The Sanctified Life
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 1: True and False Theories Contrasted
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Jesus taught His disciples that the highest type of religion is that which manifests itself in a quiet, unobtrusive manner. He cautioned them to perform their deeds of charity quietly; not for display,
not to be praised or honored of men, but for the
glory of God, expecting their reward hereafter.
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The sanctification set forth in the Sacred Scriptures has to
do with the entire being—spirit, soul, and body. Here is the true
idea of entire consecration. Paul prays that the church at Thessalonica may
enjoy this great blessing. "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). {SL 7.1}
There is in the religious world a theory of sanctification
which is false in itself and dangerous in its influence. In many cases those
who profess sanctification do not possess the genuine article. Their
sanctification consists in talk and will worship. Those who are really seeking
to perfect Christian character will never indulge the thought that they are
sinless. Their lives may be irreproachable, they may be living representatives
of the truth which they have accepted; but the more they discipline their minds
to dwell upon the character of Christ, and the nearer they approach to His
divine image, the more clearly will they discern its spotless perfection, and
the more deeply will they feel their own defects. [8] {SL 7.2}
When persons claim that they are sanctified, they give
sufficient evidence that they are far from being holy. They fail to see their
own weakness and destitution. They look upon themselves as reflecting the image
of Christ, because they have no true knowledge of Him. The greater the distance
between them and their Saviour, the more righteous they appear in their own
eyes. {SL 8.1}
While with penitence and humble trust we meditate upon
Jesus, whom our sins have pierced and our sorrows have burdened, we may learn
to walk in His footsteps. By beholding Him we become changed into His divine
likeness. And when this work is wrought in us, we shall claim no righteousness
of our own, but shall exalt Jesus Christ, while we hang our helpless souls upon
His merits. {SL 8.2}
Self-righteousness Condemned
Our Saviour ever condemned self-righteousness. He taught His
disciples that the highest type of religion is that which manifests itself in a
quiet, unobtrusive manner. He cautioned them to perform their deeds of charity
quietly; not for display, not to be praised or honored of men, but for the
glory of God, expecting their reward hereafter. If they should perform good
deeds to be lauded by men, no reward would be given them by their Father in
heaven. {SL 8.3}
The followers of Christ were instructed not to pray for the
purpose of being heard of men. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into
thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
secret; and [9] thy Father which seeth in secret
shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:6). Such expressions as this from the
lips of Christ show that He did not regard with approval that kind of piety so
prevalent among the Pharisees. His teachings upon the mount show that deeds of
benevolence assume a noble form and acts of religious worship shed a most
precious fragrance when performed in an unpretending manner, in penitence and
humility. The pure motive sanctifies the act. {SL 8.4}
True sanctification is an entire conformity to the will of
God. Rebellious thoughts and feelings are overcome, and the voice of Jesus
awakens a new life, which pervades the entire being. Those who are truly
sanctified will not set up their own opinion as a standard of right and wrong.
They are not bigoted or self-righteousness; but they are jealous of self, ever
fearing lest, a promise being left them, they should come short of complying
with the conditions upon which the promises are based. {SL 9.1}
Substituting Feeling for Reason
Many who profess sanctification are entirely ignorant of the
work of grace upon the heart. When proved and tested, they are found to be like
the self-righteous Pharisee. They will bear no contradiction. They lay aside
reason and judgment, and depend wholly upon their feelings, basing their claims
to sanctification upon emotions which they have at some time experienced. They
are stubborn and perverse in urging their tenacious claims of holiness, giving
many words, but bearing no [10] precious fruit as proof. These
professedly sanctified persons are not only deluding their own souls by their
pretensions, but are exerting an influence to lead astray many who earnestly
desire to conform to the will of God. They may be heard to reiterate again and
again, "God leads me! God teaches me! I am living without sin!" Many
who come in contact with this spirit encounter a dark, mysterious something
which they cannot comprehend. But it is that which is altogether unlike Christ,
the only true pattern. {SL
9.2}
Bible sanctification does not consist in strong emotion.
Here is where many are led into error. They make feelings their criterion. When
they feel elated or happy, they claim that they are sanctified. Happy feelings
or the absence of joy is no evidence that a person is or is not sanctified.
