Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ has given a definition of true sanctification. He lived a life of holiness. He was an object lesson of what His followers are to be. We are to be crucified with Christ, buried with Him, and then quickened by His Spirit. Then we are filled with His life.
Our sanctification is God's object in all His dealing with us. He has chosen us from eternity that we may be holy. Christ gave Himself for our redemption, that through our faith in His power to save from sin, we might be made complete in Him. In giving us His Word, He has given us bread from heaven. He declares that, if we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we shall receive eternal life. Why do we not dwell more upon this? Why do we not strive to make it easily understood, when it means so much? Why do not Christians open their eyes to see the work God requires them to do? Sanctification is the progressive work of a lifetime. The Lord declares, “This is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Is it your will that your desires and inclinations shall be brought into conformity to the divine will?
As Christians, we have pledged ourselves to realize and fulfill our responsibilities, and to show to the world that we have a close connection with God. Thus, through the godly words and works of His disciples, Christ is to be represented.
God demands of us perfect obedience to His law—the expression of His character. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). This law is the echo of God's voice, saying to us, “Holier, yes, holier still.”
Desire the fullness of the grace of Christ; yea, long—hunger and thirst—after righteousness. The promise is, “Ye shall be filled.” Let your heart be filled with an intense longing for this righteousness, the work of which God's Word declares is peace, and its effect, quietness and assurance forever.
It is our privilege to be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. God has plainly stated that He requires us to be perfect; and because He requires this, He has made provision that we may be partakers of the divine nature. Only thus can we gain success in our striving for eternal life. The power is given by Christ. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12).—Letter 153, September 27, 1902, to Brother and Sister S. N. Haskell.
From The Upward Look - Page 284
The Upward Look