Introduction |
Dear
brothers in the Lord, this book of mine deals with sanctification (or
holiness), which I consider a very important subject to us who are children
of God. |
First of
all, you must understand that when you were born again (that is, when you
were regenerated by God) you were sanctified, that is to say, you were made
holy. For the Scriptures teach that at the new birth God performs an act of
sanctification on believers, through which they are declared holy. Here is
how Paul and Peter expressed this concept in their epistles. Paul said to the
Corinthians: “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall
inherit the |
Secondly,
beloved, you must understand that you are holy because of the obedience
showed by Jesus Christ, for it was through His atoning sacrifice that you
were sanctified, as it is written: “By that will we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10
– NKJV). It follows that you don’t have anything to boast about before God, for
- as Paul says - Christ became for us sanctification from God (1 Corinthians |
When I say
that you were sanctified in Jesus Christ I mean these things. |
● You
attained the perfection in regard to the conscience through the blood of
Christ, as it is written: “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever
them that are sanctified” (Hebrews |
●
God separated you from the world, so that you might serve righteousness. In
other words, God separated you from those who live in darkness so that you
might be a holy people to the Lord for the rest of your earthly life. In
ancient times God chose the Israelites so that they might serve Him, for He
said to them: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD
thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all
people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6), and again:
“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen
thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are
upon the earth” (Deuteronomy 14:2). Now, in these last days God has set apart
for Himself a people (His Church) which is formed of all those Jews and
Gentiles whom He has rescued from this present evil age so that they might
serve Him. This concept is expressed by Paul in his epistle to Titus when he
says that Christ Jesus “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from
every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for
good works” (Titus 2:14 - NKJV). |
Therefore,
brethren, you were set apart by God so that you might pursue sanctification,
as Paul said to the saints in |
As you can
see, the Scriptures clearly state that we were called to be holy, that is to
say, to perfect our sanctification before God. Therefore the pursuit of sanctification
(or the perfecting of sanctification) is a divine command, and it is so
important that the Scripture states that without sanctification no one will
see the Lord. I say this because I know that today among many Churches many despise
sanctification, making light of it and not considering it so important (for
they consider it a human option). |
Now,
brethren, we have our fruit to sanctification, but how can we bear this
fruit? We can bear this fruit by abiding in Christ, for Jesus Christ said: “I
am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
In other words, we can bear this fruit by keeping the commandments of God,
for John said: “He who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him”
(1 John |
Before I
go on, however, I would like to point out that we can perfect our
sanctification (which is a process that involves a separation unto God, a
purification of flesh and spirit, and a conformation to the image of Christ)
only by the power of God, who works in us what is well pleasing to Him. In
other words, we are able to perfect our sanctification because God works in
us. However, it is very important to note that God will work in us if we
allow Him to work. This principle that recognizes both God’s initiative and
man’s responsibility is expressed by Paul in the epistle to the Philippians
when he gives them this command: “Work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good
pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13 – NKJV). So, God enables us to perfect our
sanctification, but we MUST respond. |
Let us now
look closely at the things from which we, as believers, must abstain in order
to live a holy life. |