Sanctification



by William M. Banks, Scotland.



INTRODUCTION

WHAT DOES THE WORD MEAN?

DETAILED CONSIDERATION

PRE-CONVERSION SANCTIFICATION

POSITIONAL SANCTIFICATION

PRACTICAL SANCTIFICATION

PERFECT AND PROSPECTIVE SANCTIFICATION

INTRODUCTION

The Greek word for sanctification, hagiasmos, is used ten times in the New Testament. Interestingly it is translated by "sanctification" five times, 1 Cor.1.30; 1 Thess.4.3,4; 2 Thess.2.13 and 1 Pet.1.2, and by "holiness" five times, Rom.6.19,22; 1 Thess.4.7; 1 Tim.2.15 and Heb.12.14. There are cognate nouns used as well. The footnote in J.N.D’s translation at Romans 1.4 against the word "holiness" in the term "[the] spirit of holiness" is worth quoting: "hagiosunee, the nature and quality itself, as 2 Cor.7.1 and 1 Thess.3.13 – Distinct from hagiasmos the practical effect produced, the character in activity, translated holiness … and sanctification [for references see above]. Another word, hagiotes, is used in Heb.12.10, the only time in Scripture, but see Vine1 (and R.V.) who suggests it is also used in 2 Cor.1.12."

The word in the verb form hagiazo is found no less than 26 times. It has a series of interesting connections as pointed out by Hogg and Vine2.

"The corresponding verb hagiazo, is rendered ‘hallowed’ in Matt.6.9; Lk.11.2 and ‘made holy’ in Rev.22.11, elsewhere always ‘sanctify.’ It is used of:

The gold adorning the temple and of the gift laid on the altar, Matt.23.17,19
Food, 1 Tim.4.5
The unbelieving spouse of a believer, 1 Cor.7.14
The ceremonial cleansing of the Israelites, Heb.9.13
The Father’s Name, Lk.11.2
The consecration of the Son by the Father, Jn.10.36
The Lord Jesus devoting Himself to the redemption of His people, Jn.17.9
The setting apart of the believer for God, Acts 20.32, cp. Rom.15.16
The effect on the believer of the death of Christ, Heb.10.10, said of God, and 2.11; 13.12 said of the Lord Jesus
The separation of the believer from the world in his behaviour – by the Father through the Word, Jn.17.17,19
The believer who turns away from such things as dishonour God and His gospel, 2 Tim.2.21
The acknowledgement of the Lordship of Christ, 1 Pet.3.15."
It is clear from the above that the subject of sanctification is by no means exclusive to persons. This was also true in the Old Testament where, for example, Aaron’s garments were sanctified, Ex.28.41 and Lev.8.30, also the anointing oil, Ex.30.25 and the seventh day, Gen.2.3. It is also clear that the word itself does not necessarily imply a state of impurity before sanctification is effected. This is seen particularly in the case of the Lord Jesus where in Jn.17.19 He says, "I sanctify Myself".

WHAT DOES THE WORD MEAN?

All of the above permit us to come to a definition of sanctification – what does it mean? There can be no doubt that fundamentally the idea in sanctification is to "set apart for God." But there is more to it than that. Clearly there is a purpose in it, an end in view. Hence the definition can be extended to include this idea – "setting apart for God (of a person or thing) with the implementation of a Divine purpose in view." In the case of those who require cleansing for sanctification there is obviously a need for sanctification to have both a negative (a turning from) as well as a positive (a turning to) aspect. This has led to Gooding and Lennox3 defining it as, "Sanctification has two sides to it, one negative, the other positive:

Negatively, it involves separation from uncleanness and impurity, in other words purification.

Positively, it means separation to God and to his service, in other words, consecration.

Both are well brought out in Heb.9.13,14. Here the writer is contrasting the ancient Jewish means of sanctification with those of Christianity. He associates sanctification both with purification from defilement and with consecration to the service of God."

Hogg and Vine4 also have an interesting comment; "Since every believer is sanctified in Christ Jesus, 1 Cor.1.2, cf Heb.10.10, a common NT designation of all believers is ‘saints,’ hagioi, ie ‘sanctified’ or ‘holy ones,’. Thus sainthood, or sanctification, is not an attainment; it is the state into which God, in grace, calls sinful men, and in which they begin their course as Christians."

Further Hogg5 observes, "Sanctification signifies not a change in nature but a change in relationship."

This is clearly exemplified in the important passage of 1 Cor.7.12-14. Hogg6 continues; "The case of an unbelieving husband and his wife, considered by the apostle in 1 Cor.7.12-14, further illustrates the meaning of the words ‘sanctify’ and ‘holy.’ The believing spouse is to continue to dwell with the unbelieving partner and to commend the Gospel by the faithful discharge of the responsibilities of the marital relation. But, the question is asked; will not continuance in that relationship defile the believing partner? There are things, however, that "nature itself teaches", 1 Cor.11.14, and this is one of them, that nothing whatever justifies a mother forsaking her children. Does the care of children defile a mother? The answer is, obviously, no! The nature of the children remains what it was before their mother’s obedience to the gospel, association with them does not defile her; she does not desert them. Neither does their relation with her secure their salvation, though it gives them the advantage of her prayers and her example. So it is with the husband (or wife) who is not a Christian; association with him no more defiles the mother than do his children by her. And by her example he may be won for Christ, "without a word," as surely 1 Pet.3.1 should be read."

DETAILED CONSIDERATION

The five references to sanctification in the A.V. give a helpful outline of the subject. They show sanctification as a pre-conversion work of the Holy Spirit in 1 Pet.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:" and 2 Thess.2.13, "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." In addition the idea of sanctification as a positional work of the Son is referred to in 1 Cor.1.30, "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption." However there is a practical and progressive aspect as well and this is seen in 1 Thess.4.3, 4, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour."

The subject will be considered in this order and follow the suggested outline given by Lovering7.

PRE-CONVERSION SANCTIFICATION

The pre-conversion work of the Holy Spirit is clearly indicated in the verses quoted above. In 2 Thess.2.13 God had chosen them "from the beginning", to salvation. Their salvation therefore "did not originate with themselves but with God who had chosen them to be the subjects of His grace."8 In order to make this effective in time and so accomplish the Divine purpose for them the "sanctification of the Spirit" was necessary – they were set apart for God by Him. It did require on their part the "belief of the truth". Since "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" Rom.10.17, it was necessary in the providential over-ruling of God for Paul to go to Thessalonica to preach the Word.

