Sanctify, Sanctification
SANCTIFY, SANCTIFICATION.Sanctification is the translation of , which is one of the group of words that includes , and , and . The root idea of the group seems to be separation or restricted use (see Holiness). denotes primarily a process; but in NT it is used also to describe the state resulting from that process. This wider usage is familiar in our language, and therefore we take sanctification to describe both a state and a process. It is the process by which men are made holy, and it is also the state into which men pass as they become holy. Therefore this article must discuss what state is considered by Jesus Christ to deserve the name sanctification, and what is the process whereby He conceives men are sanctified.
The first fact to be noticed about this entire group of words is that it occupies a meagre place in the teaching of Jesus. The number of times when either of them is put into His lips is very small, and none of these few usages refers to man. is used as follows: He addresses God as Holy Father (Joh 17:11); He speaks of the holy angels (Mar 8:38 ||); He uses the name Holy Spirit (Mat 12:32 || Mat 28:19, Mar 12:36; Mar 13:11, Luk 12:12, Joh 14:26; Joh 20:22); He warns against giving that which is holy unto the dogs (Mat 7:6); and He refers to the abomination that stands in the holy place (Mat 24:15). is used of the temple that sanctifieth the gift (Mat 23:17; Mat 23:19); and there are three very important usages in Joh 10:36; Joh 17:17; Joh 17:19. It occurs also in the Lords Prayer in the sentence, Hallowed be thy name (Mat 6:9). This petition suggests that both the ceremonial and ethical aspects of the word were present to our Lords mind. The name of the Father is to be reverenced. It casts awe upon the worshipping soul. But also the name stands for righteousness. It is a name whose ethical splendour must not be smirched. The same double reference can be traced in His usage of . When Jesus employs these words, He seems to give them their true historical sense as implying (1) a state of consecration to the Divine purposes, and (2) a state of ethical holiness.
, the NT word for sanctification, does not occur at all in the recorded sayings of Jesus. But He was constantly speaking about the thing itself. Therefore we are constrained to recognize some special significance in the absence of the familiar words from the Lords teaching. Probably the explanation is found in the state of religious feeling in His day. is the nearest Greek equivalent of the Hebrew . This term, with its kindred terms, had acquired a distinct connotation. It has been pointed out that the idea of holiness in OT is progressively spiritualized, and receives more and more ethical content. But whilst this is true of OT usage, the Greek period in Jewish history had ushered in a time of reaction in the significance of religious terms. The struggle of pious Jews to resist Hellenizing tendencies threw the emphasis of religion upon keeping the Law. Thus arose the Pharisaic interpretation of piety as rigid obedience to the Law. Under this influence holiness was again interpreted ceremonially instead of morally. When Jesus was born, the religious phraseology of the day was legal rather than ethical. Now this conception of sanctification was the subject of unsparing denunciation by Jesus. One long chapter in Matthews Gospel gathers up seathing rebukes of those who put the emphasis of religion upon what is external (Mat 23:1-36; cf. Luk 11:39-52). In the Sermon on the Mount He said: Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven (Mat 5:20). So that, if Jesus had used the current terms, He would have been understood in the current sense. In order to secure new moral contents for the terms, He had to drop them, and to use other phraseology to describe their true meaning.
A further explanation of the absence of the familiar terms is found in Jesus method of teaching. His teaching was not doctrinal. He did not express His ideals in formulas, but in pictures of what men ought to be. Instead of reiterating familiar maxims, He minted new precepts for mens daily use. Neglecting the outworn dogmas of the scribes, He uttered sharp calls to men as to what they ought to do. His teaching was new, and was with authority (Mar 1:22; Mar 1:27). When we turn to the Epistles, we discover that, though the familiar terms reappear, they reappear in a new form. They have no longer the Pharisaic connotation. They have a new Christian connotation, which lifts them above the highest ethical attainment of OT. The NT writers use OT words with the significance that Jesus Christ has given to the idea they represent.
1. Christs teaching about sanctification.
i. His teaching about the ideal of sainthood.Jesus Christs conception of sanctification started from the holiness of God the Father. He found certain attributes in God that are capable of being the ideal for men. These attributes belong to the Fatherhood of God. He summed up many exhortations in the words, Be ye therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mat 5:48). This command held out a new ideal of perfection. Hitherto men had found their ideal in various human excellences. Jesus fixed attention upon God the Father. There are many Divine attributes that are inaccessible to men. No man can be perfect even as God is perfect. The omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God are absolutely beyond human reach. But as Father, God displays certain qualities that may be copied by men; and these qualities unite to form the Christian ideal. Such teaching rested upon the underlying belief of Jesus that man has a capacity for sonship of God, and that he reaches his ideal by realizing his sonship. And Jesus could conceive sonship only in the ethical reslm. To give men power to become children of God, is to make them resemble their Father ethically (Joh 1:12).
