"Sanctification is the outcome and inseparable consequence of regeneration. He that is born again and made a new creature receives a new nature and a new principle, and always lives a new life. A regeneration which a man can have, and yet live carelessly in sin, or worldliness, is a regeneration invented by uninspired theologians, but never mentioned in Scripture. In a word, where there is no sanctification, there is no regeneration, and where there is no holy life there is no new birth." ~ "Holiness" by J.C. Ryle, pg 21
In this day of liberalism, the Biblical doctrine of Sanctification has become almost lost. What is it? I love how J.C Ryle explains it, in his classic Book "Holiness".
"Sanctification is the outcome and inseparable consequence of regeneration. He that is born again and made a new creature receives a new nature and a new principle, and always lives a new life. A regeneration which a man can have, and yet live carelessly in sin, or worldliness, is a regeneration invented by uninspired theologians, but never mentioned in Scripture. In a word, where there is no sanctification, there is no regeneration, and where there is no holy life there is no new birth." ~ "Holiness" by J.C. Ryle, pg 21
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I was so blessed by reading Leon Morris' commentary on John 14:21, from his book Reflections on the Gospel of John, (pp 508-509). I wanted to share it with you in it's entirety.
John 14:21, :"He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me..." "It is perhaps unexpected that from this wonderful truth of the gift of life, the gift that means Christ lives in his people and they live in him, Jesus moves on to the commandments (v. 21). These days any emphasis on the commandments is bound to run into criticism. We are warned against thinking that obedience to a set of rules has anything to do with Christianity and are urged to put all our emphasis on love. Now nothing should be said to minimize the significance of love. In a Christian context how could it? But we should not overlook the fact that, as he has done before (v. 15), Jesus links love with the keeping of his commandments. It is, of course, possible to cultivate a hard, legalistic mentality that puts all its emphasis on conformity to a written code and cares for nothing else if only the outward letter of the law has been kept. But people who develop this outlook know nothing of the sacrificial love that is at the heart of Christianity. It is also true, though, that those who really love, those who have steadily looked at Calvary and seen what sacrificial love really is and have responded with all their heart, those people have a special regard for the commandments. They see them not as a harsh set of external requirements, but as the guidance needed by weak and imperfect people as they respond in love to the wonderful love of Christ. It may be that we should see the expression "has my commandments" as full of meaning. This is a very uncommon way of speaking about commandments; mostly there are references to "keeping" the commandments or "obeying" them or even "loving" them. But to "have" them is a very unusual way of talking about them. Jesus does not explain it further, but he seems to mean that there are some people who make the commandments their own. They take them to their inner being, they meditate on them, and by God's grace they make a determined attempt to live them out. It is the person who keeps the commandments who loves Christ. When someone claims to be a Christian but takes no notice of what Christ has commanded his followers to do, there is something hollow about his profession. Real Christianity is not like that. To love Christ means to keep his commandments. Do not all those who love anyone delight to do what they know is pleasing to the one they love?" Jesus quotes Isaiah in Mark 7:6, "This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." A legalist substitutes outward acts or words for proper inner attitudes that come from being born of God and the Spirit. Such people honor God with their lips, while their hearts are far from Him. They appear outwardly righteous, but inwardly have no real love for God. Legalism does not mean the mere existence of laws, regulations or rules within the Christian community. Rather, it has to do with motives - the motives by which the Christan approaches God's will as expressed in His Word. Any motive for keeping commandments or rules that does not stem from a living faith in Christ, the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, and the sincere desire to obey and please Him, is legalism. Jesus said in John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." As Christians (followers of Jesus) we are called to live our lives according to the Godly standards set forth in His Word, and not according to the changing fashions of the world around us. Our obedience to His Word is proof of our love for Him! Even in this day of grace, Christians remain under he instruction, discipline and duty of obeying Christ's law and His Word.
Do we love Him enough to obey Him? "The days and times wherein we live call aloud for holiness. Oh, the pains, the care, the cost, the charge, that God hath been at, and that God is daily at, to make us holy! What do holy ordinances call for, but holy hearts and holy lives? I suppose there is nothing more evident than that the times and seasons wherein we live call aloud upon everyone to look after holiness, and to labor for holiness." ~ Rev. Thomas Brooks, 1662
This statement spoken so many years ago, still rings true for the day and age in which we live. We serve a Holy God and read a Holy Bible! Why then is there so little holiness in our personal lives? Is it not because we fail to implement His Truth to our hearts and live it out on a daily basis? May God help us to repent, consecrate our lives to Him wholly, and allow Him to conform us into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ! "If we can say that we believe the Truth of the Word of God and say that those Truths are in our hearts and yet see no evidence of the implementing of those Truths in our lives, then the Scripture has just been in our heads and it has never struck our hearts." These powerful words, penned by Henry Blackaby, cause me to search my heart and examine my life by the Scriptures. We need to keep ourselves accountable to the Word of God!
After weeks of praying, the Lord has opened a door of opportunity for us to hold services in Salida!! God has great things in store for this area, and I anticipate a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our midst!!
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