There is no such thing as instantaneous sanctification. True sanctification is
a daily work, continuing as long as life shall last. Those who are battling
with daily temptations, overcoming their own sinful tendencies, and seeking for
holiness of heart and life, make no boastful claims of holiness. They are
hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Sin appears to them exceedingly sinful.
{SL 10.1}
There are those claiming sanctification who make a
profession of the truth, like their brethren, and it may be difficult to make a
distinction between them; but the difference exists, nevertheless. The
testimony of those claiming such an exalted experience will cause the sweet
Spirit of Christ to withdraw from a meeting, and will leave a chilling
influence upon those present, while if [11] they
were truly living without sin, their very presence would bring holy angels into
the assembly, and their words would indeed be "like apples of gold in
pictures of silver" (Proverbs 25:11). {SL 10.2}
The Testing Time
In summer, as we look upon the trees of the distant forest,
all clothed with a beautiful mantle of green, we may not be able to distinguish
between the evergreens and the other trees. But as winter approaches, and the
frost king encloses them in his icy embrace, stripping the other trees of their
beautiful foliage, the evergreens are readily discerned. Thus it will be with
all who are walking in humility, distrustful of self, but clinging tremblingly
to the hand of Christ. While those who are self-confident, and trust in their
own perfection of character, lose their false robe of righteousness when
subjected to the storms of trial, the truly righteous, who sincerely love and
fear God, wear the robe of Christ's righteousness in prosperity and adversity
alike. {SL 11.1}
Self-denial, self-sacrifice, benevolence, kindness, love,
patience, fortitude, and Christian trust are the daily fruits borne by those
who are truly connected with God. Their acts may not be published to the world,
but they themselves are daily wrestling with evil, and gaining precious
victories over temptation and wrong. Solemn vows are renewed, and kept through
the strength gained by earnest prayer and constant watching thereunto. The
ardent enthusiast does not discern the struggles of these silent workers; but
the eye of Him who seeth [12] the secrets of the heart, notices
and regards with approval every effort put forth in lowliness and meekness. It
requires the testing time to reveal the pure gold of love and faith in the
character. When trials and perplexities come upon the church, then the
steadfast zeal and warm affections of Christ's true followers are developed. {SL 11.2}
We feel sad to see professed Christians led astray by the
false and bewitching theory that they are perfect, because it is so difficult
to undeceive them and lead them into the right path. They have sought to make
the exterior fair and pleasing, while the inward adorning, the meekness and
lowliness of Christ, is wanting. The testing time will come to all, when the
hopes of many who have for years thought themselves secure, will be seen to be
without foundation. When in new positions, under varied circumstances, some who
have seemed to be pillars in the house of God reveal only rotten timber beneath
the paint and varnish. But the humble in heart, who have daily felt the
importance of riveting their souls to the eternal Rock, will stand unmoved amid
the tempests of trial, because they trusted not to themselves. "The
foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that
are his" (2 Timothy 2:19). {SL 12.1}
Normal Fruit Bearing
Those who take pains to call attention to their good works,
constantly talking of their sinless state and endeavoring to make their
religious attainments prominent, are only deceiving their own souls by so
doing. A healthy man, who is able to attend to the vocations of [13]
life and who goes forth day after day to his labor with buoyant spirits and
with a healthy current of blood flowing through his veins, does not call the
attention of every one he meets to his soundness of body. Health and vigor are
the natural conditions of his life, and therefore he is scarcely conscious that
he is in the enjoyment of so rich a boon. {SL 12.2}
Thus it is with the truly righteous man. He is unconscious
of his goodness and piety. Religious principle has become the spring of his
life and conduct, and it is just as natural for him to bear the fruits of the
Spirit as for the fig tree to bear figs or for the rosebush to yield roses. His
nature is so thoroughly imbued with love for God and his fellow men that he
works the works of Christ with a willing heart. {SL 13.1}
All who come within the sphere of his influence perceive the
beauty and fragrance of his Christian life, while he himself is unconscious of
it, for it is in harmony with his habits and inclinations. He prays for divine
light, and loves to walk in that light. It is his meat and drink to do the will
of his heavenly Father. His life is hid with Christ in God; yet he does not
boast of this, nor seem conscious of it. God smiles upon the humble and lowly
ones who follow closely in the footsteps of the Master. Angels are attracted to
them, and love to linger about their path. They may be passed by as unworthy of
notice by those who claim exalted attainments and who delight in making
