Questions and Answers By R. A. TORREY
Does Revelation 20:15, “And whoso ever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”, in dicate a second probation? There is not the slightest implication of a second probation in this verse. It simply teaches that at the Judgment of the Great White Throne which is at the end of the thousand years, when the rest of the dead, those who did not have part in the first resurrection, are raised, if any one of those raised at that time were not found written in the Book of Life he was cast into the lake of fire. It does not say that any were found written in the Book of Life, but even if it did imply that some were found written in the Book of Life it would not imply a second probation, for there is to Ibe death during the Millenium and those who die during the Millenium they will iBe judged at the Great White Throne. There is not the slightest sug gestion here that any who had died un believers afterwards repented and thus were written in the Book of Life. “What is sanctification? How is it ob tained? What does it do for you? Here we have three questions in one and pretty large questions to answer briefly. The questions are answered at length and fully -in my book, WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES in the chapter on Sanctifica tion. To answer briefly, to sanctify means to separate or set apart for God, and there fore sanctification is the process of setting apart, or of being set apart for God. This is the primary meaning of the word, but to sanctify means also to separate from ceremonial or-moral defilement, to cleanse. In this secondary meaning of the word sanctify, sanctification is the process of separating or the state of being separated from ceremonial or moral defilement. A man is sanctified when he is wholly set apart for God, when he has made an ab solute surrender of his will to God. He is
fully sanctified in the second sense of the word when he is delivered from all sin. It is God who' sanctifies men; He does it through the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2) by the instru mentality of His Word (John 17:17). In the Word Jesus Christ is presented to us as our sanctification, i. e. separation from sin and separation to God are provided for us in Christ. By the appropriation of Christ we obtain this sanctification thus provided, and the more completely we ap propriate Christ, the more completely we' are sanctified. As Christ takes continually more and more- complete possession of every corner of our being we are more and more completely sanctified. Sanctifi cation is something that we must pursue or seek earnestly if we are to obtain it (Heb. 12:14). While it is God’s work, we have our part in it, viz. to make it the object of our earnest desire and pur suit. On our part we attain unto sancti fication through presenting our members as servants or slaves to righteousness and becoming ourselves bondservants unto God (Rom. 6:19, 22). We perfect holiness by cleansing ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, and to this end we are to come out from among unbelievers re fusing all alliance with them and touching no unclean thing (2 Cor. 6:17; 7:1). The completion by Christ of the work of sanc tification in us, i. e. our presentation be fore God wholly without blemish and un- reprovable, is conditioned upon our con tinuance in the faith grounded and stead fast (Col. 1:21-23 R. V.). Sanctification takes place the moment any one becomes a member of the church of God by faith in Christ Jesus—that moment he is sanctified. All believers are (not shall be) sanctified (1 Cor. 1:2 R. V.; 6: 11 R. V.), i. e. to say by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all we are cleansed forever from all the guilt of sin, we are “perfected forever” as far as our standing before God is concerned
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs