FUTURE SANCTIFICATION

FUTURE SANCTIFICATION

       

        ITS NATURE: A work wherein God will wholly finish the process of Sanctifi­cation.

                        1 Thess. 5:23a  "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly......."

This sanctification is based on past sanctification, but it is personal and progressive, moving toward the point of perfection as Paul spoke of.

         ITS TIME: It will be finished at the coming of Christ, because it includes the body. He promised Peter He must wash his feet if he was to have any part with Him in His Kingdom. This is accomplished before entering the home of the Father in the New Jerusalem and is done after the walk home after the complete bath done at the start of the walk home. This was symbolized and promised by Christ at the last supper in the upper room. The necessity was made evident by Christ's words to Peter. Thank you Peter for opening your mouth one more time for our benefit.

John 13:7-8 "Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." "Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me."

   1 Thess. 5:23b (ASV) At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

   1 Thess. 3:12-13 At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:" "To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."
  Phil. 1:6 (ASV) Until the day of Christ.  "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
He leaves nothing unfinished. I term all this unfinished business.

Problem: After death what?

-Reformed churches say process finished at death.
- Arminian churches say process may be finished during this life. Entire sanctification; the eradication of the old nature which is a work of Christ, not man.
- Paul suggests that a positive work will go on. This will include   the body,        
- So does John.  Cf Rev. 19:6, 7, 8 "wife hath made herself ready". "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
            Phil. 1:6 This is positive, not negative. Sin was dealt with at death. Confirmation in holiness will go on. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

 ITS RESULT: We shall be made like Christ.

     1 John 3:2  - similar. We are never to become gods. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."   We are going to be like Him as a perfect man.
     Phil. 3:21 Our likeness to him in change of body. We will experience attributes of goodness to perfection. Some of the human powers will be intensified. But attributes of greatness will never become ours (1 Cor. 15:35-49). "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?" "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:" "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:" "But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds." "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory." "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:" "It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:" "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual." "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."

ITS MEANS: It will be accomplished by the unhindered vision of Christ.
    1 John 3:2b "See him as he is."
    1 Cor. 13:12 “for now we see through a glass darkly” Darkly means enigmatically.

      ITS CERTAINTY: It is pledged by the faithfulness of God.
            1 Thess. 5:24 with 23 "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

      ITS PRESENT EFFECT: The hope of this future and complete sanctification makes us holier here, and now.

            1 John 3:3 The hope that we shall be like Him makes us better now. "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."

            2 Pet. 1:11 No man can be ready for His coming unless that one is looking for His coming. "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."