The details of the teaching may be summarized conveniently under some of the leading categories of thought used by Jesus:
(1) His own example. He claimed to set forth the moral ideal, because He was the Son of God (Joh 14:6). As the Son, He revealed the Father (Mat 11:27, Joh 14:9-10); therefore the children of God are those who resemble Him (Mat 11:29). The imitation of Christ is the true sanctification.
(2) Love. The central and all-pervading glory of the Divine Fatherhood is love (Mat 5:45, Joh 14:21; Joh 14:23). The Apostolic phrase God is love (1Jn 4:8) sums up the irresistible testimony of Jesus to the Father (cf. 1Jn 3:1; 1Jn 4:9-10, Joh 3:16). Therefore holy people must be loving. The first demand is for love towards God. To love the Lord is the greatest commandment (Mat 22:37 ||). The character that lacks this devoted love for the heavenly Father is fatally defective. But Jesus bracketed the commandment to love thy neighbour as thyself with this first and greatest (Mat 22:39 ||); and the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luk 10:25-37) has been interpreted as teaching that charity is the true sanctity (Bruce). Likeness to the heavenly Father is impossible without the cultivation of a loving spirit (Mat 5:43-48, Luk 15:25-32). This love must be unselfish (Luk 14:13-14). It must forgive freely and unweariedly (Mat 18:21-22). It must not judge (Mat 7:1-2). It must be full of compassion towards all needy ones, and must find a neighbour in any one requiring assistance (Luk 10:24-35). Jesus also inculcated the supreme importance of love by His rebukes of its opposites: of lack of compassion (Mat 18:23-35, Luke 10); of selfishness (Luk 16:19-31); of inhumanity (Mat 25:41-45). Equally terrible were His denunciations of Pharisaic injustice to the weak (Mat 23:4-14 ||).
(3) Righteousness. The love of the Father is a holy love. God is the righteous Father (Joh 17:25). Jesus came into the world from the Father to save from sins (Mat 11:19, Luk 15:7; Luk 15:10; Luk 15:18, Mat 26:28, Joh 3:16-17). Therefore no man can resemble the Father who does not desire supremely to be eleansed from sin. Likeness to the Father involves complete consecration to His holy purpose, and readiness to be separated from every evil thing (Mat 5:6; Mat 13:43; Mat 18:8 ||). The Christian must seek first the righteousness of the Heavenly Father (Mat 6:33). His goodness must be manifest in deeds as well as words (Mat 7:21). He must be pure in heart (Mat 5:8). His righteousness must be inward and real, not outward and ceremonial (Mat 5:20, Mat 23:25-28).
(4) Life. Jesus came that men might have life (Joh 10:10). Moral perfection is conceived as the true self-development (Mat 25:46, Mar 10:30). God has made us for Himself; unfailing obedience to the will of God leads to fulness of life (Mat 19:17, Joh 17:3). Mutilation is urged in preference to the loss of life (Mar 9:43; Mar 9:45 ||). But mutilation is only second best. The moral ideal is to find perfect life (Mar 8:35 ||).
(5) Citizenship in the Kingdom. Jesus taught that moral perfection cannot be realized by men in isolation. This is the aspect of sanctification brought out by His teaching about the Kingdom of God. His ideal man is a citizen as well as a son. He must live as a member of a Society, showing those qualities that help to build the City of God (cf. Mat 5:9; Mat 5:13-16; Mat 5:19). Such a recognition of other lives will keep men meek (Mat 5:5, Mat 11:29), and will fill their hearts with humility (Mat 18:1-6 ||).
ii. Christs teaching about the process of sanctification.(1) We note that sanctification is a process having a definite beginning. It is not another aspect of natural development. Its history is distinct from the record of physiological and psychological growth. We note the striking saying about His forerunner: Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Mat 11:11). Here two kingdoms are distinguished: the natural kingdom into which men are born of women, and the Kingdom of heaven. The latter kingdom belongs to a higher order than the former, as the animal kingdom is higher than the vegetable, or as the weakest mammal is greater than the strongest reptile. The babe in the higher kingdom of men is greater than the tiger in the kingdom of animals. So the least in the Kingdom of heaven belongs to a higher order, and has larger possibilities of spiritual development, than the greatest among those born of women, i.e. produced by natural birth and growth. This implies that entrance into the Kingdom of heaven is secured by a new principle of life. This necessity is further hinted at in the teaching about defilement proceeding from the heart (Mat 15:11). It is not enough to adorn a life with kind actions, to hang bunches of grapes on a thorn bush (Mat 7:16). Good actions must be the fruit that grows on a good tree (Mat 7:16-18, Joh 15:4). The tree must be made good; the heart must be cleansed; the river of life must be purified at its source. It will not suffice to build a fine house on a wrong foundation. The hidden principle must be made secure if the life is to be saved (Mat 7:24-27). These hints prepare us for the demand, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven (Mat 18:3 ||). Sanctification involves the quickening of a new life in men. The maturing of their physical nature cannot suffice; their spiritual nature must pass through the stages of birth and childhood before it can attain maturity. This teaching finds exact expression in the words addressed to Nicodemus: Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God (Joh 3:3). Mans destiny is not achieved through his physical birth into a physical kingdom. That which is born of the flesh is flesh (Joh 3:6); therefore no number of reincarnations can produce a spiritual result. Before we can be born into a spiritual kingdom, we must have a second kind of birth corresponding to the kingdom; we must be born of the Spirit (Joh 3:5-8).
