R. F. COTTRELL by R. F. Cottrell

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Apr 26, 1877

R. F. COTTRELL

By R. F. Cottrell

Sanctification.

“SANCTIFY them through thy truth, thy word is truth.” John. 17:17. Thus prayed Jesus for his disciples. From this it appears that the truth is the instrumentality through which Christians are to be sanctified, and that the truth is the Word of God. Yet many seem to think that they are sanctified independently of the Word, and indeed use their sanctification to parry the plain declarations of the Word. Tell them that God’s Word requires them to keep the seventh day which is the Sabbath of the Lord, and they will tell you that the Lord blesses them—that they enjoy salvation within daily—and this could not be if they were wrong about the Sabbath. That the Lord would certainly show it to them, if it were their duty. As if the Lord will give an immediate revelation, for the benefit of those who refuse to believe his Word! The Lord will do no such thing. He has spoken once, why should he repeat it? It is asking too much of him. When his will is once plainly expressed, it is a sin to ask him to reverse it, or to repeat it. And when this course is persisted in, the Lord will leave them to the deceptions of the devil, who will give them of his spirit and blessing, and deny the Word of the Lord, and thus grant the petition which they desired. A person who pursues this course is not sanctified through the truth.

But a person who believes the testimony of God’s Word, and then adds to his faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity, will, when the process is completed, be fully and Scripturally sanctified, and fitted for the Master’s use.