Post by Emmanuel A. O. on Feb 22, 2013 0:13:39 GMT 1
Deeper, Yet Real. Text: ACTS 15:1-12
“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8,9).
Curiously, many perceive the holiness experience and its aftermath as struggling, striving, working and endeavouring to be our best. Yet, sanctification, which cleanses our inner man, preserves the spirit from corruption, and makes us free from every sin which defiles the spirit and the flesh is by grace, not by human efforts. This experience can only be obtained and experienced by those who are truly saved and justified and who have made Jesus their personal Lord and Saviour.
A really saved person cannot tolerate sin. If he continues in sin, it then means he never got saved even though he might have professed it. He might have prayed at an altar or gone forward at the invitation of the evangelist. Forsaking sin is a must if our name is to be written and preserved in the Lamb’s book of life. Why a second work of grace? It is because sin exists in two forms in man: the actual sin committed and the inherited nature of sin. When we were born, we brought with us a nature that can respond to temptations and our heart has the capacity of thinking and planning evil (Psalm 51:5). Secondly, there are wilful acts of wrong that we commit after reaching the age when we know right from wrong. For these sinful acts God will judge and punish if we repent not. So, sanctification is a definite cleansing and purifying of the heart and affections of man; a work that only God can do for us when we ask him.
A real believer hungers and thirsts for a complete cleansing and deliverance from all inward depravity. So, he seeks God for this provision which Jesus made through His shed blood, the word of God and the Holy Spirit so that we might live an overcoming life, as an undefiled vessel meet for the Master’s use. Today, if as a saved believer you come before God with full assurance of faith, then the purifying fire of His holiness will fall. Why not obtain this blessing today?
Thought for the day:
Holiness is the passport to heaven.
“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8,9).
Curiously, many perceive the holiness experience and its aftermath as struggling, striving, working and endeavouring to be our best. Yet, sanctification, which cleanses our inner man, preserves the spirit from corruption, and makes us free from every sin which defiles the spirit and the flesh is by grace, not by human efforts. This experience can only be obtained and experienced by those who are truly saved and justified and who have made Jesus their personal Lord and Saviour.
A really saved person cannot tolerate sin. If he continues in sin, it then means he never got saved even though he might have professed it. He might have prayed at an altar or gone forward at the invitation of the evangelist. Forsaking sin is a must if our name is to be written and preserved in the Lamb’s book of life. Why a second work of grace? It is because sin exists in two forms in man: the actual sin committed and the inherited nature of sin. When we were born, we brought with us a nature that can respond to temptations and our heart has the capacity of thinking and planning evil (Psalm 51:5). Secondly, there are wilful acts of wrong that we commit after reaching the age when we know right from wrong. For these sinful acts God will judge and punish if we repent not. So, sanctification is a definite cleansing and purifying of the heart and affections of man; a work that only God can do for us when we ask him.
A real believer hungers and thirsts for a complete cleansing and deliverance from all inward depravity. So, he seeks God for this provision which Jesus made through His shed blood, the word of God and the Holy Spirit so that we might live an overcoming life, as an undefiled vessel meet for the Master’s use. Today, if as a saved believer you come before God with full assurance of faith, then the purifying fire of His holiness will fall. Why not obtain this blessing today?
Thought for the day:
Holiness is the passport to heaven.