(2) A second group of passages hints that sanctification may be a long process before it is completed. This is suggested in the parable of the Sower (Mat 13:3, Mar 4:3); the parable of the Seed as growing upfirst the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear (Mar 4:28); and in all the figures of fruit-bearing, because fruit-bearing is the late result of a long process (cf. Joh 15:2, Luk 13:8). Another set of parables represents men as servants of a long-absent Lord, who have to show diligence in trading with the pounds, fidelity in the use of talents, and patience in watching (Mat 25:14, Luk 19:12, Mat 24:42). Probably this thought is contained also in the identification of true life with the knowledge of God (cf. Joh 17:3, Mat 11:27). Such knowledge is not merely an intellectual apprehension; it is a spiritual fellowship. It implies ethical likeness through surrender of the whole being to the Divine will. Such likeness can be secured only through long conformity of the heart and mind and will to God. A pure heart is the organ of such a vision of God (Mat 5:8).
(3) There are definite statements as to the means whereby this ethical likeness to the Father is secured.
(a) By prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer. There are fifteen references to His prayers in the Gospels. It is specially noteworthy that He betook Himself to prayer when any fierce temptation assailed Him (Luk 5:16; Luk 9:28, Joh 12:27, Mat 26:36 ||), when any work of critical importance had to be undertaken (Luk 6:12, Joh 11:41; Joh 11:17), or when He was exhausted with toil (Mar 1:35, Mat 14:23); and that it was while He was praying that He was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Luk 3:21), and that He was transfigured (Luk 9:29). But it is clear also that He was accustomed to pray on all occasions (cf. Luk 10:21, Luk 11:1, Luk 22:32, Luk 23:46). It is instructive, therefore, that He urged men to pray (Mat 5:44; Mat 6:6; Mat 26:41 ||, Luk 11:2; Luk 18:1; Luk 21:36). He encouraged prayer by promising large blessing (Mat 7:7-11, Mar 11:24). He declared that true prayer justified a man (Luk 18:14) All these references seem to make it clear that prayer ministers to our sanctification.
(b) Self-denial. Jesus had a very definite philosophy of life; but it was clean contrary to worldly wisdom. He summarized it thus: Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life (Mat 7:13-14 ||). Whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospels, shall save it (Mar 8:35 ||). Self-denial is thus taught not for its own sake, but as the only way to reach self-perfection (Mat 16:24 ||).
(c) Good works. We have noticed the emphasis put by Jesus on works of love and mercy. It must be pointed out now that He taught their sanctifying efficacy. The blessed of the Father, who inherit the Kingdom, have qualified by good works (Mat 25:31-40). The young ruler could be perfect if he would keep the commandments (Mat 19:21), and the lawyer could inherit eternal life in the same way (Luk 10:28). Several times Jesus promised a reward for obedience, fidelity, and diligence (cf. Mat 25:10; Mat 25:14-30, Luk 19:12-27, Mar 10:29-30 ||); and if heavenly rewards are granted to those morally fit, as is taught clearly by the parable of the Pounds (Luke 19), these passages imply that sanctification is advanced by a life of obedience to Gods will.
(d) Faith in Christ. There is a large group of passages in all the Gospels, and there are specially important discourses in John, in which Jesus Christ is offered to men as a means of their sanctification.
() Sometimes sanctification is promised to those who copy His example. This is done in the gracious invitation (Mat 11:28-30). Learning of Jesus, we may become meek and lowly in heart; yoked with Him under the yoke which He wears and which He graciously invites us to share, we may hear our burden easily. It is also taught by His claim to be the one Master whom all are to obey (Mat 23:10).
