← Back to sermon library

Anyone need a confession of faith? All right. You can turn in your copy to Chapter 13 of Sanctification. I'll read all three paragraphs, and then we'll have a look largely at the content of paragraph one, but the stuff of paragraphs two and three are sort of captured in there as well, and we can expand on that. So this is chapter 13 of sanctification. 

They who are united to Christ, effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, really and personally, through the same virtue, by his word and spirit dwelling in them. The dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. This sanctification is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life. There abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome. And so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after and heavenly life in evangelical obedience to all the commands which Christ as head and king in his word hath prescribed to them. Amen. 

Well, a very short and simple paragraph, but another glorious chapter that is, that touches upon an aspect of sort of the salvific, not sort of, the salvific portion of the confession of faith where having already spoken about the work of the Mediator, the person and the work of the Mediator, it's now the blessed redemptive benefits of that Redeemer, won by that Redeemer, poured out upon His elect by the power of the Holy Spirit. these precious elements of salvation that are given by the grace of God to all those who believe in his name. And so this paragraph is now focused on sanctification. We have already covered of effectual calling. We've looked at justification. We've looked at adoption. And so sanctification is certainly the next in order here. 

A number of things that we want to look at this morning, just really following one larger point of outline, and that's the stuff of paragraph one, where we see the nature and cause of sanctification. Paragraphs two and three, we see the continual conflict in the believer and the triumph of grace and the increase of holiness. And those specific distinctives concerning sanctification are sort of captured in one single clause of paragraph one. So largely, we're going to work through the clauses of paragraph one with cause, though, to have a look at the content of paragraphs two and three. 

Just some of the things by way of introduction. Sanctification is a work of God's free grace. I think oftentimes, you know, some perhaps within the larger realm of Christianity can think that, okay, this is now where man comes in and it's man doing the stuff. And it's not. It's still God. The shorter catechism says, reads, that sanctification is a work of God's free grace. Now interestingly, at the point of justification and adoption, the language is an act of God's free grace. Both justification and adoption are imputative. That being, they are imputed. The reality of justification that we are righteous in the sight of God is a legal declaration, an imputative grace that we have by virtue of divine favor. The same with adoption, though that's the legal status of childhood. it is also an act of God's free grace. 

When we get to sanctification, it's no longer an act of God's free grace as far as the language of the shorter catechism, but a work of God's free grace that flows from that blessed salvific fount that has been laid down by the divine in the hearts of his elect. And so, All of that to come back to this point that sanctification isn't the work or the deeds of men, it is the work of God's free grace and as the shorter catechism goes on to summarize, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness. 

We should note as well by way of introduction that, and as it's often been said, and as it often needs to be said because of perverse errors that have affected the Church throughout millennia, the importance of the distinction between justification and sanctification. There is a connection that that we have observed and will observe and should observe, but there is a necessary and important distinction between justification and sanctification. 

Sanctification is distinct from justification, yet always joined with it, and it proceeds from the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection. Just with our confessions here for a moment, let's have a look at some previous language in the confession and some subsequent that speak to the reality of sanctification even before we have arrived here. You can back up to chapter seven for a moment. In chapter seven, paragraph two, we should note that sanctification is linked to the covenant of grace. man having been plunged into wickedness, sin, and depravity, and the rightful guilt and condemnation for that under God, God was pleased to make a covenant of grace, and in that, wrapped up in that, is obviously the promise of redemption. And notice in paragraph two, chapter seven, moreover man having brought himself under the curse, of the law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to make a covenant of grace wherein he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him that they might be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit to make them willing and able to believe. 

So a promise of the covenant of grace is all of those blessings of divine salvation given by God, by grace, to the elect. Notice as well in Chapter 8 of Christ the Mediator, Chapter 8 and Paragraph 8, to all those for whom Christ hath obtained eternal redemption, He does certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same, making intercession for them, uniting them to himself by his spirit, revealing unto them in and by the word the mystery of salvation, persuading them to believe and obey, governing their hearts by his word and spirit, and overcoming all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom. 

So there we see, I mean in large, but also specifically with regards to sanctification, governing their hearts by his word and spirit. The champion of the covenant of grace, in that promise and in his ascended power, subdues our hearts and works in us according to his promise, his grace, his word, his spirit. And notice as well in the paragraph, in the chapter concerning of free will, chapter nine, Notice in paragraph four with regards to the state of man in grace. When God converts a sinner and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good. Yet so as that by reason of his remaining corruption he doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.

