To be holy is to be different, distinct, from everything that is common. In the universe there is only one nature that is absolutely different from all other things, and this is the nature of God. Hence, God is holy. It is not an insignificant matter to be holy, for to be holy is virtually to be divine.
It is to be separate, different, from anything other than God. Holiness and sanctification both refer to an element that is holy. Holiness refers to the element itself, for holiness is the nature and quality of being holy. Sanctification refers to the process of being made holy, the process of being sanctified.
A process is going on to make us holy. We must love the people as God does. Self-isolation is not the key. Criticising oneself or condemning oneself does not produce holiness, although it is important to judge ourselves at times 1 Corinthians If we know we have sinned, we should confess it, repent of it and look to God — not meditate on our sinfulness.
Trying to keep the laws of God does not make us holy. Pride in what we have done through our own power is sin 1 John Such rules are typically special rules for how to eat and dress — or rules about how to have church services. When we focus our energy on keeping man-made rules we are far from God Matthew ,9. We become like the Pharisees, who were very proud of their efforts to keep the traditions of their elders. None of this will lead to the holiness of heart and life which God desires.
God wants mercy, not sacrifice. The Scripture verses found in Matthew , Hebrews , Romans and 1 Timothy should make it clear to us that rules about food are not the key to sanctification.
Rather, they can become an obsessive distraction. As we have seen is lesson 4, the law was designed to show us our sinfulness Romans The law can show us our need for forgiveness and sanctification, but in itself it never produces what we need for salvation. What we need for forgiveness and sanctification was provided for only at the cross of Christ. Romans describes a man who is trying to overcome sin and be sanctified through his own will-power.
For what I will to do, that I do not practise; but what I hate, that I do. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practise.
Note the accent on personal will. Despite the good resolutions and willingness, the power of sin is still ruling. It requires something more. Some have suggested that Paul here is talking about himself before he was saved.
He would like to do what is right. He is not indifferent to the law of God. But here he is trying to overcome sin by the power of self, armed with the knowledge of the law. In our flesh dwells no good thing. It takes a life lived in Christ , in His power , in His grace to overcome sin. It is clear therefore that sanctification requires more than simply an act of the will. Our wills are involved however, as we will see — but not directly in efforts to keep the law.
Our wills must be used to keep our focus on Jesus. Our wills must surrender to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Keeping focussed on Jesus will enable the Spirit to transform us 2 Corinthians The normal way to keep focussed on Jesus is to focus on His Word. Sanctification is part of our salvation which we must receive. Like justification, sanctification is by faith in Jesus Acts The Scripture teaches us that the blood of the Jesus sanctifies us.
Not only does it justify us or make us right with God — it also sanctifies us. It changes us. The first step for any person coming to God is to believe in the power of the blood of Jesus. This blood represents the payment for our sin.
It takes sin away. We must believe that through the blood of Jesus we are forgiven. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus Romans Knowing we are forgiven and free from guilt, we can serve God with a clear conscience and without fear Hebrews We can go forward in our walk with God. But the blood means more than forgiveness. It involves sanctification. It is the blood of the covenant. A real Christian is in blood covenant relationship with God. It is time we realised what this means.
Blood covenants, still practised today in some parts of the world — are the most serious types of agreements between two men. Their blood is actually mixed. The way this works in practice is detailed in the New Testament or New Covenant. This is another reason why it is important to study the New Testament. It is your contract with God. When we realise that the blood of Jesus means that God has bought us and all that we have and are belongs to him — this has a powerful affect on our lives if we truly believe.
We realise that we are no longer our own to go off and do whatever we choose. We must now listen to God. The knowledge of this blood covenant can change us. The knowledge of the blood covenant we are in as Christians calls for a conscious acknowledgement, consecration and dedication of ourselves to God. We are called to consciously dedicate our bodies completely to God. This is something we must do.
It must be a faith response towards God. It means that we are totally available for whatever God wants us to do. It means that our eating will be for the glory of God only 1 Corinthians The truth is that our body, soul and spirit form a unity and are linked together in many important ways. Dedicating the body to God completely will affect also the mind, the will and the emotions.
God will transform us in every way — in our thinking, in our behaviour, in our words, in our actions — if He truly has the keys to our lives which we have voluntarily given back to Him. The renewing of the mind Romans can only truly take place in the life of someone who has dedicated and offered his or her body to God. God is interested in the renewing of our minds Romans Much of our thinking may still be influenced by Satan through the worldly values which we have received in the past.
There are so many worldly principles which must be abandoned if we are going to think with the mind of Christ. It would be the subject of many books to list and discuss them all. But the basic principles on which we must base our new thinking are as follows:. It is the final authority and the voice of truth for my life.
