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Sanctification
by Shadrach
Akhaure
Sanctification means to be set apart
for a holy use; separated unto God and for His purposes. When
a man gives his life to Christ, he is owned by God and as such
loses every right to exercise his appetite for unholy or
anti-godly enterprise. (1 Cor 6:20). He is supposed to choose
God's choices and not self-centered or fleshly choices in
order to please the Lord who had separated him.
Isa.43.7 Even every one that is called
by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed
him; yea, I have made him. (KJV)
Sanctification began in the spirit of
everyone who received Jesus, without this no man will be born
again. It is once and for all:
1Pet.1.2 Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through SANCTIFICATION of the
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (KJV)
As a prove of sanctification by new
birth, God put his Holy Spirit in us to separate us from the
spirit that controls the children of this world (1 Cor 2:12,
Eph 2:2)
However, it is God's desire and will
for our soul and body to be sanctified (1Thess.5.23).This is
what makes us useful Christians. Romans 12:1-2 warned the
believer not to be confirmed to the world, this is because
that is how to remain 'separate'. Others may eat food offered
to idols but Daniel and his friends won't, others may sleep
with their boss wife but Joseph won't, in all, the *IDEA OF
SANCTIFICATION* is that of separation from the lust of the
world.
For this reason we are the temple of
God. The more separated we are unto the Lord the more we give
Him the chance to find expression through our lives.
Paul addressing fornication among the Corinthians said
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are
not your own? 1Cor.6.19 (KJV). A temple or a shrine is wholly
separated unto the god or spirit been worshipped in it. Every
object in such a temple or shrine is dictated by that god or
goddess. In fact, the priest and worshippers of such gods have
a way of life traceable to what that god wants. All is to
please the god. The body of the believer is likened to a
temple and the Spirit that lives in that temple does not want
fornication.
*Agent of sanctification*
1. *The word of God:* - John 17:17, Eph
5:26, Psalm 119:11. The word of God is our manual of
separation Jesus spends most of his time teaching the people
in other to introduce them to a lifestyle that will keep them
separate.
2. *The Holy Spirit:* The person of the
Holy Spirit as the first evidence of our separation governs
our lives by teaching, guiding and revealing things to us.
John 16:13, 14:26, Romans 8:1-16.
Sanctification is impossible without
*OBEDIENCE.* We must strive to obey God's word and Spirit at
only cost. 1 peter 1:22, 1 Samuel 15:22.
*Benefits of sanctification*
1. *Holiness* - John 14:30, Heb 12:14:
the resultant effect of a separated life is holiness.
2. *Power & Authority with God*-
genuine power and authority flows from a life of holiness .
Act 10:44.
3. *Friendship with the Lord*- John
14:23
4. *Visions & revelation* -Daniel
10:11-12, Acts 27:23
5. *Secrets to material wealth* - Job
1:1,5; Job 29, Daniel and the 3 Hebrews, Joseph in Egypt.
Obedience to the Word and Spirit of God
is what brings sanctification to the soul and body of the
believer. Wherever holiness is seen, the root cause is
sanctification (a life of separation) and holiness is a
command for God's people.
*1Pet.1.16 For he himself has said,
"You must be holy because I am holy." (NLT)*
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