2 Corinthians 1 New
Living Translation (NLT)
Greetings from Paul
1
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ
Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
I
am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout
Greece.[a]
2
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
God Offers Comfort to
All
3
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful
Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so
that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give
them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ,
the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are
weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we
ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently
endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our
sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.
8
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters,[b] about the trouble we
went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond
our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In
fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and
learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from
mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in
him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying
for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered
so many prayers for our safety.
Paul’s Change of Plans
12
We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a
God-given holiness[c] and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on
God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted
ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. 13 Our letters have been
straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you
can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, 14 even if you
don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus[d] returns, you
will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.
15
Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double
blessing by visiting you twice— 16 first on my way to Macedonia and again when
I returned from Macedonia.[e] Then you could send me on my way to Judea.
17
You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans
carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they
really mean “No”? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not
waver between “Yes” and “No.” 19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not
waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas,[f] Timothy, and I
preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. 20 For all of God’s promises have been
fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen”
(which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
21 It is
God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has
commissioned us, 22 and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy
Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has
promised us.
23
Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I
didn’t return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke. 24 But that
does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into
practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it
is by your own faith that you stand firm.
Beneath
The Waters (I Will Rise) - Hillsong Live
The IVP New Testament
Commentary Series
Third Complaint: A
Domineering Attitude (1:23—2:4)
We
live in a day when the exercise of discipline in the church is fast
disappearing or being replaced by self-image reinforcement, while in the home
it is often frowned on as being antiquated or bordering on abuse. Yet
discipline is firmly rooted in the biblical record, where it is presented as a
positive, not negative, model. The preeminent model is God himself, whose
dealings with his people are often pictured in terms of a parent-child
relationship. Central to this relationship is discipline. It is a measure of
God's love that he disciplines his children (Prov 3:11-12), but it is not
without personal cost. In Hosea 11:8-9 God is portrayed as a parent pacing the
floor, anguishing over the need to discipline his wayward child, Israel. Paul
similarly anguishes over the need to discipline the Corinthian church.
In
1:23—2:4 Paul tells the Corinthians why he did not carry out his
Corinth—Macedonia—Corinth travel plan. Today, to guarantee the truthfulness of
what we are about to say, we use such phrases as "with God as my
witness" or "I swear to tell the truth." Paul begins by swearing
an oath in the strongest terms possible. I call God as my witness is literally
"I call upon God as a witness against (epi) my soul (psychen)." With
this imprecation Paul invokes the wrath of God against himself (v. 23). He is
willing to forfeit his very life if he is found not to be telling the truth.
The term soul is commonly used in the New Testament of the "self."
Paul employs it of the inner life of a person—equivalent to the ego or
personality (e.g., Rom 2:9; 11:3; 13:1; 16:4; 1 Cor 15:45; 2 Cor 12:15). That
Paul would bind himself in this way points to the seriousness with which he
viewed the Corinthian accusation.
Legal
terminology predominates in these verses. Paul pictures himself on trial in a
court of law. To call upon (epikaloumai) is a common legal term in the Old
Testament for summoning witnesses to a trial—equivalent to our subpoena today.
Under Jewish law any matter had to be verified by too or three witnesses (Deut
19:15; compare 17:6). Since there are no human witnesses who could testify
about the intentions of his heart, Paul calls on God as his sole witness to
testify to the fact that it was to spare the Corinthians that he did not pay
them a return visit. Pastoral concern, not fickleness, caused him to change his
travel plans.
But
from what did Paul want to spare them? It is clear from his remarks both here
and in chapter 13 that had he come again he would have had to discipline them
(13:1-10), and this would have caused them grief (2:2). Paul exercised
discipline very unwillingly and only as a last resort. When he did rebuke a
church, it was done in love, never merely to hurt but to restore a broken
relationship (2:4).
All
of us who teach or pastor face the danger of thinking that our job is to force
others to think as we do. So Paul immediately throws in a qualifier. To talk
about sparing them discipline could sound like a threat. It could seem as if he
is attempting to lord it over their faith (v. 24). On the contrary, he and his
colleagues work together with them (synergoi) to secure their joy. When Paul
rebuked, the last thing he wanted was to play the bully. Nor could he bully
them if he wanted to, because it is by faith, not by pastoral coercion, that
they stand firm.
