The Pattern of Sanctification Part 1 — John Murray

The Believer’s Responsible Agency in Sanctification

Blessed and Gracious God, may we ever have the vision of your holiness, of thy perfection, and that we may never be complacent with reference to our attainments. May we look not on the things which are past, but on the things which are forth, and press toward the mark of the Christ, the high calling of God, the Christ Jesus.

We praise thee for thy sufficient grace, and the grace that brings us to exclaim with thy servant, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, I was dealing at the close of the hour with the last point in connection with the aviancy in sanctification.

And I have been dealing, as you remember, with Philippians 2, 12 and 13. And I have come to deal with the last principle in that passage which I call reliance. Reliance upon God's efficacious working is complementary to the full exercise of our responsible agency.

That our very reliance upon God is directed to the exercise of our agency. And that it is reliance upon the assurance of God's working that constrains our own working. The more assured we are that God works in us, the more diligent and persevering are we in our working.

Fruitful and acceptable service of God is the response to our certitude, respecting the supply of his efficient goods. Well, that's all then on the subject of the agency in sanctification. And at the end I was emphasizing the agency of the believer himself.

And if we do not take account of the agency of the believer himself, we lapse into that quietism. Quietism, and indeed into that complacency which has quite often characterized those who are perfectionists in their view of sanctification.

The Pattern of Sanctification and the Holiness of God

Now we come to the fourth main subdivision of our discussion, and that is the pattern. The pattern of sanctification. This is the fourth main subdivision of sanctification. Is this a joke? The character is a joke.

Well, in any case, we proceed. The doctrine wants us to be serious and sanctified, or to be conformed to the norm, either as definitive act. Emphasis upon this fact. Two passages in the Pentateuch. Leviticus 11, 44 and 45, and Leviticus 19 too.

O God, sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be ye holy. For that brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God, ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Ye shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

Nothing could be more explicit. The reason why sanctification has respect to holiness is that God himself is holy. Remember how Peter takes up that refrain of the Old Testament when he says, He writes, as he who was called, he was holy.

So be ye holy in all manner of life, because it is written, Ye be holy, for I am holy. 1 Peter 1, 15 and 16, where he attaches this demand for sanctification. Principles so clearly set forth in the Old Testament.

Perfect Holiness and Love Toward Enemies

Be ye holy, for I enunciated the same principle to his disciples. Matthew 5, 48. Ye shall therefore be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. If no principle is introduced, O Lord, introduced in order to enforce a concrete practical duty.

In the context, as you remember, the disciples are being exhorted to bestow loving kindness upon their enemies. The reason is that God himself is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. So the reason is simple.

They are to be kind because their heavenly Father is kind. Father who is in heaven. He says you are to be sons of your Father in heaven. Meaning that they are to become thereby sons in the adopted sense.

Semitic sense. Follow the example. In who is their Father. Concrete example of what is involved in being perfect as God is perfect. Transcendent types of understanding and application. We are thinking of the norm of sanctification.

We are properly concerned with the law of God. As the criterion of right and wrong. The law of God as a criterion. Likewise we are concerned with the revealed will of God. As the norm of what is well pleasing to God.

We are concerned with conformity to the image of Christ. Because that is the supreme practical exemplification of what holiness means in our practical life. We are thinking of these various criteria. The law of God.

The revealed will of God. The example of Christ. Something more basic that underlies all these aspects. Gives them validity and sanction. That likeness to God is the ultimate pattern of sanctification.

The reason why that must be the ultimate pattern. Is that man is made in the image of God. And nothing less than the image of God. Or the likeness of God. Define the restoration which redemption contemplates.

You see how this is illustrated in definitive sanctification. For from one all important aspect. Definitive sanctification consists in being renewed after God. After God in knowledge and righteousness and holiness of the truth.

When we say that likeness to God is the ultimate pattern. Which all other criteria or all other ways of expressing the criteria. Simply expressions. We must not forget the distinction between God and us.

Total discrepancy between God as God and man as man. I say a total discrepancy between God as God and man as man. Between God as other and man as dependent. Likeness to God as the pattern of sanctification is never absent.

It is a sense in which to aspire after likeness to God is the essence of iniquity. The essence of iniquity. You see this illustrates how fine is the line of distinction. Between iniquity and holiness.

The point of divergence. Change as it might seem. Recognition that there is no presupposition of the principle with which we are now concerned. Namely that likeness to God is the ultimate and primary pattern of sanctification.

Depends you see on the sense in which expression likeness to God is used. Very likely I am not dogmatizing but it is very likely. That the genius, the allegation with which the tempter first seduced Eve.

He shall be as God knowing good and evil. The genius of that allegation consisted in obliterating the distinction between the true and the false. In that form of statement. That is confusing the true and the false.

Or the false and the true in reference to likeness with God. In any case the distinction must be guarded. And since this distinction must be guarded. Be dependent upon revelation defining the respects.

In which likeness to God is the pattern for us. Revelation defining is indispensable. We would be in hopeless confusion. Hopeless confusion respecting the object in our sanctification. Respecting the ultimate principle.

The necessity of revelation. Defining these respects. Consonant with the ultimate principle. The ultimate norm. The ultimate pattern. See how consonant with the ultimate can be stated. How pleasing to God the example of Christ.

These are the ways in which revelation regulated is to be fashioned. Appreciation of the law of God as the pattern inevitably leads to the adoption of patterns. Appreciation of the law of God as the pattern inevitably leads.

Inevitably leads to the adoption of patterns. On the unique three positives of God. There is depreciation of or departure of the law of God as the norm. The law of God as the norm. Imitating the law of God as the norm.