() Sanctification is bound up with obedience to His teaching. The wise man is one who builds on the words of Jesus (Mat 7:24). He offered His words as the rock of eternal truth on which men may build for eternity, in place of the shifting sand of opinion and hypothesis which will not continue. Eternity will put the strain of judgment upon the characters we are building; and only those characters resting on the rock of His words will stand the strain (Mat 7:25-27). The same truth is taught in the impressive words of Mat 10:32-33. To confess Him and His words is the same as building upon them; whilst to be ashamed of them is to refuse to make them the foundation for conduct. The same sentiment is expressed in Joh 5:24. He that cometh not into judgment, because he hath passed out of death into life, is one in whom the signs of sanctification are recognized. This sanctified man is he that heareth my word and believeth him that sent me.
() Sanctification is secured by union with Jesus as the Son of God. It has been pointed out that knowledge of the Father is one of Jesus Christs descriptions of sanctification. And a very solemn claim made by Jesus is that none knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him (Mat 11:27). The Son willeth to reveal the Father to all, for the very next word is, Come unto me all ye that labour: but there is no relaxing of the claim that men must come to Him and learn of Him if they would know the Father; cf. Joh 6:46; Joh 14:6. Other conceptions of God may be attained by other means. The Father can be revealed only by One who fulfils perfectly the complementary relationship.
() Separate reference may be made to the discourses in Johns Gospel, because these amplify the teaching in the Synoptics, though the germs are found there. We may note the claim of Jesus to be the light of the world (Joh 8:12; Joh 9:5; Joh 12:35-36; Joh 12:46; and cf. Joh 1:4-5; Joh 1:9; Joh 3:19); to be the living water (Joh 7:37-38, Joh 4:14); to be the bread of God come down from heaven to feed the world (Joh 6:32-35; Joh 6:47-58). These figures imply that men must follow Him if they would walk in the ways of holiness, and must sustain their life by union with Him, if they would have it strong and healthy. This last means of sanctification is described quite definitely in the words, He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him (Joh 6:56, cf. Joh 15:1-10). The words have been interpreted sacramentally, as referring solely to the elements offered to the participants in the Lords Supper. But such an interpretation is entirely opposed to the spirit of Jesus, and would have been inexplicable to the people addressed. And though an allusion to the Lords Supper as a means of grace need not he denied (cf. Mat 26:26-28 ||), it is plain that our Lord was thinking of a spiritual union between Himself and His followers, maintained by their faith. Another significant passage occurs in Joh 8:31-38. It has affinity with passages emphasizing the importance of His words (Joh 8:31; Joh 8:38). But it passes on to the statement, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. This is explained to mean freedom from sin (Joh 8:34); therefore it implies sanctification. And as the truth is changed in Joh 8:36 to the Son, this is another direct claim on the part of Jesus to be our Sanctification (cf. Joh 14:6, Joh 15:3-4; Joh 15:10). It leads us naturally to the very important text Joh 17:17; Joh 17:19. Jesus prayed for His disciples, Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth. For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Sanctify seems ho be used here with its full meaning. The idea of consecration is not absent (cf. Joh 17:18 and (Revised Version margin) ); but Joh 17:14-16 prove that the ethical significance is prominent. This sanctification is secured in truth. The truth is identified with thy word, which has been given to the disciples by Jesus (Joh 17:14), partly by His words (Joh 14:10), and partly by His character and example (Joh 1:14, Joh 14:9). The thought seems to be that the disciples are to be sanctified by abiding in this revelation, and by being led farther and farther into it. The truth is (as it were) the element into which the believer is introduced and by which he is changed. The truth is not only a power within him by which he is moved; it is an atmosphere in which he lives. The end of the truth is not wisdom, which is partial, but holiness, which is universal (Westcott, in loco.). This teaching finds more complete expression throughout chs. 1416. The disciples must abide in Christ, who is the true Vine, if they would bear much fruit (Joh 15:1-8). When the Master is gone, lie will send another Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who will guide into all truth (Joh 14:16-17; Joh 14:26, Joh 15:26, Joh 16:13-15). They are in the truth already; but they will be guided into its deeper recesses by the Spirit of truth. Thus they will be sanctified, knowing the Father more perfectly as He is revealed in the Son (Joh 16:14), and bearing much fruit through this knowledge (Joh 15:5). All their consecration of themselves to the work to which their Master sent them must move within the sacred sphere of the truth.