In
2:1-4 Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians why he did not pay them a return
visit. I made up my mind, he says, that I would not make another painful visit
to you (v. 1). I made up my mind is literally "I judged this for myself,"
indicating a settled and carefully weighed decision. The reason he gives for
his decision is that his visiting them at this time would cause them to be sad
and then there would be no one to make him glad (v. 2). So intimately was
Paul's happiness bound up with theirs that he refrained from coming until it
would be a time of gladness and nurture for both. So instead of paying them yet
another painful visit, he decided to send them a letter that was intended to
show how much he loved them but which caused him many tears to write due to its
harsh character (vv. 3-4).
The
events surrounding this painful visit and "severe letter" can be
reconstructed to a large extent from 1 and 2 Corinthians (see the
introduction). It appears that the relationship between Paul and the
Corinthians deteriorated when a group within the church began to question his
authority. There were "some" who were arrogantly claiming that Paul
was not coming back to Corinth (1 Cor 4:18). They were also becoming suspicious
of him because he would not accept financial assistance but worked instead to
support himself (1 Cor 9:1-18). Perhaps, they thought, this was because Paul
was not truly an apostle. News of this deteriorating situation reached Paul and
resulted in a visit that was painful for both him and the Corinthians. It seems
that during his visit someone in the congregation publicly insulted him and
challenged his authority, demanding proof that Christ was speaking through him
(13:3). What was particularly hurtful for Paul was the fact that the church sat
by and did nothing to support him. After issuing a strong word of warning
(13:2), he returned to Ephesus, abandoning his plan to visit the Macedonian
churches, revisit Corinth (1:16) and then go on to Jerusalem with the relief
funds that had been collected from the Gentile churches.
When
Paul returned to Ephesus he wrote the church a "severe letter" by
means of which he hoped to avoid another painful encounter with them (2 Cor
1:23). In this letter he called for the Corinthians to discipline the
individual who had "caused" him "grief" (2:5-11), rebuked
the church for not coming to his aid (7:8-12), tested their obedience to
apostolic authority (7:14-15) and questioned their personal support (2:3;
7:12-13). That this was a difficult letter for Paul to write is clear from his
statement that he wrote it out of great distress and anguish of heart with many
tears (2:4). Thlipsis (distress) and synoche (anguish) are virtual syno-nymns
for personal pain brought about by oppressive circumstances. Here, they refer
to the deep emotional turmoil that Paul experienced as he wrote this letter to
the Corinthians, very much like the anxiety a parent feels when faced with the
prospect of exercising discipline.
Disciplining
a child is never an easy matter. That discipline can be motivated by love is
exceedingly difficult for a child to comprehend. It must have been hard too for
the Corinthians, who were "grieved" by the severity of Paul's letter
(v. 4). Nonetheless, Paul intended that by this letter they might know the
depth of [the] love he had for his spiritual children (v. 4). Love, which
stands in an emphatic position in the clause, is the primary reason he gives
for writing. It is all too easy to allow personal feelings to get in the way of
ministry. But this was not the case with Paul. He could have used this letter
to vent his anger and disappointment with his spiritual children. Instead, he
saw past his own pain to what was needful from the pastoral standpoint.
Matthew Henry's
Commentary
Verses 15-24
The
apostle here vindicates himself from the imputation of levity and inconstancy,
in that he did not hold his purpose of coming to them at Corinth. His
adversaries there sought all occasions to blemish his character, and reflect
upon his conduct; and, it seemed, they took hold of this handle to reproach his
person and discredit his ministry. Now, for his justification,
I.
He avers the sincerity of his intention (2 Cor. 1:15-17), and he does this in
confidence of their good opinion of him, and that they would believe him, when
he assured them he was minded, or did really intend, to come to them, and that
with the design, not that he might receive, but that they might receive a
second benefit, that is, a further advantage by his ministry. He tells them
that he had not herein used lightness (2 Cor. 1:17), that, as he aimed not at
any secular advantage to himself (for his purpose was not according to the
flesh, that is, with carnal views and aims), so it was not a rash and
inconsiderate resolution that he had taken up, for he had laid his measures
thus of passing by them to Macedonia, and coming again to them from Macedonia
in his way to Judea (2 Cor. 1:16), and therefore they might conclude that it
was for some weighty reasons that he had altered his purpose; and that with him
there was not yea yea, and nay nay, 2 Cor. 1:17. He was not to be accused of
levity and inconstancy, nor a contradiction between his words and intentions.
Note, Good men should be careful to preserve the reputation of sincerity and
constancy; they should not resolve but upon mature deliberation, and they will
not change their resolves but for weighty reasons.
