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"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." How much unrighteousness will He cleanse? All. All anger and jealousy and hatred and lust and resentment and bitterness and love of the world. "The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. " "The precious blood of Jesus is the fountain prepared to cleanse the soul from the defilement of sin." "When the soldier pierced the side of Jesus as He hung upon the cross, there came out two distinct streams, one of blood, and the other of water. The blood was to wash away the sins of those who should believe in His name, and the water was to represent that living water which is obtained from Jesus to give life to the believer." "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs ac-cording to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying." The blood cleanses from all sin and the water gives us a new birth through the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus explained to Nicodemus. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." "Without regeneration through faith in His blood, there is no re-mission of sins, no treasure for any perishing soul. " "That life-cleansing, life-sustaining blood, appropriated by living faith, is our hope." "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified through his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." "In him we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." "Forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose. . . . God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.'" Justification is not only declaring us righteous, but cleansing us from all sin and creating in us a new heart, a new attitude. This happens when we surrender ourselves wholly to God and believe that He can do it. "None but God can subdue the pride of man's heart. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot regenerate ourselves. . . . What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself." "As the sinner, drawn by the power of Christ, approaches the uplifted cross, and prostrates himself before it, there is a new creation. A new heart is given him. He becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. Holiness finds that it has nothing more to require. God Himself is 'the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. ' "The grace of Christ purifies while it pardons, and fits men for a holy heaven." "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." When the thief on the cross surrendered to Jesus, he experienced pardon, cleansing, and the new birth. He was saved the same way all sinners are saved, and was fit for heaven. His mind was changed. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. " "That which was objectionable in the character is purified from the soul by the love of Jesus. All selfishness is expelled, all envy, all evil-speaking, is rooted out, and a radical transformation is wrought in the heart. " "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself." Now that we are reconciled to God, we may enter the Holy Place experience, which is called sanctification. "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Many people have a misunderstanding of the meaning of justification and sanctification. They think that sanctification is a life-time of trying to give up their sins while all the time they are justified, but this is not true. Justification cleanses from sin and creates a new heart, and then empowers us to live the sanctified life - a life of daily abiding and growing in Christ and bearing the fruits of holiness. 
"Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. " You are no longer slaves of Satan, you are now voluntary slaves, or sons of God, living by His power. And that is the work of a lifetime! "What is sanctification? It is to give one's self wholly and without reserve - soul, body and spirit - to God; to deal justly; to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God; to know and to do the will of God without regard to self or self-interest; to be heavenly-minded, pure, unselfish, holy, and without spot or stain." "Many who profess to follow Christ have not genuine religion. They do not reveal in their lives the fruit of true conversion. They are controlled by the same habits, the same spirit of faultfinding and selfishness, which con-trolled them before they accepted Christ. "No one can enter the city of God who has not a knowledge of genuine conversion. In true conversion the soul is born again. A new spirit takes possession of the temple of the soul. A new life begins. Christ is revealed in the character." "Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. " "Sanctification is a state of holiness, without and within, being holy and without reserve the Lord's, not in form, but in truth. Every impurity of thought, every lustful passion, separates the soul from God; for Christ can never put His robe of righteousness upon a sinner, to hide his deformity." "The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven. " "As servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart." "All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience." "Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." "Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, . . . according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith. " I had been taught the obedience of law, but I had not understood the obedience of faith. "True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. " "If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? . . . Instead of releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience." "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. " "Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked." "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." "Holiness is not rapture: it is the entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love. " This is the work of a lifetime, keeping ourselves wholly surrendered to God and walking in His will. "True sanctification is nothing more or less than to love God with all the heart, to walk in His commandments and ordinances blameless. Sanctification is not an emotion but a heaven-born principle that brings all the passions and desires under the control of the Spirit of God; and this work is done through our Lord and Saviour." "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. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." |