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Gerald J Bentley
Licensing Ordination and Consecration Committee
Presentation Paper
19 March 2015
My Personal Theology of Christ and Sanctification
The purpose of this paper is to express my theology of Christ our Sanctifier, the
second step of the Four Fold Gospel. It will also include, but not be limited to, the
following themes: The crisis and progress of sanctification, the Identification of the
believer with Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, the ministry of the Holy
Spirit in sanctification, and my personal experience of Christ as Sanctifier. As in
the previous presentation I will weave my experience throughout the paper and all
quotes from the Bible will be from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise
specified.
Crisis, Identification with the Cross, and the work of the Holy Spirit
Sanctification is one doctrine I have not given equitably study time to until now.
Working on this assignment revealed that there are at least two distinctive bench marks
that come supernaturally in the progressive spirit-filled journey of all true believers. First
the crisis which leads to justification by the power of the Holy Spirit you become
convicted that sin is utterly sinful, Romans 7:13e. Ignored, the result is in an eternity
separated from God. This is in opposition to what George Elerick writing for the
Huffington Post has erroneously expressed what he believes is quid pro quo with regard
to sin and justification. From the position of the natural man he writes, A simple

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sociology of the notion of sin is one where some can be relinquished of it if a special
prayer is uttered. The prayer itself becomes a form of pre-requisite value, implying that
those who don't say this prayer end up being outside the circle of acceptance. There is
an in-group and there is an out-group.i
Elerick clearly reveals why our society is under the false impression that their
spiritual status quo is in no danger for their in-action, the notion of sin isn't a spiritual
one at all it is an idea loaded with power, domination, and marginalization. He
continues, As a theological point it perverts the whole social order into an evil world to
rid ourselves of, rather than attempt to make it a better place. ii This unbiblical concept
pervades even in the churches of America as the Rev. Tim Owen indicates in a paper
he wrote on Sanctification that, Much of the carnality present in the church today is
there because people have not had the first crisis of conversion, let alone the second
crisis of sanctification! Saved by faith has been presented to seekers as a mere
decision devoid of any personal sense of sin, the fear of God, or of His glory which is
the greatest threat and treasure there is.iii Instead there tends to be a Grand Illusion
But don't be fooled by the radio, the TV or the magazines, they show you photographs
of how your life should be, but they're just someone else's fantasy. iv Owen points out
that, This crisis is described in Romans 6:6, Our old self was crucified Confession of
sin and repentance is a soul-wracking experience one does not forget. It is a crisis. v
Identification with the cross is not to be taken lightly it is, a soul-wracking
experience If you saw The Pasion of The Christ, vi you will remember it as a graphic
depiction of the last twelve hours of our Redeemers life. When we come to our own
cross experience we realize our sinfulness nailed Him to that execution device of pain

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and suffering. Our guilt and shame brings ownership and finalizes the Justification His
blood provides. Not that we need the visual to fully understand it, the Holy Spirit does
well enough on His own, however it clearly demonstrates what a true believer
experiences in the first experience.
In contrast to Elericks summation the true believers spiritual battle cannot be put
to words. This Elerick cannot know because he is spiritually appraised, a natural man
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he
cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised,1 Corinthians 2:14. Sin
certainly is an idea loaded with power, domination, and marginalization, you were
dead in yoursins, in which you formerly walkedaccording to the prince of the power
of the air, Ephesians 2:1-2. Satan wants to destroy the human race with himself while
God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth,

1 Timothy 2:4,

and to live by the Spirit so we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh Galatians 5:16.
In my case the Holy Spirit used the Luke 16:19-31, The Rich Man and Lazarus to
bring conviction upon me of my dreadful, sinful state. He revealed to me the need to
address my sin, John 16:13. Never thinking of eternity before, and confronted with the
reality of my circumstance it was certain I must identify with death of Christ our
Redeemer. Confessing my guilt, the cross became the door through which I passed to
accept the gift of salvation and justification so I could enter into the presence of God the
Father and eternity, John 10:1. The door opens as we experience the horrific reality of
the wrath of God, Romans 1:18 and confess our guilt. Since eternity is not easily
grasped; the fullness of this truth is often over looked for a more benevolent god who
loves his children and would not destroy them as Elerick would have you believe. In