Hogg and Vine9 have an interesting comment on "belief of the truth". They indicate that it is literally, "‘of truth’ where the article is present the particular fact or facts presented to the mind are in view; where it is absent the moral quality of these facts is the point. The will to believe truth is the necessary condition precedent before any work of God can begin in the soul; cp. the words of the Lord Jesus, "if any man willeth to do His will He shall know of the teaching," Jn.7.17, (R.V.).

The faculty whereby truth is recognised grows with its exercise; on the other hand the ministry of the Holy Spirit, which begins with revealing the truth of the gospel to the individual, continues to guide the believer into all truth, Jn.16.13, "renewing him unto knowledge" Col.3.10; hence the apostle’s prayers for the converts in Phil.1.9, 10 and Col.1.9. When they were called through the gospel, it was that they "might know the truth and that the truth might make them free" Jn.8.32. Only love of truth can save a man from the working of error."

There is an appealing outcome of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in this case. The salvation to which the Thessalonian believers were called by Paul’s gospel, v14, was "to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ". They would share in the revelation of the Lord’s glory from Heaven! See 2 Thess.1.7-10.

Hence there is an intriguing development. It may be summarised thus:

God chose – from the beginning;
The Spirit sanctified;
The gospel was preached (note its nature – "our gospel";
The effective call was made;
The Thessalonians believed;
The glory is to follow.
Both the choosing and the calling are in the aorist tense – in the first case at a point outside of time in the other at a point in time. Smith10 has interesting observations in relation to the Divine choice and indeed the whole passage.

""Chose", here is heilato (from haireomai, ‘to choose’) and in the only three instances this word is used in the N.T. the thought is of personal choice (see Phil.1.22 and Heb.11.25). It is the aorist, but though the choosing was at a point it was outside of time, for it was "from the beginning", and in the widest sense of that past of eternity. It is also in the middle indicative, God making the choice for Himself, indicating the purpose of the choice and not the realm of selection. The usual words for election are: exaireomai (of the choice of Israel in the O.T.), proörizo (predestinated, marked out beforehand), and eklegomai (to choose, as in 1 Thess.1.4, Eph.1.4; Lk.10.42; Acts 6.5).

It is not the intention to launch out on an excursion into the blessed subject of election, for it is not an area for our poor minds to tangle in, rather is it a truth to be believed. However, the apostle gives the true balance of the subject in these two epistles for whilst in 1 Thess.2.13 he thanks God unceasingly that they received the word (man’s responsibility), here he gives thanks to God for His sovereign choice.

The choice was "from the beginning" (ap’arches), a term which Paul does not use elsewhere but which like Jn.1.1 (en arche), and 2 Tim.1.9 takes us back into the era "from everlasting"; see also Matt.19.4 and 1 Jn.2.13. It is obviously wrong to limit God’s sovereign choice to any point in time, or to attribute it to any merit in the object of His love; cf Eph.1.4; Rev.13.8; 17.8. Furthermore, the verse is expressive of a general principle of God’s operation … This is emphasised in the purpose of the choice, for it was "unto (eis) salvation", see 1 Thess.1.4,5; this is God’s goal for those He chose in His sovereignty.

There is a difference to be noted between the first and second epistles as to the purpose of salvation; in the former it is ‘from’ (wrath), and in the latter ‘unto’ (glory). Nevertheless there are some who would still regard salvation here as limited to salvation from wrath in the day of the Lord, as in 1 Thess.1.10; 5.9, and such assurance would have been enough for the troubled Thessalonians. However, the immediate context goes further, setting salvation against "perishing", v.10, and "judgment", v.12, the awful state of men in their ultimate classification as lost. Here we have salvation purposed from the beginning (ie from everlasting) and in v.14 Paul will speak first of it being effected in time by the call, then of its future consummation in "obtainment of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." Thus we have salvation in its full scope, past, present and future; conceived in the heart of God before time, the call in time, and its future unspeakable glory.

The operation of God’s choice being effected in time is "in (or, by) sanctification of (the) Spirit (subjective genitive, and therefore, wrought by the Spirit) and belief of (the) truth". The absence of the article suggests the moral force of truth and not truth as such, and being an objective genitive indicates "belief, or faith, in truth." In no sense can ‘en’ here, in respect of sanctification, be translated by ‘through’ (as the AV) nor by ‘unto’ or ‘to’ as some suggest. Despite the absence of the article before ‘Spirit’, as in Rom.8.9; 1 Cor.2.4 and 1 Pet.1.2 (where in each case it is evident that the Holy Spirit is intended), the words here speak clearly of the present work of the Holy Spirit in setting apart for God the objects of His love, bringing to them the word of truth for their belief and continuance in the faith. This is the Divine side of the work of salvation just as the belief of truth, its reception by faith, looks in the ultimate, to the human side. It is positional not practical sanctification, although the practical results must always be envisaged, 1 Thess.4.3,7. It is the energy of the Holy Spirit in bringing the grace of God to men, dead in trespasses and sins, see 1 Thess.1.5, and is the essential preliminary to faith in the truth.

The relative verse in 1 Pet.1.2 (see also 1 Cor.6.11) helps in the understanding of this, and particularly shows that the operation of the Holy Spirit is the Divine initiative in setting the individual apart for God, by which that person receives the gospel. Well did Luther say, "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him", the Spirit must first set apart for God, awaken those initial faint desires after God, convict of sin, lead to Christ, bring faith to the heart. Being under the influences of the world, the flesh and the devil, the natural man needs as an essential pre-requisite in new birth, this action of the Holy Spirit; without it there would be no salvation. Although the ‘belief’ (or faith) in (or of) ‘truth’ (no article) is, in the ultimate, man’s side of salvation, the Holy Spirit must first introduce to the heart the moral attitude to will it so, that they may be made free by truth, Jn.8.32. Note the contrast in v.12."

