Perfective Sanctification (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday October 11, 2023

Sanctification Series: Perfective Sanctification

Lesson # 4

The third and final stage of sanctification is “perfective,” which is the perfection of the church age believer’s sanctification at the rapture, i.e. resurrection of the church, which is the completion of the plan of God for the church age believer (1 Corinthians 15:53-54; Galatians 6:8; 1 Peter 5:10; John 6:40).

The church age believer’s identification with Jesus Christ in His resurrection guarantees them a resurrection body at the rapture or resurrection of the church (cf. Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:4).

This “guarantee” of a resurrection body will be experienced by every believer regardless of their response in time to what God has done for them at justification.

Therefore, the rapture of the church completes the believer’s sanctification.

The “rapture” is a technical theological term for the resurrection of the church, which is imminent, and will be invisible to the world, and will terminate the church age dispensation.

It will take place in the earth’s atmosphere when the Lord Jesus Christ will suddenly and forcefully remove the church from planet earth in order to deliver her from the Tribulation period.

The term “rapture” is used by students of prophecy and eschatology to describe the doctrine which is taught in the Greek New Testament, namely the resurrection of the church.

Now we must remember that like the term “Trinity,” the term “rapture” is not found in the original languages of Scripture.

However, like the term “Trinity” the term “rapture” is used by theologians to describe a doctrine that is taught in the Bible.

The rapture is taught in John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 1:7, 15:50-57, Philippians 3:20-21, 4:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Titus 2:13, 1 John 2:28, 3:2-3, Hebrews 10:25, James 5:7-9, 1 John 2:28, 3:2-3; and Revelation 22:7, 12, and 20.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the first to speak of the rapture as recorded in John 14:1-3.

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (NIV84)

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul teaches on the timing of the rapture and specifically, that the dead in Christ will rise first and then immediately in a winking of an eye, those believers who are alive on the earth, will be raised as well.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. (NIV84)

The verb harpazō (ἁρπάζω) means “to snatch, seize, forcibly remove something, to seize by force with the purpose of removing” and is translated “will be caught up” by the NIV84, ESV and NASB95 and “will be suddenly caught up” by the NET Bible.

I translate this verb as “to snatch away” since the English verb “snatch” expresses more accurately the idea expressed by this verb harpazō (ἁρπάζω) because the former means “to attempt to seize something suddenly.”

Therefore, I am in agreement with the Lexham Bible’s translation of this word which translates this verb “will be snatched away.”

Thus, this verb harpazō (ἁρπάζω) is expressing the idea of the Lord Jesus Christ snatching away those Christians who are left alive on the earth when He returns at the rapture by means of His divine omnipotence.

The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 teaches on the rapture or resurrection of the church and describes it as “a mystery,” which means that this prophecy was unknown to the Old Testament prophets of Israel but rather is new revelation given by the Lord to His apostles by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (NIV84)

In 1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul describes the resurrection of the church with the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), which describes this event as a mystery in that it was not known to Old Testament prophets but was revealed exclusively to the apostles and thus to church age believers (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

The fact that the rapture is a mystery doctrine indicates that it is a totally unique feature of the church age and it belongs exclusively to the church age.

This was a mystery to Old Testament saints and never recorded in the Old Testament canon of Scripture.

This passage teaches that not all church age believers will die physically but that those alive at the rapture will be “changed” meaning that they will receive a resurrection body which will be incorruptible.

This passage also teaches that the dead in Christ will be raised first before those alive on the earth which corresponds with Paul’s teaching on the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

It also teaches that the rapture will happen in a “winking of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52).

The resurrection of the church will occur “in a moment.”

“The last trumpet” in 1 Corinthians 15:52 corresponds or is the same trumpet mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 since both trumpets are used in relation to the resurrection of the church and the rapture.

The rapture is the “blessed hope” of the church since it delivers her from the wrath that is to come upon a Christ rejecting world during the Tribulation period, which will be the worst period in all of human history and immediately follows the rapture.

Titus 2:13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (NIV84)

Here in Titus 2:13, the noun elpis (ἐλπίς), “hope” means “confident expectation” and is used in relation to the resurrection or rapture of the church when the Lord Jesus Christ will give resurrection bodies to His bride, the church.

The word describes the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ at the rapture of the church as a confident expectation of blessing since it will be at the rapture that the church age believer will receive their resurrection body which will complete their sanctification and salvation.

In Titus 2:13, the adjective makarios (μακάριος), “the blessed” is modifying the noun elpis (ἐλπίς), “hope,” which means “confident expectation” and is ascribing an attribute to this noun.

Here the adjective means “blessed” in the sense of being “transcendent happiness” indicating that the Christian’s anticipation of receiving their resurrection body is characterized by “transcendent happiness.”

In other words, this anticipation of the rapture is characterized by a happiness that is beyond comprehension and is thus inexpressible.