02/12/24 RECOUNTING GOD'S WORK

02/12/24 RECOUNTING GOD'S WORK

I posted this testimony seven years ago. It recounts my personal experience of God purifying my heart when He baptized me with the fullness of the Holy Spirit in 1965.

Entire Sanctification (as the Bible calls it), is an instantaneous and crises work of grace (as is our conversion), and is subsequent to our conversion (Justification, Regeneration).

Justification provides forgiveness and cleansing of the sins we have personally committed and cleanses our conscience; Regeneration imparts the presence, life and power of the Holy Spirit, which enables us to live victoriously over temptations.

Entire Sanctification purifies the believer from the carnal mind, which we received from Adam. We can be forgiven of the sins we have committed, but we must be purified, delivered from the sin nature. Cleansing of our hands (deeds done in the flesh) and Purifying of our heart (the deliverance from the "law of sin and death, spoken of in Romans chapter seven), are two separate parts of God's deliverance from all sin. We are purified through the Blood of Christ, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the word of God.

Total surrender and the fullness of the Holy Spirit does not take the place of growing in grace (rather, it enhances our growth) and it does not replace a constant and living walk of faith. Just as Adam was able to sin, though created without sin, so too, are Entirely Sanctified believers able to sin and turn from God. Either God separates us from sin or sin separates us from God. God requires that we choose.

Though I posted the following article in 2017, it references my personal experience in the fall of 1965.

Article from February 12, 2017
I REMEMBER
I remember one time when I dreaded going to church. It was soon after going to Bible College. I was still carnal and I had just thrown a quiet but ugly fit of anger. It was a Wednesday, and we were going to go to a local church that night, which preached the truth of a holy heart and life.

I knew I would probably be brought under strong conviction and go down to the altar, which would result in a great display of remorse and crying. I knew this because God had been dealing with me faithfully since I had come under the preaching of full salvation at the college. I had been going to the altar during chapel services, going to the altar at my home church on weekends, going to the "praying rock" in the woods behind the men's dorm. God was breaking me down so that He could fill me up.

My seeking God was a whole body reality. My face was contorted and soaked with tears and loud sobbing, my body would heave in agony, my soul was heavy with guilt and uncleanness.

I knew God was wanting to purify me, but the Old Man did not want to die. I surrendered little by little, but I knew there would come a time when God's Spirit would rush in and my carnality would be flushed out.

After I threw my fit of anger, I closed myself in my dorm room, alone, with God. He had me where He wanted me, red handed with carnal anger taking control. I knelt by my bed, repenting, crying heavily, surrendering completely, crucifying my life of self assertion. Then the peace that passes understanding came. Then the joy unspeakable came. Then the perfect love came flooding me and filling me to overflowing.

We can run from the searchlight of God, but we cannot hide. We can reject His grace, but we cannot escape the consequences. It is better to bow before God in surrender than to stand before Him in defiance, it is better to burn with the passion of God than burn in the judgment of God. Surrender to God leads to victory, resisting God leads to utter defeat.