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Marks of True Sanctification, June 8
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
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The work of sanctification begins in the heart, and we must come into
such a relation with God that Jesus can put His divine mold upon us. We
must be emptied of self in order to give room to Jesus, but how many have
their hearts so filled with idols that they have no room for the Redeemer of
the world. The world holds the hearts of men in captivity. They center their
thoughts and affections upon their business, their position, their family.
They hold to their opinions and ways, and cherish them as idols in the
soul.... We must be emptied of self. But this is not all that is required, for
when we have renounced our idols, the vacuum must be supplied....
As you empty the heart of self you must accept the righteousness of
Christ. Lay hold of it by faith.... If you open the door of the heart, Jesus will
supply the vacuum by the gift of His Spirit, and then you can be a living
preacher in your home, in the church, and in the world. You can diffuse
light, because the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness are shining
upon you. Your humble life, your holy conversation, your uprightness
and integrity, will tell to all around that you are a child of God, an heir of
heaven, that you are not making the world your dwelling place, but that
you are a pilgrim and a stranger here, looking for a better country, even an
heavenly....
In order to keep the world in its proper subordination it is necessary to
have more than a mere casual, nominal faith in Christ. Many might give
assent to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God and yet fail to have saving
faith. Jesus must be all in all to the soul. You must believe in Him as your
personal and complete Saviour
True sanctification will be evidenced by a conscientious regard for
all the commandments of God, by a careful improvement of every talent,
by a circumspect conversation, by revealing in every act the meekness of
Christ
[166]
10
The Review and Herald, February 23, 1892
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11
The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:908
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169