In this message we come to the matter of sanctification. No book talks as much about sanctification as does the book of Hebrews. It is absolutely essential that we have holiness, for without it we cannot live in the presence of God. In 12:14 we are told that without holiness no man can see the Lord. However, sanctification is very difficult to define. In order to understand what sanctification is, we need to see a little of the background of the various schools of Christian teaching on the subject of sanctification or holiness. Sanctification is fully revealed in the Scriptures, in both the Old and New Testament. Although it is revealed in the Scriptures, it was nearly lost. At the time of the Reformation, God began a recovery of all His truths. The first truth that God recovered was justification by faith. If you read the church history of the last five hundred years, you will find that after God recovered justification, the next thing to be recovered was sanctification. But sanctification was not recovered in as clear a way as justification was. Even justification, although it was recovered clearly, was not recovered fully. It was recovered objectively but not subjectively. We saw this in the Life-study of Romans. Nevertheless, after the recovery of justification by faith, the recovery of sanctification followed, but it followed in a way that was not fully accurate.
We cannot say who was the first person used by God to recover sanctification. But we do know that, according to the history of the recovery, in the eighteenth century God used a group of university students at Oxford — John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield. These young men began to have a meeting. John Wesley was raised up by God through the help of the Moravian brothers under the leadership of Zinzendorf. The Moravian brothers helped John Wesley to be clear about salvation. Wesley had been invited to speak in the United States. Even then, he was not clear about his salvation. It was on the boat on the way to the United States that he received help regarding this from the Moravian brothers. After spending some time in the United States, Wesley returned to Europe and visited Bohemia, the place where Zinzendorf and others had begun to practice the church life. John Wesley received the greatest help from them while he was there. In one of his writings he says that if he had not had the burden for England, he would have remained in Bohemia for the rest of his life. As far as he was concerned, that was the place where God dwelled. Wesley, however, was burdened to return to England. We know from history that the revival under John Wesley saved England from revolution. I mention this to point out to you the extent of the influence of John Wesley’s preaching.
The group of students at Oxford that included John Wesley and George Whitefield adopted certain regulations, called methods, that they used to control, correct, and behave themselves. They were very strict to control themselves by these methods. John Wesley and the others kept these methods in order to have a proper living. They came to consider that kind of living holy. This is the holiness practiced by the Methodists as sinless perfection, a perfection without sin. The Church of the Nazarene, the Church of God, and the Assembly of God today practice a kind of holiness that is of the same school as the holiness of the Methodists.
Then in the early part of the nineteenth century, the Brethren under the leadership of John Nelson Darby were raised up. The Brethren showed from the Bible that holiness is not sinless perfection. Using Matthew 23:17, they showed how the temple sanctified the gold. It was the temple that made the gold holy. These Brethren teachers pointed out that the gold in the market place, although there was nothing sinful about it, was not holy until it had been offered to God and put into His holy temple. Only then was the gold sanctified. Their argument was very strong, and no one could defeat them. Furthermore, using Matthew 23:20, the Brethren teachers showed that, according to the words of the Lord Jesus, the altar sanctifies the sacrifice. They argued that an ox or a lamb, when in the fold, might have been sinless and perfectly all right. Nevertheless, it was common. It was not holy until it was offered to God on the altar, at which time it was sanctified. Doctrinally speaking, the Brethren defeated the teaching that holiness is a matter of sinless perfection, proving that it had no ground in the Scriptures and that it is a human concept of holiness. The Brethren, famous for their doctrinal debates, also appealed to 1 Timothy 4:4-5, which says that food is sanctified by the saints’ prayer. When that food is in the market place, it is common. There may be nothing wrong with it and it may have no sin, but it is common. However, when that same food is placed on the saints’ dining table and is prayed over by the saints, it is sanctified by the saints’ prayer. Using all of these verses, the Brethren teachers showed that sanctification means a change of position. They said that sanctification is altogether a positional matter. Gold, for example, is common when it is still in the store, but when it is put into the temple it is holy. Its position has been changed. Likewise, when a lamb is still in the fold, it is common, but when it is placed on the altar it is holy. The food in the market place is also common, but it is sanctified by the prayers of the saints. So, in the light of all these verses, the Brethren taught that holiness means a change of position. Originally, our position was worldly and not at all for God. When we are separated unto God, our position is changed and, as a result, we become holy.