So this also touching upon sanctification, touching upon the whole complex of salvation by amazing and victorious grace, but as well in sanctification we have been and therefore do, we have been enabled and therefore have that power freely to will and do that which is spiritually good.

Just one more here and that is in chapter 11. As far as those things that precede our chapter on sanctification. Paragraph two of chapter 11, faith thus receiving and resting on, did I say chapter two of, paragraph two of chapter 11 of justification. Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness is the alone instrument of justification, yet it is not alone in the person justified but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces and is no dead faith but worketh by love.

And so when we get to our chapter on sanctification, we have been in many smaller ways introduced to it in the content and by the content of other chapters, other paragraphs.

So let's start to look at these clauses then in paragraph one of chapter 13. Remember that we're seeing here the nature and cause of sanctification. And the first thing we see is the blessed and undeserving recipients of sanctification. The blessed and undeserving recipients of sanctification, that first clause there, they who are united to Christ, affectionately called, and regenerated.

We've had cause to note every time we've gone through these portions of the Confession that the Confession is always joining one of these saving graces to one that had preceded it, a foundational one. Here we see the link to the union with Christ, so the stuff of Chapter 8, and what follows, we see chapter 10 as well stated there, and effectually called and regenerated.

If we were to back up one chapter to adoption, you would have seen there as well all those that are justified. So it picked up on the previous chapter of justification. In chapter 11, we see those whom God effectually called. So, chapter 11 builds upon chapter 10, linking those justified to those who have been effectually called and regenerated.

In chapter 10, those whom God hath predestinated unto life. So, effectual calling links back to the chapters on the decree, on providence, and also on Christ and free will. So we see here then in chapter 13, the blessed and undeserved recipients of sanctification are those who are elect, predestinated unto life, that are therefore by virtue of that divine decree in time, effectually called and regenerated, who are justified, who are adopted.

And so there is an inevitable, remember that golden chain of redemption, the inevitability, the blessed inevitability that all those predestinated unto everlasting life in Christ will be eventually sanctified. They will be effectually called in God's appointed and accepted time They will be declared righteous by virtue of that blessed, forensic, and legal declaration of the Lord God Almighty, based upon the virtue of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. They will be adopted, and again, they will be sanctified, and ultimately, they will be glorified and brought into the everlasting glory of heaven.

All of that to come back to this point, that there's this blessed and undeserving reality regarding the recipients of justification, they who are united to Christ, effectually called and regenerated, are those who are sanctified.

Sanctification is a gracious work by the Holy Spirit in them that are effectually called and regenerated. Remember, sanctification isn't us doing stuff. Do the sanctified do stuff? Do the sanctified do good works? And are we enabled by the Spirit to do those good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them? Absolutely, but sanctification is not about man, it's about God. blessing man and empowering man to do those things pleasing in his sight for his own glory.

Some biblical witnesses to this specific reality. Let's have a look in our Bibles here for a moment. You can turn, first of all, with regards to the blessed and undeserved recipients in that golden chain of redemption, let's remind ourselves of the glory of this language in Romans 8.

Who is it that is sanctified? In Romans chapter eight, near the end, we see the skeletal framework of the redemptive benefits of Christ poured out upon the elect. In verse 29, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. whom he justified these, he also glorified.

And so we have this threefold redemptive skeletal framework built upon the foundation of predestination, and we could, of course, fit on there, if you will, adoption, sanctification, and to glorification.

So you can also turn with me to Ephesians chapter one. There we see some explicit language with regards to, well, I should say, It doesn't use the word sanctification or a variation of it, but the concept is certainly there in the language being employed. In Ephesians 1 at verse four, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that, so there's a purpose clause here, we should be holy and without blame before him.

So this holy and without blame reality sanctification or we could say the blessed effects of sanctification rest upon the in love choosing, the before the foundation of the world electing grace of almighty God.

So the blessed and undeserved recipients of sanctification are all those decreed unto salvation in time effectually called and regenerated, justified and adopted.

Back to chapter 13 then, we see next here the initial sanctifying act of God's grace. There is an initial sanctifying act of God's grace that perhaps, in a discussion of sanctification, we may often forget. I think, you know, often when we think of sanctification, we think of that progressive sanctification, which we'll look at in a moment, but there's also this initial act that the confession is bringing out here, the initial sanctifying act of God's free grace, and it's seen here, they who are united to Christ, effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection.

