“That word scares me,” the young man said softly. “Why does it scare you?” I asked, only to be given a number of reasons.
Impossible to attain.
Legalistic.
Not realistic in our current culture.
I realized I needed to get my ducks in a row before I could tackle responding. To quote Inigo Montoya from “The Princess Bride,” “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
As someone who has been a Christian for many years, I had a generalized concept of what sanctification meant, but in that moment, I felt inadequate to reply. I punted and said, “Let me get back to you on that.” There is no shame in acknowledging we don’t always have an answer. This is me circling back.
There are several New Testament words translated “sanctified” or “sanctification,” and they all have the same Greek root word: hagios. In the New Testament, hagios is most commonly translated as “holy” (Vine’s Dictionary). The verb form of hagios is hagiazo, which is typically translated as “sanctify” or “sanctified,” both of which are defined by Vine’s as “to separate” or to “set apart.” So, let’s drill down.
The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3, ESV) If it is God’s will that our lives be “sanctified” (set apart), then we know He will make provision for it to happen. Jesus introduced the concept of sanctification in His High Priestly Prayer.
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” —John 17:17-19
The word translated “consecrate” is the same Greek word hagiazo, which is translated as “sanctify” and “sanctified” in this passage. Jesus set Himself apart (was sanctified) to complete the Father’s purpose for Him. His desire for His disciples is for you and I to be sanctified as well. This is accomplished through His word (v. 17: “Your word is truth”), the Spirit, and obedience.
The author of Hebrews gives us an additional insight when he tells us, “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10) When he refers to “will,” he is speaking of the will of God, which Jesus was obedient to fulfill. The author goes on to say, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (10:14)
Here is how this rolls out. In Hebrews, we see that those who are in Christ have been “sanctified,” or set apart, for God’s divine and sovereign purposes. We are “perfected for all time” in that there is nothing we can do to make us more acceptable to the Father because we stand in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter combined these in one concise statement when he tells us we are “[elect] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” (1 Peter 1:2) The word “elect” is found in verse one in the ESV, but verse two in the KJV. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is the evidence of our having been set apart by God the Father to walk out a life of obedience to the Son.
The Holy Spirit fulfills two aspects to make this possible. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) To “will” means God has put a desire in our heart to worship and serve Him. To “work” for His good pleasure means the Holy Spirit strengthens us to accomplish the work God has given us. We have no excuse, then, because God has given us all we need: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3)
We have been sanctified/set apart to serve God and empowered by His Spirit to accomplish His calling. Our part is to grow in our knowledge of His word so that the Holy Spirit can mature us and make us fruitful for the Kingdom. Sanctification! Not so scary after all.
What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!