This teaching of the Brethren is altogether correct. When we studied the various schools of sanctification many years ago, we agreed with the teaching of the Brethren. We saw that sinless perfection was not genuine holiness. However, although holiness is a positional matter, as we studied the New Testament we discovered that holiness, sanctification, is not merely a positional matter but also a dispositional matter. Sanctification is not only a matter of changing our position but also of changing our disposition. Yes, according to the verses that speak of the gold sanctified by the temple, the sacrifice sanctified by the altar, and the food sanctified by the saints’ prayer, there is undoubtedly a positional aspect to sanctification. But we also need to consider Romans 6 where, according to the Greek, the word sanctification is used twice (vv. 19, 22). In these two verses the King James Version uses the word holiness instead of sanctification. There is a difference between these words, for holiness does not include experience, but sanctification does indicate or imply some amount of experience. If you read Romans 6, you will see that it is not concerned with the matter of position but of disposition. It not only touches our position; it goes deeper to touch our disposition.
In Heb. 2 as in Rom. 6 holiness refers mainly to God’s divine nature. Sanctification is to work God’s holiness into us by having God’s divine nature imparted into our being. This is not the positional sanctification; it is the dispositional sanctification. In this sanctification, Christ, as the life-giving Spirit, is saturating all the inward parts of our being with God’s divine nature. This is to work God’s holiness into our whole being. We may call this dispositional sanctification.
Now we come to Hebrews 2:11 which says, “For both He Who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one.” Does the phrase all of one refer to position or to disposition? Undoubtedly, “He Who sanctifies” is Christ, and “those who are being sanctified” are we. So Christ and we are all of one. The Greek word translated of actually means “out of.” This means that Christ and we, the Sanctifier and the sanctified, are all out of one source, one Father. The source surely does not refer to position but to nature, to disposition. The Sanctifier and the sanctified are all out of one source, one Father. The Father is the source of the Sanctifier and He is the source of all the sanctified. This is not a matter of position but of disposition.
The remainder of verse 11 reads, “for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brothers.” What is the cause referred to by the words for which cause? For the cause that He and we are all out of the same Father, the same source. Because of this, He is not ashamed to call us brothers.
Many people in this country are fond of dogs. Are you willing to call a dog your brother? Would you say to a dog, “Dear brother, I love you”? Certainly not. None of us would call a dog our brother. We would be ashamed of doing this. We do not have four legs and a tail. We are men. We will not call someone our brother unless we are both out of the same source. Only then are we not ashamed to call someone our brother. Likewise, Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers because both He and we are out of the Father. Both He and we are out of the same source. As a result, He and we have the same life, nature, and disposition. By this one verse, we can see that sanctification here is neither sinless perfection nor merely a positional change. It is deeper and higher than that. It is a dispositional change.
As we have seen, among Christians there are three schools concerning holiness or sanctification. The first school teaches that holiness is a matter of sinless perfection. This is absolutely not scriptural. There is no ground in the Scriptures for this teaching. The second claims that holiness is positional. There is a strong basis for this in the Scriptures, but it does not include everything regarding holiness, sanctification, that is mentioned in the Scriptures. The holiness, the sanctification, mentioned in the Bible includes dispositional transformation along with positional change. Hebrews 2 is on the dispositional side, not on the positional side. Sanctification in 2:11 does not concern position but disposition, the nature and the source.
He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all out of one. Because of this, He is not ashamed to call us brothers. Rather, it is glorious for Him to call us brothers because He and we are of the same source. He has come from the Father, and we also have come out of the Father. We may say to the Lord, “O Lord Jesus, You have the Father’s life, and we have it too. You have the Father’s divine nature, and we have it too. We are Your brothers. Lord, we are of the same source as You are.”