Smith goes on in relation to v.14; "The continuation of the process of the Holy Spirit in salvation is now explained. With a view to the initial work being effectuated, God calls by the gospel: "unto which (salvation) He (God) called." In the same way as ‘chose’, this is the aorist tense but here indicating a point in time. It is interesting to notice that this reference is to a single action in contrast with the present tense of ‘calling’ in 1 Thess.2.12; 5.24, indicating, as indeed the word implies, a call to which there has been a response. This is the effective call, not as we have in Matt. 20.16; 22.14, the general call of the gospel.

Paul writes, "by our gospel," for whilst it is essentially "the gospel of God … concerning His Son, Jesus Christ", Rom.1.1-3, God in His grace uses men and not angels to proclaim it. It was deposited with Paul as a sacred trust, and he, and indeed his fellow-workers, was identified with it not only as to its proclamation, but also as evidence of its effect. It was theirs as the message they preached and which the Thessalonians had heard from them and received, but moreover they shared in its power. The gospel is not merely a theme, but God’s power to save. Paul proclaimed that in which he stood as the chief beneficiary, 1 Tim.1.11-16; 2 Tim.1.6-14, and he preached Christ as he had experienced Him, a Man in resurrection glory.

Compare "unto the obtainment of (the) glory of our Lord Christ" with 1 Thess. 2.12. There is no article before ‘glory’ in the Greek text, and this points to the gospel call being with a view to the obtaining of such glory as is essentially the possession of Christ. The glory referred to is obviously the glory of Christ as the last Adam, the One God has glorified, Acts 3.13, in view of what He achieved at the cross to the glory of God."

The passage in 1 Pet.1.2 follows closely that indicated above in 2 Thess.2.13,14. "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through [in] sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ".

This has been paraphrased by Hogg and Vine11 as, "to those who were elected according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, and set apart by the Holy Spirit that they might obey the truth, see v.22, and so come under the shelter of the sprinkled blood of Jesus Christ."

Thus Hogg12 can expand as, "The purpose is the Father’s. His is the electing grace; in order to carry that purpose into effect, in the first place men are set apart for God by the Holy Spirit. In due time there follows the hearing of the Gospel and its call to repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. To this the elect render "the obedience of faith" (Rom.1.5; 16.26 cp. Acts 5.32; 6.7; 2 Thess.1.8; Heb.5.9) which brings those who render it under the shelter of the blood of Christ. Here the reference is to the Passover in Egypt where the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the door posts and lintels of the houses of the Israelites, Ex.12.7,13."

The reference to Exodus chapter 12 is interesting. More usually the reference is made to Exodus chapter 24. The comment by Nicholson13 is apt, "To the elect, sanctified to obedience, are applied all the value and power of "the blood of Jesus Christ". This is not the shedding of the blood, but the sprinkling of it. Of course the blood must be shed before it can be sprinkled, but it may be shed and its efficacy never applied to an individual. The shedding of the blood is the giving up of the life as a sacrifice for sin. It is the provision made. The sprinkling of blood is the applying of the value and efficacy of sacrifice. This is the power imparted.

In the O.T., the sprinkling of the blood was seen in connection with its power to protect the firstborn in Egypt, its power to purify the priest for service, its power to prepare the way into the holiest, and its power to purge the leper of his ceremonial uncleanness. However it would appear that the reference is to Exodus chapter 24 when Moses took the blood of the sacrifice and with half he sprinkled the altar, then the book of the covenant was read in the presence of the people and they responded by a promise of obedience. Moses then took the other half and sprinkled the people and said: "Behold the blood of the covenant …" "That blood linked the people to the altar of oft-repeated sacrifice. It bound them to the word of their own brittle promise. Its application was limited to the nation. How gloriously different is the portion of the believers to whom Peter was writing. This blood sprinkling associates the N.T. believer with a finished work a sacrifice never to be repeated, Heb.10.11,12. It binds him to the invincible promise of God, Heb.6.17, 18. Its efficacy is unlimited for "whosoever will" Jew or Gentile."

In both the above passages the activity of the Trinity should be observed. The Triune God is active in the salvation of mankind!

There are two other passages where the work of the Holy Spirit is linked to sanctification though not necessarily in the primary sense of pre-conversion activity. The first of these is Rom.15.16. In this passage,14 "Paul speaks of the grace of God that made him a "minister (leitourgos, used of one who discharges public responsibilities) of Jesus Christ unto the Gentiles, ministering (hierourgeo, ministering in sacrificing, R.V. margin) the Gospel of God, that the offering up (as a sacrifice is offered) of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being (having been, perfect participle) sanctified by the Holy Spirit." Here the Apostle represents himself as a priest offering to God the Gentiles, who had already been sanctified, or set apart for God by the Holy Spirit. Cp. Jn.10.3, 4, 16 and Acts 18.10."

The second is to be found in 1 Cor.6.11. The apostle has been reminding his readers of the characteristic vices that marked the heathen world. To continue in them was an evidence that they had no future in the Kingdom of God. He then says "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, [washed yourselves R.V. margin] but ye are [were R.V.] sanctified, but ye are [were R.V.] justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by [in R.V.] the Spirit of our God." The only other place in the New Testament where reference is made to washing as associated with sin is in Acts 22.16, where also the verb is in the middle voice "denoting something procured for oneself."

The Spirit of God had been operative in their pre-conversion sanctification leading them to call on the Name of the Lord and experience justification.

It is thus seen that "the sanctification of the Spirit is His sovereign act by which the believer, the object of God’s electing grace, is set apart for God, an act which preceded even his hearing of the gospel; undated indeed in as much as it precedes ‘the foundation of the world’ Eph.1.4."judgment

POSITIONAL SANCTIFICATION

The moment we put our faith in Christ, from that very moment God bestows on us the blessing of sanctification. It is not something we have to strive for nor attain to – it is something we have. In addition this initial sanctification constitutes every believer a saint. It is of course effected as with justification on the basis of the death of Christ. Hogg and Vine15 write, "The effect of the death of Christ on the relation of the believer to a Righteous God is to justify him, Rom.5.9; the guilt of sin having been put away, the justified sinner stands before the judgment-seat uncondemned, 5.2. The effect of the death of Christ on the relation of the believer to a Holy God is to sanctify him, Heb.10.10; 13.12; the defilement of sin having been put away, the sanctified sinner enters into the Holiest, 10.19.

