now, you exist from him [God], in Christ Jesus, who became our wisdom from God, and these righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30)
To understand more the suffix -mos added to a word (to form an abstract noun) we look at another use which is the word purification, ἁγνισμός (ἁγνίζω, hagnízō, “to purify, cleanse”) + (-μός -mós) which gives us the meaning purification which is the act of purifying, cleansing. Purification is the rite in which a defiled person is made clean or free from sin. Another use is ἀφορίζω (aphorízō, “to mark off, separate”) + -μός (-mós) meaning separation. Likewise, sanctification can be said to be the act of making holy, pure, and setting apart.
therefore Jesus also suiffered outside the city gates so to purify the people with his own blood (Hebrews 13:12-15)The heart should be established by grace, not by foods like that according to the law and offered in the temple, to walk in this way has no benefit. "For we have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat" (Hebrews 13:9-14). The temple was destroyed around 70 AD, and the Book of Hebrews was written not long before. Those who served in the temple under the old covenant priestly service ate from that placed on the altar which became holy, so they participated in its holiness to serve in the temple.
We eat from a different altar, from the sacrifice that was placed on the altar which was an acceptable offering for sin once and for all. We eat of his flesh and drink of the blood of the Lamb, having communion in his holiness and life. It is real food and real drink and whosoever eats has eternal life (John 6:54-55). He is the tithe in which we partake of to be holy, He is the first fruit offering and we are kinds of fruit of a new creation in Christ.*
Are we declared or made holy or being made holy or both? Is there such a thing as progressive sanctification? The body is sinful and we await our salvation, the redemption of the body (Romans 8:23). Sanctification in regards to the body will not be complete until then. But we also see the concept that we bear fruit of life and righteousness in this body.
"Now, if Christ is in you, though the body is dead through sin, the spiritual is alive through righteousness. Now, if the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, the one raising Christ from the dead will also make alive your mortal bodies through the Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:10-11). Yes, it is both a present (though not fully experienced as the scriptures say we are being transformed from glory to glory and renewed day by day) and it a future event.m, the fulness or completion of our salvation.
We are sanctified and we are being sanctified. This is true of our salvation, redemption, and righteousness. We await our salvation the redemption of our body (Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20-21). We are sealed of the Spirit until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:14; Ephesians 4:30). We await with creation itself in eager expectation of the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19). We also await the crowning of our righteousness which Paul says is reserved in heaven for us (2 Timothy 4:8). And not only righteousness but also the crown of life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10).
Now, righteousness was given to us as a gift, but we await the crowning of our righteousness. Also, we see redemption through his blood as a blessing we receive in Christ, as part of God's plan to bring all into a fullness of time (Ephesians 1:3-11). But also we read we await the fullness of our redemption. So if he is our righteousness and redemption and we await these would it not also be true for our sanctification? Are we sanctified and being sanctified? How can we explain scripture written in such a way? when it speaks of both; we are holy then "be holy as he is holy," we are righteous then bear fruit of righteousness; we are alive then we will be crowned with life...
for one offering perfected to the extent of the time the one made holy (Hebrews 10:4)
This word for holy is ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) to make holy, consecrate, sanctify. Jesus prayed that those left in this world would be sanctified in truth, also saying "for their sake I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified through the truth" (John 17:17-19). Jesus as the Son of Man, sanctified himself in the truth which he said came from the Father. The Son of Man was an example to us, in how to be sanctified in this world.
For this is the will of God your sanctification, that you abstain from... (1 Thessalonians 4:3)Here Paul is writing to the church at Thessalonica, telling them how they ought to live to be pleasing to God. This implies sanctification after believing as they are told as believers to give their "vessel" over to holiness (hagiasmos) and honor, not living in the passions and lusts like those who do not know God. Of course, Paul tells us elsewhere how others live, those who do not know God, rather are known by God, and like we once lived, under the influence of evil, conducting oneself in passions of the flesh, "doing the will and thoughts of the flesh" (Ephesians 2:1-3). Those of the flesh indeed live and act according to their sinful nature. Paul is telling them to abstain from living in the flesh like our old man and live to our new nature of the Spirit.
we also all once lived in the passions of the flesh, doing the will and thoughts of the flesh (Ephesians 2:3)
The word passion means earnest desires which some translations put as "gratifying the desires and impulses of the flesh" but this translation "doing the will and thoughts of the flesh" is close to the Greek and points out something important, the sinful nature operates through the carnal mind. The Greek word in this verse for thought διάνοια (dianoia) literally means through the mind. Through the weak member, the mind of the flesh, we did what it desired and willed. Remember this important concept as we will see it used to refer to infant believers.
