only if man lowers the standards of God to meet his sinfulness can he erroneously think that he is perfect. For the Bible testifies that man is not suddenly emancipated from the power of sin, but rather that deliverance comes after a long struggle. Sometimes the process is slow, and at other times it is accelerated, but in any case it is over one's entire life. As we have seen, John says that "if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8). Paul continually speaks about the sin that is still in the Christian, and the incessant warfare with Satan. And Peter does not say, "Jump into grace and knowledge," but rather, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pt. 3:18). This indicates definitely that sanctification is a gradual process.
But fifth, that gradual process will be completed in the twinkling of an eye at the moment of death. In heaven, in the presence of the holy God, there will be no sin, for sin will have been completely done away (Rom. 21:27). Therefore, when the Christian goes to heaven immediately at death, as the Bible indicates, the process of sanctification is suddenly brought to completion, and in a split second he becomes sinlessly perfect.
This continual operation of the Holy Spirit whereby we are united to Christ is, then, the indispensable condition for victory over our sins, even though that victory is not easy. The indwelling presence of the Spirit and Christ is essential and basic. There is no other way. Without them no victory will be attained–not even a partial one. Firm resolution, determination, and painful striving without the Spirit and Christ are of no avail. For anyone so to attempt such a victory would be like a person trying to produce beautiful, red, juicy apples by gluing seeds or small apples on a tree, and then hoping that they will grow. Such externality will not succeed. Rather, he must select a tree that has a correct nature, the nature of an apple tree. When that is done and proper cultivation is given, that tree will naturally and easily produce good apples. As Christ said: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5). As branches are united with a vine, and receive from it the life and vitality to grow and produce grapes, so also the Christian dwells in Christ, and from him and the Holy Spirit receives the inward power and life and strength to do good works. And as it is absolutely impossible to produce grapes from an old, dry, dead stick, so also it is impossible to become holy if Christ and the Holy Spirit are not within us giving us life. We receive from Christ the power to overcome sin–power which we do not have in ourselves.
Or to attempt to conquer sin by external means, such as asceticism or discipline or moral persuasion of Benjamin Franklin's check list, in our own strength and without the Spirit, is like trying to make a seedling into a mighty oak by stretching the bark, pulling the limbs, and lifting the trunk. It cannot be forced in that outward fashion.
The biblical way is illustrated by that same oak in springtime. Dead, dry, brittle, brown leaves are still on some of its branches. As life manifests itself from within, those old leaves naturally fall off, and new, green leaves appear, small at the start, but perfectly formed and gradually developing into full maturity. In a similar fashion, when the Spirit and Christ dwell within us, they give us such power and life that the old sins drop off one by one, and in their place come new virtues–small, to be sure–but growing gradually and certainly.
Thus, sanctification is not accomplished by externalities–by a great expenditure of determination and will power, apart from an inward source of power. But through the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ reigning within us, we will find power that the non-Christian does not have, divine power itself. As Jesus said, "Streams of living water will flow from within him" (Jn. 7:38). Herein lies the secret of power and victory.
We must now guard ourselves against a possible error. Perhaps someone will say that since the victory is attained only by the Holy Spirit, we must leave it all to him. We should not work as hard as we can to overcome sin. As some have said, we should "let him do it all." We should let Christ take over our personality, and we ourselves should just "sit still." "We must not try not to sin," for that will lead to defeat. We must gain an effortless victory, in which we are absolutely passive.
This teaching is not biblical, and it is dangerous. It is true that without Christ and the Spirit no victory is possible. They must dwell within our bodies. But at the same time, the whole of scripture clamors for action on our part. The work of the Holy Spirit does not make our activity unnecessary.
In regeneration the Christian is only passive. He can do nothing about it. He simply is born: he does not cooperate in his birth. Just like a baby, he contributes nothing to it. But in sanctification there is an additional aspect. Man is both passive and active. To be sure, it is the Holy Spirit who sovereignly works within his life in his subconscious area, in his heart, so that man is absolutely passive in this operation. Man does not control the Spirit or Christ, but their life flows to him apart from his activity. He is utterly passive in this side of sanctification.
Yet at the same time, man is very active, not in the reception of spiritual life, but in the working out of that life which the Holy Spirit gives to him. He is not treated like a clock that we wind up tightly and then set on a table to tick and run by itself. For man has a will, emotions, and an intellect, which a clock does not have. When the Holy Spirit sanctifies a man, he has respect for these faculties, using them, and causing then to move into action. It is both a grace and a duty: a grace in which the Spirit is sovereignly bestowed upon those who passively receive him, and a duty whereby, once the Spirit is received, the recipients are called to action.
To be sure, we do not act in our own power, but only in so far as the Spirit graciously gives us power and ability to act. It is not as though the Spirit works partially in us, setting us in motion, whereupon we do the rest. Rather, God works 100 percent in all we do, and we work 100 percent in all we do. It is because the Spirit works in us that we are able to work. Every single ethical act we do–whether it is resisting temptation, doing a positive good, or believing on Jesus Christ–we do only because the Spirit enables us to do it. Yet, true as this may be, it is our solemn obligation to try as hard as we can. We may not "sit still," "let him do it all," and seek an "effortless victory." The Bible teaches: If it isn't hard, it isn't good.
Although victory is found only through the Spirit and Christ, nevertheless the scriptures constantly encourage us to join the fight against sin and the devil. They say: "Fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Tm. 6:12); "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood…" (Eph. 6:11, 12); "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…be transformed…" (Rom. 12:1, 2); "Let us purify ourselves" (2 Cor. 7:1); "Therefore…let us throw off everything that hinders…and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Heb. 12:1); and, "Run in such a way to get the prize" (1 Cor. 9:24). It would be possible to go on in endless repetition, citing scripture after scripture which exhorts the Christian to strive to be perfect even as his Father in heaven is perfect. All these scripture passages point to the fact that the Christian must act, he must do something. In other words, there is a very active side to sanctification.
