How May Sanctification Be Defined?

Throughout Scripture, as the word 'sanctify' is written, 'to set apart' is noted in the margins.

I think I could say that sanctification is the process by which God 'makes saints' who will follow Him according to the testimony of His Son, Jesus Christ. He leads these out from traditions, and that which is called wisdom, and shows what it means to bear His reproach. It is the process by which one is conformed to the image of God's firstborn, Jesus Christ.

"Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." (Hebrews13:12,13)

Sanctification is the process for making of saints who confess that Jesus Christ is coming in the flesh.  When water lines break, the servicer of the water declares that the water user should boil it, until further notice, to destroy any contaminates. How God sets us apart is in His hand - and 'all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose': conformation to the image of His Son! Your setting apart is in His hand until further notice; and you can trust Him, as you have already experienced in a measure.

His Commandments: Confessing Jesus Christ As Coming In Your Flesh

"Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not CONFESS Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever TRANSGRESSES and DOES NOT ABIDE in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." (2 John v. 3-9)

confess- to reveal by circumstances

circumstances- the existing conditions or state of affairs surrounding and affecting an agent

transgress- to violate a law, command, moral code; offend, sin; TO PASS OVER OR GO BEYOND

(each of these definitions have been taken, in part, from Webster's College Dictionary)

I think I could say, by these definitions, that confession is not words spoken only, but deeds.

What is the doctrine of Christ? What the Holy Spirit inspired and empowered Jesus with to please His Father. Now, Jesus intercedes for the saints "to walk just as He walked".

"Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:27)

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:27)

"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:33)

The deceiver tempts the believer, in this case the elect lady and her children, to transgress the doctrine of Christ; to pass over or go beyond to an expected end without bearing His reproach; to violate, rather than confess His commandments.

Assemble For, Remember, Bear With This Exhortation

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."(Hebrews 10:23-25)

"For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.'  If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."  (Hebrews 12:3-8)

"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation,..."(Hebrews 13:20-22)

Prior to his appeal to bear with this exhortation, Paul states: "We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach."(Hebrews 13:10-13)

We understand that most of the Hebrews rejected Jesus as Messiah. Those who hated Him did so because His works were righteous and theirs evil (as Cain toward Abel). Going forth to Him, outside the camp, could bring reproach from those who don't yet see it; will bring reproach from those who won't see it.

Faith In Jesus Christ: That Perfect Understanding

"James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:1-8)

First off, I presume the faith that James mentions is not just anything that comes to mind; but is revelation from the Father, regarding his Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can believe in Him! I presume that this is the template for all of the body of Christ. Once the revelation of Jesus Christ dawns on you, the Father expects you to devote yourselves to it so He can continue to build. It is the joy of the Lord to walk just a He walked; to be conformed to His image. This gives answer to why God gives liberally and without reproach yet when you don't devote yourselves to His wisdom (doubting), He gives you no more until you repent to this faith in the Son. 

Through this process, double-mindedness is swallowed by single-mindedness. Single-minded faith in Jesus Christ is the righteous fruit of "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..."(Ephesians 1:17,18). It is perfect understanding because it provides strength to remain and become complete in it! Glory to God on earth in the name of Jesus Christ! 

Born of God, He Did Not Sin

"Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."  (Luke 1:34,35)

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." (Romans 8:29,30)

"And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:5-9)

The devil had sinned in departing from the Highest. Those who are being born (made) of God understand that departure from the gospel of Jesus Christ is sin. The power of the Highest overshadows the body of Christ so that no flesh should glory in His presence; His seed remains in them.

Let No One Deceive You

"For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house not greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds." (2 John v.7-11)

What is the doctrine of Christ and how could this elect lady (2 John v.1) and her children transgress? Certainly the doctrine of Christ is His life lived as the Son of God, which we are called to as His body. Satan tempted Jesus to use His anointing from the Father to help Himself; to test the Father's faithfulness to protect maliciously; and to worship Satan himself (Matthew 4:1-11). In essence, seeking to fulfill any carnal or prideful consideration (veiled as 'good' or 'reasonable' things) is the way Lucifer became Satan. To this elect lady and her children, who seem to be representative of a body of Christ, they should recognize any other doctrine and resist unyieldingly, because some other doctrines sound pleasing, but universally cause departure from Jesus' testimony.

"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was CLEARLY PORTRAYED AS CRUCIFIED?" (Galatians 3:1)

Clearly portrayed by whom? These Galatians were not around when Jesus Christ was crucified. The Truth was portrayed by Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ!

The Gift Of Righteousness: God’s Trust Fund

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we SHALL BE SAVED FROM WRATH THROUGH HIM. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, MUCH MORE, having been reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the reconciliation." (Romans 5:6-11)

A trust fund is set up by an entity that has something, wants to give it to someone but places qualifications for the receiving of it, usually age, which may be considered an indication of maturity. It is a free gift as without the funder the funded would have nothing to receive. The receiver did not provide the fund for themselves; the funder did. The free gift of righteousness from God is His fund, through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ it is allotted."For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have in abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness." (Matthew 25:29,30)

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of FULL AGE, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."  

(Hebrews 5:12-14)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, RESERVED IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, who are kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH FOR SALVATION ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

God's trust fund is allotted through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. It is allotted by our adherence to His testimony.