II.
He would not have the Corinthians to infer that his gospel was false or
uncertain, nor that it was contradictory in itself, nor unto truth, 2 Cor.
1:18, 19. For if it had been so, that he had been fickle in his purposes, or
even false in the promises he made of coming to them (which he was not justly
to be accused of, and so some understand his expression, 2 Cor. 1:18; Our word
towards you was not yea and nay), yet it would not follow that the gospel
preached not only by him, but also by others in full agreement with him, was
either false or doubtful. For God is true, and the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is
true. The true God, and eternal life. Jesus Christ, whom the apostle preached,
is not yea and nay, but in him was yea (2 Cor. 1:19), nothing but infallible
truth. And the promises of God in Christ are not yea and nay, but yea and amen,
2 Cor. 1:20. There is an inviolable constancy and unquestionable sincerity and
certainty in all the parts of the gospel of Christ. If in the promises that the
ministers of the gospel make as common men, and about their own affairs, they
see cause sometimes to vary from them, yet the promises of the gospel covenant,
which they preach, stand firm and inviolable. Bad men are false; good men are
fickle; but God is true, neither fickle nor false. The apostle, having
mentioned the stability of the divine promises, makes a digression to
illustrate this great and sweet truth, that all the promises of God are yea and
amen. For, 1. They are the promises of the God of truth (2 Cor. 1:20), of him
that cannot lie, whose truth as well as mercy endureth for ever. 2. They are
made in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20), the Amen, the true and faithful witness; he
hath purchased and ratified the covenant of promises, and is the surety of the
covenant, Heb. 7:22. 3. They are confirmed by the Holy Spirit. He does
establish Christians in the faith of the gospel; he has anointed them with his
sanctifying grace, which in scripture is often compared to oil; he has sealed
them, for their security and confirmation; and he is given as an earnest in
their hearts, 2 Cor. 1:21, 22. An earnest secures the promise, and is part of
the payment. The illumination of the Spirit is an earnest of everlasting life;
and the comforts of the Spirit are an earnest of everlasting joy. Note, The
veracity of God, the mediation of Christ, and the operation of the Spirit, are
all engaged that the promises shall be sure to all the seed, and the
accomplishment of them shall be to the glory of God (2 Cor. 1:20) for the glory
of his rich and sovereign grace, and never-failing truth and faithfulness.
III.
The apostle gives a good reason why he did not come to Corinth, as was
expected, 2 Cor. 1:23. It was that he might spare them. They ought therefore to
own his kindness and tenderness. He knew there were things amiss among them,
and such as deserved censure, but was desirous to show tenderness. He assures
them that this is the true reason, after this very solemn manner: I call God
for a record upon my soul—a way of speaking not justifiable where used in
trivial matters; but this was very justifiable in the apostle, for his
necessary vindication, and for the credit and usefulness of his ministry, which
was struck at by his opposers. He adds, to prevent mistakes, that he did not
pretend to have any dominion over their faith, 2 Cor. 1:24. Christ only is the
Lord of our faith; he is the author and finisher of our faith, Heb. 12:2. He
reveals to us what we must believe. Paul, and Apollos, and the rest of the
apostles, were but ministers by whom they believed (1 Cor. 3:5), and so the
helpers of their joy, even the joy of faith. For by faith we stand firmly, and
live safely and comfortably. Our strength and ability are owing to faith, and
our comfort and joy must flow from faith.
Dictionary
of Bible Themes
6746
sanctification, means and results of
Sanctification
results from the renewing work of the Holy Spirit and leads to the renewal of
believers and their being equipped for ministry in the world.