for the desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit and the Spirit opposed to the flesh, so that you do not do what you want to (Galatians 5:17)
As believers the sinful desires of the flesh war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11). This desire is in our member (James 4:1). We tend to think of this war as if it only pertains to extreme desires like alcohol, and drugs, and sexual addictions but James writes of jealousy, selfish ambition, and where these exist you will find disorder and evil (James 3:13-18). The root of all evil is the love of money, a thorn of deceit in the parable of sowing that chokes the person from growth.
for I do not understand my own actions for I am not doing what I will but what I hate (Romans 7:15)
Paul wrote he found this principle or law, that he joyfully agrees inwardly with the law in the inner man but evil lies near and there is a war "against his mind" to bring him into captivity to the law of sin in his member (Romans 7:21). I believe Paul struggled with sinful pride because it is sin that wars and defiles the conscious as a child of God and this would be the wretched state he talks about. God allowed messengers of Satan to torment him, to teach him that the power to overcome will come under grace.
then desire conceived, bears forth sin and sin fully grown brings forth death (James 1:15)
The word conceived (συλλαμβάνω (syllambanō, from sun "together with" and lambano "receive") so to collect, to take, by implication to take part with, to conceive. Even with sin, we see the idea of a seed being planted and growing; the seed is planted and conceived and when reaching fullness it bears the fruit of death. In the parable of sowing the seed sown is the word of God, this is how we sow and reap, and when we sow into the spiritual through the word of God we bear fruit.
Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a farmer who planted wheat and when he was not looking his enemy planted tare, which looks like wheat but by the time you notice, the roots are too intermingled to tear them up so you have to separate them at harvest time.
When we give into the desires of the flesh, it can grow deep roots and be difficult to uproot. The conscious can be seared so a sinful thought can easily be received or lure us away and once this happens it conceives fruit. There is also the influence of evil, as we will see later in the continued discussion of sanctification, there is a spiritual side to this. James writes through these fleshly desires we are tempted, lured away, and entrapped (James 1:15).
from where? wars and fights among you, is it not from this place, your desires in your member? (James 4:1)
James writes God is jealous toward his own, having placed the Spirit in us which earnestly desires to do good, against the flesh (James 4:3-7). James tells them the source of sin among believers is the flesh and they need to love not the world but to "purify their hearts you double-minded" (James 4:7-8). So we see again a call to purification for believers and the connection it has to the mind. Peter tells us we are foreigners and exiles in this world and to "abstain from the desires of the flesh which wages war against your soul" (1 Peter 2:11).
now, if doing not what I want I agree with the law that it is good, at the present it is no longer I working it out but sin dwelling in me. For I know because nothing good dwells in me, that is my flesh, for I have at hand the will to do good but I'm not able to work it out (Romans 8:16-20)
The man of the sinful nature, not of the new birth of the Spirit, has no power at hand to work out good that pleases God. Surely, as Christ is our righteousness and redemption, he is our sanctification. How do we work out the good and keep from doing the bad through Christ? "Oh, wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. As a result, then, I myself serve the law of God, of mind, now, the flesh the law of sin" (Romans 7:24-25). Paul writes it is through Christ and that the mind has a role, through the mind I will serve the law of God. And he acknowledges this law, the opposing force of the flesh.
While the opposing forces of the flesh are against the Spirit, the Spirit guides us into the truth. But we can become slaves of a religious system whereby the fleshly man is fueled by the teachings and traditions of men, doctrines of demons taught by men, deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:11-15; 1 Timothy 4:1; Matthew 24:24; 2 Timothy 4:3-4). All of this deceitful scheming appeals to the passions and desires of the flesh and its purpose; so infants do not mature in Christ, but stay fleshly (1 Corinthians 2:16; 1 Corinthians 3:1-2). So the truth must be spiritually discerned, so therefore we need the mind of Christ, which we will talk more about next time.
for I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is my flesh, for I have other desires to do good but I do not work it out. For I do not do the good I want but the bad I do not want to do I do (Romans 7:18-19)
It is the will of God our sanctification, for us to be able to work out the good, that of the new inner man. We indeed are to put away the old man, the flesh and its desires, and be a holy people of God, so we may declare the deeds of the one who called us out from darkness into his glorious light (James 2:4-10). There is no better way to declare deeds that glorify God than to be conformed to the image of his Son. Next time, we will look more at Christ being our sanctification and how the mind plays a role in this.