Sanctification as Freedom

Sanctification is a hard thing. It’s an intimidating thing. The word itself essentially means “the process of becoming holy”. One of the issues with this definition, however, is the lack of clarity that many have regarding the meaning of the word “holy”. It means so many things, but all those various connotations circle around THE NUCLEUS, the core meaning, which is:

SET APART 

This word holy, more than any other single word, sums up the character of God. ]God is set a part, he is different, he is not like humanity. Yes, God is love, God is good, transcendent, immanent, eternal, merciful, just, kind, wise, sovereign, etc.; but when all of these characteristics amalgamate together the ultimate result, the sum total of everything that God is, is HOLY. He is set a part. He is different. There is no other who is like him.

Now with this in front of us, how is it possible that humans can be holy? Right away we have to be clear that sanctification is NOT deification. This is what Hinduism, Scientology,  Mormonism, and some branches of New Age believe—that if the believer obtains the right knowledge by supernatural or mystical means, they become gods, or the divine flame inside of them is stoked until it takes over (the message between the lines in the film Avatar; read this wikipedia entry on the hindu background of AVATAR).

THIS IS NOT SANCTIFICATION.

The word sanctification also has the connotation of becoming clean, or pure. This stems back to the cultic context of ancient Israel and the sacrificial system that provided a means to purify worshippers from sin-guilt. If they were to experience God’s presence, they had to change.

At the heart of all of this is the reality that the holiness of God allows for there to be another attainable reality. Death doesn’t have to have the final word. Human reality as we know it, with its corruption and decay is NOT all there is. God Is (hence the divine name “I AM” (Exodus 3:14)). God remains outside of the fallen human existence (this is a part of the doctrine of the transcendence of God). His life is not marked by death that casts a dark shadow over all we do, say, and think. This shadow of death is why individuals are always ultimately concerned with survival and the preservation of the self.

With this removed, we can be free to live for others.

In the life of God, survival is not a concern. The central point of reference for life within the Trinity is the other. There’s a word for this: LOVE.

What we’ve described here is different than the human existence. What we’ve described here is a life of holiness. Sanctification is nothing less than the process of the Holy Spirit separating us from all the trappings of the corrupt human existence and bringing us into the others-centred and loved-filled life of God.

This is sanctification.