Now, how do we know that this is an initial act of sanctification? Well, notice the next clause, are also farther sanctified. So there is a further sanctification that is taking place, which means there must have been an initial sanctifying act. And that's what we're seeing here. Those who have been given a new heart, have been given a new spirit, this by virtue, not of themselves, but by virtue of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that serves as an initial sanctifying act of God. And I think we see this. in a number of places in the scriptures, but let's just have a look at, if you turn to 1 Corinthians, with me for a moment, 1 Corinthians 6. 

When we think of the word sanctification, one of the meanings of sanctification is to make holy. Our English Bibles, transliterate the Latin sanctificatio, which is a translation of the original Greek. And we can think of things like the sanctuary, the holy place, you know. while to sanctify, sanctification, sanctum, maybe we probably don't use that one too often, but something that is made holy, something that is established or consecrated, taken from a particular reality and put in a new reality unto service unto God. We see those things in temple religion, tabernacle and temple religion, where things are taken from common use, and they're consecrated unto holy use. They're made holy by a particular act. 

Notice in 1 Corinthians 6, there's an interesting order here. There's an interesting order here given when Paul is talking about the conversion of those who were formerly marked by the wickedness of sin. Notice, after listing a number of sins and a number of sinners or types of sinners, we see in verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 6, and such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. So there's an interesting order here that's being made. There's this washing of regeneration and in that there is this making of holy or a consecration, a divinely wrought setting aside of the one who now has a new heart in service unto God. They're washed by the Spirit. They're washed in the blood of the Lamb. They're consecrated thereby unto divine service. 

That language that the Confession is using, you can back up to the book of Ezekiel for a moment, where we're reading there, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection. Notice in the book of Ezekiel in chapter 36, hopefully a passage that you're very familiar with, speaking of wonderful new covenant realities. the New Covenant promise and blessing of what, from their vantage point, would obtain as the proper reality of the New Covenant that is being promised. This is Ezekiel 36 at verse 26. We'll back up though to verse 24. Let's just pause there for a moment. Remember in the passage that Paul just read, he said, but you were washed. Not speaking of physical baptism, but speaking of what Paul uses elsewhere, the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. That's Ezekiel language. 

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them. You see the reality of sanctification here being divine and not human. It's wrought upon humans, brought alive by the power of divine grace, but the I wills of Ezekiel 36 and the promise of the new covenant put the glory of sanctification upon God and never upon man.

Also one more passage, let's just turn to the book of Romans here for a moment. Romans 6. And in two places here we, well two verses, we see something with regards to this new reality connected to union with Christ. And here we see Paul dealing with the question, following from his arguments for justification by faith alone, what shall we say then in verse one, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? And he's answering here in the subsequent verses why he says certainly not.

And notice in verse four, therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. So it speaks to some of the language in our confession here regarding this initial act of sanctification and that note, it rests upon the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection.

At this point, and at some others, but at this point it would be good to note that the confession here is upholding faithful witness to the scriptures, and it's faithful witness to the doctrine of sanctification, but it's also countering errors contemporaneous then, and that prevailed in our own day, I would imagine, the Roman Catholic Church, and in other circles, but at the point of sanctification.

And I wanna draw our attention again to the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection. The Armenian view of sanctification is different historically than the reformed view of sanctification. It would focus more on the transformative nature of the man than on the one who transforms the man. And it would be something in the scheme of Arminianism where someone can fall away if they will to do so.

So sanctification then, Wherein is the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection in a scheme where sanctification can be lost and someone can totally fall away from a state of grace? The Sassinians and the Quakers to a certain degree, well, the Quakers were different, but the Sassinians would have had a doctrine of just moral improvementism, where sanctification, if it's anything, is just that. It's not God, it's not Christ as redeemer and spirit as sanctifier, renewing the believer and causing them to walk in God's blessed statutes, but it's simply a moral improvementism, where it's the strength of the man, it's an anthropocentric doctrine where Christ is teacher and not redeemer, and where the spirit is just an influencer and not the powerful sanctifier of the one who has faith in Christ Jesus.

