What is Sanctification?

Hebrews 12.14 : "Seek peace with all, and sanctification, without which no man shall see the Lord."

Definition : presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer who imposes a practical separation from evil. Liberation of the old nature of man by the Holy Spirit made possible by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 7.1 : "Therefore having such promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all uncleanness of the flesh and the spirit, finishing our sanctification in the fear of God."

The redeemed of Christ naturally wants to live for his Lord and Savior. Alas, we soon realize that we have no strength to lead a holy and pure life. Born again our sinful nature still remains. We must learn by experience and by teaching the Word this:

that in us, that is, in our flesh, he does not live well.

- that in us sin still dwells, distinct from the renewed man.

that in us there is no strength to repress this old nature.

Romans 7.18 : "What is good, I know, does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh: I have the will, but not the power to do good. not the good that I want, and I do the wrong that I do not want, and if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me who does it, it is the sin that dwells in me...."

God is anointed of the Spirit to serve him, to know the deep things of God, to receive and communicate with his thoughts. The Lord's will for the Christian is our sanctification, it is a call to holiness. In this process applied by the Holy Spirit, the child of God is justified and regenerated. We take our cross by having a course of action imitating the values ​​of our Lord Jesus our fundamental model. Through this communion with Christ, we can be washed from all earthly defilements and progress in this path of holiness.

1 Thessalonians : "What God wills is your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication; it is because each one of you knows how to possess your body in holiness and honesty, it is because each one of you knows how to possess your body in holiness and honesty, without indulging in passionate lust, as pagans do. who do not know God...."

God is not content to erase the sins committed by our old nature, which the Word calls "the flesh," and which can only produce evil, but it gives us another life, another nature in sanctification. It is change that manifests the reality of our faith in Christ. Just as lust produces sin, so sin produces death. We must hold our tongue; to master our mood jumps, to know how to listen and refrain from bad speech. Then we walk by the Spirit to be dependent and implicitly on Christ for salvation.

James 1.19 : "Know this, my beloved brethren, that every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the wrath of man does not fulfill the righteousness of God...."

Paul preached the faith as the basis of justification before the Lord, but insisted that it leads to a righteous life. It is a work of transformation, operated by the Holy Spirit in the believer, which leads him to always know better and to practice the will of God. Faith in the work of Jesus Christ, is always drawn in the sanctification and edification by the Word of God.

Ephesians 2.21: "In him all the edifice, well co-ordinated, rises to be a holy temple in the Lord, and in him you are also edified to be a dwelling of God in the Spirit."

James wrote to those who had accepted the doctrine of justification by faith, but whose life was not in accord with what they proclaimed, and he told them that such faith was null and void. It is the will to distinguish what is good and right, from what is bad. Our belonging comes from the eternal dimension that is already established in holiness. The predominant moral quality is consecration to God.

Hebrews 2.11 : "For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, therefore he is not ashamed to call them brothers...."

To progress in sanctification, we must :

- Meditate the Word regularly with diligence.
John 17.17 : "Sanctify them by your truth, your word is the truth."

- To captivate any evil thought captive to the obedience of Christ and to flee sin.
John 17.19  "And I sanctify myself for them, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

- Watch and pray.
Matthew 26.41 : "Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

- To subjugate the desires of the flesh.
1 Corinthians 9.27 : "But I treat my body hard, and hold it to him, lest I be cast out, after preaching to others."

- Participate in the common edification for the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12.25: "That there be no division in the body, but that all the members also take care of one another."

Conclusion : sanctification is inseparable from faith. It is the process that the Holy Spirit engenders from the new birth to free us from sin. We pray and listen to the Word under the impulse of the Holy Spirit in a constant progression. Sanctification is the manifestation of a newness of life, produced by the Holy Spirit. We must therefore collaborate, by faith, to reach the goal. It is to be set apart for God but sanctification is above all the mark of belonging, of consecration in holiness.

Joshua 7.13 : "Arise, sanctify the people, and say, Hallow yourselves for tomorrow: for thus says the LORD God of Israel," There is forbidden among you, Israel; You will be able to resist your enemies until you have removed the forbidden from among you. " Amen!