Therefore God is said to have made Christ unto us both "righteousness and sanctification" 1 Cor.1.30. And as it is evident that there are no degrees of justification, so there are no degrees of sanctification; a thing is set apart for God, or it is not, there is no middle course; a person is either in Christ Jesus, justified and sanctified, or he is out of Christ, in his sins and alienated from God. But while there are no degrees of sanctification, it is evident there can and should be progress therein: hence the believer is urged to "follow after … sanctification" and is warned that without it "no man shall see the Lord" Heb.12.14.

The subject of justification is thus seen to be primarily the theme of the Epistle to the Romans while that of sanctification in this context is that of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The cross is of course central to both. "we are [have been] sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" Heb.10.10, and "... by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" Heb.10.14. Thus the Lord Jesus is the Sanctifier and we are the sanctified Heb.2.11. The idea reappears later in the Epistle as well. "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered without the gate" 13.12.

Thus the title of the believer for heaven depends neither on attainment nor exertion but on what the Lord has effected "by one offering" – "perfecting for ever".

PRACTICAL SANCTIFICATION

It is not surprising that what God has brought us into positionally should be expressed by us practically. This brings us to the final two references in our A.V. to the word "sanctification." These are found in 1 Thess.4.3,4 although of course the same word is rendered "holiness" in v.7 and translated "sanctification" in the R.V.

"This is the will of God," says the Apostle "even your sanctification." Wilson16 has given an excellent outline of these verses which is worth quoting in full. "The apostle’s commandment had been delivered to the Thessalonians when Paul was among them, v.2. It was not mere advice that he offered but a command delivered by the authority of the Lord Jesus. He expected it to be passed along the line from saint to saint. They should have known that the Lord would establish them "unblameable in holiness before God at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints." 3.13. Who then could be surprised that the will of God for them was their present sanctification, v.3? That sanctification the apostle sets out in three explanatory clauses:

"… That ye should abstain from fornication:" v.3;
"… That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; v.4;
"… That no man should go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter:" v.6.
The first clause echoes the terms of the Council of Jerusalem, Acts 15.20,29. The prohibition against fornication would cover a wide variety of illicit sexual relationships. In the context it does not stand in contradistinction to adultery but is inclusive of adultery and homosexual activity. The second and third clauses define respectively the boundaries of behaviour in respect of each individual saint and his body; and in respect of that saint and his brother.

A believer is expected to bring his body under control not just in the general sense of 1 Cor.9.27, bringing it "into subjection, less that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." He is to control it in the specific matter of sexual desire for both positive and negative reasons. Positively, his body should be linked with "sanctification and honour;" v.4. These two nouns, being qualified by the single Greek preposition, reinforce Paul’s lesson that the pleasure of God is found in holiness of life. Negatively, to live a dissolute life "in the lust of concupiscence" is to live as the Gentiles, v.5. Just how shameful that state is, we note from the apostle’s qualifying phrase "that know not God." The idolatrous Gentiles served gods who were "the personification of their own ambitions and lusts." As a result the lusts of the Gentiles were ‘ungovernable’, betimes leading a whole society to the judgments of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen.19, and of Pompeii and Herculaneum on the slopes of Vesuvius. Gentile ignorance fostered immoral living; Divine revelation demands holy living!

The God Who finds not pleasure in the death of the wicked finds pleasure in His people when they control their bodies "in sanctification and honour."

But another matter of serious concern is now raised at v.6. The A.V. reads: "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter." But the original text does not read "any matter"; Paul is dealing with one specific matter. J.N.D. renders: "… not overstepping the rights and wronging his brother in the matter." The context is rightly expressed in Darby’s phrase ‘the matter’, ie. the matter under discussion. Paul’s euphemism points clearly to sexual relations, his warning to breaching the boundaries of acceptable behaviour resulting in a sin that violated the rights of a brother. Adultery, for example, could involve a brother’s wife and so violate a brother’s rights. Any kind of illicit sexual behaviour, heterosexual or homosexual, may be covered by the phrase ‘the matter’. Paul is clearly warning that the loving relationships among the Christians could open the way for sin where the body is not under control, sin that the Lord Himself would avenge, v.6. The Hebrew writer warned Jewish readers: "Marriage is honourable in all and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" Heb.13.4. Paul issues a similar warning to Gentile readers. The will of God for saints, whether Jew or Gentile, was their sanctification."

He continues, "Whether Jew or Gentile, the God who had called them had called them to holiness, literally "in sanctification." None could doubt His purpose. Perhaps because he writes to Gentiles, Paul does not quote "… be ye holy; for I am holy." as Peter does writing to dispersed Jews, Lev.11.44; 1 Pet.1.16. God’s intention was not that they "continue in sin that grace may abound," Rom.6.1. He had called them ‘in sanctification’." They had once been "fornicators … idolaters ... adulterers … effeminate … abusers of themselves with mankind … thieves … covetous … drunkards … revilers … extortioners"; but now they were "washed … sanctified …justified"; but now "the body is not for fornication, but the body for the Lord and the Lord for the body" 1 Cor.6.9-11, 13. God had called them from the dark night of "chambering and wantonness" into the light where holy living is practised, Rom.13.12-14."

The means whereby this becomes effective in the life of the believer is clearly indicated by the Lord Jesus in His prayer in Jn.17.17: "sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." The Psalmist echoes the same thought "wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word" Ps.119.9. Acquaintance with and adherence to the Word of God will keep from the morasses of iniquity all around today. The apostle echoes the same thought; "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom …" Col.3.16.

A mind saturated with the Word – and there is no alternative – is the basis whereby we can "… cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" 2 Cor.7.1. In Romans chapter 6 the apostle pursues the theme of the believer’s relation to sin in the context of our baptism. In vv.1-14 he addresses the question, "… shall we continue in sin?" raised in v.1. In the balance of the chapter, vv.15-23, the question answered is "… shall we sin?" v.15. The answer to both is clear – "God forbid". How is this to be effected? In the first part of the chapter he indicates that our baptism is an outward expression of our death to sin – so we cannot continue in it; in the balance of the chapter he is addressing the question of servanthood – note the recurring references to servants, vv.16-20 each verse and v.22. The conclusion is clear here as well: "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness [sanctification R.V.] and the end everlasting life" Rom.6.22. Servants need to be obedient – "… his servants ye are to whom ye obey" v.16.