prominent their good works, but heavenly angels bend lovingly over them and are
as a wall of fire round about them. [14] {SL 13.2}
Why Christ Was Rejected
Our Saviour was the light of the world, but the world knew
Him not. He was constantly employed in works of mercy, shedding light upon the
pathway of all; yet He did not call upon those with whom He mingled to behold
His unexampled virtue, His self-denial, self-sacrifice, and benevolence. The
Jews did not admire such a life. They considered His religion worthless,
because it did not accord with their standard of piety. They decided that
Christ was not religious in spirit or character; for their religion consisted
in display, in praying publicly, and in doing works of charity for effect. They
trumpeted their good deeds, as do those who claim sanctification. They would
have all understand that they are without sin. But the whole life of Christ was
in direct contrast to this. He sought neither gain nor honor. His wonderful
acts of healing were performed in as quiet a manner as possible, although He
could not restrain the enthusiasm of those who were the recipients of His great
blessings. Humility and meekness characterized His life. And it was because of
His lowly walk and unassuming manners, which were in such marked contrast to
their own, that the Pharisees would not accept Him. {SL 14.1}
Meekness a Fruit of the Spirit
The most precious fruit of sanctification is the grace of
meekness. When this grace presides in the soul, the disposition is molded by
its influence. There is a continual waiting upon God and a submission of the
will to [15]
His. The understanding grasps every divine truth, and the will bows to every
divine precept, without doubting or murmuring. True meekness softens and
subdues the heart and gives the mind a fitness for the engrafted word. It
brings the thoughts into obedience to Jesus Christ. It opens the heart to the
word of God, as Lydia's was opened. It places us with Mary, as learners at the
feet of Jesus. "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he
teach his way" (Psalm 25:9). {SL 14.2}
The language of the meek is never that of boasting. Like the
child Samuel, they pray, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth" (1
Samuel 3:9). When Joshua was placed in the highest position of honor, as
commander of Israel, he bade defiance to all the enemies of God. His heart was
filled with noble thoughts of his great mission. Yet upon the intimation of a
message from Heaven he placed himself in the position of a little child to be
directed. "What saith my lord unto his servant?" (Joshua 5:14), was
his response. The first words of Paul after Christ was revealed to him were,
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). {SL 15.1}
Meekness in the school of Christ is one of the marked fruits
of the Spirit. It is a grace wrought by the Holy Spirit as a sanctifier, and
enables its possessor at all times to control a rash and impetuous temper. When
the grace of meekness is cherished by those who are naturally sour or hasty in
disposition, they will put forth the most earnest efforts to subdue their
unhappy temper. Every day they will gain self-control, until that which is
unlovely and unlike Jesus is conquered. They become [16]
assimilated to the Divine Pattern, until they can obey the inspired injunction,
"Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19). {SL 15.2}
When a man professes to be sanctified, and yet in words and
works may be represented by the impure fountain sending forth its bitter
waters, we may safely say, That man is deceived. He needs to learn the very
alphabet of what constitutes the life of a Christian. Some who profess to be
servants of Christ have so long cherished the demon of unkindness that they
seem to love the unhallowed element and to take pleasure in speaking words that
displease and irritate. These men must be converted before Christ will
acknowledge them as His children. {SL 16.1}
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Meekness is the inward adorning, which God estimates as of
great price. The apostle speaks of this as more excellent and valuable than
gold or pearls or costly array. While the outward adorning beautifies only the
mortal body, the ornament of meekness adorns the soul and connects finite man
with the infinite God. This is the ornament of God's own choice. He who
garnished the heavens with the orbs of light has by the same Spirit promised
that "he will beautify the meek with salvation" (Psalm 149:4). Angels
of heaven will register as best adorned those who put on the Lord Jesus Christ
and walk with Him in meekness and lowliness of mind. {SL 16.2}
There are high attainments for the Christian. He may ever be
rising to higher attainments. John had an elevated idea of the privilege of a
Christian. He says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed [17]
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1). It is not
possible for humanity to rise to a higher dignity than is here implied. To man
is granted the privilege of becoming an heir of God and a joint heir with
Christ. To those who have been thus exalted, are unfolded the unsearchable
riches of Christ, which are of a thousandfold more value than the wealth of the
world. Thus, through the merits of Jesus Christ, finite man is elevated to
fellowship with God and with His dear Son. {SL 16.3}
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