Undoubtedly, we are those who are being sanctified. The sanctified are sinners for whom Christ propitiated God (2:17). As sinners, we had problems with God. How could the Sanctifier sanctify people who had problems with God? It would have been impossible. Therefore, the Lord Jesus made propitiation for us (2:17). What does this mean? It simply means that Christ has appeased God for our situation. Although we were a people who had problems with God, now, through His propitiation, we have no problems with Him. We can declare boldly that we have the assurance that we have no problems with God. Perhaps you feel that you still have a problem with God. Do not believe your feelings. Your feelings mean nothing. The Holy Word means everything, and the Holy Word tells us that Christ has appeased God for us.
Not only were we sinners needing propitiation, but we also were death-victims. Our destiny and destination were death. Hallelujah, we have been released from the slavery of death (2:15)! The concepts that God has been propitiated and that we have been released from death are very deep. Both are clearly mentioned in Hebrews 2. God has been propitiated, and we have been released. We are a people without problems with God and a people who are no longer enslaved by the fear of death. We are free, we are liberated, we are released, and we are emancipated. We are a freed people. Who can enslave us again? People often speak of the United States as the land of freedom. Certainly we, the believers, are in the real land of freedom.
In order to be the sanctified ones, we need another thing—to be produced as the sons of God. The many sons of God had to be brought forth. On the negative side, we have the propitiation for our sins and we have been released from the slavery of death; on the positive side, we have been produced, brought forth, as the many sons of God. The meaning of God’s sanctifying work is that the Firstborn Son of God is working on the many sons of God. This means that the Sanctifier is the Firstborn Son of God and that the sanctified are the many sons of God. The Firstborn is now working on His many brothers. He is qualified to be the Sanctifier because He is the Firstborn Son of God, and we are qualified to be the sanctified because we are the many sons of God. He was qualified through His incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification, and exaltation. After passing through this process, He became the Firstborn Son of God. Our qualifications to be the sanctified are that we have the propitiation for our sins, that we have been released from the slavery of death, and that we have been brought forth to be the many sons of God. Now both He and we are qualified. He is the qualified Sanctifier and we are the qualified sanctified. Do you realize that you are qualified to be the sanctified? The people on the street are not qualified, but we are fully qualified through the propitiation and resurrection of Christ.
Sanctification means separated unto God (Rom. 6:19, 22). Although we were born of God at the time of our regeneration, we still have not been thoroughly separated unto God. In sanctification this work is carried on.
Secondly, in the process of sanctification we are transformed in our very being (2 Cor. 3:18). This matter of transformation is not positional; it is altogether dispositional. In transformation we are being changed metabolically by means of the element of life. This is not an outward change or adjustment; it is an inward metabolic change, an organic change by means of the life element.
As a result of transformation, we shall eventually be conformed to His image (Rom. 8:29). Transformation is to change our Adamic nature into the nature of Christ. Conformation is to conform us, the many sons of God, to the image of the Firstborn Son of God. This is also a part of the process of sanctification.
The work of conformation, which is based upon the work of transformation, will issue in our glorification (Rom. 8:30; Col. 3:4). In the process of sanctification we are going to be glorified with God’s glory. This has been fully covered in the messages on the Captain of salvation.
Now we have seen what sanctification is. It is to separate the reborn sons of God unto God, to transform them metabolically and organically with the element of the divine life, to conform them to His image, and to glorify them with His glory. This is the full dispositional sanctification.
We have seen that the Sanctifier and the sanctified are all out of one. This means that they are all out of one Father. Both the Sanctifier and the sanctified are sons born of the same Father. Since He and we are born of the same Father, we are His brothers. We and He have all come out of the same source and we share with Him the same life and nature. In this life and nature we are now under His sanctifying work to transform us from being natural and to conform us to His image that we may be glorified with the glory of God. This is sanctification.