The balance of this section of Romans chapters 6-8, shows the practical means by which sanctification can be effected. This is done in a two fold way – negatively in chapter 7 and positively in chapter 8. The burden of chapter 7 is to show the impossibility of sanctification based on law keeping. There is nothing wrong with the law of course: "… it is holy, and just, and good" v.12, – the problem is with us – we cannot keep it! How then can sanctification be implemented "… what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not often the flesh, but after the Spirit" Rom.8.3, 4. It is the Spirit of God who gives the power to live the sanctified life.

Thus practical sanctification is known by an acquaintance with the Word a willingness to obey it an awareness of our own weakness and dependence on the Spirit of God. It is something we are to "follow after" Heb.12.14, (R.V.), knowing that without it "no man shall see the Lord".

PERFECT AND PROSPECTIVE SANCTIFICATION

The believer’s sanctification will not be complete until the second coming of Christ. It will be then that the prayer of the apostle will be answered: "… the very God of peace sanctify you wholly" 2 Thess.5.23. At that time the believer will be physically, morally and spiritually conformed to Christ. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" 1 Jn.3.2. The context tells us: "He is righteous" 2.29; "He is pure" 3.3; He is sinless – "… in Him is no sin" 3.5. One day all this will be true of the believer! Righteous, pure and sinless – the practical implications in anticipation of that day are clear.

11: Consecration


by Thomas Wilson, Scotland.



CONSECRATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

CONSECRATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

CONCLUSION

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord
By the power of grace Divine.

Those words have often been the prayer of earnest men and women since first Fanny Crosby penned them in 18751. Yet in the New Testament the word "consecrate" only occurs twice in the A.V. Both occurrences are in Hebrews, once in relation to the Lord Jesus, "the Son who is consecrated (or perfected) for evermore" 7.28, and once about the way, "He hath consecrated (or inaugurated) for us" 10.20. However, usually when we use the word "consecrate" we are not using it in the sense of those two references. This paper will deal largely with the usual sense in which we use the word "consecration".

CONSECRATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the Old Testament, the A.V. translators use the English verb ‘consecrate’ to translate four groups of Hebrew words, which together give us a rounded sense of what is involved in consecration to the Lord, something the Lord Jesus expects of every child of God.

Consecration Demands Holiness

Often when we use the verb "consecrate" we use it almost as a synonym for "sanctify", "to make holy". Indeed an English dictionary would offer them as synonyms. One of the Old Testament’s common words for "consecrate" is also translated "sanctify" in the A.V. It points out the need to be clean, to be holy. It is used of men like Aaron: "… anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them" Ex.30.30. What that meant for them is set out in the context. V.29 in particular speaks of the holy vessels like the ark, the table, the altars and the laver: "And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy …". Being most holy they would be fit for the holy place where only the sanctified priest went, or for the holiest of all where Jehovah dwelt between the cherubim. In that verse the word "sanctify" is the same Hebrew word translated "consecrate" at v.30, and the adjective "holy" that occurs twice is also from that same word group. Clearly then Aaron and his sons were to be clean, or holy, as the standards of the sanctuary demanded. Although it does not use the same Hebrew word, the demands of Isa.52.11 are about consecration: "Touch no unclean thing … Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord". Those men like Aaron and his sons, who were being given this task, were expected to keep themselves apart from anything that would defile.

In a dangerous world, the Christian needs to be aware of how much there is that is unholy. We cannot choose to rub shoulders with what is unclean and not be defiled. The company we keep can defile, as Paul’s citation from Isa.52.11 shows in 2 Cor.6.17. The command to every Christian is to be separate from those who would defile: "… come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord". It is not only in the Old Testament that God says: "Be ye holy, for I am holy" Lev.11.44; 19.2; 20.17; but this is quoted in the New Testament in 1 Pet.1.16, "ye shall be holy; for I am holy". God is the God of Whom Mary said: "He is mighty … And holy is His name" Lk.1.49.

We have the noblest of motives for responding to that requirement of both Old and New Testaments: "Be ye holy, for I am holy". We know that the work of Christ has sanctified us: "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate" Heb.13.13. Where the heart is touched by the suffering of Christ that we might be holy, love actively responds in desires after holiness. It is love that draws us outside the camp unto Christ. Love knows there will be reproach and love is prepared to pay that price to be holy. True consecration is the outcome of deep love for Christ that manifests itself in holiness of life in a reproachful world. It keeps the Christian out of the alcohol-fuelled pleasure domes of this world and from the immorality that so often accompanies an abandoned lifestyle. Even in this day, consecration demands holiness. Only as the saint of God breathes deeply of the atmosphere of the Holiest will he be holy in life, a requirement in all who would be consecrated to the Lord.

Consecration is Separation to the Lord

A second group of words is used about consecration in the Old Testament. A man or woman could make a voluntary vow, the vow of the Nazarite, to be set apart to the Lord in a special way, Num.6.2. For a period of time they would abstain from particular things that might make them unclean. Even approaching the dead body of a near relative was forbidden. In their society, man or woman might normally drink wine, but they were to consume no "liquor of grapes" or eat anything "from the kernels even to the husk" of the grape, Num.6.4. The vow also required the separated one to let the locks of the hair grow, v.5, so that all who came into contact with the consecrated would know that they were not just separated from things that could be harmful, like wine or death, but were separated to the Lord. And if accidentally, the vow was broken, for example, by one dying very suddenly beside him, it would also become known, for the head was to be shaven and the head consecrated once more, Num.6.9,11. Nazariteship was demanding, and in the main men and women only had energy to sustain such a demanding exercise for a short period. But devoted hearts had that opportunity to be separated to the Lord.

The New Testament does not encourage vows in this realm. In the period covered in the Acts, we see that as Jews turned from their traditional ways of worship, some practices were only given up slowly. Vows were one such. Indeed we read of Paul "having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow" upon him, Acts 18.18, and of his being associated with four men who had "a vow on them" as they went into the temple "to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification" Acts 21.23-27. Both passages would appear to describe a Nazarite’s vow, the minimum period of which at that time was 30 days. However, it is noteworthy that the New Testament does not legislate for, or speak approvingly of vows. Our Lord Jesus draws attention to some who took vows, but only to condemn them for showcasing their piety, whilst neglecting the weightier matters of the law, Matt.15.4-6; Mk.7.10-13. It may have taken Jewish Christians some years to give up vows, but God did not, and does not, desire His people to bind themselves legally under vows. What He does expect is consecration in our being separated to Him and so from the defiling world around.

