LAWTON CHURCH OF GOD, LAWTON, OKLAHOMA

 Home  About Us   Holiness Library   History of the Holiness Movement   Early English Bibles   Bible Studies   View Sermons   Links

23 WITNESSING TO SANCTIFICATION

Faith is driving the nail, while testimony is the clinching of the nail, so far as the individual is concerned. One of the most effectual weapons for defeating the enemy is the public confession and declaration of faith. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Indeed, the faith that saves and the declaration of the same are inseparably connected in the Scripture. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

One of the most subtle devices of Satan is to suggest to the soul who has recently entered the blessing of sanctification that “it is not necessary that much be said about it; simply live it.” “If you will but live it, people will know that you are sanctified, and there will be no occasion to tell them so.” Especially are these expressions common where there is antagonism to the doctrine, the enemy knowing full well that where the testimony is withheld the experience cannot be long retained. The facts are, life and lip must go together. He who will not confess the God-given experience will soon have no experience to confess. He who will not confess it will not long live it; and he who will not live it, cannot long confess it. The life and the testimony go hand in hand.

The sad experience and testimony of multitudes has been that they have lost the experience because they failed to be faithful and definitely witness to the same. The Lord says:

“And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land (Canaan) which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place where the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord swore unto our fathers for to give us.” Deuteronomy. 26:1–3. Here we see the divine order is to fill the basket with the fruit, and then “profess.” It was not enough to simply show the fruit; they must also profess.

The reasons for giving public testimony are many. First, if God has worked the work we should publicly acknowledge it in order to give Him all the glory. That men may know it is He, and not we ourselves who had made the change. Men would gladly give the glory to us, or to conditions, or change of circumstances, hence we need to continually “declare His doings among the people,” and “make mention so that His name is exalted.” Second, public testimony is the perfecting and clinching of the faith of the individual, and so gives the victory over the adversary. Third, it is the divine method for acquainting others with their privileges. This is one of the purposes of the blessing: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me.” A witness is supposed to tell what he knows and the more controversial the situation is, the more important it is that there should be reliable witnesses, to tell what they know, in order to confirm the truth. “That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

It is not proper to say “I am holy,” or, “I am sanctified,” etc., but we should always place Jesus foremost in the testimony; certainly no one could reasonably object to a man saying, “Jesus has cleansed my heart from all sin,” or, “Jesus has sanctified me wholly,” etc.

There is great blessing and reward in public confession. Jesus has said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.” On condition that we stand for Him and represent Him on earth, He agrees to stand for us and represent us in heaven.