Sanctification is an important part in God’s salvation. The Scriptures speak quite clearly concerning the matter of sanctification. Regrettably, while many today pay attention to the teaching of sanctification, they misunderstand its meaning. We need to return to the Bible to see the truth concerning sanctification.
1. “Sanctify” (John 17:19; Exo. 28:3, 41; Lev. 22:2; Isa. 66:17; see also John 10:36).
Many consider that being sanctified means to cast off all sins and to be cleansed of all filthiness. But this is not the proper concept of sanctification according to God’s Word. God’s thought concerning sanctification greatly exceeds this concept. In fact, a person who has cast off all sins and is purged of all evil still might not be sanctified before God.
Both in the Old Testament Hebrew and in the New Testament Greek, the emphasis in the meaning of sanctification is separation. According to the Old and New Testaments, sanctification refers to separation. The meaning of sanctification in the Bible is to be separated from common things.
The Bible shows that holiness is God’s nature and essence. God’s nature and essence are distinct from everything. Whenever God or godly matters are spoken of in the Bible, they are referred to as being holy. An object that is not consecrated to God or that does not belong to God is not holy; once it is consecrated to God and belongs to God, however, it is holy and separated. For example, a bullock or a goat is not holy, but it becomes sanctified once it is laid on the altar because the altar separates it unto God (Matt. 23:19). Gold is not holy, but it becomes sanctified once it is put in the temple because the temple separates it unto God (v. 17). Food is not holy, yet it is sanctified by the prayer of the saints because the prayer separates it for the saints of God. Animals, gold, and food are in the world, belong to the world, and are for the world; hence, they are common rather than holy. The altar sets apart some bulls and goats, the temple sets apart some gold, and the prayers of the saints set apart some food. These things become sanctified and holy because they have been separated unto God to be directly or indirectly for God. Sanctifying these objects does not make them sinless; it separates them unto God. Do bulls and goats, gold, and food sin? Do they need to be delivered from sin? Their problem is not related to sin but to the world. Although they are not evil, they are common. They are of the world and for the world; they do not belong to God and are not for God. They are common and ordinary; they are not separated or consecrated to God to be holy. Therefore, they need to be sanctified; they need the experience of being separated unto God and being for God. Thus, to be sanctified is to be separated not only from sin but also from the world and all that is worldly, from all that is not of God and not for God, to be consecrated to God so that the sanctified one may match God’s holy nature and essence.
2. “Make a distinction between the holy and the common” (Lev. 10:10; see also Ezek. 22:26; 44:23).
These verses show that the opposite of “holy” is not sin but that which is “common.” Sanctification involves separation from what is common to be holy. To be common means to be ordinary, not necessarily sinful or wrong. A thing does not need to be sinful or wrong to be unholy. It is unholy because it is not separated from what is common. A person may behave very properly and uprightly and appear blameless and perfect before men, but he is still common rather than holy. Although he is proper and upright, he is common and ordinary because he has not been separated from what is common and ordinary to be consecrated to God. Although he may not be defiled, he goes along with the tide of the age and what is common. Thus, even though he may be proper and upright, he still needs to be sanctified. Sanctification separates people not only from evil defilement but also from what is common so that they may be holy.
3. “Consecrates...to be holy to Jehovah” (Lev. 27:14; see also 22:3; Exo. 13:2; 39:30).
Negatively, to be sanctified means to be separated from all that is apart from God; positively, it means to be consecrated to God. All that is outside of God is common; only God and what is of God are holy. All persons, things, and matters are outside of God and are worldly; therefore, they are common. Sanctification separates these common persons, things, and matters from all that is apart from God so that they may be consecrated to God and belong to God. Not only do they need to be separated from what is apart from God, but they also need to be consecrated to belong to God, for only God is holy, and only what is consecrated and belongs to God is sanctified.