It should be acted upon. I am now a child of love and am to walk in love. Every departure from the principle of love is a betrayal of God. God is a good Father to me. He already loves me and accepts me in Christ, and I can safely depend on Him to meet all my needs, spiritually, emotionally, financially and in every area Philippians I can find total fulfilment in my relationship with God and in doing His will.
Money, worldly influence, education and talents are not to be trusted in, but to be used for the glory of God. A total dedication to God implies a dedication to constant Spirit-led prayer. This kind of prayer is only possible by the power and working of the Holy Spirit. We should aim for it, depending on the Holy Spirit, the power of the cross and every other revelation God gives us, especially through His Word the Bible.
We cannot achieve it simply through self-effort. But we can and should ask God to work in us to produce this kind of prayer life. What does this total consecration mean in practise? Firstly it means being willing to be willing to worship and obey God always and live for Him in everything.
It does not mean punishing oneself or inflicting oneself with duties we imagine God might be pleased with. God far prefers wholehearted obedience to man-inspired sacrifices 1 Samuel Secondly this consecration means self denial and taking up the cross daily. We must deny ourself. This means saying no to the demands of self. We must take up our cross daily. Every day we will have opportunity to die to ourself.
The more we consent to be united with Jesus in the likeness of his death, the more we will share in his resurrection power Romans That is true even in this life. We must follow Him. This means seeking to be in His presence always through prayer, modelling our lives on His life, identifying ourself with His nature and His purposes, and gladly obeying His commands. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptised into His death? This passage contains many important revelations and some important instructions. The truth is, Jesus has already paid for our total deliverance on the cross.
Let us believe that. The sinful nature which still resists God has been legally dealt with. God has no program for this sinful nature except crucifixion. He does not want to educate it, to heal it, to accept it or to love it. It must be killed.
It has been killed, legally, at the cross. Our old man was crucified with him. It is a revelation of major importance for our sanctification that Jesus has already provided the execution of our sinful nature. All we need to do is to consider it so.
Reckon yourself to be dead indeed to sin. What you think about yourself in relation to this determines the way you will be. Romans 6 is about overcoming sin and living for God through identifcation with Christ. If I believe that through the cross I am dead to sin, that I am now a child of God, a child of love and that old things have passed away then all this will be increasingly manifested in my life.
God says that in Christ I have power over the evil one 1 John and over temptation 1 Cor With this in mind, if you listen carefully, you might discover that sanctification is being preached more than you thought. Beacon Hill, Page Please note: This article was originally published in All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.
Skip to main content. Prev article. Holiness in the lives of believers is Full consecration of ourselves to God Being filled with the Spirit Absolute surrender Loving God with our whole heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbors as ourselves Placing our "all on the altar" God's straightening of the "bent toward sin" in our nature Being set apart for the purposes of God Being made "perfect" or complete in love Victory over the "principle of sin" in our lives Being part of a community of believers who bear witness in the world to God's kingdom of righteousness, peace, and justice A second definite work of grace Wholeness in Christ Dying out to self Empowerment to serve and give witness to the world of the love of God Being restored in the image of God Purity of heart and life Sanctified wholly Christlikeness 1 Let me add a footnote to the discussion.
Let us consider your questions in reverse order. All rights reserved. He also points out that our salvation comes as a result of this sanctification work of the Holy Spirit. See also 1 Peter There is a relationship between the anointing and sanctification. The word anoint describes the procedure of rubbing or smearing a person or thing, usually with oil, for the purpose of healing, setting apart , or embalming.
We will look at the setting apart aspect of anointing since to sanctify means to set apart also. As an example of the anointing and sanctification, let us look at the selection of David as King over Judah. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Samuel then went to Ramah. This anointing revealed God? Note that after David was anointed that the Spirit of God came upon him. The word anointed in the above scripture refers to the consecration to an office or religious service.
Christians are anointed by God for specific tasks in ministry 2 Corinthians ; 1 John for the tasks of ministry. The first purpose of sanctification is the separation or distinguishing ourselves Christians from the world.
We are made holy by the process and act of sanctification by the Holy Spirit. This sanctification gives us the right to say we are children of God, citizens of the Kingdom of God. The second aspect of sanctification involves the anointing or consecration for a specific ministry task. What has God sanctified you for.
We all have a purpose and we should discover this purpose and begin the task of fulfilling it. Your sanctification for a purpose will be accomplished since it was God who anointed you for that purpose.
By faith in God begin to live your purpose and accomplish it without considering the opposing circumstances.
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