SANCTIFICATION

Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth. As You have sent Me into the world, so now I send them. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too might be sanctified.
John 17:17-19

In it’s most basic sense, to sanctify something is to set it apart for God’s special use and purpose. In the Greek, it is the word ‘hagiosmos’ which, like the Hebrew definition of Holy means ‘to set apart’. Unlike the word Holy, though, sanctification is an act that is done willfully for the purpose of fulfilling something specific. And while ‘be holy’ has that same connotation, being holy is to set apart because God is holy. We do it because He is. To sanctify is to set something apart-like an amount of money that you intend to use solely for helping the needy in the the name of Jesus. That amount has been ‘sanctified’. Never to be used for anything else. (A poor example, I know but hopefully the idea is there).

In many ways this sounds a lot like a ‘Nazarite vow’ such as we see in the book of Numbers. But a Nazarite vow, while it is a ‘sanctification’ or ‘setting apart’ for God was done for a specific season and often symbolically. For us, as New Testament believers while we can take a ‘Nazarite vow’ if we so choose, usually when a reference to ‘sanctification’ is used it is towards believers that the Holy Spirit has ‘set apart’. And it is not for a time or a season, but for all time. We are sealed by the blood of Christ, sanctified (set apart) by the Spirit and Christ makes it very clear- once we are His, we are his. Not for a time or a season, but for ‘eternity’. 

This does make a hard time for some, as Calvin taught (based for one on Romans 8:30) that God has already chosen those He will sanctify. (Here the word is ‘predestined’.) The issue though is that free will still exists. So while God has ‘set aside’ us for His purposes, we still have to accept it. We do still have to make the decision: will we, or won’t we? In this case we can see that the Nazarite vow and sanctification DO have some similarities in that we-individually-have to take on the mantle, so to speak. 

You can take or leave a Nazarite vow and and certainly not lose your salvation. Probably lose some witnessing, some effectiveness and certainly some blessings, but you are still in the Kingdom. But ‘sanctification’ we cannot lose. We are set apart once and for all time. Called to be that ‘special priesthood’ under our Great High Priest Jesus Christ that the book of Hebrews speaks of. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Sanctification though also points out to the work we need to do. Being a Christian isn’t saying a few words, getting baptized or even ‘turning your heart to Christ’. It is to willfully surrender yourself TO Him. Step one is to turn to Christ. That is a gift. But now our work begins. Not for our salvation, but because we really HAVE chosen to be ‘sanctified’ for the work of the Lord.

I Thessalonians 5:23
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.