Sanctification: What is it?

Sanctification, hagiosmos[1], comes from the Greek root word hagias[2], which means holy, hallow, sanctify, consecrate, dedicate, or set apart. Hagiosmos means to make holy. Sanctifying comes from the Greek word, hagiazo and means to render, acknowledge, or be holy; to separate from profane things and dedicate to God[3]. Sanctification and sanctifying are actions. Sanctified is a status and a point of becoming. It comes from the Old Testament word qadash[4], which means to make sacred, holy, or to set apart. We read of this word in Genesis 2:3 when God set aside the seventh day of the week to be holy. Qadash is a point to which believers attain as Paul told believers in Ephesians 1. From these words, we realize holiness, sacredness, and being set apart are actions done by one who is holy in being towards things or people who are not holy. Remember, for an action to occur, like making something or someone holy, a being must exist to do the action. Only one who is holy can make or bestow the status of holiness upon someone or something.

In the Old Testament, we read in many places about God being holy. God called Himself holy in Leviticus 19:2 and 20:26. Isaiah said it in Isaiah 6:3-5. Peter reiterated it in 1 Peter 1:15-16. Jesus taught the disciples in the Lord’s Prayer that God was hallow – holy (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2). Qadowsh[5] is the word used in these passages and means holy, sacred, Holy One, saint, and set apart.

Let’s understand this better now. For anyone to make something or someone holy, holiness must be a part of the being bestowing the status of holy. The Old Testament records God as being holy. No other being in the Bible has this attribute as part their being. That being said, only God can make or declare something or someone holy, just as Jesus said in John 10:36. So sanctifying work originates with Holy God. To put it another way, God is the only one who can make someone or something holy, sacred, or set apart for Himself.

The question now arises: How does the impartation of holiness occur? In the Old Testament, God declared the people of Jacob His people and that made them a set-apart people, holy to Him (Leviticus 19:2 & 20:26, et al.). God’s speaking brought the different elements into being in Genesis. He declared them very good. God’s choosing and setting apart the people of Jacob made them holy to Himself. He gave the Israelites and the Sabbath day the status of holiness.

Along with the Old Testament, in the New Testament we read about God’s action that brought about the sanctification of people. That action was the incarnation and crucifixion of His only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ crucifixion provided the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humankind. No sacrifice humans can provide for their sins is sufficient to remove the stain of sin permanently and to give release from the power of sin and death. Nothing else was perfect – without sin. We read about God’s sanctification occurring this way in the New Testament. Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:2, “They have been sanctified in Christ Jesus.” The writer of Hebrews stated many times God’s sanctifying action occurred through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:11, 9:13-14, 10:10, 10:14, 10:29, and 13:12). As Jesus is just and is the justifier in the last lesson, He is holy and provides holiness (sanctification) in this lesson.

Is that all there is to sanctification? Is it a once-off action by God alone? Sanctification is a continuing process. The journey of being a Christian in this world is a journey to perfection – toward holiness/complete sanctification. Paul wrote in Romans 6:19, “So now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” Later in 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul said, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, 2 Timothy 2:21, Hebrews 12:14, Ephesians 1:4, and 1 Peter 3:15, we note actions and attitudes by Holy God sanctified a person and additional actions by the person led by the Spirit are required for continuing sanctification. Sanctification then has more than one part. The first part is when you receive the gift from God of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ given on the cross as mentioned in the last paragraph. The second part is the growing more like Christ - taking on the mind of Christ - and following God in obedience to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. Doing righteous works because of growing to be more like Christ is the process of sanctification, being made perfect through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in every believer. Faith at work in the life of the believer is part of the process of sanctification - part of the journey of growing more like Christ, putting on His mind.

