Holiness in Christ

Front matter

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DIMSS IN CHRIST

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Contents

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I The New Creature

Chapter 1 The New Creature

PAUL'S statement is, "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature/' II. Cor. 5 :17. This is the way Paul speaks of the saved person. He is a new creature. When any one exercises a living faith in Christ, he is a saved man, converted, and born again. Eph. 2:8, "By grace are ye saved through faith."

It is very important however that we understand that the faith through which we are saved is a living faith. The Word says that many are deceived, that God will send strong delusions, and many disappointed in the day of judgment, II. Tim. 3 :13, Mat. 7 :22, 23, Mat. 25 : 44-46. For this reason we are taught by the Word to examine ourselves. What is the examination for? To discover whether we have the faith; whether we are not only thinking we have faith but have not ; whether or not we only imagine we have faith but actually do not have faith ; whether we have, perhaps, in an indifferent way, entertained the idea that we have faith but do not actually have a living faith ; whether or not we have ever paused in life to discover whether we even know what faith is. II. Cor. 13.5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." "If we have the faith, we are doing the works of Christ." John

14.12, "He that believeth in me, the works that I do will he do also." He who has this living faith is a true Christian whom Paul calls a new creature.

This new creature is more than an ordinary creature in creation and is not to be simply recognized as a common ordinary being. He is a wonderful being, and in relation to the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Master, fitted to be a glory unto his Creator. It is most helpful for man's salvation for him to have a knowledge of the state and condition of this new creature. Let us open God's holy Word and hear what God says about this new creature, the Christian.

Already we have found that he is an entirely new creature. As such, he is a created being and is created in true holiness, being therefore a holy man. Eph. 4:24, "Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

He bears much fruit and has his fruit unto holiness. John 15:8, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." Rom. 6:22, "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness." There are some people perhaps who have overlooked the fact that a Christian is holy, and that he has his fruit unto true holiness, but let us take notice that Paul says that now are ye servants to God and have your fruit unto holiness, having been created in true holiness.

THE NEW CREATURE

The new creature is clean and purified. He is clean because lie is washed with a thorough washing, the washing of regeneration. Titus 3:5, "He saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." I. Peter 1 :22, 23, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again." Since he is cleansed and purified, he is therefore sanctified. It is sometimes thought by some that the saved person or new creature is not sanctified. To sanctify means to cleanse as well as to set apart unto things holy. Here we see that Peter says, "Ye have purified your souls being born again," that is, being saved, and this was done by a thorough cleansing by the washing of regeneration. Therefore the new creature being cleansed, and purified, is sanctified. In II. Thessalonians, Paul also speaks of the saved soul, or the new creature as being sanctified. II. Thes. 2.13, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." Christ is also declared to be our sanctification, and since we have put on Christ, we are sanctified in Him. I. Cor. 1:30, "Who is made unto us sanctification." Gal. 3:27, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Since Cornelius — and most likely Paul also — received the Holy Ghost when they were saved, we believe that the new creature or Christian has received the Holy Ghost. Peter was to preach salvation to Cornelius, and Cornelius believed and received the Holy Ghost as Peter was preaching, showing that by faith the saved man has received the Holy Ghost. Acts 11:13, 14, "Peter who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.' 7 Acts 15:8, 9, "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. " Ananias was sent to Paul that Paul might be filled with the Holy Ghost, Acts 9 :17. When Ananias came to Paul that he might be filled with the Holy Ghost, he said to Paul, who was then called Saul, "Wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord," Acts 22:16. These incidents in the lives of Paul and Cornelius show that the new creature, or Christian, has the Holy Ghost.

Then, too, the new creature in Christ does not only have the Holy Ghost but may be "filled" with the Holy Ghost when he is saved as well as during life, for it is declared that Ananias said to Paul that he was sent, not only that Paul might have the Holy Ghost, but that he might be "filled," and this being when, according to the account in Acts 22, 16, his sins were washed away at the time Ananias met him.