() One sentence in this prayer is very valuable for our purpose, For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified (Joh 17:19). Jesus Christs sanctification of Himself is primarily His devotion of Himself to the Fathers will. His sanctification was unique in that there never was any refusal of that will as it was made known to Him. But such a refusal was always possible whilst His earthly life lasted. In that sense Jesus had to be progressively sanctified. He had not fulfilled the entire will of His Father until He could say upon the cross, It is finished (Joh 19:30). Therefore He had to continue sanctifying Himself until then. The immediate reference of the words in the prayer seems to be to His death. The prayer is the renewal of His surrender. Again He takes up His cross. He is willing to die, in obedience to the Fathers will, that the disciples may be sanctified. Two points must be noticed. (1) This complete surrender to the Fathers will, obedience even unto the death of the cross, makes Jesus the absolutely perfect example for our sanctification (Php 2:5-8). (2) But also there is a distinct reference to His death as helping to secure the sanctification of his disciples. This hint is not solitary. It gathers other words to itself. I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself (Joh 12:32). This drawing is part of the process of sanctification. Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit (Joh 12:24). By dying Jesus will become a fruitful Personality in the world, producing much fruit in His disciples. This is my blood of the covenant, which is shed for many (Mar 14:24). The New Covenant is written on mens hearts. It is concerned with a spiritual sanctification as distinguished from one that is merely ceremonial. Jesus connects His death with this New Covenant as a means of securing sanctification for many. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (Joh 10:11). This sacrifice by the Shepherd ensures that the lost sheep are found, and being found is one of Jesus Christs words for at least the beginnings of sanctification (Luk 15:5; Luk 15:9; Luk 15:32). These sayings make it certain that Jesus thought of His death as playing an important part in the process whereby sins prisoners are delivered, and are set forth upon the road to holiness.
At the same time the reference of Joh 17:19 cannot be confined to His death, if only because His sanctification of Himself in His death was but the perfect flower of a life that was one long sanctification. His death cannot be isolated from His life. He came into the world to save sinners; and His entire earthly experience ministered to that salvation. At each critical stage He sanctified Himself: the act of the critical moments reflected His daily temper, It is this continued sanctification, culminating in His death, that is the means of the sanctification of His disciples. See, further, on the sanctification of Christ, art. Consecrate, Consecration, in vol. i.
() The passages quoted have led us already to the teaching of Jesus that our sanctification is through the Holy Spirit. Although this teaching is developed in John, it is not absent from the Synoptic tradition. The unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spiritcalled an eternal sin (Mar 3:29 ||). Lukes Gospel substitutes give the Holy Spirit for give good things (Luk 11:13, cf. Mat 7:11). All the Synoptists concur in ascribing to Jesus the promise, The Holy Spirit shall teach you what you ought to say (Luk 12:12, Mat 10:20, Mar 13:11). Moreover, a large place is given to the Spirit in the sanctification of Jesus. His miraculous birth is ascribed to the Spirit (Mat 1:18, Luk 1:35), The descent of the Spirit upon Jesus at His baptism was the Fathers anointing in response to the Sons consecration (Mar 1:10-11 ||). It was the Spirit that drove Him into the wilderness to be tempted (Mar 1:12 ||). Jesus returned to His work in the power of the Spirit (Luk 4:14) and He claimed to fulfil the prophecy, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Luk 4:18). In answer to the charge that He cast out devils by Beelzebub, He asserted that He cast them out by the Spirit of God (Mat 12:28). These texts furnish considerable material for a doctrine of sanctification through the Spirit.
But the doctrine is stated very clearly in John 14-16. The Holy Spirit is described as the alter ego of Jesus: He will do for the disciples, after their Masters departure, what the latter has done for them during His earthly life (Joh 14:16-18). The Spirit of truth will abide with the disciples and will be in them (Joh 14:17). He will teach them (Joh 14:26), and will guide them into all truth, declaring to them things that are to come (Joh 16:13). He will also convict the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment (Joh 16:8). The promise of the Spirit is the consolation offered by Jesus in view of His approaching departure (Joh 16:7); and His coming will secure their loyalty and their development. Indeed, it may be said that the language of Jesus suggests that the Holy Spirit will be Himself returning in His glorified spiritual nature, and continuing in more complete form the work He has begun in the disciples during His ministry.
2. Christ and sanctification in the NT outside the Gospels.
(1) The teaching of St. Peter.The Petrine conceptions are simple and practical. 1 Peter exhorts to the practice of various virtues that go to make up the Christian character. The starting-point for Christian sanctification is entirely reminiscent of the teaching of Jesus: it is found in the obligation of Christians as children of a holy Father, whose holiness constrains theirs (1Pe 1:14-16). The attainment of holiness is called salvation (1Pe 1:5; 1Pe 1:9); and the two pillars of salvation are the sufferings and death of Christ and the resurrection and exaltation of Christ (Beyschlag). He is the Son of God whose resurrection begat us again (1Pe 1:3). He is the Lamb whose offering has redeemed Christians from their old sins (1Pe 1:18-19). He is the chief corner-stone of that temple of God in which Christians are placed as living stones (1Pe 2:5-6). He is the Example for all who are suffering (1Pe 2:21): especially has He shown us the right attitude to sin by His suffering for sins (1Pe 2:22-24). By giving Himself to die for us, He has become the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls (1Pe 2:25). He is the Lord who is to be revered in our hearts (1Pe 3:15). He is the adorable Saviour whose name is potent enough to secure our devotion (1Pe 2:13, 1Pe 4:14). Finally, He is the coming One, whose appearing will consummate the purposes of God, and will perfect us in salvation (1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 5:10). Thus Jesus Christ focusses all Christian effort and hope and faith upon Himself. The Christ who lived, died, and rose again, and was exaltedthe Christ of the Gospels, whom Peter had known (1Pe 1:3; 1Pe 1:8)is the Divine original for our sanctification, and is the Divine Mediator through whom our deliverance from sin is accomplished.
