Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The very first time that
the term sanctify appears in the King James Version is found
in Exodus. Sanctifying to me all the firstborn,
whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both
of man and of beast, it is mine. It seems pretty clear that the
Lord means for them to dedicate or set aside these firstborn
as special in the sight of God. Each time the word is used after
that, the underlying meaning is to set apart from the profane
that which is to be given to the Lord. This term is also used
in a measure to describe the cleansing of the vessels and
priests which are to be used in the tabernacle worship and
offering. Even though this cleansing is attached to this sanctifying,
the reason and ultimate purpose of the use of this term is to
manifest the separation or setting apart of those things which are
considered holy unto the Lord. This is seen most clearly in
the institution of the Sabbath under the law given to Moses.
Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it as the Lord thy God hath commanded
thee. This was a day which was to be
set apart for no other use than to rest before the Lord from
their labors. The common modern concept of
sanctification is centered on the cleansing aspect rather than
the scriptural emphasis which is setting apart. This is an
important distinction which strikes at the root of the notion that
sanctification is primarily a description of a work of moral improvement
or that of fitting the sons of God for an eternal stay in the
courts of heaven. When we look at the use of these
terms in the New Testament, the emphasis is always the same.
These terms appear 27 times in the New Testament, and I cannot
discover any of those instances which would contextually support
the commonly received notion. I hope to examine some of them.
The first appearance of the term in the New Testament is, Say
ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
world. Thou blasphemest, because I said,
I am the Son of God. It is quite obvious that the
Lord is talking about being set apart unto a particular work.
He needed no ceremonial cleansing, nor any of a moral or spiritual
nature either. Then we read the prayer of the
Lord where He says, Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word
is truth. As thou hast sent me into the
world, even so have I sent them into the world. And for their
sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.
that they all may be one as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee,
and that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe
that Thou hast sent me, and the glory which Thou gavest me I
have given them, that they may be one even as we are one. The main purpose of the Lord
in coming into the world to redeem His people is that He might sanctify
them, that is, manifest them as the sons of God through a
belief of the truth. Peter in quoting Leviticus 1144
said, For I am the Lord your God, ye shall therefore sanctify
yourselves, and ye shall be holy, for I am holy. This passage supports
this notion which the Lord sets forth in his prayer. He will
bring it to pass according to the work which he has undertaken.
It is most certainly not a work which is undertaking to improve
their standing with him, either positionally or morally. Any
man who is acquainted with his own innate corruption will certainly
despair of any sanctification which could be undertaken or
accomplished by his own effort, prayers, or obedience, and must
cling to that which alone is to be found in Christ. To this
end, we come to Paul's manifesto of the standing of the sons of
God in Christ, who has made unto us sanctification. What other
sanctification would we desire than that wherein we stand separated
unto God, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, and a holy
nation? It is the Lord's doing, and we will worship Him. Sanctification
is that place where the sons of God do live and move and have
our being. It cannot be improved by any
means nor amended by any measure. We are complete in Him. He also
doth presently work in us both to will and to do of his good
pleasure, because we are sanctified, and not in order to be sanctified.
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. Paul describes this sanctification when he said, For a free CD containing 15 of
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