This is the basic concept of dispositional sanctification, the sanctification found in Romans 6 and Hebrews 2.
Who is the Sanctifier? The Sanctifier is the Son of God. In His original state and before His incarnation, the Son of God could not sanctify us. The Sanctifier today is not only the Son of God, but the Son of God incarnated. If He had never been incarnated, He would be unable to sanctify us. I say this strongly. Although He might have been able to sanctify you according to your concept of sanctification, He would have been unable to sanctify you according to God’s economy.
As the incarnated One, Christ is the Son of Man. This Son of Man could not sanctify us until He had been crucified, resurrected, glorified, and exalted. These are His qualifications for Him to be our Sanctifier. The incarnated Son of God needed to pass through death and resurrection that His humanity might be born of God and that He might be glorified and exalted into the position of His being Sanctifier.
In order to be the Sanctifier, Christ had to be produced as the Firstborn Son of God (1:6). Before Jesus Christ was resurrected, God did not have a Firstborn Son. He just had the only begotten Son. What is the difference between the Firstborn Son and the only begotten Son? As the only begotten Son, Christ did not have human nature. He only had the divine nature. When He was incarnated, He put on human nature. The thirty-three and a half years of His life on earth were a transitory state. On the one hand, He was still the only begotten Son of God; on the other hand, He had put on human nature. The divine nature within Him was the Son of God but the human nature was not. Therefore, during those thirty-three and a half years, Jesus was quite peculiar. He had the divine nature — that was the Son of God — but He also had on the human nature, and that was not the Son of God. That human nature had not been born of God. According to His divinity, His divine nature, He was the Son of God. But, before His resurrection, He had something that was not born of God — the human nature. He needed to pass through death and resurrection in order for that human part to be born of God. Psalm 2:7 is a strong basis for this: “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” What was prophesied in Psalm 2:7 was fulfilled on the day of resurrection. This is proved by Acts 13:33 which, referring to the resurrection of Christ, quotes this verse from Psalm 2. In His human nature Christ was begotten as the Son of God on the day of resurrection. After this, He became the Firstborn Son of God. Now, as the Firstborn Son, He has both the divine nature and the human nature. As the only begotten Son of God, He did not have the human nature. While He was on earth after His incarnation, He had the human nature, but in those thirty-three and a half years His human nature had not been born of God. It was through His resurrection that the human part of His being was born of God. By this begetting, He became the Firstborn Son of God. While the only begotten Son of God had just the divine nature and not the human nature, Jesus today as the Firstborn Son of God has both natures. This is not a small thing; it is a great matter.
Let me ask you, are you sons of God? If you say yes, then what kind of sons of God are you? Are you like the Firstborn or like the only begotten? We are like the Firstborn Son of God because we are sons of God with a divine nature as well as a human nature. We are the sons of God according to the Firstborn Son, not according to the only begotten Son.
Now we can understand why the only begotten Son of God could not sanctify us and why the Firstborn Son of God can sanctify us. The Firstborn can sanctify us because He, like us, has two natures and because we have the same natures as He does. Our Sanctifier is not the only begotten Son of God; He is the Firstborn Son of God, the One who has the human nature as well as the divine nature. Because He and we are of the same two natures, He can sanctify us. Only when the Firstborn Son was produced could the Sanctifier come into His office to do His sanctifying work. This means that He had to pass through the process of incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification, and exaltation. After passing through this process, He became the Firstborn Son of God. In other words, the Firstborn Son of God was produced. This is our Sanctifier. He is qualified to be our Sanctifier, and we are qualified to be the sanctified.
He who sanctifies is Christ as the Firstborn Son of God, and those who are being sanctified are the believers of Christ as the many sons of God. Both the Firstborn Son and the many sons of God are born of the same Father God in resurrection (Acts 13:33; 1 Pet. 1:3). Both the Firstborn Son and the many sons are the same in the divine life and nature. Hence, He is not ashamed to call them brothers.