The
means of sanctification
The
work of the Holy Spirit 1Co 6:11 See also Ro 8:9-11; Ro 15:15-16; 1Co 12:13;
2Co 1:21-22; Eph 1:13-14; 2Th 2:13; Tit 3:4-7; 1Pe 1:1-2
Meditation
on the Scriptures 1Pe 2:2-3 See also Dt 11:18; Ps 119:12-18,48; Ps 143:5-6; Jn
17:17; Col 3:16; Jas 1:25
The
active pursuit of holiness and righteousness 1Ti 6:11-12 See also 2Co 7:1; Gal
5:24; Eph 4:1; 1Th 5:22; 1Pe 2:9-12; 3Jn 11
Obedience
and self-denial Ro 6:19-22; Ro 8:5-14; Gal 2:20; Gal 5:16-24; 1Pe 2:11
Prayer
Ps 145:18 See also Mt 7:7-8; Ac 4:31; 1Ti 4:4; Jas 5:16; Jude 20
Confession
of sin 1Jn 1:9 See also Ne 1:6-9; Ps 32:5; Ps 40:11-12; Pr 28:13; Isa 64:5-7;
Jer 14:20-22; La 3:40
Obstacles
to sanctification
A
lack of faith Mt 5:13; Jn 15:6; 2Co 12:20-21; 1Ti 1:18-19
Rebellion
against God Eze 18:24 See also Dt 32:15-18; Job 34:26; Isa 65:11-12; Gal 1:6-7;
Gal 5:7-9; Heb 12:15; Rev 2:4-5
Satanic
temptation 1Pe 5:8-9 See also Ac 5:3; 2Co 2:8-11; Jas 4:7
Self-indulgence
and greed Lk 12:15 See also Lk 21:34; Ro 13:13; 2Co 12:21; Eph 4:19
Yielding
to sinful desires 1Pe 1:14 See also Mk 4:18-19; 1Co 10:6-8; 1Pe 2:11; 2Pe
2:14-18; 1Jn 2:16-17
The
results of sanctification
Good
works 2Co 9:8 See also Eph 2:10; Col 1:10; Col 3:15-17; 2Th 2:16-17; Heb
10:24-25; Jas 2:14-26
Becoming
like Jesus Christ 1Pe 2:21 See also Jn 13:15; Ro 8:28-30; 1Co 11:1; 2Co 3:18;
Gal 3:27; 1Jn 3:2-3
Becoming
like God Mt 5:48; Eph 5:1-2; Col 1:21-22
Perfection
Mt 5:48 See also 2Co 13:11; Col 1:28
Blamelessness
in the sight of God 2Pe 3:14 See also Eph 1:4; Col 1:21-22; 1Th 5:23
Being
able to see God Heb 12:14
Dictionary
of Bible Themes
3233
Holy Spirit, and sanctification
The
work of the Holy Spirit in enabling believers to lead holy lives, dedicated to
the service of God and conformed to his likeness.
The
Spirit of holiness is promised
Mt
3:11 pp Lk 3:16 “fire” implies the Holy Spirit’s work of purification and
judgment.
Sanctification
is a special work of the Holy Spirit
Ro
15:16 See also 1Co 6:11; Gal 5:5; 1Pe 1:2
The
Holy Spirit requires believers to be sanctified
2Th
2:13 Sanctification is a necessary part of being a Christian. See also 1Co
6:18-19
The
Holy Spirit enables believers to be sanctified
Ro
8:4 See also Ro 8:13; Eph 5:18
The
Holy Spirit produces sanctification
Gal
5:22-23 See also Ro 14:17; 2Ti 1:7
The
process of sanctification
The
Holy Spirit makes believers more like Jesus Christ 2Co 3:18
The
Holy Spirit helps mortify sinful human nature Ro 8:13 See also Gal 5:17
The
Holy Spirit is opposed to natural desires Gal 5:16-17 See also Ro 8:5-9; Jude
19
Examples
of people sanctified by the Holy Spirit
Joshua:
Nu 27:18 fn; Dt 34:9 fn
Lk
2:25 Simeon The deacons in Jerusalem: Ac 6:3,5
Ac
11:24 Barnabas; 2Co 6:6 Paul and his companions
The process of sanctification
1.
The Holy Spirit makes
believers more like Jesus Christ
2
Corinthians 3:16-18New Living Translation (NLT)
16
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord
is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So
all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the
Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are
changed into his glorious image.
2.
The Holy Spirit helps
mortify sinful human nature
Galatians
5:16-26New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the
flesh. 17 For the flesh [a]sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may
not do the things that you [b]please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you
are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:
[c]immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife,
jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, [d]factions, 21 envying,
drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as
I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such
things there is no law. 24 Now those who [e]belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25
If we live by the Spirit, let us also [f]walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not
become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
3.
The Holy Spirit is
opposed to natural desires
Romans
8:5-9English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
5
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things
of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind
on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is
hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those
who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of
God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not
belong to him.
4.
The Holy Spirit enables
believers to be sanctified
Ephesians
5:15-18Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Consistency
in the Christian Life
15
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—
16 making the most of the time,[a] because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be
foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with
wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:
5.