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light of this perverted travesty we need to preach and teach the truth about sin and
justification. For me my Romans 7:24 moment was March 22, 1981. Wretched man
that I am who will set me free from the body of this death?
The Holy Spirit, Sanctification, and Identification with the Resurrection
Second, there is the crisis that motivates you to identify with Christ resurrection
because the old nature still possesses condemning sin Romans 7:14, 20, and 21. The
result is an internal battle between two natures that are polarized and which cannot
occupy the same space, For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the
things that you please, Galatians 5:17. Romans 7:14-25 is an autobiography of Pauls
struggle to justify these two natures, and his desire to live a resurrected life free from
the slave master of sin, Romans 7:23. He concludes, So then, on the one hand I myself
with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin,
v25.
The dichotomy between the mind or spirit and the body is reality for the true
believer and a daily struggle. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin,
yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness, Romans 8:10; what can address the
death of the body? if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
through His Spirit who dwells in you, v11. This where I struggle as did Paul and so does
every true believer, living in victory over the dominion of sin. Living the higher life a
sanctified life then becomes a seemingly unsurmountable dilemma.

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Like Paul and Isaiah the Holy Spirit revealed my inability to live a truly holy life.
Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, Isaiah 6:5. So, if I
am to be like the Holy One then I must be holyin all my behavior; 1 Peter
1:15. Congruent to these passages and shedding light on this matter is Millard Erickson
commenting on Matthew 5:48, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect. Here the Greek word for perfect, teleioi, should be understood to mean
complete rather than spotless or flawless as some hold to. vii This explains why
there are those who believe they can attain perfection by their diligence and sacrifice
and self-control. Sanctification is the work of God, Now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you entirely; 1 Thessalonians 5:23a.
So how is this to be? Paul explains that as We have been buried with Him
through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life, Romans 6:4. Now we have the
resource to go against the desire of the flesh. It is a daily endeavor; we will not attain
perfection as some might believe. Sanctification is not your own work; it is not a
gradual attainment which you can grow into by your own effortsYou will grow after you
are in it into a fuller, riper and more mature developed life in ChristIt is an obtainment,
not an attainment.viii For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good
work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, Philippians 1:6.
Positionally I was sanctified in my vertical relationship with God, yet horizontally
in my daily walk I was devoid of perfection. The Christian and Missionary Alliance
Statement on Sanctification put it this way; the Christians desire to know, love, and
please God does not always result in consistently holy and devout living. The movement

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from the believers privileges in Christ to the actual experience of Christs power over
sin and selfishness is not automatic. While the believer is genuinely new in Christ, he is
not yet totally new in daily practice. ix
When the Lord in Matthew 10:38 said, And he who does not take his cross and
follow after me is not worthy of me. The idea of stavros Greek for Cross is far less
benign than how it is rendered in English. Execution-stake is a more accurate
rendering of the Greek stavros, which is usually translated "cross." Actually it was a
vertical wooden stake with a crossbar, usually shaped more like a T than the Christian
symbol, used by the Romans to execute criminals who were not Roman citizens
(Roman citizens sentenced to death were given a less painful way to die). x The Lords
illustration is clear that the believers daily walk is not going to be an easy one.
for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral
excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6and in your knowledge, selfcontrol, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
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and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8For if

these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor
unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For he who lacks these
qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
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Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and

choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 2 Peter
1:5-10. For, Justification is an instantaneous occurrence, complete in a moment,
whereas sanctification is a process requiring an entire lifetime for completion. xi