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THE NEW CREATURE

Cornelius also did not only receive the Holy Ghost when Peter delivered the message of salvation to him, but most likely was " filled," because it is stated that the Holy Ghost fell upon Cornelius as on the disciples at the beginning, that is, as on the day of Pentecost when they were "filled."

John says that the new creature, or Christian, does not commit sin, and Paul says he is freed from sin. I. John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." Rom. 6:2, "But now being made free from sin." When John and Paul speak of this sinless state they seem to speak of the real man, or inner man, Rom. 7 :22, making distinction between the body or tabernacle in which man lives, and the real man within, for they still speak of the presence of sin in the body, Rom. 7.17, 23.

The body of the new creature or Christian is dead, brought into subjection to the real or inner man. Rom. 8:10, "If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin." I. Cor. 9:27, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection." The deeds of the body of this new creature are mortified so that the activities of life are not the same as that of the unsaved. Rom. 8.13, "If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." The old man, therefore with the lusts has been crucified. Rom. 6:6, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified." Gal. 5:24, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts,"

The new creature, or Christian, is an heir with Christ to the kingdom of God, and has for his associates those who belong to the great kingdom. Rom. 8:16, 17, "We are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Eph. 2:19, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God."

The Christian or new creature is not of this world. John 15:19, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. ' '

The new creature is like Christ, and has the very same Spirit as Christ had, having been born again, born of the Spirit. John 3:7, "Ye must be born again. Rom. 8.9, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

He is entirely consecrated and set apart to the work and service of one Master, and if he truly is saved, having the true living faith, he is engaged in good works, which are the works of the Lord. Mat. 6:24, "No man can serve two masters Ye cannot serve God and mammon." John 14.12, "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do will he do also." II. Tim. 3:17, "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Chapter II

IT IS very important for every Christian to know that, if he truly is a Christian, he is a holy per* son and a firm believer in sanctification and holiness. The gospel of Christ in which he believes teaches him to be holy and sanctified, which must be accepted by him as final as to whether or not he is supposed to be holy. "Be ye holy; for I am holy," I. Peter 1 :16. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, ' ' I. Thessalonians 5 :23.

A Christian is Christlike, or, like Christ. In order to be Christlike, a man must have a living faith in Christ as the true way of life. This is but another way of saying that holiness in man exists in every soul who exercises a living faith in Christ. Paul says, in Romans 1 :4, that Christ was declared to be the Son of God according to the spirit of holiness; and, in Romans 8 :9, that any man that has not the spirit of Christ is none of Christ's. Therefore, every man that is saved, and therefore has the spirit of Christ, has the spirit of holiness, and is a holy man. Paul speaks of his own holy life as a Christian in a very similar and unique way. He says he was crucified with Christ, but yet lives, and the life he lives was the life by faith in Christ, and that this life was Christ living in him. u Iam crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God," Galatians 2:20. He says, in Galatians 5:24, that all Christians have crucified the flesh, and in Galatians 3 :27, that all Christians have put on Christ. Thus, all true Christians are living the life of holiness, having been sanctified and cleansed by the blood of Christ and the washing of regeneration, whereby they have put on Christ.

There are some believers in Christ who do not believe that every Christian is holy or follows after holiness. They believe in what is called the " second work of grace, ' ' whereby men seek for sanctification and are people of holiness only after they have sought what they believe is "true holiness," "entire sanctification," "a deeper work of grace," "the fullness of the Holy Spirit," or some similar term denoting holiness. Some even believe that the saved man at the time of his becoming saved has not received the Holy Ghost at all, and only receives the Holy Ghost at some time later by a definite second work of grace. It must, however, be very clear, from what has already been stated above, that every true believer, since he exercises a living faith in Christ, lives the life of true holiness, and this truth, that every Christian who truly is such is living the life of holiness, will be still clearer to us as we study the true holy life from God's Word. We cannot think of a true holy life except as we think of both the life and teaching of Christ, and especially his teaching, and again as it is repeated by the apostles. The teachings of Christ and that of the New Testament writers are full of such subjects as forgiveness, love for neighbors and how to deal with them, the duties and right relationship of husbands and wives, of men and women, of parents and children, of brethren or members of the church and her leaders or overseers, of servants and masters. When we take knowledge of the fact that these things are an expression of a true holy life, we see how the holy life, or holiness, is identical with the requirements of the soul that is saved in Christ, as taught by him and the disciples.

