Sanctification, a Christian Requirement
WHAT constitutes a Christian? Strictly speaking, a Christian is a holy one, a sanctified one, a “saint.” He is one whom Jehovah God has sanctified and who has sanctified himself and who is leading a life of sanctification. As the apostle Paul expressed it, “This is what God wills, the sanctifying of you.”—1 Thess. 4:3, NW.
What is God’s part and what is the part of the Christian in sanctification? On what is it based? What is its purpose? Its goal?
The noun “sanctification” comes from the Latin sanctificátio, and the verb “to sanctify” from sanctificáre, meaning “to make holy.” In the Hebrew Scriptures these terms translate various forms of the word qadásh, which, according to its connections, has the root meanings of “to be bright, new, clean” and “to separate, to divide off, to cut away.” In simplest terms “to sanctify” means to separate or set apart for the service and use of Jehovah God. Thus McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia defines sanctification as “separation from ordinary use to a sacred purpose.”
In the Hebrew Scriptures both persons and things were sanctified. By his deliverance of the entire nation of Israel Jehovah set them apart for his own holy purpose, and so he speaks of sanctifying the entire nation. (Ex. 31:13) And because of his sparing the first-born at the passover Jehovah claimed them as his in a special sense, and so instructed Moses: “Sanctify unto me all the first-born.”—Ex. 13:2, AS.
Later on Jehovah took the tribe of Levi in the place of the first-born and it became a sanctified tribe: “The Levites shall be mine; because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed [sanctified: qadásh] unto me all the firstborn in Israel.” (Num. 3:12, 13) By means of a special ceremony Aaron and his sons were both consecrated, that is, authorized, commissioned, appointed, had their hands filled with certain prerogatives, and sanctified, set apart from ordinary to special sacred service, as priests.—Ex. 28:41; 29:33.
Jehovah set aside or sanctified the seventh day of creation from ordinary to special use, which the rest of the Scriptures show to be to vindicate his name. (Gen. 2:1-3) At the time of the giving of the law Mount Sinai was declared to be set apart, holy or sanctified. Neither man nor beast was permitted to come near it. (Ex. 19:23) Pagans would have termed it taboo. The word qadásh was also used to denote the cleansing and purifying from certain defilements or the preparing of oneself for special occasions. (Josh. 3:5; 2 Sam. 11:4) All such sanctifications, however, were typical or representative, foreshadowing the real sanctification that was to come with Christ Jesus.
CHRISTIAN SANCTIFICATION
In the Christian Greek Scriptures the words sanctify and sanctification translate Greek words whose root is hágios, an adjective meaning “holy,” which in turn is comprised of two roots or smaller words meaning “not of the earth”; and hence, “dedicated to God above.” In each instance in the King James “New Testament” the Greek word for “saint” is hágios. The same is also true of the word “Holy” in the expression “Holy Ghost.” Christians are therefore holy ones, set apart for God’s service.
It is Jehovah God who makes holy or sets apart the Christian, even as Christ testified regarding himself: “Do you say to me whom the Father sanctified and dispatched into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, I am God’s Son?” (John 10:36, NW) In the case of Christ’s followers God does this by Christ Jesus: “Both he who is sanctifying and those who are being sanctified all stem from one.”—Heb. 2:11, NW.
These sanctified ones or “saints” are not limited to a miracle-working few, but include all the spiritual body of Christ. Thus Paul repeatedly addresses his letters to the sanctified ones, called to be “saints” or holy ones.—See Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2.
On what basis does Jehovah God sanctify these? On the basis of Christ’s ransom sacrifice: “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.” “Hence Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered.” (Heb. 10:10, 29; 13:12, NW) God’s Word of truth also plays a vital role in the work of setting these apart for God’s service. That is why Christ prayed: “Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17, NW) Additionally God’s active force or power at work is needed, and so we read that Christians are “sanctified with holy spirit.”—Rom. 15:16, NW.
Jehovah God and Christ Jesus do their part of sanctifying the Christian by means of Christ’s blood, the truth of God’s Word and the holy spirit. But there will be no resultant sanctification unless the Christian also does his part. He must first of all exercise faith, for we are told that Christians are “sanctified by their faith in” Christ; by their “faith in the truth.”—Acts 26:18; 2 Thess. 2:13, NW.
Further, the Christian must also separate himself from the unclean world; not by entering a monastery or convent, but by not spotting himself with this world’s greedy commerce, its corrupt politics, its false religions. (Jas. 1:27;1 John 2:15-17, NW) And he must also keep himself morally clean, as Paul emphasized in his letters to the Thessalonians and to Timothy: “For this is what God wills, the sanctifying of you, that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you should know how to get possession of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in covetous sexual appetite.” “Be a vessel for an honorable purpose, sanctified, useful to his owner, prepared for every good work. So, flee from the desires incidental to youth, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, along with those who call upon the Lord out of a clean heart.”—1 Thess. 4:3-5; 2 Tim. 2:21, 22, NW.
The foregoing words of Paul also give us the purpose of sanctification, namely, to be an instrument useful to God, prepared to do his work. Yes, while keeping clean along such lines is the requirement of all, it is especially incumbent upon Christians to cleanse themselves, for they have the privilege and responsibility of bearing the vessels of Jehovah, the truths of God’s Word and the privileges of service that go with the understanding of them.—Isa. 52:11.
Sanctification primarily concerns those Christians who have a heavenly hope, those who, because of their faith and dedication to do God’s will in the “acceptable season,” have been declared righteous by Jehovah God and given a heavenly hope. (Rom. 5:1; 2 Cor. 6:2, NW) They are referred to as a “little flock”; as “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”; as of “Abraham’s seed,” which is to bless all the families of the earth. (Gen. 22:17, 18; Luke 12:32; Gal. 3:29; Rev. 21:9, NW) They are called a little flock, for their number is limited to 144,000, as Revelation 7:4-8 and Re 14:1, 3 clearly show. It is only to these that Paul’s words are directed: “Pursue peace with all people, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord.”—Heb. 12:14, NW.
However, the Bible also shows that there are “other sheep,” a “great crowd” of dedicated Christians who have an earthly hope. (John 10:16; Rev. 7:9-17) An earthly hope? Yes, for God’s Word assures us that the earth abides forever and was created to be inhabited; that it is the place of God’s feet and that he will make it glorious. (Eccl. 1:4; Isa. 45:18; 60:13; 66:1) In that glorious new earth men will build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them; men will be at peace with one another and with the lower animals; and gradually death and all its concomitants of sickness, sorrow and pain will be done away with.—Isa. 65:17-25; Rev. 21:4.
In the days of Israel’s typical theocracy, God had one law for the homeborn and the stranger in a great number of things. The same is true today, in a number of respects God has one law for his spiritual Israel and the “strangers,” the Christians who have dedicated themselves to Jehovah God but who have an earthly hope. Though not strictly considered as sanctified ones or “saints,” these nevertheless are benefited by Christ’s ransom sacrifice at the present time, have the truth of God’s Word and receive of his active force or holy spirit. They also must exercise faith, keep themselves separate from the world and morally clean as they serve as God’s instruments to make his truths known to others.