Sanctification in Christ

“Sanctified in Christ Jesus.”—1 Corinthians 1:2

We will notice three things:

I. We are sanctified by God the Father, in perfect council, from before the foundation of the world.
II. Sanctified by the bloodsheding of the Redeemer. I know not what term to give it, but I will call it meritorious sanctification, by the blood of Christ.
III. Manifestive sanctification, by the communication and operation of God the Holy Ghost.
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III. They are manifestly well sanctified by the communication and operations of God the Holy Ghost. Hence, our Lord says, “He shall take of mine and show them unto you. When he is come he shall reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not in me.” Now it appears to me that this will never be discharged till the people of God are taken home. Suppose we look at one thing: “My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Do you believe this? Do you believe Christ here, that he will supply all your needs? If you believe, why all this murmuring that you have at times? You murmur at the Lord, and say, “O that he would supply my needs! O that he would let me know that I was a child of God!” And all the time God is working in his way, and fitting in one thing after another.

Now the Lord says, “All things shall work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose;” and yet we are such unbelieving creatures that we cannot believe that all things shall work together for our good. There is one, perhaps, here this morning who, with all his toiling, seems as if he is going to ruin. He has some “ifs,” and “buts,” and “hows,” disputing the promise that “all things shall work together for good.” “O,” say some; “why don’t you see? Why don’t you believe?” But it is difficult to see through a dark cloud; and we never shall believe all the time there is so much murmuring. But when the Lord the Spirit enables us, then we shall believe that “all things shall work together for good,” and all the way through the wilderness. He convinces us of sin, because we believe not in Christ. Before I met with my “accident,” I got into what some people call a melancholy fit; I got into such a state of wretchedness. I was thinking that I was getting old, that I should be a burden to my children who were about me, that my children would forsake me, and the church stand aloof from me. While I was filling my mind with this lumber, it pleased the Lord that my leg should be broken, and he laid me on a sick bed; but all my foes were put to the flight; for all my children came around me, and my friends came to sympathize with me so often that I was obliged to tell them I could not see them so often. The best of all was, the Lord appeared to me in this text: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee;” and, as we say in Lancashire sometimes, I was struck all of a heap, and was filled as full of mercy as I was of lumber before.

God says he will put us in the furnace; and when the Lord the Spirit begins to burn up the hay and stubble, we think we are going to ruin. But, while it will burn the rubbish, it will leave Christ and the conscience; and then we shall know something of manifestive sanctification,—manifestively united to Christ, our living Head.

When the Lord gives life, we begin to feel; when he gives light, we begin to see; and as soon as we feel and see we feel our pollution, our wretchedness, our misery; and we conclude, instead of being a sanctified vessel, we feel we are truly wretched. But I tell you that you are a child of God. I know you won’t believe me, nor do I wish you to do without a better evidence than mine; but God will make you by and by, and you will bless him for having been made so wretched.

Some of God’s children have starved their body almost to death to cure the corruption of the heart; but the devil will never be starved to death. I remember reading of one,—I think it was good John Berridge, who stripped himself naked and flogged himself; but it was to no purpose. So

“Out he ran naked and fled to a Bock.”

And I tell you what, there never will be, there never can be, a, particle of creature work or merit in sanctification. Nothing will do but the finished work of Christ. The hope must go of any betterness in self before we have any manifestive hope in Christ. When the Lord is pleased to bring manifestive sanctification into your conscience, you will know something of being drawn by the cords of a man, and with the bands of love. When your vows fail, when your promises fail, and all seems to fail, then you will know something of being sanctified in Christ Jesus and that there is no holiness but in and from him.

“Well,” says some poor soul,” I can go with you as far as you have gone.” Well; by and by God will appear and give you divine faith, to realize this; for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” You may look at the command and you may look at sin externally, but you will not be enabled to look at the core till faith is given; and by and by the blessed Spirit will give you a faith’s view of the atonement of Christ, a hope in God. “Ah,” says some poor soul. “I should like a hope in God; for I can find nothing in man worth hoping for.” Here is the blessing of communicative sanctification; till by and by, it may be a long time, the Lord, in the riches of his grace, will communicate more of manifestive sanctification, perhaps from such a text as this: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Paul says, “He loved me and gave himself for me.” Faith believes it; for every particle of spiritual life, every particle of spiritual feeling, every particle of spiritual love, every particle of spiritual faith, which purifies the heart, every particle of intercourse we have with the Three-one Jehovah; every lifting up that we have by the way, all comes from Christ, and endears us to him. “Sanctified in Christ Jesus.” Here is a cup of blessedness for all who are brought to feel that their sanctification is in Christ Jesus.

- excerpt from a sermon preached by William Gadsby, entitled, "Sanctification in Christ", preached on May 9, 1841, at Gower Street Chapel, London.