Sanctification: “Saved to the uttermost” 2013 Minister’s Conference Free Methodist Church in Canada

2 The Collect for Purity Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are opened, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

John 10:10 I have come so that you may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV) I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed or imagined. (Msg) 1 Timothy 6:19 “… life that is truly life.” (Msg)

 All must be saved  All may be saved  All may know they are saved  All may be saved to the uttermost Wesley’s Theological Optimism

Romans 5:20 “…where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Romans 6:1 “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”

"The Lord does not love us for our good parts and pass over the rest. He died for the bad parts and will not rest until they are put right. We must stop thinking of God as infinitely indulgent. We must begin to grapple with the scary and exhilarating truth that he is infinitely holy, and that he wants the same for us.“ (Frederica Mathewes-Green)

Romans 6:11 “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 6: don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Romans 6: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6:22 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Salvation … “have been saved” (e.g. Eph.2:5-8) Salvation begun (justification) - delivery from the penalty/guilt of sin “are being saved” (e.g. 1 Cor.1:18) Salvation continued (sanctification) - progressive delivery from the plague/power of sin “will be saved” (e.g. Ro.5:9-10) Salvation completed (glorification) - delivered from the presence of sin

The Christian Journey - Salvation Justification Sanctification (Salvation begun)(Salvation continued) Regeneration New birth Conversion “have been saved …”“are being saved …” Glorification (Salvation completed) Resurrection Eternal life “Heaven” “will be saved …” Becoming fully human Renovation of the heart Holiness of heart and life Loving God with heart, mind, soul, strength Abundant life – more and better life Life that is truly life

The Christian Journey - Salvation Justification (Salvation begun) Regeneration New birth Conversion “have been saved …” Glorification (Salvation completed) Resurrection Eternal life “Heaven” “will be saved …”

The Christian Journey - Salvation Justification Sanctification (Salvation begun)(Salvation continued) Regeneration New birth Conversion “have been saved …”“are being saved …” Glorification (Salvation completed) Resurrection Eternal life “Heaven” “will be saved …” Becoming fully human Renovation of the heart Holiness of heart and life Loving God with heart, mind, soul, strength Abundant life – more and better life Life that is truly life

The Christian Journey - Salvation Justification Sanctification (Salvation begun)(Salvation continued) Regeneration New birth Conversion Freedom, Healing, Wholeness of spiritual, physical, mental, emotional i.e. our whole being “have been saved …”“are being saved …” Glorification (Salvation completed) Resurrection Eternal life “Heaven” “will be saved …” Becoming fully human Renovation of the heart Holiness of heart and life Loving God with heart, mind, soul, strength Abundant life – more and better life Life that is truly life

Holiness FORGIVENESS release from sin’s guilt Change in status (Justification) DELIVERANCE release from sin’s grip Change in nature (Sanctification) “Be holy, because I, the LORD your God, is holy.” (Leviticus 19:1)

“Wesley was convinced that the Christian life did not have to remain a life of continual struggle. He believed that both Scripture and Christian tradition attested that God's loving grace can transform our lives to the point where our own love for God and others becomes a ‘natural response.’... To deny this possibility would be to deny the sufficiency of God's empowering grace – to make the power of sin greater than that of grace.” (Randy Maddox, Responsible Grace, p. 188)

“Here I found the plain reason why the work of God had gained no ground in this circuit all the year. The preachers had given up the Methodist testimony. Either they did not speak of Perfection at all (the peculiar doctrine committed to our trust), or they spoke of it only in general terms, without urging believers ‘to go on to perfection,’ and to expect it every moment. And wherever this is not earnestly done, the work of God does not prosper. all around it.” (John Wesley)

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The Tree of Life

Luke 6:10 10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.

Titus 2:11-14 (Msg) God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available to everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honouring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in holiness.

from: The Manual of the Free Methodist Church in Canada ¶151 THE REQUIREMENTS OF MEMBERSHIP ARE: 1. Christian baptism, confession of a personal experience in regeneration, and a pledge to seek diligently until sanctified wholly if that experience has not been attained.

from: The Manual of the Free Methodist Church in Canada ¶119 SANCTIFICATION Sanctification is that saving work of God beginning with new life in Christ whereby the Holy Spirit renews His people after the likeness of God, changing them through crisis and process, from one degree of glory to another, and conforming them to the image of Christ. As believers surrender to God in faith and die to self through full consecration, the Holy Spirit fills them with love and purifies them from sin. This sanctifying relationship with God remedies the divided mind, redirects the heart to God, and empowers believers to please and serve God in their daily lives. Thus, God sets His people free to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love their neighbor as themselves.

“ I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the power of the Spirit to fulfill God’s creational intentions.” (John Wesley)

1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Romans 5:1-2 (Msg) By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.