“I have been crucified with Christ; it is NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, but CHRIST LIVES IN ME; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live BY FAITH in the Son of God, who LOVED me and GAVE Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20-21) Paul puts it this way as he talks about us being baptized into Jesus Christ, this is the baptism of SANCTIFICATION. “…do you not know that as many of us as were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST (we’re immersed in Christ for the death of the “OLD” man) Jesus were baptized into His death? 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 also should WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.” (Rom. 6:3-4) This is the beginning of our sanctified lives when our old man is crucified and our nature to continue living in sin is crucified as well. “…knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be DONE AWAY with, that we should no longer be SLAVES OF SIN. For he who has died has BEEN FREED FROM SIN.” (Rom. 6:6-7)
John Wesley penned these words, “You have over and over denied instantaneous sanctification, but I have known and taught it above these twenty years. I have continually testified for these five and twenty years, in private and in public, that we are sanctified, as well as justified, by faith…” What do we do to STAY sanctified? “Fix these words of mine (the Word of God) in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates…” (Deut. 11:18-20)
GOD’S WORD IS LIVING AND EXTREMELY POWERFUL…
-Bill Stockham