(2) The teaching of St. John.It is to be noted that St. John makes very slender use of the group of words. In this he is like his Master. In his First Epistle sanctify and sanctification do not occur. Holy is used only once, and then in reference to God (1Jn 2:20). In Revelation holy is found frequently. It describes God Almighty (Rev 4:8), Jesus Christ (Rev 3:7, Rev 6:10), the City of God (Rev 11:2, Rev 21:2; Rev 21:10, Rev 22:19), men (Rev 22:11). Also in Revelation saints is constantly used to describe believers in Jesus Christ. But though the more usual words are absent from the Epistle, it is a passionate plea for sanctification in Christ. John describes sanctification under such phrases as walking in light (1Jn 1:7; 1Jn 2:11), not sinning (1Jn 2:1, 1Jn 3:6, 1Jn 5:18 [the idea of a prevailing habit being prominent]), keeping his commandments (1Jn 2:3, 1Jn 3:22-24, 1Jn 5:2-3), overcoming the world (1Jn 5:4-5, cf. 1Jn 2:13-14, 1Jn 4:4, and Rev 2:7; Rev 2:11; Rev 2:26; Rev 3:5; Rev 3:12; Rev 3:21; Rev 12:11; Rev 21:7), having life or having eternal life (1Jn 2:25, 1Jn 3:14-15, 1Jn 5:11-13; 1Jn 5:16; 1Jn 5:20, and cf. Rev 2:7; Rev 2:10; Rev 3:5; Rev 13:8; Rev 17:8; Rev 20:12; Rev 20:15; Rev 21:6; Rev 21:27; Rev 22:1-2; Rev 22:14; Rev 22:17; Rev 22:19). The core of sanctification is love (1Jn 4:16-19), manifested toward God (1Jn 2:15, 1Jn 4:20, 1Jn 5:1-2) and towards brethren (1Jn 2:10, 1Jn 3:10-18, 1Jn 4:7-12; 1Jn 4:20-21). This sanctification is connected intimately with the Person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the propitiation for sins, through whom believers are forgiven, and by whose Wood they are cleansed from sin (1Jn 1:7 to 1Jn 2:2, 1Jn 4:10). He is the Advocate upon whom we may rely for help in the struggle with sin (1Jn 2:1). He is the Ideal towards whom all Christian effort must be directed (1Jn 3:3; 1Jn 3:16, 1Jn 4:17). He is the Son of the Father, whose presence in the world manifests the Fathers love (1Jn 3:16, 1Jn 4:9-10; 1Jn 4:14; 1Jn 4:16), and through whom believers may become possessed of the Father (1Jn 2:23, 1Jn 4:15). So He brings to men that eternal life which makes sin impossible (1Jn 3:9, 1Jn 5:18); and He communicates to them that eternal love which is the very essence of goodness because it is the essence of God (1Jn 4:12; 1Jn 4:16). So intimate is this connexion between Christ and sanctification, that the object of His manifestation is declared to be to take away sins (1Jn 3:5), and to destroy the works of the devil, which are sins (1Jn 3:7-10). It is clear, therefore, that St. John, as well as St. Peter, conceives Christs redeeming work under the category of sanctification, and also conceives sanctification as possible only through faith in Christ. Both of them view sanctitication as a state into which the believer is introduced by an initial act of faith in Christ, through whom he is begotten of God (1Pe 1:3; 1Pe 1:18; 1Pe 1:23; 1Pe 2:3; 1Pe 2:9, 1Jn 1:9; 1Jn 5:1); but it is also a state which has to be progressively realized by abiding union with Christ (1Pe 1:5; 1Pe 2:11; 1Pe 5:10, 1Jn 1:7; 1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 3:2).
(3) The teaching of St. Paul.This may be summed up under the chief categories used by St. Paul to describe Jesus Christs relation to men.
