4132 — Two Works of Grace
Are there two works of grace, as justified and sanctified? and has one got to be wholly sanctified if he will ever see God?
S. Yes, there is one work of grace, and two works of grace, and three works of grace, and many other works of grace that God is doing for His children all the time. It all may be summed up in one great, continuous work of grace. The Lord does not set before us in His word a special work that He does for a soul, and then by and by another special work, and that that soul is to rest always in that work. First of all the child is born, and then it grows and develops into youth and strong manhood. It is so with the Christian. God does not want dwarfs, nor does He always want us to remain little children. When we believe in the forgiveness of sins through our Lord Jesus Christ we are justified. God forgives for Christ's sake. That is one work. That is what He does for us simply because we believe. Of course preceding this is repentance, or sorrow for sin and a turning from sin, and that is where the will of the individual must choose. Sanctification means a separation from and a separating unto, and the soul that is justified gives himself to God for service. It does not mean that he is then perfect. It does not mean that he will not make mistakes. It does not mean that he can not sin. A sanctified person is a saint. That is what Paul calls the Romans, and calls the Corinthians, and he calls others saints; but by reading the epistles we will see that they are very faulty, defective saints nevertheless; but they have given themselves to God. They have separated themselves from the world, and yielded themselves to the Master, and God in His grace has been with them in this whole work, so that a wholly sanctified person is one who has given himself to God, and the working out of character follows. Sanctification, therefore, may be said to be an instantaneous work, as relating to the decision, but a progressive life-work, as relating to the working out of that decision. Paul expresses both these in his own experience in Phil. 3:7-14. The first was the decision,—"What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss,"—all that he had seen, all that he would see in the future,—all were given up for Christ. And then he prays that he may know Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection out from among the dead. And the 12th verse says: "Not as tho I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after." He presses on toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The man who boasts himself a saint does not know of what he is talking. The man who says that he is perfect and sinless, is sinning in the very declaration that he has made. It is a characteristic of the New Testament writers to call themselves "servants," not "saints." They may call others saints, and God may call them saints, but the sweetest name that the child of God who recognizes his obligation can use is "servant." Don't be worried over the ultra and unscriptural views of holiness which are taught. Our hope lies in Jesus Christ our Lord and in His word, not in any particular feeling or emotion that we may have.