SANCTIFICATION BY THE TRUTH

C.Hammond

John 17: 11-19; 1 John 2: 14 (middle)-17

I suppose this chapter 17 of John is one of the most profound scriptures we could consider. The Scriptures are very wonderful, particularly the New Testament, because there is such variety in them and yet such unity. Take the gospels - what variety there is in the four accounts, but one Person: but the way in which John is helped by the Spirit to present things is one of the most elevated of the four. We have had a word published on the need for vigilance as to worldly things being introduced into the houses of the saints. John would confirm that, but in his own inimitable way. It is right, of course, to call attention to the harm that can be done by what might appear to be reasonably harmless but in fact will divert from the entrance into what is our real privilege as Christians. So that separation, or a separate people, which is dealt with in many other scriptures, is elevated by John in this chapter to a sanctified company. You cannot have a sanctified company if you are not separate; but sanctification involves holiness, hence the Lord's address to the Father at this time: "Holy Father". He refers to Him later in the chapter as "Righteous Father", over against the world; but here "Holy Father", and twice the Lord refers to the fact that the disciples were not of the world. In verse 14 He says 'they are not of the world, as I am not of the world". It is a remarkable standard, referring inferentially, as I understand, not so much to derivation, though that is implied, but to character; the character of the persons was that they were not of the world. Again, in verse 16, the Lord says "They are not of the world, as I am not of the world". As to the Lord, you can understand that. The prince of this world came "and in me he has nothing", John 14: 30. How perfectly as Man He was completely separate from everything that was outside of the sphere of the Father's pleasure. But He predicates it of the disciples here; and there seems to be a need, dear brethren, for our seeing that there is a positive way in which we are preserved from everything that savours of the world, and that is to be in touch with the Father's realm where the Father is supreme in the Trinity, as we speak of it, and where the Lord is in a mediatorial position.

John treats of the Lord's mediatorship in his own unique way. He says "the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father" (John 1: 18) - a mediatorial position, not so much on our side, though of course it is of the greatest importance that we should understand it, that in the realm of spiritual realities, dear brethren, we are only sustained as the Lord's mediatorial activity in it is understood. But to John He is "the only-begotten Son, who is bosom of the Father". That stands related to the great thoughts of God, it stands related to the Father’s realm, it stands related to our being sanctified by the truth. The Lord had made known the name of the Father to the disciples and that should have had, and did have, and should have with us, a sanctifying effect; that we are on right terms with the Father Himself, and in the sense of relationship, because of the Lord's ministrations to us as to the Father Himself.

So the Lord goes on: "Sanctify them by the truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world; and I sanctify myself for them, that they also may be sanctified by truth". The Lord sanctifying Himself, as I understand, was in His going into the immediate presence of the Father as a Man. The truth that is calculated to help us is that our associations of life are connected with a Man who has gone to the immediate presence of the Father, and there He sustains us in relation to the things of God in the fullest sense. Holiness is not just that we judge elements that are evil but that we have an intuitive rejection of them in our minds and spirits before even they take shape in wrongdoing. So that the constitution of the believer is built up; and the sanctifying effect of the truth as connected with One who has gone into the immediate presence of the Father is a very real thing. It is the life-stream, so to speak, in the believer, in the power of the Holy Spirit, which will reject the hidden things of shame, which will have a judgment of them before ever they lay hold of mind and heart and govern our life.

The question really is, where is our life? We have the Father of compassions, we prove God's mercies day by day; every time we partake of a meal we ought consciously to be in the presence of the Father who has infinite care over every detail of our lives. Maybe we cannot always see that, because sometimes circumstances are adverse, but the Father still has control. If He allows certain things there is always wisdom behind it, so that we do not doubt the wisdom even if we do not fully understand what He may be at at any given time. Even in every day's circumstances it is a great thing to be consciously in the presence of the Father who has a personal interest in us; but it is all in view of our having to do with the realm where the Father is supreme, where the Lord is active and the Spirit is powerfully keeping us related to the things that belong to life. This gospel deals with life, not only eternal life, but life. I believe things testimonially will go through on the principle of life, that is, persons who are living in what stands connected with the Father's realm and the place that the Lord has, into whose hands, it says, the Father has given everything (see John 3: 35). Think of things in the hands of the Son; it seems to give increasing meaning to the Lord's showing them His hands and His side. They both relate, I believe, to what was the purpose of the Father in regard of those He gave to the Son when here. "They were thine", He says in this chapter, "and thou gavest them me".

So that if it is a question of what is of what is in the world, or the things of the world, as John writes in his letter, he says very simply, they are “not of the Father”. He speaks to the young men because they are strong. No doubt when we are younger we are more energetic. Our minds need occupation and our affections get involved. Well, there is a sphere of things in which we can occupy our minds; our spirits can live in relation to them and we can know what life really is. I do not think this is confined to young people. Whatever age we are we ought to be young men in this sense, that "ye have overcome the wicked one". He is so surreptitious in his attempts to divert us from the high level of the truth, from the purpose of God. Every attack of the enemy gives evidence that there is something there, that he considers worth attacking, there is something that is for God that causes him, and his malign hatred of what is of Christ in this scene, to attack it and divert if he can, not merely to divert believers but to rob God. The preservation is in this sphere of life which stands related to the knowledge of the Father.

So John says "I have written... because ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, nor the things in the world". "The things in the world" to some may appear harmless. As to this word to which I referred, as I reflected on it, my mind went back to Genesis 4 and found where the thing started with Jubal, who was a descendant of Cain who was suffering under the government of God and regarded himself as a stranger and a fugitive, and you look at the descendants and there is Jubal who played the harp and the pipe. He not merely made them but evidently used them. I have no doubt God has given us vocal organs to be able to sing. Mr Taylor sen pointed out that the particular mechanism for singing is one of the most marvellous of God's creation of the human body; and we ought to use it, as far as we are able, to hymn Jehovah under the control of the Minister of the sanctuary.

So "If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him; because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world". How can we get clear of the se things, dear brethren? Because we have not any taste for it; because we say it is "not of the Father". It is not that we have to delve into the wickedness of the thing, it can usually be obvious, and as time goes on it will become more and more apparent. I have no doubt these sophisticated methods of spreading "the things of the world" will eventually give the man of sin the means of making his voice heard throughout the habitable earth. But we do not need to delve into that. We say, Is this of the Father? If it leads us astray, if it diverts our attention from Christ, if it gives us an appetite for things that will not go into eternity but are only for time, we judge that it is not of the Father and we are not having it. The positive side, I think, is to be consciously living in relation to the Father's realm.

So it was just that - the elevation that John gives to the thought of sanctification and the ability to live in relation to it in the power of life. If I may use an illustration: we have had a mild winter; what will happen presently is that the sap in the trees that appear dead will spring up and affect the topmost branches and the strong winds of March that we usually expect will not hinder it but help the rising of the sap to the uttermost twigs. So as to the power of life in the believer, even adverse circumstances or tribulation do not hinder, they help, for tribulation is said to be one of God's workers (see Rom 5: 3) and it works towards the element of endurance. Let us go through according to God.

It was just the concern that we should elevate the thought of separation or a separate people, which is right and in accord with the truth, to the thought of believers who are sanctified in relation to the Father's things. Think of the hand of Christ - "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand". I believe His hands in John 20 not only relate to His service of love to us, as we have often said, but to what He has in His hands for the Father' s pleasure at the present time. May we be consciously in His hands, dear brethren, for that purpose, and so preserved that in some measure it can be said of us, "They are not of the world, as I am not of the world".

LONDON

4 February 1975