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As I struggled over my spiritual conflict I cried out to God as did Paul in Romans
7:24 and ask Him to raise me as He raised the Lord Jesus Christ our Sanctifier,
Romans 6:4. This empowered me to live a resurrected life. That was when I became
determined to grow in understanding and wisdom of this new life and to share it with
any who would listen, Matthew 28:19-20. I find myself in this very predicament time and
time again with me on knees crying out to the Lord to help me in my weakness.
At this point I must express that since that crisis I have progressively experienced
other crises that required me to relinquish more of my life to the control of the Holy
Spirit. Millard Erickson says that, Sanctification is the continuing (progressive) work of
God in the life of believers, making them actually holy. By holy here is meant bearing
an actual likeness to God. Sanctification is a process by which ones moral condition is
brought into conformity with ones legal status before God. xii
The Holy Spirit and Identification with the Ascension
There is a difference in being holy because of what God did through the blood of
Jesus Christ and so called acts of righteousness that are supposed to merit
sanctification. David H. Sterns comments on Matthew 6:1-4 support this. He says that,
tzedakah is Hebrew for righteousness. and that in a Jewish context, doing
tzedakah, means giving to charity, doing acts of mercy, good works, which is reflected
in Matthew 6:1, where the Greek word, dikaiosune righteousness, is used.xiii The
Pharisees would be demonstrative in their dikaiosune, So when you give to the poor,
do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the
streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward
in full, Matthew 6:2. Then Stern says that the Lord uses a different Greek word,

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eleemosune which means kind deeds, alms, charitable giving. xiv But when you give
to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your
giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward
you, 6:3-4. This reflects the result of a changed heart. Another example given by the
Lord is The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Luke 18:9-14, which clearly
illustrates the contrast.
The changed heart is the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, eplestesan, to
be filled. As promised by the Lord, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I
said to you, John 14:26. So on the day of Pentecost after the ascension of the Lord
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:4. The Holy Spirit came to indwell and
enlighten,xv We are now eternally connected to the Lord. And even though the work of
sanctification is completely of God we are exhorted to apply what we have been given
to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12-13. We are to be not
conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, Romans
12:2. The rest of the chapter is devoted to instruction on acceptable conduct. It is in this
I find the greatest need to be on my knees.
I would like to close with two anecdotes. The first are the words shared to me at
my grandfathers 100th birthday celebration. Having lived through a century of life he
explained to me what I call, the pie principle. He explained that his first birthday
represented his entire life, the whole pie, and that each following year would continually
divide that pie. The second year of life therefore is 1/2 of his life, the third year, 1/3 of his
life. So that by his 100th, that pie piece was 1/100 of the entire pie. That being said how

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is eternity to be represented? The illustration quickly reveals how little we pay attention
to truth, and to the seriousness of our condemned spiritual condition. It also reveals how
little we think about what an eternity in hell would be like. The Gospel message is very
clear; we need the cross of Jesus Christ to overt eternal destruction.
The second is the refrain from an 80s song by Mr. Mister:
Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison, where Im going will you follow
Kyrie eleison, on a highway in the light
The Greek, means, Lord have mercy
reader.

xvi

Kyrie eleison, upon you the

Elerick, George. "Sin Does Not Exist: Part 1." Web log post. Huff Post Religion. N.p., 16 July 2013.
Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-elerick/sin_b_3558510.html>.
ii

ibid

iii

Owen, Tim. Sanctification: Part 1. (p. 2). C&MA Disciples and Leaders. N.p.: C&MA, n.d. Print.

iv

"The Grand Illusion." The Grand Illusion. Styx World, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

Owen, Part 1. (p. 2).

vi

The Passion of the Christ. Dir. Mell Gibson. MGM Home Entertainment, 2004. Film.

vii

Erickson, Millard J. (2013-08-15). Christian Theology (p. 901). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle
Edition.
viii

Simpson, A. B. "II Christ Our Sanctifier." The Four Fold Gospel. Harrisburg, PA: Christian
Publications, 1890. 13. Print.
ix

MANUAL OF THE CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE 2014 Edition. Colorado Springs, CO: The
Alliance, 2014. PDF. H8 Statement on Sanctification , (H8-2).
x

David H. Stern, Matthew 10:38, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, 1989, The Jewish New
Testament Publications, Jerusalem
xi

Erickson, (p. 899).

xii

Erickson, (p. 897).

xiii

Stern, Matthew 6:1-4.

xiv

ibid

xv

Erickson, (p. 796).

xvi

Kyrie, Mr. Mister, Welcome to the Real World 1985,