(a) Jesus Christ as the second Adam.St. Paul thought of Adam as the pioneer of the race; and he could not escape the responsibility of pioneers. The entire subsequent history of the race is influenced by the course taken by the first man. His sin caused a divergence from the path of rectitude, which grew wider as the race progressed, because the initial direction was wrong. Jesus Christ was introduced into the world as a new pioneer. He was not an ordinary child of the race. He did not inherit the entail of bias to evil. The first man is of the earth, earthy (1Co 15:47). He was the child of an animal ancestry, and was weighted by animal instincts: to him holiness was only a possibility. The second man is of heaven. His antecedents were spiritual. With Him holiness was the instinct, and evil was only a possibility. So He gave a new start in the direction of holiness. He stopped the races drift from God, and He began a new movement Godward (Rom 5:12-21, 1Co 15:20-26; 1Co 15:45-49). Therefore all who become followers of Jesus Christ are rescued from the fatal effects of Adams sin. They are led into the right road and are under the direct influence of the Spirit of God (Rom 8:12-17). Thus they are being sanctified in accordance with the will of God, and will be brought at last to the perfect state He has designed for them (cf. Rom 5:21; Rom 8:17, 1Co 15:49; 1Co 15:54).
(b) A corollary from the previous thought is that men may be in Christ. The second Adam is more than a leader of a redeemed race. He is the Head of a new humanity, which secures its life from Him by vital communion with Him. He brought new spiritual energy into the world: this energy can be communicated to all who are united to Him by faith. The bonds between the first Adam and the race were physical and mechanical; those between the second Adam and the race are spiritual and personal (cf. Joh 5:21-29, 1Co 15:45, Eph 1:6; Eph 1:13). This state of union between Christ and the believer is described by St. Paul under the phrase in Christ; and it is mentioned as a condition of sanctification (1Co 1:2; 1Co 6:11; cf. Rom 1:6-7, Eph 1:1; Eph 1:4; Eph 1:7; Eph 1:11; Eph 1:13; Eph 2:10; Eph 2:13, Php 1:1, Col 1:2). The idea is the Masters (cf. I am the vine, ye are the branches, Joh 15:5): He connected it with, sanctification (Joh 15:4-6). St. Paul emphasized this message. Thus we are complete in him (Col 2:10). Every human being comes into the world as a possibility. A process of involution must go forward, by which the germinal life will absorb from its environment those elements that minister to its development. Our moral possibilities can be realized only when we are in Christ. The soul that lives without Him is stunted, or maimed, or becomes a moral freak. The soul that lives in him becomes complete. All the fulness that can realize our possibilities is gathered into Him (Col 2:9). He is the way in which men must walk who would attain to holiness, the plant in which men must be rooted who would bear much fruit, the plan according to which mens lives must be built up if they are to become temples of God (Col 2:6-7; Col 1:23, and cf. Joh 15:1-10; Joh 14:6).
(c) Another category used by St. Paul is Jesus Christs death and resurrection as the source of the believers renewal. This thought has affinities with the preceding one. But it shows, from another standpoint, how intimately the Apostle connects our sanctification with Christ. The teaching is developed in Romans 6; it occurs also in Rom 8:11, Gal 2:20, 2Co 5:14-15, Col 2:12-13; Col 3:1-4. The believer is associated with the Saviour in His death and resurrection. These crises are not only an ideal for the Christian, but also an experience which in some real spiritual sense he shares with his Lord. By them Jesus Christ became the Conqueror of sin and death. The believer identifies himself with Jesus Christ in the spiritual significance of these tremendous events: then he becomes dead unto sin and alive unto God, though actually he is rather dying than dead to sin, and though the physical process of dissolution has still to be facedbut without its sting. This union with Christ secures the imparting of eternal life, and makes the believer a new creature (2Co 5:17), who is renewed in holiness. Such teaching harmonizes with the demand of Jesus for a new birth (Joh 3:3).
(d) A fourth category is the work of the Spirit using the truth as it is in Jesus as His instrument in sanctification. This is another of the ideas of Jesus emphasized by St. Paul. The Pauline Epistles connect sanctification with the work of the Holy Spirit (cf. especially Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 2; 1Co 3:16-17; 1Co 3:12). The Spirits function is, before all things, to help the Christian to be holy (Bruce, St. Pauls Conception of Christianity, p. 248). The instrument used by the Spirit in sanctifying men is the revelation made in Jesus Christ. This had been foretold by the Master (Joh 16:14); St. Paul sees His word fulfilled in all the work of the Spirit. The Lord and the Spirit are identified sometimes (2Co 3:17-18), and the Spirit dwelling in the heart sanctifies through Christ dwelling in the heart (cf. Eph 3:17, Rom 8:9-10, 2Ti 1:14). Man is pictured as a shrine in which the Spirit dwells. This temple of the Holy Spirit must be kept from all defilement, and must ever be made worthier of its Divine guest (1Co 3:16-17; 1Co 6:19-20, 2Co 6:16).
