Conversions—Fake or Real
15
No Room for Boasting
Those who experience the sanctification of the Bible will manifest
a spirit of humility. Like Moses, they have had a view of the awful
majesty of holiness, and they see their own unworthiness in contrast
with the purity and exalted perfection of the Infinite One.
The prophet Daniel was an example of true sanctification. His long
life was filled up with noble service for his Master. He was a man
“greatly beloved” (
Daniel 10:11
) of Heaven. Yet instead of claiming to
be pure and holy, this honored prophet identified himself with the really
sinful of Israel as he pleaded before God in behalf of his people: “We
[14]
do not present our supplications before Thee for our righteousnesses,
but for Thy great mercies.” “We have sinned, we have done wickedly.”
He declares: “I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and
the sin of my people....” (
Daniel 9:18, 15, 20
).
When Job heard the voice of the Lord out of the whirlwind, he
exclaimed: “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (
Job 42:6
).
It was when Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord, and heard the cherubim
crying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts,” that he cried out, “Woe
is me! for I am undone” (
Isaiah 6:3, 5
). Paul, after he was caught up
into the third heaven and heard things which it was not possible for a
man to utter, speaks of himself as “less than the least of all saints” (
2
Corinthians 12:2-4
, margin;
Ephesians 3:8
). It was the beloved John,
who leaned on Jesus’ breast and beheld His glory, that fell as one dead
before the feet of the angel (
Revelation 1:17
).
There can be no self-exaltation, no boastful claim to freedom
from sin, on the part of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary’s
cross. They feel that it was their sin which caused the agony that
broke the heart of the Son of God, and this thought will lead them to
self-abasement. Those who live nearest to Jesus discern most clearly
the frailty and sinfulness of humanity, and their only hope is in the
merit of a crucified and risen Saviour.
Counterfeit Sanctification—Is It “Only Believe”?
The sanctification now gaining prominence in the religious world
carries with it a spirit of self-exaltation and a disregard for the law of
God that mark it as foreign to the religion of the Bible. Its advocates