Originally posted by Blessed-one
is santification a way to holiness?
um.. basically, it's following God's word right? coz our pastor said it once at fellowship, he asked what would one do once one become christian, everyone gave all sorts of answers.. like, witnessing, love others, help and care for others... etc etc, and he gave out the word "Holy" at the end.
It was always my dream that these forums could be used to discuss these things in depth and to learn together from God's Word. Regretably it does not often work that way.
It is because of your question that I would love to see a discussion on the tion (SHUN) words:Justification, Redemption, Santification. Glorification, Preservation, Reconciliation, Imputation, supplication, Regeneration, Adoption, Conversion, Substitution, Remission, Propition. Wellm you get the idea! They all have a very special and important meaning, yet the average "teacher" I run across on the net cannot tell you the difference and what makes them importane.
Let me give you a definition of Sanctification. The word is used well over 1,000 times in the Bible and always means the same thing. "To be set apart".
In the OT we are given many examples of Sanctification. Not only were people to be sanctified (Lev. 11:44) but objects were also sanctified: gates, lands, houses, tents, buildings, etc.
God sanctified Christ:
John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Christ sanctified Himself and us:John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 ¶ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Well I am going too deep and beyond the scope of the question.
At any rate you asked is sanctification a way to Holiness? Well, YES. We can never be holy till we set ourselves apart to be holy. That is until we sactify ourselves to Him!
