by Dale Yocum
There can be no debate among regenerated souls as to whether or not it would be desirable to be delivered from all sin—in act and in nature. One who has genuinely repented has turned his will away from all sin—known and unknown. When anything, including the inner evil nature is shown to be sin, the individual who has truly repented stands in opposition to it. He craves abundance of life.
There is nothing more universally desired than life, and this in abundance. Men are not satisfied just to exist, even at a lavish physical level. They crave something more substantial than sensual pleasure, “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” (I Tim. 5:6). A few years ago while traveling several miles across the country, I had my daughters watch along the road to see how many advertisers offered life through their products. There were several which did. According to these advertisers three things are primarily responsible for life: a certain brand of beer, a group of insurance policies, and safe driving on highways. The beer company was even bold enough to claim that wherever there is life, its product will be found. This company is capitalizing on the universal craving for abundant life, beyond mere existence.
It should be the normal thing for regenerated individuals, who have turned away from sin and death, to seize upon the possibility of abundant life the moment it is presented to them. Many individuals do so, and enter the fullness of life in Christ. There are chiefly two reasons why many others do not apprehend the possibility and take advantage of it. First, they may be taught that it is impossible to discover such deliverance in personal experience. There is a type of theology which declares that deliverance from all sin is not attainable in this life, even though there are many Scripture passages to the contrary. (I John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” The next verse is much more popular with those who deny deliverance from sin. It states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” The context and the historical background make it clear, that this verse refers to those who rejected Christ as the Messiah and denied that they ever needed a Savior from sin. The two verses are flatly contradictory if they refer to the same individuals at the same time. But they do not: verse 8 refers to men without a Savior, whereas verse 7 refers to those who acknowledge their sin, as the light of God reveals it, and claim complete cleansing through the blood of Christ.
Those who teach against deliverance from all sin assert that such a testimony is a display of personal pride. They claim that it belittles sin and the need of the atonement, whereas in reality this experience of abundant life brings one into immediate contact with Christ as the source of moment-by-moment victory over sin.
The second reason why many do not press on to abundance of life is because the inward bent of the soul stands as a barrier to such progress. This distortion within the soul must be renounced before there can be victory, and here arises the difficulty. The will must allow every sensual and selfish attachment to be severed, and it must allow itself to be yielded to God forever, before the soul can be fully cleansed from sin. In the very nature of things this involves a painful conflict, and many draw back rather than press through to complete deliverance.
Now, let us see the way of entrance into abundant life. After one has arrived at the point of recognizing the sinful nature and of hungering for the fulness of life, there are are two simple steps for which he is responsible before that hunger is satisfied through Christ: complete consecration of self to God and reckoning on the immediate power of Christ.
An accurate statement of what consecration is, is found in the exhortation of Paul, “Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive form the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” (Rom. 6:13). It will be noted here that 1.) Consecration is made by regenerated individuals not by sinners; 2.) the self is first yielded to God, which involves a thorough renunciation of self-reference with all of the carnal traits which have been associated with it; and 3.) our physical members are to be yielded to God’s control, to do righteousness and not sin. Again, consecration is beautifully portrayed in II Cor. 5:14, 15. “We thus judge that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them and rose again.” Here is the watchword of the consecrated ones: “Henceforth…unto Him!” It begins when we count every personal gain as loss for His sake, and it is to be maintained every moment of our lives.
Consecration brings the believer to the place of identification with Christ in Gethsemane, where he can truly pray, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42). Further, it identifies him with Christ on the cross, so that he can honestly say, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 24:46). The struggle is over; the seeker has reckoned himself dead indeed unto sin, crucified with Christ. All rights of self-reference are renounced, together with the enticements of the world and the lusts of the flesh. The human will cannot deliver from these potent forces, but it can renounce them. This is consecration.
There follows next a reckoning on the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. After Paul said, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,” he continues immediately, “but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:11) After testifying, “I am crucified with Christ,” he followed at once, “nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” (Gal. 2:20)
It was the elevator of the resurrection which the dead soul entered by faith when it was regenerated. Again by faith the elevator is appropriated, and the soul is lifted up into abundance of life. These two separate actions are shown clearly in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” First, there is the quickening of life; then the raising up to heavenly places—abundant life! This is the work of cleansing or purification known as entire sanctification. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thess. 5:23)