The Holy Spirit produces
sanctification
Galatians
5:22-25New American Standard Bible (NASB)
22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
24 Now those who [a]belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires.
25
If we live by the Spirit, let us also [b]walk by the Spirit.
Encyclopedia of The
Bible
SANCTIFICATION
(קָדﯴשׁ, H7705, ἁγιασμός, G40, santification,
moral purity, sanctity; cf. Lat. sanctus facere, “to make holy”). One of the
most important concepts in Biblical and historical theology, this term and its
cognates appear more than a thousand times in the Scriptures. Sanctification
may be defined as the process of acquiring sanctity or holiness as a result of
association with deity. Its synonyms are consecration, dedication, holiness,
and perfection.
II. In the New Testament
A.
Vocabulary.
Perhaps the most important Gr. term for sanctification is hagiasmos, which
connotes the state of grace or sanctity not inherent in its subject, but the
result of outside action. The term occurs ten times in the NT (Rom 6:19, 20; 1
Cor 1:30; 1 Thess 4:3, 4, 7; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Tim 2:15; Heb 12:14; 1 Pet 1:2).
The act of sanctifying is expressed by the verb hagiazo which occurs some
thirty-six times and in several cases means moral purification (John 17:17, 19;
Acts 20:32; Eph 5:26; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Tim 2:21; Heb 13:12; 1 Pet 3:15). The
noun hagios, tr. “saint” sixty-one times, was the common NT designation of a
believer. It means that such a person is now separated from the world and
joined to Christ (1 Cor 1:2; cf. Num 16:3-10; 2 Chron 23:6). In Ephesians
hagios is joined with amomos where the church is described as being “holy and
blameless” (Eph 1:4; 5:27), the latter term referring to the unblemished
sacrificial victim, and twice used of Christ (Heb 9:14; 1 Pet 1:19; cf. Lev
22:21). Thrice hagiosune is used of moral purity which the Gospel requires and
imparts (Rom 1:4; 2 Cor 7:1; 1 Thess 3:1
3.
The sanctification of the believer a. Positionally. Positional sanctification
is also properly called status sanctification or cultic sanctification. What
was the predominant meaning in the OT is retained, but to a lesser degree in
several NT passages. The meaning of separation with reference to gifts to God
is clear (Matt 23:19—“the altar that sanctifieth the gift” [KJV]; cf. Rom 15:16
RSV; 1 Tim 4:5) and with reference to believers (1 Cor 1:2—“sanctified in
Christ Jesus, called to be saints,” hagioi; cf. Rom 1:7). The Corinthian
believers were “sanctified” in the sense of being set apart and yet remained
“carnal” or unsanctified spiritually. Sanctification in this sense is
attributive or imputational; it designates one’s status, position, or
relationship, and not necessarily one’s nature or spiritual condition. It is
imputed righteousness or justification.
b.
Progressive. Initial or progressive sanctification begins in the believer from
the moment of his becoming “in Christ.” Actual sanctification is the most
common usage of the term; it designates imparted righteousness. Progressive
sanctification occurs when one becomes a “partaker of the divine nature” (2 Pet
1:4), a “new creation in Christ” (2 Cor 5:17), or is “born anew” (John 3:5, 8).
It involves not only a changed relationship to God but also a changed nature, a
real as well as a relative change. Among the passages which stress this aspect
of sanctification are Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; and Hebrews 9:14
(cf. Rom 5:1-4; 2 Cor 5:17; James 1:21; 1 Pet 1:3, 22, 23; 2:1). The epistle to
the Hebrews, in particular, speaks of initial sanctification in this manner,
thus linking the OT and the NT concept and nomenclature (Heb 2:11; 8:10; 9:14;
10:10, 14; 13:12) and making it the equivalent of regeneration.
c.
Entirely. Entire sanctification is the most debatable aspect of the subject.
All major theological traditions agree with reference to sanctification up to
this point. The Reformed traditions, Orthodox, and Catholic do not, however,
find in Scripture or in experience provision for full deliverance from sin
while “in the flesh.” This may be attributable in part to the influence of
oriental dualism imported into Christian theology via Augustine who was
influenced by a Manichaean philosophy before he became a Christian.
Those
who find in Scripture and in grace provision for complete victory over sin prior
to death are many in the Arminian, Pietist, Quaker, and Wesleyan traditions.
Caspar Schwenk-feld, a contemporary of Luther, was among the earliest of the
reformers to call for a “reformation of the Reformation” and to protest against
a tendency to an accommodation of sin in some Catholic and Reformation
theology.