Perhaps no passage shows the relationship of the active and passive side in a finer way than Philippians 2:12, 13. Here Paul does not say: Sit still; be passive as clay in the potter's hand; do nothing; do not try; just let the Spirit do it all. On the contrary, he emphatically and unambiguously says: "Work!" "Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." This refers to the active side of sanctification, to man's duty and responsibility. Paul exhorts the Philippians to put forth every effort they can to become holy. They may not say: Leave it to God; he will do it all; we will not work. Rather, Paul commands that they make work of it.
But the passive side immediately follows, when Paul adds, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Yes, work! Work with all you have; work with all that is in you. It is your responsibility. But, remember! It is God who is working in you to will and to act.
There is the biblical combination, and that is the magic to success. If one part is attempted without the other, failure will result. If we work without the Spirit, we will be frustrated. On the other hand, if we leave it all to the Spirit and we do not work, we will also end in failure. But combine the Spirit with work; then increasing victory will be ours. The secret of holy living is found in this combination. With it the Christian can have success.
Without attempting to be complete, we would like to suggest three concrete and practical steps which the Christian can take (entirely by the Spirit's grace, of course) and which will help him to hasten the final victory.
The first work is to pray for a fuller presence of the Holy Spirit and Christ in his life. Although it is true that the Spirit causes us to pray in faith for himself and Christ, it is a biblical axiom that the more we seek by faith their indwelling presence, the more they will come into our lives. For faith is the means of appropriating the Spirit and Christ, just as the hand is the means by which we appropriate physical bread for our bodies. Jesus said: "Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive" (Jn. 7:38, 39). Paul prayed for the Ephesians, that "Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:17). To the Galatians he declared that Christ dwelled within himself, and that he lived that Christ-indwelt life by faith (Gal. 2:20). Thus, faith is the key to the fuller indwelling of the Holy Spirit and Christ, and, consequently, to the receiving of power over sin. We may pray in faith for an increased indwelling of the Spirit in our lives, and we shall receive it.
We must remember that prayer is not simply a pious expression of devotion and thanks to God, but it is also a means of power. It is always requisite, however, to pray aright. It is necessary to persevere, for example–to go to God again and again with the same request. It is also essential to go believing and expecting that he will answer our prayers, and not simply desiring an answer, thinking at the same time that God will not grant it. That is not faith. Faith is composed of trust as well as knowledge. We must not only know that God is able to give us a greater indwelling of the Spirit and Christ; we must also trust that he will do so. When we go in this expectation and trust, we will find that God, who loves to bestow his good and holy gifts, will give us a fuller indwelling. This will mean, in turn, that we will have greater victory over sin. The first and the prime work, therefore, that we can do to overcome sin is to pray in faith for the indwelling presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit.
A second important means which we must lay hold of if we are to have victory is private meditation on the Word of God. Except in the case of infants, the Holy Spirit does not work apart from the Word of God. He works through that Word. How can we expect to be holy and to do God's will if we neglect the God-given means of grace and rarely read the only Book which shows us what holiness is? In the Bible we see our holy example, Jesus Christ. We find written instructions, either explicit or implicit, for our own lives. If we are to be conformed to the image of the Son, then we must be intimately acquainted with him in the Bible. If we are to keep all of God's precepts, as they are given on every page of the Bible, then we must read them. We cannot lazily hope that the Spirit will miraculously reveal them to us by another revelation. No, we must be saturated with that Word, for the Spirit works through it. As we feed on that Word, the Spirit will work within us, causing us to be increasingly sanctified. Jesus clearly taught that we are sanctified by the truth (Jn. 17:17, 19). Peter confirmed this when he said: "Crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" (1 Pt. 2:2). A second concrete work, then, which will enable us to conquer the sin remaining within us is thorough, personal meditation on the Word.
Finally, the Christian seeking a holier life will be faithful in public worship. Through the faithful, official preaching of the Word, the Holy Spirit will speak, convict him of sin, and lead him to holiness. In the sacraments, he will also find his faith being strengthened.
Suppose, for example, that as a pastor preached on sanctification, some of his parishioners who were struggling with certain sins had not come to church, but had stayed home. They would then have missed this official proclamation of the Word of God on their very problem, and they would not have grown as much as they could have. The Holy Spirit works through the official exposition of the Word. Thus the Christian who desires to be holy will be diligent in attending all worship services.
Along these paths the Bible directs us toward victory over sin–over any sin that may be in our lives, whether it be anger, impatience, hate, envy, sexual lust, drunkenness, lack of love toward God, or any other sin. Sanctification is a twofold work. First of all it is 100 percent the work of God. We must experience, through his sovereign grace, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Without him we can do absolutely nothing: we are doomed to defeat. With him we can do all things. We have a source of divine power that can conquer sin.
Second, sanctification is accomplished by the persistent and determined work of man. He must, by the grace of God, strive to the utmost for perfection.
Couple these two elements–God's work and man's work–and the outcome is victory over sin. To be sure, on this side of death sin will not be eradicated. But there will be a marked and definite progress toward complete sanctification, and on the other side of death it will be perfected.
**Reprinted from The Person and Ministry of the Holy Spirit: the Traditional Calvinistic Perspective with the kind permission of Mrs. Elsie Palmer. The late Dr. Edwin Palmer was a distinguished pastor and professor of theology. The organizing force behind the New International Version of the Bible, he was the Chairman of the NIV Committee.
