“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly…” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Dear Ones:
It is possible to believe God for the new birth by the Spirit, and fail to believe Him for His further, and fuller, work in the heart and life. The same God who “draws” us to Christ, working in us that conviction of sin and the consciousness of need, to bring us to Himself, is the One who actively, and presently, works in us the willing and doing of His good pleasure. So, we ask the question, “To what extent does He do this?” Or rather, “…to what extent do we allow and trust Him to do this?” What is necessary for us to truly trust Him in this regard?
The first thing is to have a vision, the perception of the truth from God’s perspective. We need to see, and grasp, the enormity of this salvation to which we are called, which has been provided for IN Jesus Christ. The writer to the Hebrews addressed this issue by saying, “…how shall we escape if we neglect so GREAT salvation?” Why does He use the word GREAT? Greatness not only speaks of the magnitude of the work, but also, the extent to which it reaches, not only to the individual heart, but to the souls of all men. Also, greatness is revealed by its perfection, and absolute, unalterable completeness. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” the work to save man was accomplished for time and eternity. In addition, the work dealt with every aspect of our lives. It dealt also with every enemy of the soul, providing completely and perfectly, every resource for the realization of God’s purpose, for His glory, and for the eternal blessing of the believer. God’s salvation provided perfectly to save the lost, helpless, and hopeless sinner, bound by chains of sin, in a prison of death, from which he cannot save himself. God also provided perfectly, so that the sinner could could rise, shake off his chains and shackles, and come forth out of the dungeon of darkness, and death, into the pure life-giving light and life of Christ. All power, life, and love, in the most perfect and complete way, has been provided in Jesus Christ, by the Spirit, so that he can live victoriously, in the abundance of Christ’s life. It is essential to see that this GREAT salvation to which we have been called, is to be laid hold of, believed in entirely, and prayed for, with the certainty of being heard on High.
The second thing that we need to see, and be persuaded of, is that God answers our prayers with regard to the vision of this great salvation. After declaring to the believers in Thessalonica that it was the will of God that they should be sanctified wholly by the God of peace, Paul prays: “And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23) Why does he pray this when he has written to the Corinthians the truth, that the Lord Jesus IS our sanctification? Christ is the perfect realization of sanctification that has been given to us. It is His gift. However, on this earth, the realization and manifestation of this reality and truth, is only possible as we believe God for it. The believer is ever BECOMING what HE already IS in the sight of God, and this, by faith. As we need the fresh anointing of the Spirit daily, partaking of the daily bread of His word, and drinking of living water, so we need to take the Lord Jesus as our sanctification, set apart unto God. This is done by praying that God would move, work, act in such a manner, that we belong to Him fully, spirit, soul, and body, by faith, at all times and in every place. What is the assurance that God will answer this prayer? Paul answers the question by declaring: “Faithful is He who calls you, who also WILL do it.” (v.24)
Dear Father, we thank Thee that the Lord Jesus IS our perfect sanctification. Work in us this great salvation for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad