Sanctification E-Book

John MacArthur

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 79

Beschreibung

Among all the things that a pastor will do on any given day, he must not lose sight of his one ultimate goal: the Sanctification of God's people. This is the heart of God's purpose for Christians. John MacArthur calls pastors to remember what all the countless hours preparing sermons, visiting hospitals, counseling, conducting weddings, and more are all about, even when the finish line seems so far in the distance that they're tempted to give up. He encourages pastors with the power God gives them to place the Sanctification of God's people at the center of their ministry.

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“This is a classic example of the kind of book readers worldwide have come to expect from the pen of John MacArthur. Saturated with Scripture, straightforward, and easy to understand, MacArthur’s words show what the Bible teaches about sanctification and how it applies both to the individual Christian and to the local church. Christians concerned about the kind of teaching that has resulted in the ‘hole in our holiness’ will find here much to clarify the issue for them and practical encouragement on walking closely with Christ.”

Donald S. Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Praying the Bible

“Sanctification—John MacArthur brings to bear the full force of his pastoral passion on this vital theme! Why? First, because Jesus made it the burden of his prayers for us; Paul insisted it is the will of God for every believer; the author of Hebrews wrote that without it none of us will see the Lord—it is heaven’s sine qua non. Second, because we are always in danger of demeaning or ignoring holiness. How many books have you read since you last read one on sanctification? Sanctification is a powerful tract for our times—a purposefully short book. You can read it in an hour or two, but its goal is the transformation of the rest of your life.”

Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

“Justification and sanctification are like the two arms of Jesus Christ by which he embraces us to himself. John MacArthur does a masterful job of showing us how Christ, the Great Shepherd whose Spirit lives in every true spiritual shepherd, earnestly desires for his image to be formed in his beloved people.”

Joel Beeke, President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; Pastor, Heritage Reformed Congregation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; author, Reformed Preaching

“A seasoned, well-regarded preacher of the gospel offers us a scripturally saturated treatise on sanctification. Simple but not simplistic, short but not shallow, John MacArthur not only explains the Bible’s teaching on sanctification but also makes the appropriate, sometimes pointed, applications this current generation needs.”

Mark Jones, Pastor, Faith Reformed Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, British Columbia

“MacArthur charges Christians to shine as lights in the midst of this darkened, confused generation. The freedom we have in Jesus Christ is a freedom to serve him as our Master and Lord. Just as he has done throughout his ministry, MacArthur faithfully lifts up God’s word. This book pleads for holy, joyful living unto the glory of God.”

Chris Larson, President and CEO, Ligonier Ministries

“Clear, inspiring, and with just enough cautions about where the world may have snuck into our theology and, therefore, our lives.”

Ed Welch, Faculty and Counselor, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation

“MacArthur has written a concise and straightforward book to stir up Christians to remembrance of what God teaches concerning how we are to grow as believers. He distinguishes biblical sanctification from other pseudo views on the subject and balances the Christian’s position in Christ with the Christian’s walk with Christ. I highly recommend this book to help keep us believing rightly so we can live more Christlike lives.”

Stuart W. Scott, Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Sanctification

Sanctification

God’s Passion for His People

John MacArthur

Sanctification: God’s Passion for His People

Copyright © 2020 by John MacArthur

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jordan Singer

Cover painting: Makoto Fujimura

First printing 2020

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked PHILLIPS are from The New Testament in Modern English, translated by J. B. Phillips © 1972 by J. B. Phillips. Published by Macmillan

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-6738-4 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-6741-4 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-6739-1 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-6740-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: MacArthur, John, 1939- author.

Title: Sanctification : God’s passion for his people / John MacArthur.

Description: Wheaton : Crossway, 2020. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019025535 (print) | LCCN 2019025536 (ebook) | ISBN

9781433567384 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433567391 (pdf) | ISBN

9781433567407 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433567414 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Sanctification. | Sanctification–Biblical teaching.

Classification: LCC BT765 .M225 2020 (print) | LCC BT765 (ebook) | DDC 234/.8–dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019025535

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019025536

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2020-01-02 03:09:32 PM

To Peter Coeler

A true friend marked by uncommon humility, generosity, and grace

Contents

 1  The Prize of the Upward Call

 2  In Defense of the Gospel

 3  The Heart of a True Shepherd

 4  Christ, the Embodiment of True Sanctification

 5  The Missing Note

 6  Authenticity and Antinomianism

 7  What Grace Teaches

General Index

Scripture Index

1

The Prize of the Upward Call

Scripture says of Christ, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).

We have a clear window into Christ’s continual intercession for his people in John 17. That passage is known as Jesus’s high priestly prayer. Its centerpiece is a plea for the sanctification of his disciples: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (John 17:17–19). Then Jesus pointedly applies that request not only to the twelve, but also to every Christian in all subsequent generations: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (17:20).

The Shepherd Theme in Scripture

That petition reveals the true heart of the good shepherd for his people as clearly as anything in Scripture. “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3). As our shepherd, he is the “Overseer of [our] souls” (1 Pet. 2:25). The Greek word translated “Overseer” in that verse is episkopos, a word elsewhere translated “bishop.” According to Thayer’s Lexicon,1 it refers to “a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly.” Christ as the chief shepherd is the overseer, or guardian, of our souls—caring for us, protecting us, leading us, correcting us, and giving us nourishment, all with the ultimate goal of our sanctification.

The English word pastor also means “shepherd,” of course, and every faithful pastor will have a passion for the holiness of Christ’s sheep that mirrors the desire of the Savior.

By the way, the divinely chosen imagery of flocks and shepherds is fitting. God knows his people—all believers—are like sheep in many ways. Sheep are not particularly smart, nor are they adroit at navigating around the pitfalls of their environment. So it’s not a particularly flattering comparison. But it is one that Scripture makes repeatedly. “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Ps. 100:3). Peter urges his fellow elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you . . . not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:2–3). He reminds church leaders of their accountability to the chief shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4).

The Shepherd’s Task Is Not Easy

In contrast to the tranquil, untroubled imagery we often see when artists portray flocks in the field, real-life shepherding is hard, messy work. The shepherd’s tasks are many and varied. He has to lead and feed the flock, care for injured sheep, seek and rescue lost lambs, ward off predators, stand guard overnight, and tend to the flock’s every need. It is a highly demanding task—requiring constant vigilance and care.

Caring for the people of God is likewise an exhausting, never-ending series of wide-ranging duties that would tax any man’s skill set. Virtually all pastors will at times be called upon to fill practically every role of service in the church from setup to clean-up. In addition to preaching the word (his central and most important assignment), the pastor is burdened with constant concern for the sheep. As Paul wrote, “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall [into sin], and I am not indignant?” (2 Cor.