The Roman Catholics, of course, would have, they do, confuse, conflate, mingle justification with sanctification, and have a view of sanctification where the application of the sacraments themselves bear sanctifying power, regardless of the one administering and the one really sovereignly who had ordained the sacraments, they would have a doctrine of purgatorial perfectionism where there requires, there needs to happen something after the death of the believer for them to be purged prior to their entry into heaven. So sanctification then doesn't come from a work of God's grace wrought by the spirit upon the heart, enabling them to will and to do according to his good pleasure, but rather it's their own bearing of penal requirements in some limbo or temporary intermediate state. So it's their own purgation of their sins that obtains in some pagan afterlife. And that's not to multiply a number of other errors that they have at the point of sanctification. 

All of that to come back to the very important point that the historically reformed and proper Protestant view of sanctification is that it rests foundationally upon the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection. That initial act of sanctifying grace, as well as the farther sanctification, progressive sanctification, does not rest upon the virtue of the one sanctified, but on the one sanctifying. So there is an effectual, definitive, and foundational sanctification that serves as a preceding grace upon which progressive sanctification is founded. 

We're set aside in the redeeming act of Christ and in the applicational power of the Holy Spirit unto holiness, that progressive reality that then follows. So that's what we see now, the progressive reality of sanctification. having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, we see now here thirdly, are also farther sanctified really and personally through the same virtue by his word and spirit dwelling in them. 

the progressive reality of sanctification. There is an ongoing work of the Spirit upon the whole man. And praise God for that reality because we need that in this lower world with the prevalency of remaining corruption, no longer reigning corruption in the heart, the soul, the reality, the fabric of the believer, that remaining corruption nevertheless requires not our own overcoming, not our own lion-heartedness, not our own boldness and courage, but sanctification, the ascended Christ sending his spirit, and by the power of that spirit, we're transformed, we're quickened, we're increased, we're weakening and mortifying the lusts of the flesh by the power of the spirit who dwells in us. 

And so there is that progressive reality with regards to sanctification, and largely speaking, in the Bible, This is what's in view when we very often read concerning this particular truth. 

You can turn to 1 Thessalonians with me for a passage, one of the passages that speaks to the progressive reality of sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 5. Close to the end of the book, we see in verse 23, now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 

Isn't that, aren't those wonderful words of the promise and the certainty and the assurance that we have in God? We don't have this, ah, you know what, maybe. You know, Paul writing to the Thessalonians, hey, you know, be of partial good cheer because certain things might happen. That's not our Christianity. Our Christianity isn't one that has a wavering God or a God that cannot effectually do what he is promised to do. 

One of the saving graces, one of the, One of the things that we have that we'll note here in a moment that the paragraphs are talking about is hope as a Christian. And remember that our hope is not a human hope. Well, it is a human hope because we humans have the hope. But it's not the well-wishing of an unbelieving hope or of a secular hope, if we can use that word, where we really strongly wish certain things would happen. Our hope as Christians is, again, in the certain expectation that the promises of God will be fulfilled and that they have been by virtue of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. We have a God who will do it, and we have a God then who will sanctify us completely. The God of peace himself will sanctify us completely.

You can also turn to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 12. This uses a little bit different language, but nevertheless, the meaning is captured here. Verse 9 of Hebrews 12, furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but he for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness. What a wonderful thing is the chastening reality of our God, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

You know, we should never, you know, I think it's the expectation perhaps on the part of some believers that the chastening will just come directly to us from God. There's going to be this direct line of chastening. we're going to be in our living room alone, you know, where we sometimes just want to be and God will deal with us directly and chasten us. Very often the chastening comes through the discipline of the church. That is the means whereby God chastens his people and that's very often the first place we want to reject such chastening and we run to the hills or we run to another church or you know, we run somewhere else.

We are to welcome the chastening as of the chastening of a loving Father knowing that it's for the end of our holiness and the end of our sanctification and that it brings honor and glory to God and goodness and strength to our souls. And so there's this blessed progressive reality to sanctification that that we ought to seek after, to love, knowing that it's built upon the virtue of Christ's perfection and it comes to us from a loving Heavenly Father who gifts us by His Spirit with the quickenings and with the strengthenings that we need.

We could think about Christ's high priestly prayer in John 17, and one of those things that Christ brings out in his prayer, he's praying according to his assumed humanity, and in 1717, he has those simple but glorious words, sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth. This brings into view some of the language here, by his word, Christ's word and spirit dwelling in them. Sanctify them by your word, your word is truth. Christ prays for his people and he is our advocate, he is our intercessor at the right hand of God. who no doubt in his mediatorial perfection pleads these same things for his people on earth. He is our blessed intercessor.

