Sanctification - God's Work and Ours
A Sermon on the Synergism of Sanctification
Originally preached May 14, 1954
Scripture
Sermon Description
Does a Christian ever stop sinning? Is sanctification an experience over a lifetime? In this sermon titled “Sanctification: God’s Work and Ours,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles these issues and more in this sermon on the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a believer. Sanctification is the process by which Christians are changed to be more like Jesus Christ. This begins at the moment of salvation and though they are set apart from the world, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows from Scripture that sanctification is not a one-time experience or event. The New Testament authors frequently implore readers to fight sin and to avoid unrighteousness. This unmistakably shows that though Christians are saved from their sin, they are not saved out of it, and that becoming like Christ is a process that takes time. What about experiences of radical and sudden transformation that some believers claim to have had? Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that such transformations have nothing to do with Christianity alone. While such experiences can promote and aid sanctification, they are not sanctification themselves because they also are experienced by many others who adhere to different worldviews.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sanctification means being set apart for God and separated from sin. It is a vital part of salvation.
- God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the agents of sanctification. The Holy Spirit specifically works to sanctify us.
- There are three common views of sanctification:
- It is something to be received by faith
- It is an experience
- It happens suddenly
- Sanctification is not something to be received. The Scripture exhorts us to practical action, not just receiving something.
- Experiences are not sanctification itself. Sanctification is a condition, not an experience. Experiences help and stimulate sanctification but are not the same as sanctification.
- Sanctification does not happen suddenly. It is a gradual process of growth and development.
- Realization of truth may be sudden but is not sanctification itself. It aids sanctification but the two are not the same.
- God could make us perfectly sanctified instantly but has chosen not to. His method is gradual growth and development.
- The history of Israel illustrates this gradual process of sanctification. They were delivered from Egypt but still had struggles and needed to grow in the promised land.
- This gradual process of growth is God's method everywhere - in nature, in destroying Satan and death, and in sanctifying believers.
Great Biblical Doctrines
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.