However at the time Moses wrote, the Nazarite vow was "a sincere and proper expression of the ancient Hebrew faith". Those who so vowed, whether male of female were to be respected and their example of separation to the Lord observed. Indeed Amos laments the awful degradation that marked Israel in his day. He considered every true prophet and every Nazarite to be the outcome of a deep work of God in their souls that He might provide in them an example of what honoured Him. He records what the Lord said about them: "I raised up of your sons for prophets and of your young men for Nazarites." Yet the nation, knowing well that the Nazarite’s vow required total abstinence from wine or strong drink or anything related to the fruit of the vine, deliberately "gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets" not to prophesy, Amos 2.11,12. They went out of their way to bring breakdown upon those men God had raised up. We learn important lessons in those words of Amos:

That God Himself exercised His own to undertake voluntarily the vow of the Nazarite, Num.6.2
That the Nazarite’s distinct discipline of life would have an effect on others: some would set themselves against them, others would support them, even to meeting the financial burdens the vow entailed - the cost of the sacrifices - they would be at "charges with them," Acts 21.24
That the vow would be for the pleasure of God; it would be "unto the Lord" Num.6.2.
The rituals of Numbers chapter 6 belong to an age that ended with the death of Christ, although, as we have noted, there was a transition period during which some still clung to those ancient rituals. Notwithstanding, the Lord does desire that we please Him now in lives that are not temporarily consecrated to Him, but are characterised by such devotion from the moment of conversion onwards. Until Christ, only a few great men and women were Nazarites. Manoah’s wife and her son Samson, Judg.13.7,14; 16.17; Samuel, 1 Sam.1.11 and John the Baptist, Lk.1.15 were Nazarites, and so were separated unto the Lord. But since Christ, all great men and women are separated unto the Lord. Having given us His word and the indwelling Spirit, the Lord has provided all that is necessary that our lives be wholly consecrated to Him. He is not asking for periodic or intermittent consecration, nor will He be satisfied with an episode of separation to Himself. He demands "our hearts, our lives, our all" throughout the rest of our time. Admittedly, failure might occur in our living, as could have happened in the experience of the Nazarite, Num 6.9-12 but there is provision for recovery that our lives might again be characterised by consecration to the Lord.

Separation for the believer has to be described in both negatives and positives. He (or she) will abstain from all that stimulates the world. The use of alcohol and drugs is part of what stimulates the world, but the intelligent believer will see other stimulants at work in lives around him. Gross immorality is the addiction of many, so are mixing in the right social settings, attending sports events, cinema and theatre. So many other less addictive practices stimulate the worldly man or woman. They fashion the life of the unbeliever and continuously alter thought patterns until practices the Word condemns unequivocally are tolerated and eventually absorbed into the warp and woof of the life. No generation has ever needed to hear more clearly than this generation the call to separation.

But the consecrated believer will know well that there are positive aspects of separation. The Lord would have that consecration express itself in at least three distinct (and positive) ways:

"If a man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine" Jn.7.17;
"If a man love Me, he will keep My word" Jn.14.23, (R.V.);
"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you" Jn.15.7.
How exemplary that kind of life would be to every on-looking saint and how it would convict a sinful generation. Consecration is separation to the Lord and from all that would dishonour Him. It requires the exercise of the will Jn.7.17 and the energy of love Jn.14.23 and the enjoyment of continuing communion with the Lord Himself, Jn.15.7. In the privileged day in which we live, it is the "sincere and proper expression" of our faith. Publicly it may begin with baptism and association with the Lord’s people in assembly fellowship. It will provide further external evidence of its inner reality. Consecration is separation to the Lord that affects the inner recesses of the heart and not just the outward behaviour others observe. And it delights the heart of Christ, for it is for His peculiar pleasure.

Consecration Means Hands Full With the Work of the Lord

Consecrated people are never lazy people, is the stark lesson of the third word group we should note. This is well illustrated in Aaron and his sons: "… consecrate them … that they may minister unto Me in the priest’s office" Ex.28.41. That word "consecrate" means "to fill the hands" or "to be occupied with". In the case of those priests, there were times when, ministering before the Lord, their hands were literally full. The "ram of consecration" Ex.29.22,26, literally filled their hands. But in a fuller sense, for them consecration did, and for us must mean occupation with the Lord’s service and interests. For every priest of Aaron’s line, consecration involved standing "daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices" Heb.10.11. It also required being compassionate to those who were "ignorant" and them that were "out of the way" Heb.5.2. By statute, they were also allotted other tasks such as dressing the lamp in the holy place, Ex.27.21; 30.7. We find the high priest with the ephod called to the presence of David that he might inquire of the Lord, Ex.28.30; Num.27.21; 1 Sam.23.2,4,6. Theirs was the added responsibility of teaching the people "all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses" Lev.10.11. Thus we read 1100 years later: "The priests’ lips should keep knowledge" Mal.2.7. Indeed if anywhere in Israel there were to arise "a matter too hard" for the judgement of the citizen of the land, they would come to the priests for a judgement and follow their sentence, Deut.17.9-11. The priests had much to do that the service of Jehovah might continue and His people be supported and guided aright. Literally with the ram of consecration, and metaphorically with their sundry duties, their hands were full. So too should ours be!

Were the apostles’ hands not full when they summoned the multitude of believers to announce: "It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables" Acts 6.2? They were not shying clear of administering the distribution of support to widows associated with the Jerusalem assembly; rather it was in order that they might give themselves "to prayer and the ministry of the word". They knew that prayer and the ministry would wholly occupy them. We look at what was accomplished in a generation by those apostles. Measure it in miles travelled to reach perishing sinners. Measure it in souls saved in the short period covered by The Acts of the Apostles. Measure it in assemblies established. Measure it in the contents of our New Testament. Only one conclusion is possible: their hands were full, far too full to be serving tables.