(e) The Church as the Body of Christ is an important Pauline conception. It bears upon the problem of sanctification, inasmuch as the moral health of each individual member is influenced by the condition of the body (1Co 12:12-27, Eph 1:23; Eph 4:16, Col 2:19). The Apostle does not contemplate Christians remaining outside the visible Church, and he always assumes that a Christians sanctification will be perfected within its fellowship. This does not imply any sacramental conception of sanctification. It rests upon the conviction that the Church is indwelt by the living Christ (Eph 1:23, Col 1:24). Therefore all believers who remain living members of the Church maintain a vital union with their Lord, through means of His own appointing. This secures their due spiritual development.
(f) Finally, we may note St. Pauls thought of Jesus as Lord. This name was used by the early Church to express their faith about Jesus. All the NT books reflect the usage, except the Epistles of John. But, owing perhaps to the circumstances of his conversion (Act 9:5), the designation dominates St. Pauls thought of Jesus to a remarkable degree. It carries with it an obligation to acknowledge His sovereignty over all our life. Our sanctification is secured by implicit obedience to His commands, and by close imitation of His example.
3. Church History.It only remains to offer a very brief suggestion as to the historical development of the idea of sanctification in its relation to the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Four outstanding modifications of the idea may be mentioned.
(1) The first is the monastic idea of sanctification. It had affinities with tendencies that are native to man; and it gained ground in the 4th cent., when multitudes of semi-converted pagans were pressing into the Church. Although it took its laws from the recorded life and teaching of Jesus Christ, it cannot be recognized as a fruit of vital union with Him. Rather it must be regarded as a product of a restless age of rapid enlargement, reacting upon the longing for reposeful communion with God. During this time the Churchs interest in Christ was academic rather than practical, theological rather than religious. Thus men were left to seek holiness by methods of their own devising.
(2) The second idea of sanctification is the mediaeval. This has many points of union with the monastic; but it shows a much closer relation to Christ. The restlessness had given place to torpor. This drove earnest souls back to Jesus. Many of the monastic evils permeated Europe, and there was very little imitation of Christ amongst the masses of the people. But the mediaeval idea of holiness is characterized by a growing devotion to the Lord Jesus, which found expression sometimes in such fervent hymns as those of Bernard, sometimes in such service of the poor as was nobly carried through by Francis of Assisi, and sometimes in such seeking after liberty as has immortalized Wyclif.
(3) The third idea of sanctification is connected with the Reformation. That movement placed all the emphasis upon Christs work for us. One result was the upgrowth of an idea of sanctification as something objective. It was almost identified with justification. Christians are sanctified by receiving the robe of righteousness from Jesus Christ.
(4) The fourth or modern idea of sanctification tends to place the emphasis upon Christs work in us. Sanctification is much more subjective. This is a development which should be welcomed. But care must be taken lest the reaction from a too objective idea of sanctification by Christ leads to a too subjective idea of sanctification in Christ which fails to give the NT emphasis to both aspects of Christs work.
It may be pointed out that the modern idea of sanctification in Christ has been approached from the standpoint of the work of the Holy Spirit. What is known as the Keswick School has rendered valuable service by calling attention to the Personality of the Holy Spirit, and to His power to sanctify the human soul. But it must be remembered that the Holy Spirit is Christs alter ego. Rightly understood, this modern development leads us to the Pauline position, that Christ Jesus is made unto us sanctification (1Co 1:30).
Literature.The usage of terms may be studied in artt. Holiness and Sanctification in Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible . For general reference, cf. Beyschlag, NT Theol.; Stevens, The Christian Doctrine of Salvation and The Theology of NT; Harnack, What is Christianity?; Forrest, The Authority of Christ; the Comm. in the Internat. Critical Commentary series. The teaching of Christ is examined by Bruce in The Kingdom of God and The Training of the Twelve; Wendt, The Teaching of Jesus; Du Bose, The Gospel in the Gospels; Denney, The Death of Christ; and Comm. on the Gospels by Swete, Godet, and Westcott. Bruce discusses the Pauline teaching in St. Pauls Conception of Christianity; cf. the Comm. of Lightfoot, Westcott, Delitzsch, and Godet, which are most suggestive; also Haupt on First Epistle of St. John. Some of the Sermons in Inges Faith and Knowledge deal with Sanctification in a fresh manner. Valuable discourses on the psychological and physiological aspects are contained in Coes Education in Religion and Morals and The Spiritual Life. Amongst modern devotional books, Hortons The Open Secret and Gordons Quiet Talks on Power may be highly recommended. The teaching of an influential modern school is contained in Addresses on Holiness (Star Hall Convention, Manchester). Ref. may also be made to C. H. Spurgeon, The Messiah, p. 579; H. W. Webb-Peploe, Calls to Holiness (1900); W. L. Watkinson, The Blind Spot (1899), p. 57; A. J. Gordon, Yet Speaking (1897), p. 9.
J. Edward Roberts.