Arrogating to ourselves. Which belongs to the inimitable likeness. There is one law giver. One. That belongs to God. Inimitable. Inimitable. Belongs to the uniqueness. In respect of which. The attempt to be like God.

Is like. Supreme regard. For the law of God. Regulated for us. To God. The differentiation. That is correlatively. The demand for likeness. To God. The differentiation. In respect of likeness. That is correlatively.

The demand for likeness to God. Developing this a little further. The scripture speaks of the law of God as spiritual. Normaticos. Law of God as spiritual. Now that means that it is of divine origin and character.

It is of divine origin and character that it is supernatural. That it is derived from the Holy Spirit. It validates, it brings authority. And receives his character. The law is also spoken of as holy, just, good.

Holy, just. And shows our attributes of God. What God is. He is holiness. He is justice. He is good. And therefore to characterize the law as holy, and just, and good. To lay in the most explicit way possible.

The law is of God. The imprint of his character. Just. Every lack of conformity to the law of God. Is lack of conformity to God's likeness. More than any other one consideration. The iniquity. Conformity to that law.

What is the supreme and ultimate pattern of creation. Supreme and ultimate pattern of sanctification. And therefore likewise. Points out. Not only the obligation. But the unspeakable grandeur. That which God has provided for us.

In his redemptive grace. I also said a moment ago. That the revealed will of God. Revealed will of God. Is the pattern of sanctification. Or one of the concrete ways in which. The ultimate pattern. In the sense of the word.

Romans 12:2 and Discerning God’s Will

The revealed will of God. In this respect. All words in Romans 12 .2. Brings us again. To the same issue. To the very same issue. To the very same canonic. That. We have already discovered. In dealing with the law.

The law. He says there. Be not conformed to this world. Literally it is to this age. Be not conformed to this age. But be transformed. By the renewal of human mind. That ye may prove. What is. The will of God.

The good. The acceptable. And the perfect. Giving the literal rendering. So what is the will of God. The good. The acceptable. He does not describe. The will of God. Simply as good. And acceptable and perfect.

No. Not simply as good. And acceptable and perfect. But as that which is. The good. The acceptable. And the perfect. In other words the will of God. Is that which for us. Is the epitome of the good. Of the well pleasing.

And of the perfect. It is that which defines for us. What is. Good. What is the good. And the acceptable. And the perfect. At the zenith. Of their representation. And realization. The good. And the acceptable.

And the perfect. At the zenith. Of their revelation. And realization. Now such characterization. Such characterization. Would be impossible. If it were not the case. That the will of God. We. The will of God for us.

We flesh. That which God. Has alone. The good. God alone. And ultimately good. I would always say that is good. We must extend equally upon. To characterize. This as the good. The acceptable and the perfect.

There is no relationship. The will of God. Sustained. Which he has revealed. Heard. All I gave of. That which. Exemplified for us. The pattern. The example of Christ. The example of Christ. Spend more time on this.

Than on very important. And even delicate. The supreme revelation. Of what God has done. And of his will for us. Supreme. The pattern. Which is the norm of sanctification. The supreme exhibition. I say of the pattern.

Christ as the Supreme Pattern of Sanctification

Which is the norm. The ultimate norm of sanctification. Is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Because he is the expulsion. Of God's glory. And the transcript. Of his being. He is the image. Of the invisible God.

And dwells the fullness of Godhood. Utterly. Godhood utterly. Is manifest. To him. As the incarnate one. So that in flesh. Flesh. Which is identical. With earth. As to its nature. As to its metaphysical constitution.

Or composition. The holiness of God. As it is reflected. In. And impressed. Upon man. The fraud. As it is reflected in. And impressed upon man. Come. To pass it. In no other way. Could God's holiness.

Be so effectively revealed. And then. Why. The example of the Lord. Is in this. With incomparable significance. The incomparable significance. Significance that even. Goes beyond. The law for us. To be wonderful.

He has given us an example. He says himself. That we should follow his steps. This is because. There is in the example. Of the Lord. The whole. Ordeal. In life. Victim. Remember. How Jesus. Illustrated this again.

Christ’s Example of Humble Service

In what is perhaps. Significant. Better. Just. In his whole. In his whole life. Whosoever would be first among you. Let him be servant of all. Whosoever could be first among you. Let him be servant of all.

For even the son of man. Came not to be ministered unto. But to minister. And to give his life. Matthew 20. 28. Mark 10. 44. 45. Following. Very same emphasis. That the apostles. In turn. 1 Peter 2. 21.

Philippians 2. 5. For even here. Unto where he called. Because Christ. Also suffered for you. Leaving you. An example. That Jesus. Followed. His death. Let this mind be in you. Which was also in Christ Jesus.

Peter and Paul. In that order. Let this mind. Please appeal. To Christ. Accept. Please appeal. To Christ. Accept. Before. Some. Important. Lesson. Pay attention. To. Lessons. To the. Distinctions. Which.

In here. In. The. Lessons. First. Dealing. Examples. Lessons. There. To us. Distinctions. Must. Be observed. We are to. Have. Proper. Understanding. And. Application. First. The example of Christ. Is.

Applying Christ’s Example in Concrete Service

Adduced. By our Lord. And his apostles. To enforce. The. Elementary. Duty. To service. To selfish. Considerateness. Paganism. Christian. Liberality. And to think. Of. Elementary. These. So practical. So concrete.

We don't have to. Go up to heaven. In order to. Be. Way beyond. Well. Nothing. More relevant. To. The. Example of Christ. And the way. In which. It bears. Upon. This very. Concrete. Relationship. To one.

To the other. It is not. By. You see. It is not. By. Abstract. Generalization. But the example of our Lord. Is. Pleading. To. Talk.