What does sanctify mean?
Sanctify means to "separate." This idea of separate is pervasive in the Bible. Significantly, the first employment of this word is found in the Creation account. God separates the light from the darkness—a symbolic foreshadowing of His plan to deliver His creatures from the domain of darkness. God separated Noah from the ungodly. He separated Abraham his family and inheritance in Ur. He separated Israel from Egypt. The very word “church” means the “called out” ones—“come out from among them and be separate.”
What does this mean, practically speaking to you and me? Listen to the words of A.B. Simpson, in his book “Wholly Sanctified.”
“Sanctification means our voluntary separation from evil. It is not the extinction of evil. It is the putting off, the laying aside of evil by the detaching of ourselves from it and placing an impassable gulf between us and it. We are to separate ourselves not only from our past sins but from sin as a principle of life. We are not to try to improve and gradually ameliorate our unholy condition. We are to put off the old life, acting as if it were not longer our self, and separating it from our sinful self as the wife is divorced from her husband, and as the soul is separated from the body by death. We are to reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin just as much as though we were no longer the same person, and the old heart was no longer that true self.”
…May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entiredly (1 Thesalonians 5:23).
Greg,
ReplyDeleteWhile pondering your series on sanctification I began to wonder (not wander, thankfully) how to enforce and reinforce the truth of which you speak. "Doing it" came to mind. That is kind of obvious. But when one finds their own nature is much more contemplative than assertive the challenge seems a little steeper. But no excuses. However, another thought occured to me about "submerging" or "imbedding" oneself into the truth by surrounding one's thoughts and occupation with the same truths.
I'll let you know.
Stan
Greg,
ReplyDeleteThe Scripture was brought to mind in Ephesians as I re-read your article here:
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" Eph 1:4, KJV
It was a complimentary reminder that God always has a bigger picture in mind when He views us. Our purpose in this life goes beyond our personal understanding of that purpose (though that helps our focus); it is deeply Personal for God. It is that we should be holy AND without blame before Him...in love!
Phenomenal!
Stan