Immediately Acts 6.2 provides us with a precedent we should follow. We observe that consecration will not only require hands full with the work of God, but that under the guiding hand of God we make appropriate choices. There are many ways to be busy but not all of us should be busy in the same way. We are differently fitted for service, 1 Corinthians chapter 12 teaches, and there are many avenues of service. Whatever the Lord has allotted to us, we should labour to the point of weariness, lest He has to exhort us: "Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it" Col.4.17. To be effective we should seek the Lord’s guidance as to what He would have us do. Then our labours will be fruitful.

Timothy was marked out by Paul as one who worked the work of the Lord, as Paul also did, 1 Cor.16.10. That was praise indeed! Paul’s hands were full. He carried a tremendous burden of sufferings. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 he lists not only "labours abundant", but also stripes, imprisonments, beatings and privations beyond normal endurance. And having catalogued his affliction, he adds: "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches" 2 Cor.11.28. If Timothy worked as Paul did, his hands must have been full. All of us, whether older as Paul was or younger as Timothy was, ought to have full hands when there is so much work to do. We know that we can only work "while it is day" Jn.9.4. This is our day of service when our hands should be full. Dorcas’ hands were full and those widows who mourned her death were clothed through the skill and persistence of those hands, Acts 9.39. Mary’s hands were full of much service to servants like Paul, Rom.16.6. Consecrated Christians have full hands.

When we came to Christ for salvation, we confessed:

Nothing in my hands I bring.
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
(A.M. Toplady)



A sinner can only come to God with empty hands. He dare not bring the fruit of his own labours as Cain once did. But at the moment of salvation, the Lord consecrated us to Himself that our pure hands might be filled with His noble service. For each of us the Lord has saved, there are those "good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" Eph.2.10. The perfect example of such a walk was seen in the One who went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him." Acts10.38. How kind those healing hands, and how full! For our hands there is work to do. We hear the exhortation that was first heard by Saul: "… do as thy hand shall find" 1 Sam.10.7 (Newberry). Consecration demands that our hands be full.

Consecration is Giving Selflessly to God

The final group of Old Testament words that we shall consider relates to things as tangible as a field or animal being consecrated to the Lord. This fourth word group is from the verb ‘to exclude’, and so expresses the total surrender "to God in an irrevocable and unredeemable manner" that cut off the consecrated things "from use and abuse on the part of men"2. The word group emphasises the exclusive rights of God. Leviticus chapter 27 legislates for a field or animal being consecrated to the Lord. The field or the animal became His. Mic.4.13 also uses the language of consecration about the spoil of battle when the Lord will rout His enemies in that coming day when He establishes His kingdom on earth. All that spoil will be consecrated "unto the Lord of the whole earth". In that day no one will look on the spoil as theirs, to be used for their private gain or pleasure. No more should we in our day consider anything as our own. All that we are and have should be consecrated to the Lord.

At the moment of conversion a number of events occurred simultaneously. At that moment we were given the right to rejoice that our names were written in heaven, Lk.10.20; Rev.20.15; 21.27; the adoption of sons became ours to enjoy, Eph.1.5; we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Eph.1.13; we became heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, Rom.8.17, and many other blessings were bestowed upon us. At that very time it also became true that we were no longer our own, but were "bought with a price" 1 Cor.6.19-20. We know that we can neither blot out our names from the book of life nor rescind our adoption nor remove the seal nor disinherit ourselves. And we cannot undo that transaction that made us irrevocably the possession of God and of His Christ. All that we are and all that we possess belong now to Another, who will not give up His rights. At the moment of conversion all was consecrated to God. In the context of 1 Corinthians chapter 6 that means that the body that might have been defiled by fornication is the body that God has claimed as the temple of the Holy Spirit. In that context the exclusive rights the Lord has acquired by redemption are exercised in such a way that there are practices in which the saint dare not indulge. His consecration recognises the need to glorify the Lord in his body. But consecration owns those rights go beyond the use of the body.

When the apostles were giving witness of the resurrection with great power and great grace was upon all the saints, we read that not one of the saints said "that ought that he possessed was his own; but they had all things common … neither was there any among them that lacked" Acts 4.31-35. Their distribution to meet every need of the poor among them was the evidence that they recognised that their material goods were actually held in trust on behalf of the Owner. They realised that those goods were consecrated to Him and, as stewards of His possessions, they should act wisely and to His glory in distributing heaven’s provision to the needy. Indeed when two of their number moved hypocritically to enhance their reputation among those wholly consecrated to God, Peter exposed how they lied to the Holy Spirit and reminded them: "Whiles it (their possession) remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine power?" Acts 5.1-4. He does not take them up on the ground they professed. They claimed to own the Lord’s rights over what they once saw as their possession and used it for their own ends. Their action was a denial of the exclusive consecration they professed. They could not say:

Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
(F. R. Havergal)


Deliberately, as part of an agreed plan, Ananias and Sapphira had "kept back part of the price". They did not see that what they once saw as their own was now consecrated exclusively to the Lord. But we rightly sing about our consecration and our commitment to hold back nothing. The prodigal about to leave his father’s house said, "Give". The redeemed soul, having returned from the far country, notes that the Father still gives, but in response is able to say like Naaman: "… take a blessing of thy servant." 2 Kgs.5.15.

The passage in Mic.4.13 looks forward to the rights of the Lord Jesus being extended beyond the saints of this period. It reveals what will come to pass in the day when He arises to judge this earth, an event that will not come until after the Rapture of His Church and the subsequent Great Tribulation during which He will pour out His wrath upon this earth. Micah records a glorious promise to Israel of the power their nation will exercise after the Lord comes in power. During the Great Tribulation it will seem as if the extermination of that nation that so many have plotted, is inevitable. But that nation will crush its enemies, says Micah. Israel will be like a wild bull but with iron horns and brass hooves so that the many that have crushed the nation, they will crush into powder. What will happen to the spoil of that victory?