We have this progressive reality, we have this initial sanctifying act, and then based upon the same virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, we're farther sanctified, and notice, really and personally. by his word and spirit dwelling in them. We're really and personally sanctified. As much as we are, of course, part of a communion of believers, Against some of the weirdness of the federal vision and other things, we're not sanctified first and foremost as a community, though we are a community of believers. Our sanctification is really and personally. We are part of a body, one body, one spirit, one Lord who is over all. But we are really and personally sanctified. There is real change. conceptual, it's not something weird or esoteric or mystical, it's a glorious spiritual reality that comes upon the believer, the one effectually called and regenerated, the one justified and adopted, and it's our God quickening us and strengthening us, weakening sin and mortifying sin, that he might bring glory to himself and good to our souls.

Fourthly, we notice here the causality and instrumentality in sanctification. So Christians are farther sanctified really and personally through the same virtue that is Christ's death and resurrection, notice, by his word and spirit dwelling in them. So the causality and instrumentality of sanctification and in sanctification is God's word and spirit. And we ought to expect this since salvation itself is the work of the word and spirit. Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth. We've been born again, not by corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever.

So it's word and spirit, and when we've been brought forth from the deadness of sin to life in Christ, it's still the word and the spirit that now keeps us. We don't now, you know, set off the word, you know, hey, we read it, we learned it, God saved us, and now we set aside the word. set aside the ministry of the Word as it takes place in the local church, and we should, as those brought forth by the Word, avail of the Word as that which God uses to sanctify us. We ought to see that as, yes, the reading of the word in private. I think that's certainly acceptable. When we're in our closet, when we're in our bedroom, living room, kitchen, airport, cafe, wherever we are, and we're reading the word, and maybe we're not reading the word. Maybe we're meditating upon the word. Because that's good, too. Wherever we find ourselves, the Word is there. God uses the Word to sanctify us.

I would want to say, though, and I think we should recognize first and foremost, the ministry of the Word as it takes place in the church. where we see elsewhere in the confession clauses such as certain things being wrought ordinarily by the ministry of the word. That is, that's language that points us to the gathered church. That's where God is pleased to, in a peculiar way, meet with his people in order that he might feed them by this word that the Spirit uses to sanctify.

So word and spirit, these are the or what is the causal and instrumental things, what are the things that sanctify us? It is the Word and the Spirit. And there's some passages in Holy Scripture that speak to this fact. I mean, you don't necessarily have to turn there, but in Romans 8-11, we have the language of Word and Spirit.

Notice in Romans 8-11, but if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. So the same God who raised our Savior from the dead is the same God who gives us the power and sanctification, who gives us the power in the Christian life to live accordingly.

We could also note as well 2 Thessalonians 2.13 speaking to the instrumentality of the word and the instrumentality of the spirit or simply God and the word working together to strengthen his people. The language there is quite glorious and that whole passage itself is quite excellent.

Notice in 2 Thessalonians 2.13, we read the following, but we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

So you see there what God intends for his people is not a wordless and spiritless sojourn unto that great day, but it's that he has chosen us for salvation through sanctification, that sanctification coming by the spirit and belief in the truth. So as the confession reads here, by his word and spirit dwelling in them.

And then lastly, with regards to the content of paragraph one, we see the effects and results of sanctification. And that's really the remainder of the paragraph, so the second half of the paragraph. What are the effects and the results of this sanctification?

Well, first, we see believers are free from sin and bondage. The language here is, the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed. What a wonderful thing that we have in sanctification. I mean, this, of course, obtains initially by virtue of the redemptive work of Christ applied to us when we're given that, when we're converted, when we're given that new heart, when we are washed when the new spirit is created in us, when we're justified, adopted, when we have been given the graces of faith and repentance.

But there is this, as we see in paragraphs two and three, this ongoing war. But from the outset, we should note that we are free from sin's bondage and we're no longer the subjects and the captives of sin when we are Christ's and in union with him. The blessed thing that that whole dominion is destroyed, the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed. And there, I don't think speaking about our bodies, but the whole reality of sin is destroyed. The whole dominion, that language of the body of sin, the whole reality of sin, its dominion over us is destroyed by the conquering reality of the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of the reigning spirit.

We see as well a passage that speaks to this is Romans 6, specifically verses 6 and 14. That whole complex of passages, no doubt there where Paul is answering the objection to justification by faith alone, which should be no real objection at all. as long as understanding obtains regarding that blessed doctrine.