Sanctification comprises justification (the static point in time when a person accepts God’s gift of salvation and believes in Jesus Christ), which is purity before God. Without justification, there cannot be sanctification. Sanctification includes righteousness, purity before the law of God. This is our acting out the right acts inspired in us by the Holy Spirit. Paul and Peter wrote that sanctification was of the Spirit in Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, and 1 Peter 1:2. Besides these, sanctification includes blamelessness, purity before the world. Paul spoke of these three parts of holiness/sanctification in 1 Thessalonians 2:10 when he said, “You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers.” Sanctification begins with God actions purifying humans through the perfect sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. It continues as these believers live in the world following the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus in their interactions with God and with the world each day. God sets believers apart to be holy for Him. They live out that holiness growing more sanctified with the help of the Holy Spirit. “Sanctification is the will of God. It is an active living out of righteousness according to God[6].”

Sanctification goes on until perfection as Paul mentioned in Colossians 3:14 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. Jesus called His disciples to perfection in Matthew 5:48 when he said, “You are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Perfection – complete holiness – is the goal of Christians. Paul expressed he was not perfect but pressed on toward the higher calling – sanctification/perfection - not thinking it would be accomplished in this life. Whenever we sin, we show we are not perfect. We do not perfectly reflect/have the mind of Christ who was perfect. By this, we know we are not sanctified completely. John spoke of this continuing growth into perfection/sanctification in 1 John 1:7-2:2.

Justification occurs when we are made just or right with God through the sacrificial blood of God’s Holy and perfect Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ blood was the sacrifice. Being perfect, He could remove the stain of sin and remove the power of sin and death. Justification is the first part of sanctification. It is the point in time God began His work in the believer to make him or her holy just as Jesus Christ is holy. The working out of the salvation He gave us is obedience to God and becoming more Christlike, which comes from our love and reverence of God. By living out the love of God in the world, we become daily more like Christ, more perfect and holy. We become more righteous and blameless. Sanctification is not a one-step occurrence, but a journey of Christian faithfulness to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. This journey is the taking on the mind of Christ and being re-made into His image. Perfection will not be complete until we reach heaven where temptation and sin have no power. Paul said this in Acts 20:32 and 26:18. He said those who are Christians are given an inheritance among all who are sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ, the saints. Christ is the “wisdom from God, and the righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Sanctification is for everyone who believes. Jesus Christ came to the world to be the Light leading people to relationship with God. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved from their sins and rebellion and return to Him (John 3:17). He did this because He loves the world and wants no person to die, and be permanently and eternally separated from Him (John 3:16).

If you have never accepted the gift of God’s love, now is your chance. Today accept that Jesus is the Son of God who came to provide forgiveness for your sin so you could have a relationship with God and live with Him forever. Confess your sins to Him and He promises to forgive you. When you do this, God sanctifies you and calls you His own. He sets you apart for Himself and makes you holy for Him. Begin the journey of sanctification and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you are already a Christian, are you continuing your journey toward sanctification, towards perfection through Jesus Christ. God, being holy, gave you the status of being holy (set apart) to Him. Now you must choose to walk in His ways becoming more like Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit.

What is keeping you from being sanctified – being made complete and perfect?

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[1] www.iblestudytools.com. New Testament Lexicon based on Thayer’s and Smith’s New Testament Lexicon and keyed to Kittel’s Theological Dictionary and the “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.”

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6]Walter Elwell, ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, 2001).

Justification: What is It?

^21 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;²⁵ whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; ²⁶ for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

(Romans 3:21-26 [NASB])

Justification is one of the words heard used by church people. It is not a word commonly used. What does it mean? Can it be used outside of church in any way? Does it reflect upon me? Am I justified?

Let’s begin our study with a simple definition of the word. Justification means to be made right, complete, or as one ought to be. When we consider God’s creation, after He made each part of the world, He stopped and proclaimed it good. That means when God created Adam and Eve He proclaimed them good (Genesis 1:31). Besides this, we are told in Genesis that God created them in His image (Genesis 1:27). Since that is the case, they were just, right, and as they ought to be.

