The Sanctification of the Spirit
James Smith, The Great Comforter, 1858

God has chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit. 2 Thessalonians 2.13

To sanctify is to separate and to set apart for holy purposes and holy uses. The Lord has separated His people by choosing them in Christ to be holy, and He sanctifies them now for Himself by the power, operation, and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

In sanctification, a work is commenced which is to make us exactly like Christ, A sanctified person has his heart changed, his will renewed, his understanding enlightened, his conscience purified, and his affections spiritualized. Sanctification extends to the whole man, soul, and body, and is carried on through the Word, the ordinances, and the providence of God.

Sanctification has its seat in the heart, but it regulates the whole man and appears in his conduct in everyday life. If a man experiences the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, then sin grieves him, Satan tries him, the world troubles him, and heaven attracts him.

Spirit of Jesus, sanctify us deeply, thoroughly, that we may be just like Jesus. Sanctify us by every trial, by every affliction, by every privilege, by every comfort.