Sanctification - Part 2

In this post, we will look at what Ryle says about the visible evidence of sanctification.

(1) "True sanctification... does not consist in talk about religion." In other words, we need to be actively living out Christianity, and not just be standing by and talking about it, while in reality , we are serving the world and sin. Ryle states that during his day (as it is with many "Christians" today), "People hear so much of gospel truth that they contract an unholy familiarity with its words and phrases, and sometimes talk so fluently about its doctrines that you might think them true Christians. In fact it is sickening and disgusting to hear the cool and flippant language which many pour out about 'conversion - the Saviour - the gospel - finding peace - free grace,' and the like, while they are notoriously serving sin or living for the world...Can we doubt that such talk is abominable in God's sight, and is little better than cursing, swearing, and taking God's name in vain?... We must be sanctified, not only 'in word and in tongue, but in deed and truth' (1 John 3:18)."

(2) "True sanctification does not consist in temporary religious feelings." Many, it is sad to say, may receive the message of the gospel with great joy, but then, like the stony-ground hearers in Jesus' parable "The Sower and the Seed" (Matt. 13:18-23), they fall back into their worldly ways.

(3) "True sanctification does not consist in outward formalism and external devoutness." Basically, you cannot deceive yourself into thinking that real holiness is to be manifested by a bunch of outward show. It is a very dangerous slough to fall into, for only the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts can sanctify us. Ryle says, "There may be an immense amount of 'bodily service', and not a jot of real sanctification."

(4)"Sanctification does not consist in retirement from our place in life, and renunciation of our social duties." Ryle makes the point that,"Hundreds of hermits have buried themselves in some wilderness, and thousands of men and women have shut themselves up within the walls of monastaries and convents, under the vain idea that by doing so they would escape sin and become eminently holy. They have forgotten that no bolts and bars can keep out the devil, and that, wherever we go, we carry that root of all evil, in our own hearts. To become a monk, or a nun, or to join a House of Mercy, is not the high road to sanctification. True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them."

(5) "Sanctification does not consist in the occasional performance of right actions." Ryle says that "... there are scores of people in the present day who seem to have spasmodical fits of 'goodness', as it is called, and do many right things under the influence of sickness, affliction, death in the family, public calamities, or a sudden qualm of conscience. Yet all the time any intelligent observer can see plainly that they are not converted, and that they know nothing of 'sanctification'. A true saint, like Hezekiah, will be wholehearted. He will ' count God's commandments concerning all things to be right, and hate every false way' (2 Chron. 31:21; Ps. 119:104)."

(6) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in habitual respect to God's law, and habitual effort to live in obedience to it as a rule of life." Ryle declares that "There is no greater mistake than to suppose that a Christian has nothing to do with the law and the Ten Commandments, because he cannot be justified by keeping them... St. Paul never made light of the law; on the contrary, he says, 'The law is good, if man use it lawfully.' 'I delight in the law of God after the inward man' ( 1 Tim. 1:8; Rom. 7:22)." In essence, the man who thinks himself a "Christian", while he disregards and sneers at God's law and the Ten Commandments, thinking naught of dishonoring his parents, lying, stealing, adultery, and the like is very much deceived.

(7) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in an habitual endeavor to do Christ's will, and live by His precepts." Ryle says here that "To hear some men talk, and read some men's writings, one might imagine that our blessed Lord, when He was on earth, never taught anything but doctrine, and left practical duties to be taught by others! The slightest knowledge of the four gospels ought to tell us this is a complete mistake. What his disciples ought to be and to do is continually brought forwards in our Lord's teaching." See also John 15:14.

(8) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in an habitual desire to live up to the standard which St. Paul sets before the churches in his writings." It is false to think that Paul's writings consist only of "justification, election, predestination, prophecy, and the like..." Ryle reminds us that Paul offers much practical instruction about the Christian's duty "in every relation of life, and about our daily habits, temper, and behavior to one another." To fail to attend to such direction is to deceive oneself about his sanctification.

(9) "Genuine sanctification will show itself in an habitual attention to the active graces which our Lord so beautifully exemplified, and especially to the grace of charity." See John 13:34-35. As Ryle says, "The selfish Christian professor, who wraps himself up in his own conceit of superior knowledge, and seems to care nothing whether others sink or swim, go to heaven or hell, so long as he walks to church or chapel in his Sunday best... such a man knows nothing of sanctification." Ryle declares that sanctified men will reflect their Master, doing good to others and loving not only with words, but with actions and "self-denying work."

(10) "Genuine sanctification... will show itself in habitual attention to the passive graces of Christianity." Ryle means, by passive graces, the "graces which are especially shown in submission to the will of God, and in bearing and forbearing toward one another." Read 1 Peter 2:21-23, and consider that "it is nonsense to pretend to sanctification unless we follow after the meekness, gentleness, longsuffering, and forgiveness of which the Bible makes so much." Ryle then cautions that "people who are habitually giving way to peevish and cross tempers in daily life, and are constantly sharp with their tongues, and disagreeable to all around them--spiteful people, vindictive people, revengeful people, malicious people...all such know little, as they should know, about sanctification."

Ryle closes this section by asserting that those who know nothing of the marks listed above may well doubt if they are truly sanctified.

The final section about sanctification will address the difference between sanctification and justification.

-Scribe