When Jericho fell there was much gain. All that was therein was to be "devoted … to the Lord" and no one was to claim any of it, Josh.6.17; 7.1, 11-26. Achan perished for his disobedience to the Lord’s command, disobedience that made evident his disregard for the Lord’s right to dispose of Jericho and its wealth in whatever way He had determined. When the Lord exercises His exclusive rights in that day, Micah observes that He will do so as "the Lord of the whole earth" Mic.4.13. "… since there was a nation" Dan.12.1, the great powers have accumulated wealth, much of it dedicated to the glory of their leaders. They have strutted around their palaces glorying in what they have built with the riches of the nations they plundered. They have assumed the right to acquire riches and to display their splendour ostentatiously, never thinking that "the Lord of the whole earth" might disapprove. In that day, the wondering universe will learn that God does disapprove. They will also learn that at Calvary the Lord paid the price not only for our redemption but to acquire the world, as He taught in His parable of the treasure in the field.3 As He has rights over these redeemed souls of ours that we own in our consecration, so He has rights over this world and will arise to exercise those exclusive rights after the Rapture. Then He will claim from the godless nations "their gain … and their substance". Zechariah also testifies to this great event, in which testimony he elaborates on the gain and the substance of which Micah speaks; he says "the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold and silver and apparel, in great abundance" Zech.14.14. All that is devoted exclusively to the Lord will be plucked out of those grasping hands. No such reluctance should be seen in us. We own the greatness of the Lord’s victory and gladly should yield to Him what He has placed in our hands.

Nought that I have, mine own I call,
I’ll hold it for the Giver:
My heart, my strength, my life, my all,
Are His and His for ever.
(J. G. Small)



We know that consecration means yielding up to God what He has committed to our trust. It means refusing to subscribe to the world’s mantra that indulging our selfish tastes is right for we deserve it. It means finding joy in giving, learning that "It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20.35.

CONSECRATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The four Old Testament word groups open to our understanding some of the features that comprise what we call ‘consecration’. But what of the two New Testament words that occur in our A.V. translation as ‘consecrate’?

The Son Consecrated Forever More

This telling phrase of Heb.7.28 is not describing a life consecrated to the will and purpose of God, in the sense that has been occupying our study. Undoubtedly, only the Lord Jesus expressed in absolute terms all that God seeks in one consecrated to Himself. He met fully the demands of holiness. He was the Holy One of God and moved through this world untainted by its sin. He was wholly separated from all that would have been offensive to His God and uncompromisingly separated to His God. No Nazarite could have sustained devotedness of life as He did. His hands were always full with the service of God; indeed He completed the work His Father had given Him to do, Jn.17.4. And He gave willingly, holding nothing back in life or in death, who "poured out His soul unto death" Isa.53.12. But the phrase of Heb.7.28 is not reflecting those aspects of that life we consider.

The verb "to perfect"4 occurs in the Hebrew letter at 2.10; 5.9; 7.19,28; 9.9; 10.1,14; 11.40; the cognate adjective at 5.14; 9.11; the noun at 6.1. Three of the occurrences relate to our Lord Jesus personally:

"… to make the captain of our salvation perfect through sufferings" 2.10
"And being made perfect5, He became the author of eternal salvation" 5.9
"… the Son who is consecrated6 for evermore" 7.28.
One glorious Person is introduced to the reader’s view under words of unfathomable depth. This One is "the captain of our salvation", "the author of eternal salvation" and "the Son". His being made perfect is under consideration. The Christian knows that these verses are not suggesting that there ever was moral or spiritual imperfection in Christ. The verses comment on the Lord’s experiences as a Man. It is evident in each of the three verses that the Lord is not actively framing the circumstances in which He is involved. In each case the active Person is His God: He is making perfect, or has made perfect. The emphasis on sufferings is also seen in each of the references. Men played a part in the sufferings of the Saviour, but they are strangely absent from these verses. We see that the Lord would know sufferings before Calvary, at Calvary and, having suffered there, His curriculum of sufferings is over. What a perspective on the life, death and exaltation of Christ! How important to glory in our God having brought His great plan "to an appointed accomplishment" is what is conveyed in each of the three verses. That is the sense of the verb "to make perfect".

The writer delights to observe that the word of the oath has established the Son as priest. It came after His curriculum of suffering was over and His once-for-all offering made for His people’s sins, Heb.7.27,28. The word of the oath did not make Christ Son, but it made the Son priest to serve "with the perfect zeal of filial affection and delight."7 V.28 does not identify who are in the good of His priesthood but the next verse does; Heb.8.1 we read: "We have such an high priest …". Love delights in this One, "the perfected high priest" whom God has brought forth "to comfort and sustain the contrite heart … He is presented by the Spirit to our faith for the establishing of our confidence and the holding fast of our joy in Him."8

As we reflect on consecration, we learn in the Son that God is at work where His pleasure is secured. He has prepared a path for us, one that could mean suffering. Each step of that path we must complete before we are asked to take the next step along the pathway of consecration. We should note, as we do so, that each step could bring blessing to others. As we look off unto Jesus, we see how God is able to bring that to pass.

The Consecrated Way

The other New Testament occurrence of the word ‘consecrate’9 is in Heb.10.20: "… a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, His flesh". The R.V. translates as "dedicated" the verb rendered "consecrated" in the A.V. Indeed the same Greek verb is translated "dedicated" in Heb.9.18. Clearly this verb does not directly help us understand what the Bible teaches about consecration. However, without the opening up of the way into God’s immediate presence we would be unable to enter God’s presence to worship, an important response of every consecrated heart. The newly-slain way gives us every encouragement to draw near to God in the calm confidence that the work of Christ has opened that way "for us" and given us the standing we need: the "full assurance of faith … our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" Heb.10.22. These privileges that belong to every believer were the unfulfilled yearnings of earnest hearts from Moses until Christ. Our enjoyment of them is an index of our soul. The one consecrated to the Lord will know much of His presence. He will commune much with Christ and delight in the praise of the One who has afforded to His own the opportunity "to live the rest of their time, not to the lusts of men, but to the will of God" 1 Pet.4.2.

CONCLUSION

Consecration really began with God: it was in His heart to have a people capable of communion with Himself. It was the work of Christ that secured us for God that we might be a peculiar people, a people for His exclusive pleasure. As we have noted, we were consecrated to the will of God at the very moment of conversion. But practically its effects are only seen in our lives when we do as the churches of Macedonia did – give our own selves to the Lord, 2 Cor.8.5. Only as we engage in holy, active, selfless service to the Lord can we truthfully sing in Fanny Crosby’s words:

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord
By the power of grace Divine.

Let God be praised

Oh yes, halleluyah