Wholly Holy

The heart of man has an inherited problem, but God provides a solution!

From a sermon by Darrel Lee

We have heard it said that sanctification is the hub of the Gospel, and that is certainly true. The teaching of sanctification did not begin in the Apostolic Faith church. It did not begin when Florence Crawford, our founder, walked into some meetings on Azusa Street in Los Angeles after the turn of the century. The people there taught her about the experience of sanctification, but sanctification did not begin with the Azusa ministry. They learned it from those who taught them. John Wesley is credited with reviving the teaching of sanctification, but the experience did not begin with him either. It began with God!

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul the Apostle states the need for sanctification almost as a prayer. We read, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.” As a new convert, when I heard this text used, it seemed that quite often the preacher would spell the word wholly. I did not know why, but now I understand that he was spelling it to differentiate between wholly and holy. The meaning of the word wholly is “entirely,” so that is where we get the phrase, “entire sanctification.” Sanctification is complete. In fact, this verse could accurately be read, “the very God of peace sanctify you through and through,” or “in every part.” There is no implication that sanctification will occur “part way” or “a little now and some more later.” The experience of sanctification is entire sanctification.

Paul concluded, “and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” Will do what? He will sanctify you wholly, and preserve you blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know what it is to be preserved. My mother sends me a batch of raspberry preserves every year. That batch is made with the idea that it will last, that it will be maintained in its current state. It does not last long at our house, but it would if we did not eat it! To preserve blameless is “to keep in perfect or unaltered condition, to prevent from decaying or spoiling.” So the prayer is that the God of peace will sanctify you wholly and keep you in that blameless condition until the Lord returns.

Ephesians 5:25-27 tells the purpose of sanctification. It says, “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, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” The purpose of sanctification is to make the Church what it ought to be in the sight of God. Sanctification is not for the world, but for those who have been saved. They know their past sins have been forgiven, and they go back to God to have the nature of sin cleansed. When that occurs, they become part of the “glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing,” and “holy and without blemish.”

In Genesis 1:26, we learn that the first man and woman were made in the image of God, in holiness and true righteousness. However, although Adam and Eve had a holy bias or inclination, they also could choose to overrule that bias and do wrong. They made that choice, and thus plunged all humanity into a depraved condition. Genesis
5:3 says, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.” Adam’s offspring were born in his image, not in God’s image. After the fall, we inherited Adam’s depraved nature, and mankind is born into this world in that sinful condition.

The first chapter of Genesis teaches that like produces like. Repeatedly it states that the seed was in itself to reproduce “after his kind.” That is true of fallen man also. We inherited our sinful nature from Adam. In John 3:6 we read, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” We need to be born again of the Spirit—to have our hearts regenerated, our past sins forgiven. Then we need to have our hearts cleansed and made holy through the sanctifying power of Jesus’ Blood.

In Mark 7:20-23, we read, “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” These evil deeds did not originate in the mind, though the mind may have implemented how the deed would be carried out. They did not originate in the hand, though the hand may have held the weapon. The evil comes from the heart where the plan was conceived. It is the heart of man that has the problem, and it is sanctification that solves the heart problem.

When we pray through and are born again, we know our sins have been forgiven. Still, there remains that carnal nature from which those deeds sprang forth in the first place. That is why sanctification is needed: the heart needs to be cleansed. The Bible repeatedly instructs about the need for cleansing, purging, and purifying. Those words are speaking of sanctification—the need for the old man, the carnal man, to be dealt with.

It is important to know what sanctification does in a life, but it is also helpful to know what it does not do. We hear the phrase, “Christian perfection,” used in reference to sanctification. In what sense does sanctification bring perfection? Sanctification deals with man’s moral nature and his need for moral restoration. Thus, a sanctified individual will continue to face physical, mental, even emotional limitations imposed upon him as a result of the fall of mankind. If the restoration included the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of our being, people would not fall asleep during church or get distracted when they pray. They would never inadvertently bounce a check, never make a wrong judgment or a poor decision. However, those things happen and there is no evil motive at all.

The proof of sanctification is that when a sanctified person sees his limitations, he goes to God in prayer and says, “God, help me to do better next time, because I love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and I want to please You in every way.” That’s sanctification. This is not to excuse behavior that springs from a carnal nature. God knows the difference. Sin is sin, and it is dangerous to call any and every behavior just a “mistake.” Rather than spending too much time trying to tag it, we just go to our knees and say, “God, help me next time it comes around to do better.” God will help us.

The experience of sanctification is an instantaneous work. Our human nature is the realm where Christian growth occurs, and it began when we prayed through to salvation. It continues when we get sanctified, and keeps on growing after we are sanctified. In fact, it should continue until we step into Heaven! As sanctified individuals, we are not mentally, emotionally, or physically perfect in this world; we are morally perfect. Our hearts are continually seeking after God and His will.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:7 we read, “God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” The words holiness and health come from the same root word: holiness is soul health. When you are healthy in your body, you feel good; everything is right physically. When you are sick in your body, you don’t feel good; something is wrong. Holiness in the heart makes you feel right inside. You know that all is clear between yourself and God.

How do you get the experience of sanctification? The way you approach God for sanctification is different from how you approached Him for salvation. Then, there were sins in your life that separated you from God, and you came in repentance and asked for mercy and forgiveness. When you come to God to be sanctified, you do not come with sins anymore. Instead, you present your life a living sacrifice to God. You come recognizing your need for cleansing from the sin nature. You want to conform to the image of Christ, so you come to Him consecrating, offering yourself wholly to God. You totally submit to Him, and then simply believe that what He has promised, He will perform. The assurance of sanctification will come with the commitment and faith that His promise is true.

If you have been born again, sanctification is an experience that God has for you today. Consecrate your life to Him and pray until you receive that experience. God wants to do it in your life!

Darrel Lee is Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith Church and the pastor of the headquarters church in Portland, Oregon.