Topical Bible: The Holy Spirit: is God: As Sanctifying the Church

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The Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Holy Trinity, plays a crucial role in the sanctification of the Church. This sanctifying work is a divine process by which believers are set apart for God's purposes, made holy, and transformed into the likeness of Christ. The Holy Spirit's involvement in sanctification underscores His deity and His active presence within the Church.

Divine Nature and Role

The Holy Spirit is fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. His divine nature is evident in His work of sanctification, which is a process that only God can accomplish. The Holy Spirit's role in sanctification is both personal and communal, affecting individual believers and the Church as a whole.

Scriptural Foundations

The New Testament provides numerous references to the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work. In 1 Corinthians 6:11, Paul writes, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" . This passage highlights the Holy Spirit's role in cleansing and setting believers apart for God's service.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul further emphasizes this work: "But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth" . Here, the Holy Spirit is directly linked to the process of sanctification, affirming His divine function in the salvation and ongoing transformation of believers.

The Process of Sanctification

Sanctification is both an instantaneous and progressive work. At the moment of salvation, believers are positionally sanctified, set apart as holy in Christ. The Holy Spirit initiates this work, marking believers as God's own. Ephesians 1:13-14 states, "And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory" . The sealing of the Holy Spirit signifies the believer's secure position in Christ and the beginning of the sanctifying process.

Progressively, the Holy Spirit works within believers to conform them to the image of Christ. This ongoing transformation involves the renewal of the mind, the cultivation of spiritual fruit, and the empowerment to live a holy life. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attributes reflect the character of Christ and are evidence of the Spirit's sanctifying work.

The Holy Spirit and the Church

The Holy Spirit's sanctifying work is not limited to individual believers but extends to the Church as a collective body. In Ephesians 5:25-27, Paul describes Christ's love for the Church and His sanctifying purpose: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless" . The Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the Church, purifying and preparing her as the bride of Christ.

The unity and edification of the Church are also aspects of the Spirit's sanctifying work. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul writes, "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink" . The Holy Spirit unites believers into one body, fostering a community that reflects God's holiness and love.

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit's role in sanctifying the Church is a testament to His divine nature and essential function within the Godhead. Through His work, believers are transformed, empowered, and united, reflecting the holiness of God and the character of Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 37:28
And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the middle of them for ever more.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 15:16
That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Fifteenth Day. The Holy Spirit.
... coming on us are but meant to prepare the way for the sanctifying power within ... Believe
that the Holy Spirit, bearer to you of all the Holiness of God and of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/murray/holy in christ/fifteenth day the holy spirit.htm

Sanctified by God the Holy Ghost.
... continuous cleansing, and also that the Holy Spirit is the ... applying that precious
blood, and in sanctifying our souls ... God help all Christians to be not faithless ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter xiii sanctified by god.htm

The Church Before and after Christ.
... whole Church, and (2) regenerating and sanctifying the saints ... evident that, before
the Advent, the Holy Spirit could have ... But since God had a church from the ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xi the church before and.htm

And in the Holy Ghost. What Has Been Delivered Above Somewhat at ...
... By the mention of the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the Trinity is ... Or, according to
another reading, "from the mouth of God." c36 ... The Holy Church; The Forgiveness ...
/.../35 and in the holy.htm

I Believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church, the ...
... But the Spirit of God alone is ... as the Son obtains dominion, whereby He wins us, through
His birth, death, resurrection, etc., so also the Holy Ghost effects ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/the large catechism/i believe in the holy.htm

Quenching the Spirit.
... any such grounds must certainly and fatally quench the Holy Spirit? ... alive in faith
and in love to God and to ... need not ask if the work of sanctifying the Church ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/xv quenching the spirit.htm

The Gift of the Spirit
... the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving, sanctifying power ... that the unseen
agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be "laborers together with God.". ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 5 the gift of.htm

Modern Revivals.
... Because the Holy Spirit is not supposed to be effectively present, is not in ... where
Grace is supposed to abound"as though the Spirit of God manifested His ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter xxiv modern revivals.htm

Commentaries and Standards on the Birth of Water and Spirit.
... the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, or in ... blessings, he must experience
the renewing and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit on his ...
/.../the new testament commentary vol iii john/commentaries and standards on the.htm

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
... From all talking about worldly things, which hindereth the sanctifying of the ... with
comfort, if it be communion day; that God by his Holy Spirit would assist ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/the true manner of keeping.htm