In the fifth chapter of First Thessalonians, we find that verse so often quoted to point out to the world the need of sanctification and holiness — verse 23. The rest of the chapter naturally would have a bearing upon a sanctified life and true holiness. Running down through the chapter, we find these statements : "Ye are not in darkness/' "ye are the children of light," "be sober," "put on love," "we are not appointed unto wrath," "edify one another," "know them which labor among you," "esteem them very highly," "be at peace," "warn the unruly," "comfort the feebleminded," "support the weak," "be patient," "render not evil for evil,"

"follow that which is good," "reioice " "m-^ 1 •«. out ceasing," Quench not'the spirit^ "d" ot "

evil. All this is but what is required in the Chris ian or saved life, but it is well to note that these" things are stated in the chapter in which we aw « horted to sanctification, that we might see the Hen-"

hot 1 U 6 T Ved *" that ° f thG Sanctifl ^ -d

sians t fi ,T g t0 the f ° Urth Cha P ter of Ephesians, we find the same category of Christian v»

quirements and this is another" one of < th f w

chapters where true holiness is mentioned by del

mte statement, Bphesians 4.24. When these things

ChrST? V 1 ^ tW ° ChapterS ' aS ^ -"ll Christ s teachings upon similar Christian characteristics are recognized as the expression of the ideal holy hfe, or true holiness, then sanctiflcation and true holiness will be more readily understood

Chapter III Sanctification

SANCTIFICATION has a two-fold meaning; namely, a setting apart for religious and holy purposes, and a cleansing or purifying. Every soul, howsoever sinful, may come to Christ, be cleansed and purified in the blood of Christ, and thereby set apart from the rest of the world to be used by God for His holy purpose. He is then a sanctified person, or saved person.

Christ's unalterable condition for salvation is stated by Him at one place in the Word thus : Mat. 6:24, "No man can serve two masters. " If the sinner desires to be saved, he must meet this condition and become a servant of Christ, and Him only shall he serve. Paul reasserts this unalterable essential of salvation in Col. 3:17, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." It must be plain to man that if he serves Christ only and does nothing as unto self and the world, but does all things in the name of the Lord, that he would be a man set apart for a holy purpose and that his entire life is given and devoted to that holy purpose. He is therefore sanctified and entirely set apart to the work of Christ.

The setting apart for his holy work is done by a thorough and complete cleansing through faith in Christ. And when a man is cleansed he is a new creature in Christ, having been born again, born of the Spirit, the Holy Ghost.

Let us take an inner glance at the great transaction. A sinner approaches Christ, seeking salvation, and thus is to be entirely consecrated or set apart to the work of Christ. On drawing near to Christ he hears these words: Mat. 16:24, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." That is the cross upon which the man must be crucified, upon which he must die. Gal. 5:24, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. " The sinner being sincere in seeking salvation, he exercises a living faith in these words of Christ, denies self, and takes his cross upon which he is crucified. What does crucified mean? Certain death. Has self died? Is the old man dead? Yes, let Paul speak, Rom. 6:6, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified," Rom. 6:8 "Now if we be dead with Christ/'

But when the old man, or self died, a new creature came into existence. Living faith in Christ does not only bring about the death of the old selfish former man, but makes it possible that he be born again and become a new creature, hence the words of Christ; John 3:7, "Ye must be born again,' ' and the words of Paul; Eph. 4:24, "Put on the new man."

