fbpx
P. O. Box 2252, Oak Park, Illinois 60303-2252 info@wordoflifeministries.org 773-544-0058

What Is Sanctification?

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you and peace, be multiplied – 1st Peter 1:2.

Sanctified people have been considered by many denominations as a religion, but sanctification is for everyone that is professing to be Christians. Denominations is not listed in the Bible, the Bible only speaks about Christians and saints.

There is a difference between sanctification and denomination. Jesus’ disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. The name “Christian” was at first a derogatory term, referring to the people of Christ. Because the Antiochenes constantly heard the name of Christ they named His followers “Christians”. The Jews would never label them as Christians because that would be tantamount to saying that there were the people of the Messiah. The term Christians occur only in two other Scriptures Act 26:28 and 1st Peter 4:16.

Some denominations recognize the word “Saint”, as one that has attained heaven after an exceptionally holy life and has died. According to the Bible “Saints” are those that are followers of Christ, they have submitted their lives completely to Him and the Word of God, some are deceased and some are living.

In order to serve God according to His Word, the individual must be sanctified, meaning they follow the Word of God as much as they can and with the aid of the Holy Spirit they can. Scripture admonishes the believer to present their bodies as a living sacrifice (I beseech you, therefore, brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service – Romans 12:1). This does not just apply to those in leadership or certain denomination, but to all those professing to be followers of Christ.

A living sacrifice refers to God’s will and His purpose for the life of the believer. It implies His guidance or direction in all of life’s decisions. Dedication is an act of surrender or submission to His will for our lives whereby we become a “living sacrifice”. As a Christian or saint of God, one should not seek opportunities to satisfy the deep-seated desires of the sinful nature but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with the new life of Christ.

In order for one to live as a Christian, their mind and heart must be transformed by the Word of God. If not they will continue to live a lifestyle as a non-believer. When one has truly become a Christian, they have the mind of Christ, and Christ’s mind was to do the will of God. This is why the Bible admonishes Christians to have the mind of Christ.

Some actions are not listed in the Bible as sin, this is why one must have the mind of Christ to know although it’s not listed as a sin in the Bible our spirit will let us know that it does not adhere to the Word of God. This is why the Apostle Paul indicated that all things were not expedient for him, referring to those things the Scripture is not explicit. God has given Christians their own judgment, therefore, he or she will know within their inner man what is acceptable to God. This can’t happen if the heart and spirit have not been regenerated, meaning they have been spiritually reborn.

Every professing Christian should have the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. The Fruit of the Spirit can only be produced by God; Christian character is the result of “Christ living within them”. As one submits themselves to the Holy Spirit their character will become that of the Father.

A person receives a portion of the Spirit when they receive salvation as they submit themselves to God they will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and it’s a continual refilling. The filling of the Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer. As we establish our fellowship with God through confession of sin and yield to Him we can be filled with the Spirit. Christians should be filled with the Spirit in order that they may have God’s power to serve Him.

When one is filled with the Spirit they are filled with God’s own life, character, and virtues. The analogy between these two morals is this, when a person is filled with wine they are under the influence of the wine, similarly, a Christian is filled with the Spirit is under the influence of the Spirit when He controls their thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

Sanctification is a departure from worldly actions and thoughts, in order to be citizens of heaven one must be sanctified; representing godliness. Denomination was created by man, and Christianity and saints were created by God. Take the time to read and study the Word of God, and allow His Word to manifest itself in you and through you (Here is the patience of the saints (steadfastness) here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus – Revelation 14:12).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.