SANCTIFICATION AND HOLINESS, WHICH ONE BEGETS THE OTHER? “But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.” (Isaiah 5:16) – KJV. It is still possible for God who is already holy, to be sanctified again in righteousness: Just as it is possible for God whose name is already glorified, to glorify his name again (John 12:28). This means, sanctification of one does not end or stop when he is holy already, rather sanctification ends when one is fulfilled or fulfills the will and calling of God. Another name for the will of God is the call of God: He who is fulfilling the will of God is fulfilling the call of God. 1. Sanctification is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 4:3); and, 2. Holiness is the call of God (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Both of them are the will of God because both of them are the call of God. Will and call of God is exaltation, meaning that the call or will of God to a man is invitation for promotion or elevation to that man: If I have a higher calling than a man, it means I am given more invitation to be promoted above that man, and that I have more responsibilities in the will of God than that man, provided both of us remained faithful in our calling. Every call of God for men is an invitation for promotion and exaltation, including the call to salvation and eternal life: A sinner is living a low level life, but a saint in Christ Jesus is living an exalted life. Hell is deep and lowest in level, but the Kingdom of heaven is higher and exalted in height: the will of God is the call to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Sanctification begets Holiness and Sanctification converts holiness into worthiness: Worthiness is a way by which holiness can be measured using a particular standard. Sanctification is used in two ways: 1. When sanctification is used to put a difference between two holiness levels, then the sanctification means to Set-Apart or be outstanding in worthiness; and, 2. When sanctification is used to make-up the difference between two holiness levels, then the sanctification means to Purify or to make Worthy. To compare between holiness levels, we have the holy ones and the most holy or holy of holies: The hosts of heaven are crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God…” Is it because he alone is holy? No, but because he alone is Worthy. The hosts of heavens too are holy, but they are still overwhelmed by the holiness of God in heaven, to the point that the wonders of his holiness makes them to cry out, “holy, holy, holy is the most holy”: As it is written, “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2) Moses was standing on a holy ground when he was asked to pull off his shoes, but he was not worthy then to come closer to the burning bush or look into it (Exodus 3:1-6): He was holy enough to have God appear to him, but he was not worthy to come nearer to see God or closer within a certain circumference to the burning bush which was not consumed. 1. The bush was not consumed by the supernatural fire then because it was worthy to bear the fire; but, 2. Moses would have been consumed by the same fire if he got any closer because he was not worthy yet to approach that fire, even though he was standing on a holy ground. Later we see the same Moses became worthy to even walk into the fire without been burnt on the mountain of fire, but the rest of the Israelites were warned never to come close or touch the mountain because they were not worthy as Moses (Exodus 19:18-25). They were not worthy to come close to the mountain, but they were worthy to hear God audible and to see the sights of the covering darkness and its associated features on the mountain: That worthiness which the people had to even hear God came by sanctification (Exodus 19:14). Aaron the High Priest, is worthy to enter the Holy of Holies once by invitation (Calling) of God annually by his sanctification, while the other priests who are also holy cannot enter there at all because they do not have such sanctification; So also the Priests and the Levites then were worthy to touch and carry the ark of the covenant, but no other children of God in the congregation of Israel were worthy to touch that ark even though they were holy, for sanctification is the difference between the two parties. Therefore, where there is a true sanctification, there must be a call of God: For sanctification is Preparation that makes one worthy of the Call of God, before he begins to fulfill the will of God for him, which is his own high invitation for promotion.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 07:46:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015