SANCTIFICATION

And what is this new creature ? He is thoroughly washed in the blood of Christ. That there is absolutely no uncleanness there, is seen in the fact that the washing was a washing of regeneration, resulting in a perfectly new and clean person in Christ. Titus 3:5, "According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

What is this new creature like ? He is like Christ, created in true holiness. He is holy, he is sanctified. Gal. 3:27, "For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Bph. 4.24, "The new man, which after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. ' ' Is he sinless, without sin ? Yes, Paul and John seem to say so, and while that may seem impossible and hard to understand, we must believe Paul and John and accept it in the sense that they speak of the sinless state, which we have no space to explain here. Let them speak : Rom. 6 :22, "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness." I. John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

There are some believers who do not believe that the saved man is holy, or that he is free from sin, or that he has the Holy Ghost within, or that he is sanctified, unless he seeks these and receives them by a second blessing or a second definite work of grace. But what have we found by the Scriptures? We have found that in obedience to Christ the sinner who comes to Christ is set apart to a holy work, serving only one Master ; that he is cleansed by the blood of the Lamb; that then he is born of God; that he is a new creature created in true holiness; that he that is born of God does not commit sin and is freed from sin. Whatever view one may take of entire sanctification, it seems that nowhere in the Scriptures is there a clearer description given of man when he is entirely cleansed, and entirely and completely set apart unto holy and religious things as that of the description of man at the time of his being saved.

But although there is sanctification at the time when man is saved, there is also a sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost going on in man subsequently to his salvation, which seems to continue through life, Christ said to his disciples, John 15.3, "Now ye are clean." If they were clean they were sanctified, yet, later on, he prays for their sanctification. John 17:17, "Sanctify them through thy truth. 7 ' This sanctification was most likely that future constant sanctification which continues in our lives until the journey's end and was of the same nature most likely as that of His own, of which He made mention when He prayed and said, John 17:19, "For their sakes I sanctify myself."

Sanctification at the time of new birth may not

SANCTIFICATION

be understood perhaps because men fail to make a distinction between the real man within, or new creature, and the tabernacle or body in which he lives. Paul speaks of the real man as the inward man, Rom. 7:22. Peter touches upon the inner, or real man, and speaks of it in connection with the new birth, I. Peter 1:22, u Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit." Paul says he brings his body into subjection. Thus the new creature in Christ brings the body into subjection and in the bringing of this body into subjection with all its multitudinous powers and talents and its daily increased powers and capacities, the Holy Ghost through the Word seems to work that sanctification daily whereby the body with its daily increased powers and capacities is most efficiently being used to express the gracious love unto others which is shed abroad in our hearts, and whereby its various powers and talents are set apart unto the proper and more expedient use for the holy life of the saints.

Chapter IV The Holy Ghost

JESUS said to Nicodemus the only way for man to see the kingdom of God, that is to be saved, is to be born again, born of the Spirit, John 3 :5. To be born of the Spirit means that the Spirit of God dwells within man, Rom. 8 :9, or, as John says, that God himself dwells in man, I. John 4:15, 16.

We believe the "Word of God teaches that this Spirit of God, entering and dwelling in man at the time of his salvation or new birth, is also the Holy Ghost, and therefore the believer at the time of his being saved does receive the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. There are some believers who do not believe this, but think that the believer must seek for the Holy Ghost some time later than when he was born again, or born of the Spirit, and that the Spirit of God and Holy Ghost are not one. We believe the Word teaches that they are one in the same sense as Jesus and the Father are one, and that therefore when the believer has received the Spirit of God at the time of his salvation he also received the Holy Ghost.

Since God is a trinity, or three persons in one, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, then it must be clear, that, since at the new

THE HOLY GHOST

birth we receive the indwelling of God, as John says, we must also have received the three persons of the trinity, including therefore the Holy Ghost, for they are one and inseparable.

That the Holy Ghost is one with the "Spirit of God" or "Spirit of Christ" who comes to dwell within at the time of ones salvation, may also be clearly understood as we see these different terms used in the Word to express the same thing, and, that both "The Spirit" and the "Holy Ghost" are found to perform the same work and functions. The prophet Joel declared that God said, Acts 2:17, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." Here God says "Spirit." A few days before this outpouring of the "Spirit" was to take place, Jesus spoke of it to his disciples and used the word "Holy Ghost" for that which God called His "Spirit." Acts 1 :3, "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." And when this was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, it is said they were filled, not by the Spirit, as Joel said, but by the Holy Ghost, Acts 2:4. Then when Peter explains what really took place on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, he says it was the outpouring of the Spirit of God, Acts 2 :17. Thus we see how the term "Spirit of God," which we receive at the time of our salvation, and the term "Holy Ghost" are used for one and the same thing.

