When is a Person "Sanctified"?

". . . to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus . . . ."

God is the source of all that becomes holy. He alone is holy (Rev.15:4), and it is only by His grace that anyone ever partakes of His holiness. Sanctification is the word used to describe the process of something or someone becoming holy.

Under the Old Covenant, God sanctified certain times; and then He commanded Israel to honor those special times, explaining to them how to behave so that they might obey His commandment. Concerning the Old Covenant sabbath days, for example, Israel was taught in some detail how to "keep the sabbath day holy". Men then did not know, and we do not know now, how to honor what God has sanctified unless God gives us clear direction; so, we are thankful for God's help in that regard.

Beyond the sanctification of certain times, God's presence sanctified certain places, such as Mount Sinai and Solomon's temple. God sanctified the entire promised land of Canaan, in preparation for giving it to His people. Indeed, God sanctified heaven itself, so that it would be worthy of the honor of His presence.

Any unsanctified thing that touched a sanctified object in the Old Testament became sanctified by means of transfer. This is a basic truth of Scripture, confirmed by many examples. There is danger of becoming cursed by God not only for trespassing onto holy premises, but also for having in one's possession, or sometimes even touching, anything that is sanctified to the Lord. For one example, when the walls of Jericho fell, Joshua and the Israelites destroyed everything in that cursed city and burned it to the ground.

. God sanctified the tithes and offerings which the people rendered to the Levites so that those gifts would be clean enough for the (sanctified) Levites to receive. Then, He sanctified the tithes from the Levites to make their tithes clean enough for the (sanctified) priests to receive. Because the tithes themselves were sanctified; to fail to bring them to the Lord made (and makes) any believer who refuses to bring them worthy of death, just as Achan was made worthy of death for taking the rich spoils which had been sanctified to the Lord. As Jesus warned, "Render unto God the things that are God's."

Besides sanctifying to Himself the whole nation of Israel, God sanctified the prophets to preach to them - in some cases sanctifying them for His service before they were even born! He then warned all men to beware of harming those specially chosen men and women. Moreover, God sanctified the priests of Israel to minister in His holy temple, and to approach Him with the sacrifices which were brought to the Lord by His people. The Old Testament priests were sanctified so that they could minister in the sanctuary without themselves being slain because of unordained transfer of sanctification from the holy place.

God sanctified certain heathen kingdoms to come to Israel and to inflict His awful punishments upon the sanctified people (Jer.22:7). No kingdom on earth could have destroyed Israel had not the God of Israel first sanctified them for that purpose. Indeed, God even sanctified vultures and other meat-eating creatures to come to devour the decaying flesh of the Israelites who were slain by those heathen nations (Zeph.1:7). On the other hand, God sternly warned all those whom He had not ordained to afflict His people, "Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm!"

The New Testament

One element of sanctification found in the Old Testament that is missing in the New is the act of sanctifying oneself. Because ceremonial correctness was involved in the Old Covenant, the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, could "sanctify themselves" (Ex.19:22; Lev.11.44; 2Chron.29:15). In the New Testament this cannot be done. In the Old Testament sanctification by men was accomplished using earthly materials, such as blood, oil, water, or other specified things. The New Covenant is better.

Both God and Moses, at different times and in different ways, sanctified the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex.29:43; Ex.30:26- 30). Both God and Moses sanctified the people of Israel (Ex.19:14-15; Ex.31:13). Both God and Moses sanctified Aaron and his sons as priests (Ex.29:21,44). Both God and Israel's high priest sanctified the brass altar (Ex.29:44; Lev.16:19). There are other examples, but the point is made: by following God's ritualistic commandments in the Old Testament, men could sanctify other people and earthly things.

But there is not one example in the New Testament of anyone sanctifying anything by the use of earthly matter. This is because sanctification in Christ is a matter of spiritual holiness, and no man can touch another person's spirit. Man is flesh, and he cannot reach another person's spirit. Only God can do that. Sanctification is now accomplished only by the touch of God's holy Spirit, access to which Spirit Jesus purchased by his sacrificial death. Jesus is the last person who is said in the Bible to have sanctified himself (Jn.17:19). Everyone else now is sanctified by the Spirit of God. And how much holier it must be in this New Covenant to be sanctified by the touch of God's own Spirit than to have been sanctified by the sprinkling of animal blood, ashes of a red heifer, or olive oil! Carnal men could not appreciate what God was doing with those Old Covenant ceremonies; how much less are carnal men now able to understand this wonderful, sanctifying holy Ghost!

Some groups argue that New Covenant sanctification is an "instantaneous experience", while others argue that the sanctification of our souls is a "process". As is true in most such doctrinal controversies, there is truth in both positions, and both doctrines err in denying the truth of the other. When a person is baptized with the holy Ghost (with the evidence of speaking in other tongues), he is at that moment "sanctified" by the holy Ghost; the holiness of God is instantaneously transferred to him. He becomes God's property, set aside for His purposes. We must point out that receiving "Christianity's" holy spirit (which does not speak in tongues when it comes in) is NOT the act of sanctification, for their spirit is a "dumb spirit" (1Cor.12:-13). Even some Pentecostal groups teach that a person can be sanctified before receiving the holy Ghost baptism. These doctrines are bizarre and foolish, for it is the holy Ghost which sanctifies. Some of these groups teach that before receiving the Spirit we must sanctify ourselves by conforming to a certain style of dress, but conforming to a specified norm was an Old Testament method of sanctification; in the New, sanctification is accomplished only by the Spirit. It is an instantaneous experience wrought by God, transferring His holiness to us by touching our souls. At the same time, there is growth in sanctification.

Entire sanctification is a process. It is actually a growing in the knowledge of what our sanctification entails. When we are first sanctified, we are "as babes in Christ", and our minds are "yet carnal". It takes time for us to break old habits and to realize what kind of creature God has made us in Christ. This is called growing in Christ, or "coming to the knowledge of God", or "attaining perfection" in him. Paul exhorts us to pursue this entire sanctification, to learn to live as those who have been made holy should live. And he describes for us the life which is fully grown in the sanctification of the Lord, so that we might perceive that standard when we see it (1 Thessalonians 5): " And we beseech you brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace SANCTIFY YOU WHOLLY; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

The only way to be sanctified initially is to be baptized with the holy Ghost (with the evidence of speaking in other tongues). And the only way to be sanctified completely is to "be led by the Spirit". Any other teaching on sanctification is simply our carnal denominational ideas, and must be rejected by every wise virgin in Christ Jesus!

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