The question remains though: just and right based upon what standard?  Since they Adam and Eve were made in God’s image and God created all we see, the standard is God. God is the definition for righteousness, goodness, love, justice, mercy, grace and other words we use daily. For our purposes here, Adam and Eve were right and as they ought to be based upon God’s standard; they did not have sin, but were pure.

Most of us know what happened next. Satan tempted and convinced Adam and Eve to seek knowledge and greatness like God – to be their own gods. Sin entered the world upon their succumbing to temptation. God created humankind with the gift of free will. He did not mandate Adam and Eve be in a relationship with Him, but wanted them to come to Him of their own free will. God wanted them to choose Him. In the garden when they bowed to temptation, they did not choose God. Adam and Eve exercised their free will and sin (turning away from God) entered the world.

Over the millennia, God appeared to humankind through creation, dreams and visions, voices, burning bushes, pillars of fire and clouds, signs and wonders, prophets and priests, and His Law, which He gave to the Israelites. The intent of the Law was to lead people to God. In Galatians 3:24, Paul said, “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

You can see then, before Jesus Christ’s death, God spent millennia striving to reconnect with His creation, humankind, to have a relationship with them. He is not a dictator and does not command humankind be in a relationship with Him. Because of God’s love – the love that caused Him to create us and want a relationship with us – He kept trying to draw us near to Him. Free will and sin kept taking us further away from Him, building blocks higher each day so that a great wall rose between humankind and Himself.

When God gave the Law to the Israelites, they covenanted to worship and obey Him. Yet, their sinful ways kept them from absolute obedience even though they knew God from their ancestor’s past with Him. They knew of His might, majesty, power, and love. They understood to remain His children, He required obedience. Still the Israelites were unfaithful.

God in His love was not thwarted. From the beginning of the world, He planned for the redemption of humankind from sin and death. God’s plan required a pure sacrifice, one not polluted with sin. His plan for this redemption was the offering of His only Son, Jesus Christ, as the sin sacrifice for the death penalty that covered each human.

Sin causes separation from God because God cannot be in the presence of sin due to His holiness. This separation extended even to the time after life on earth ended for each person. Separation from God is death – on earth and eternally. God provided Jesus Christ to pay the sin penalty of death with His death. That is redemption. Jesus Christ paid His life to redeem us from death forever and the power of sin now.

 When a person believes by faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died to provide salvation from death and sin, his or her sins are wiped from their slate. God will no longer avenge wrath upon the person for his or her sin against Him (Romans 5:9). The sin of the person is removed from them. His or her slate is clean.

That is justification. Because Jesus Christ is just – pure and righteous – and gave Himself as our sin sacrifice, by substitution, we, too, become just, pure, and righteous through Him. Jesus is just and justifier (Romans 3:26). Justification is the being made right, pure, and righteous before God by belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who takes away the sin of people. Justification comes from nothing we do or say. It comes through belief in Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ’s righteousness imparted to us when we believe that declares our sin penalty – death – fulfilled by Him.

Have you been justified by Jesus Christ? Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation/redemption from sin and death? You can do nothing to earn it or acquire it. It comes by belief in Jesus Christ. If you accepted God’s gift of salvation and justification, are you living it out in the world? Does your life reflect the righteousness Jesus paid His life to give you? James wrote in James 2:14 & 17-18,

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? Even so faith, if it has now works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works and I will show you my faith by my works.” [NASB]

Later in this chapter, James added, “Faith without works is dead.”

We each have to decide if we will believe in Jesus Christ. Then, we each have to decide if we will live as Jesus Christ lived – will we follow Him daily. Let me encourage you with these final words form Paul in Romans 5:1. He said,

Therefore, since we have been justified (made pure, perfect, complete, and righteous) through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. [NASB]

Are you experiencing that joy? Have you received that hope? Today is not too late to accept God’s free gift and be justified. Today is not too late to act out your faith. Will you make those choices?