Undoubtedly, we are those who are being sanctified. The sanctified are sinners for whom Christ propitiated God (2:17). As sinners, we had problems with God. How could the Sanctifier sanctify people who had problems with God? It would have been impossible. Therefore, the Lord Jesus made propitiation for us (2:17). What does this mean? It simply means that Christ has appeased God for our situation. Although we were a people who had problems with God, now, through His propitiation, we have no problems with Him. We can declare boldly that we have the assurance that we have no problems with God. Perhaps you feel that you still have a problem with God. Do not believe your feelings. Your feelings mean nothing. The Holy Word means everything, and the Holy Word tells us that Christ has appeased God for us.
Not only were we sinners needing propitiation, but we also were death-victims. Our destiny and destination were death. Hallelujah, we have been released from the slavery of death (2:15)! The concepts that God has been propitiated and that we have been released from death are very deep. Both are clearly mentioned in Hebrews 2. God has been propitiated, and we have been released. We are a people without problems with God and a people who are no longer enslaved by the fear of death. We are free, we are liberated, we are released, and we are emancipated. We are a freed people. Who can enslave us again? People often speak of the United States as the land of freedom. Certainly we, the believers, are in the real land of freedom.
In order to be the sanctified ones, we need another thing — to be produced as the sons of God. The many sons of God had to be brought forth. On the negative side, we have the propitiation for our sins and we have been released from the slavery of death; on the positive side, we have been produced, brought forth, as the many sons of God. The meaning of God’s sanctifying work is that the Firstborn Son of God is working on the many sons of God. This means that the Sanctifier is the Firstborn Son of God and that the sanctified are the many sons of God. The Firstborn is now working on His many brothers. He is qualified to be the Sanctifier because He is the Firstborn Son of God, and we are qualified to be the sanctified because we are the many sons of God. He was qualified through His incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification, and exaltation. After passing through this process, He became the Firstborn Son of God. Our qualifications to be the sanctified are that we have the propitiation for our sins, that we have been released from the slavery of death, and that we have been brought forth to be the many sons of God. Now both He and we are qualified. He is the qualified Sanctifier and we are the qualified sanctified. Do you realize that you are qualified to be the sanctified? The people on the street are not qualified, but we are fully qualified through the propitiation and resurrection of Christ.
Sanctification means separated unto God (Rom. 6:19, 22). Although we were born of God at the time of our regeneration, we still have not been thoroughly separated unto God. In sanctification this work is carried on.
Secondly, in the process of sanctification we are transformed in our very being (2 Cor. 3:18). This matter of transformation is not positional; it is altogether dispositional. In transformation we are being changed metabolically by means of the element of life. This is not an outward change or adjustment; it is an inward metabolic change, an organic change by means of the life element.
As a result of transformation, we shall eventually be conformed to His image (Rom. 8:29). Transformation is to change our Adamic nature into the nature of Christ. Conformation is to conform us, the many sons of God, to the image of the Firstborn Son of God. This is also a part of the process of sanctification.
The work of conformation, which is based upon the work of transformation, will issue in our glorification (Rom. 8:30; Col. 3:4). In the process of sanctification we are going to be glorified with God’s glory. This has been fully covered in the messages on the Captain of salvation.
Now we have seen what sanctification is. It is to separate the reborn sons of God unto God, to transform them metabolically and organically with the element of the divine life, to conform them to His image, and to glorify them with His glory. This is the full dispositional sanctification.
We have seen that the Sanctifier and the sanctified are all out of one. This means that they are all out of one Father. Both the Sanctifier and the sanctified are sons born of the same Father. Since He and we are born of the same Father, we are His brothers. We and He have all come out of the same source and we share with Him the same life and nature. In this life and nature we are now under His sanctifying work to transform us from being natural and to conform us to His image that we may be glorified with the glory of God. This is sanctification.