Secondly, we see the affections and lusts of the flesh do not win the war. Notice the language here, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified. So while there may be the occasional skirmish and the occasional battle that the lusts of the flesh may win, we see here that It is the case that the power of the spirit wins the day. The several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified. The affections and the lusts of the flesh do not win the war.

You can turn with me to the book of Galatians. one of those passages that speaks to the content, that is, this clause in the confession speaks to the reality of what's going on in paragraphs two and three. But notice in Galatians 5, we have this war. Paul is writing with regards to walking in the spirit, and he's speaking with regards to the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit. And notice what we have here in verse 22 as he transitions from the works of the flesh to the fruit of the spirit. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law. And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

We have this wonderful reality that while the flesh does lust against the spirit while the spirit wars against the flesh, the spirit wins the day. It's not as if we're left to wonder who the winner will be. It's always the spirit who wins because it's the spirit of the living God who has brought forth the elect from the darkness and the deadness of sin to light and life in Christ. And the blessed triune God wins the day for his own glory and the good of the souls of his elect.

We also see here thirdly, so we see believers are free from sins bondage. We see the affections and the lusts of the flesh do not win the war and we also see there is an overall trajectory of increase in Christian vitality. An overall trajectory of increase in Christian vitality. Notice the language here. And they are more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces to the practice of all true holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.

So when we see here all other saving graces, we ought not to see that our justification is somehow strengthened, because justification is an act of God's free grace, a one-time legal declaration. We don't increase or decrease in justification. But rather, this language of all other saving graces or all saving graces probably has to do with faith, repentance, love, hope, humility, patience, zeal, and the fear of God. Those sorts of things. Some of the things that actually we see here as well in Galatians that are the work of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.

In this war that the spirit wins with our souls, we increase. And it's this, there's a juxtaposition between weakened and mortified. It's quickened and strengthened in this clause. So this quickened and strengthened offsets or is sort of proportionately opposed to the weakening and the mortification of sin. As sin and the dominion of sin is weakened and mortified, our reign by the Spirit, the reigning of the Spirit and the increase of our souls in sanctification is quickened and it is strengthened.

And these last two paragraphs speak to what has already been touched on a little bit there in the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified. We see here that sanctification is throughout the whole man, which is good. Why? Because remember in chapter six, I think it is, where it speaks about the reality of sin. that sin is such that we are wholly defiled in all the faculties of soul and body. Well, here we see with sanctification, it's throughout in the whole man.

Blessed sanctification, yet imperfect in this life, a clause, no doubt, against sinless perfectionism. recognizing the biblical witness, but also a clause against sinless perfectionism. If on the one side, the Arminian and the Sassanian and other views do an injustice to the divine and spiritual reality of sanctification, sinless perfectionism is unbiblical in the sense that it introduces a state of man that doesn't exist. There abides still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. But praise God for paragraph three, in which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, Yet through the continual supply of the strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome, and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

What a blessing that we have in all of these saving realities, in all of these saving graces. And again, sanctification, you know, okay, we've dealt with justification and adoption, those blessed imputative graces given by God, these legal declarations and realities. Now we've come to sanctification, so that's, you know, it's about man now. No, it's always about God. And the triune God, by the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, quickening us and strengthening us in our walk with Christ. And praise God for Christ. Sanctification draws the eye not inwardly, it draws both eyes again upwardly to the God of heaven and earth who condescends to strengthen us in our walk.

Well, let's pray. God, we thank you for your truth. We thank you for the blessedness of these saving graces, this, a work of your free grace, sanctification. We pray that you would help us in this, that you would send your spirit, that we would that we would. We know that the Spirit wins the war, and so we pray for good measures of your Holy Spirit that we might daily mortify and weaken those things related to sin and remaining corruption, and that we might be quickened and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit as we have, by Christ's virtue, overcome we have overcome the dominion of sin, or He has for us, and put us into this precious place where we can avail of those deposits and measures of the Spirit, lifting us up to do those things that are pleasing in your sight.

Do go with us into worship. Help us to worship you aright. Might you be honored and glorified in all that is done, and we pray in Christ's name, amen.

Any questions about anything? We've got, I don't know if that's still slow. We've got four minutes and 13 seconds. Anybody has any questions about anything? Okay, thanks everybody.