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The Practice of Sanctification (Holiness) (2)

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The Practice of Sanctification (Holiness) (2)

7 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

Rev. M. Karens, Werkendam, the Netherlands

In A Body of Divinity, Thomas Watson writes that there are matters which have the appearance of sanctification, yet they are not. He mentions five counterfeit forms of sanctification. This is for our self-examination.

In describing counterfeit sanctification, Watson speaks of moral virtue (to be just, be temperate, and to be of a fair deportment). He further speaks of superstitious devotion (the heart is completely absent); hypocrisy (having an appearance of godliness but lacking the power thereof); restraining grace (to leave sin but not hating the same; the dog has a mind to the bone but is afraid of the cudgel); and common grace (a slight transient work of the Spirit which does not amount to conversion—man receives some impressions but soon loses them again).

Throughout the ages sanctification has frequently been confused with work holiness. Work holiness is the legalistic piety of the Pharisee. The holiness of the cloister life in the time before the Reformation in the acts of waking and fasting is a manifestation of the confusing of justification with sanctification in the Roman Catholic doctrine. A legalistic person does not understand the Law. We probably still know the differences and the similarities between justification and sanctification. We can differentiate between the two, but they cannot be separated.

The Reformation

Since the time of the Reformation we not only find that the doctrine of justification through faith is expressed very clearly but also that evangelical sanctification has a very important place.

In our Three Forms of Unity, the Reformed vision of sanctification is clearly explained. The Confession of Faith speaks in Article 24 of man’s sanctification and good works. This article confesses that “We believe that this true faith, being wrought in man by the hearing of the Word of God and the operation of the Holy Ghost, doth regenerate and make him a new man, causing him to lead a new life and freeing him from the bondage of sin. Therefore it is so far from being true that this justifying faith makes men remiss in a pious and holy life ...”

In the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 32, it is confessed, “Because Christ, having redeemed and delivered us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit after His own image; that so we may testify, by the whole of our conduct, our gratitude to God for His blessings, and that He may be praised by us ....”

In the Canons of Dordt we are instructed in sanctification especially in the Fifth Head of Doctrine regarding the Perseverance of the Saints. In Article 1 we read, “Whom God calls, according to His purpose, to the communion of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, He delivers also from the dominion and slavery of sin in this life; though not altogether from the body of sin and from the infirmities of this flesh, so long as they continue in this world.” In Article 2 we read, “Hence spring daily sins of infirmity, and hence spots adhere to the best works of the saints, which furnish them with constant matter for humiliation before God, and flying for refuge to Christ crucified; for mortifying the flesh more and more by the spirit of prayer, and by holy exercises of piety; and for pressing forward to the great goal of perfection, till being at length delivered from this body of death, they are brought to reign with the Lamb of God in heaven.”

Calvin also writes in his Institutes about the Christian life in Part 3, sections 9&10. The principal part of the Christian life is the denying of self. Calvin gives sanctification a distinct form. Sanctification has as its object the honor of God, and this is implemented in the tender fear of the Lord. The despising of this earthly life has as its prerequisite the meditation on the life to come.

Calvin is very far-reaching, for there is no middle road between these two. Either earth must become of no value to us, or it must hold us fast in unbridled love. No one has made any advancement in the school of Christ who is not looking forward with joy to the day of his death and the final resurrection. Dr. J. Douma and Dr. W.H. Velema in Ethiek en Pelgrimage (Ethics and Pilgrimage) point to the fact that we must place Calvin’s opinion between the two illustrations of pilgrimage and sentinel-pilgrimage meaning “we are going to a better home,” and sentinel meaning “we still have our task here below.” “If we are only to pass through the earth, there can be no doubt that we are to use its blessings only in so far as they assist our progress, rather than retard it” (Institutes 3-10). In connection with this I am thinking of the comment of a God-fearing maker of wooden shoes in the last century. When he was asked what he did, his answer was, “I am traveling to the heavenly Jerusalem, and I am making wooden shoes while on my journey.”

The Second Reformation

The Second Reformation has placed a strong emphasis upon the practice of sanctification or holiness of life. We can find worthwhile lessons here, even for today. Wilhelmus a Brakel writes in his Reasonable Service in this manner about sanctification: “It manifests itself in the following ways; a believer is closer to God, and is more and more assured of his justification; the desires for a pure frame of heart according to the image of God, and desires for humility, wisdom, kindheartedness and a tender walk of life, lead in all these things to a striving to become stronger and more lively in the faith. He does not cherish any holiness but that which flows from the reconciled relationship with God, and through this relationship a love toward and fear of God. It reveals itself in the hate and aversion of a sinful heart, and the fear and anxiety for the committing of sin; in the sorrow which is his when he has sinned, and the unrest in his soul until he has again been washed in the blood of Christ.”

These are themes which are real for us and which have been further discussed more extensively by such authors as Jacobus Koelman, Willem Teelinck, and many others. In connection with this subject I wish to cite briefly the following:

1. Soberness and moderation as characteristics of the Christian life. A careless and sinful walk of life will result in the missing of a close communion with the Lord.

2. The emphasis on the hallowing of God’s day. Hallowing means especially to be busy in the things of the kingdom of God, the marveling over and the glorifying of God’s great works. The neglecting of the means of grace leads to a deterioration in the life of grace.

3. The great value of the practice of religion in the home. In his book Buren-kout Teelinck underscores the great value of conversations about God’s Word, Bible study, and catechetical instruction in the home. He also underscores the value of discussing the sermon in the family circle.

4. Sanctification and carrying the cross. Thomas Watson states, “The cross is the golden ladder whereby we climb up to heaven. A Christian can lose his life but not his acquittal; he may lose his head, but not his crown.”

— To be continued —

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The Practice of Sanctification (Holiness) (2)

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