Luke tells us in chapter 3:22, that when Jesus was baptized, the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him. "When Matthew writes about the same thing, he says it was the "Spirit of God" which descended like a dove, again showing that the Spirit of God we receive at the time of being saved is called in some places of the "Word the Holy Ghost.

In Kom. 8 :9, we read, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His." Peter says that the spirit that was in the prophets and testified within them was this same "Spirit of Christ." I. Peter 1 :11. In II. Peter 1 :21, he says the Spirit in the prophets was the Holy Ghost. Here we see that the terms "Spirit of Christ" and "Holy Ghost" are used for one and the same thing. When Zechariah speaks of this Spirit in the prophets, and which the New Testament calls the Holy Ghost, he calls it the Spirit of the Lord. Zech. 7 :12.

In the Old Testament, we read that the "Spirit of the Lord" spoke by David, II. Sam, 23 :2. In the New Testament, it is said that David spoke by the Holy Ghost, Mark 12 :36.

Again we find by the Word that people spoke by the Spirit of the Lord, that men are lead by the "Spirit," miracles are performed by the "Spirit," the "Spirit" witnesses. These same things are also done by the Holy Ghost, which fact gives us added information as to the identity of the Holy Spirit and that of the Spirit of the Lord which we receive

THE HOLY GHOST

at the time of our salvation. Then, too, in the great work of the sanctification of the saints, ''Christ," Heb. 2:11, Heb. 13.12, "The Holy Ghost," Eom. 15:16, "Spirit of God," I. Cor. 6:11, and "The Spirit," II. Thes. 2:13 are each alike declared to be the sanctifier.

But although the Word seems to teach that the Spirit of God, received at the new birth is one with the Holy Ghost, and that therefore every truly saved man has the Holy Ghost, some will question, How about the disciples who only received the Holy Ghost at Pentecost? How about the Samaritan believers, Acts 8 :12-17, who were believers, and afterward received the Holy Ghost? Or how about the Bphesians, Acts 19 :l-6, who were believers and did not have the Holy Ghost? These, some say, were saved and yet did not have the Holy Ghost. How would we explain? In the case of the disciples, itis rather easily understood. Before the day of Pentecost, we believe the disciples were safe and secure as were the Old Testament saints who knew nothing of the Holy Ghost as one who was given for the present work which He now is to perform. They could therefore not receive Him thus until poured out in fulfillment of the prophesies. All of God 's plan for the present salvation and life was not yet fulfilled and completed in the days of the disciples when they walked with Christ. Christmust first go to the right hand of God the Father, and He, the Comforter or Holy Ghost, sent, which took place on the day of Pentecost, and therefore it was only then that the disciples, who were Jews, received the Holy Ghost, and the Gentiles were to receive Him some time later in another special manifestation of an outpouring in Cornelius's home, Acts 10:44-48. The plan of God for this present age seemed then only to be fully revealed, and since that time men may know that faith in Christ and his salvation includes the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, now fully revealed and manifested to all peoples.

In the case of the Ephesians, Act. 19 :6, we find that the believers were believers in John's baptism instead of being believers in Christ's doctrine and baptism as the gospel is to be taught today. They did not even know of the Holy Ghost. They therefore could not believe as the individual believers today are taught to exercise a faith in God the Father, Son and "Holy Ghost."

In the case of the Samaritans, the explanation is not very easily made, Acts 8:12-17. Christ was preached to them. They were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Considering that the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the Gentiles after this event, and that even Peter did not yet seem to know full well that the Gentiles should have the Holy Ghost, Acts 10 :23, Acts 11 :18, it is most likely that the teaching and faith in the case of the Samaritans

THE HOLY GHOST