Basic
to the concept of entire sanctification is one’s concept of sin. If his
definition of sin is influenced by hamartia (ἁμαρτία, G281), i.e. any want
of full conformity to the will of God, then sanctification can hardly be
“entire” or complete. If, however, like Wesley, he stresses sin as anomia (ἀνομία, G490), “lawlessness”
(1 John 3:4), i.e. a conscious and deliberate departure from the known will of
God, then he may embrace promises which offer entire sanctification as a gift
of grace (Rom 6:1-23; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 John 3:3). Such readers gather from
Scripture (Matt 5:8; John 17:17; Rom 6:6-19; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 4:24; 5:26; Phil
2:15; Col 1:22; 1 Thess 3:13; 5:23; and 1 Pet 1:16, among other passages) that
the call to salvation is nothing less than a call to full deliverance from
indwelling sins of attitude and motive as well as deeds. The position of the
Scriptures which can be cited in support of entire sanctification is both
negative and positive.
The
negative aspect: Paul, after reminding his readers that as “holy ones” (hagioi)
they are temples of God (2 Cor 1:2; 6:16), exhorts them: “Beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness
perfect in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). The negative aspect is seen in the
command for cleansing from all “defilement” (molusmos), a pollution that is
both religious (disloyalty to God) and ethical (association with iniquity, 2
Cor 6:14) and yet that to which the “saints” are subject.
The
positive aspect is seen in the command to “perfect” or bring to completion the
quality of holiness (hagiosune) which is now only potential. That this is a
present option is apparent from the tense of the verbs and also from the
closing words of the letter—“Be perfect” (KJV, καταρτίζεσθε).
C.
Crisis or process?The evidence from Scripture, reason, and experience leads to
the conclusion that sanctification is both process and crisis. The process
begins when one is “risen with Christ” in the new birth. Paul’s emphasis on
faith blends well with this emphasis upon a stage in the Christian’s life when
he recognizes his inner defilement, deliberately renounces a self-centeredness,
and embraces by faith God’s provision in Christ for full deliverance and
perfection in love (Col 1:22; 1 Thess 5:23; Eph 3:19; Rom 6:11-14; Gal 2:20).
“This
conscious self-consecration to the indwelling Spirit...is uniformly represented
as a single act...(2 Cor 7:11)...Such an awakening and real consecration...was
rather a thing of definite decision (expressed by the aorist, Rom 13:14; Col
1:9f.; Eph 6:11, 13-16) than of vaguely protracted process (expressed by
presents)” (Bartlet, HDB, IV, 393).
The
call to sanctification is nowhere sounded more urgently than in Romans, where
Paul, after explaining justification and its results (Rom 3:21-5:21), makes it
emphatically clear that the Christian is to make no provision for residual sin
(6:1-23). In the light of its context the struggle with indwelling sin in Romans
7 is not the description of the normal “saint” but rather the futility of
justification by law, apart from Christ (7:24-8:1, 2). The same call to holy
living is sounded in several other epistles including Colossians (1:22, 28;
3:1-15), Galatians (5:1, 13) and 1 Thessalonians (3:13; 5:23). In the latter
the call is sometimes interpreted as an eschatological event in the future. In
several passages (Col 1:23; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 John 3:3) the future is the climax,
but there is little if any exegetical ground for concluding that full
deliverance from sin must wait until the soul is separated from the body.
D.
Actual or potential?Sanctification, defined broadly as the work of God’s grace
in man’s perfection in righteousness, begins when he becomes a believer and hence
is “in Christ.” It continues progressively until death brings him into Christ’s
presence unless he “does despite to the Spirit of grace.” It is only as one by
dedication and faith realizes in actuality what is provided in the atonement
that this grace is experienced; it does not follow as a matter of course, as
the exhortations in the NT imply. Parallel to the work of sanctification is the
infilling of the Holy Spirit in the believer, perfection in love, having the
“mind of Christ,” and “walking as he walked.”
2
Thessalonians 2:13-17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
13
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord,
because God has chosen you [a]from the beginning for salvation [b]through
sanctification [c]by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He
called you through our gospel, [d]that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you
were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter [e]from us.
16
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and
given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your
hearts in every good work and word.
Be
Blessed today
Yours
by His Grace, for the sake of His Church and His Kingdom
Blair
Humphreys,
Southport,
Merseyside, England
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