Sanctification is not only a fundamental teaching for the followers of Christ but a fundamental requirement in our journey of faith. It is good to learn from the Author of our faith what our sanctification ought to be like for He is the Lord our Sanctification.
In John chapter 17 verse 19 we read from the lips of our Lord: “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified “. How can Christ who is the Lord our Sanctification sanctify Himself for our sake that we too might be truly sanctified.
This was the agony our Lord Jesus faced up with at the garden of Gethsemane, for here He was to receive the cup for us. He who has ever been one with the Father was about to be stripped off; He that knew no sin was about to be laden with sin; He who was the Prince of Peace was about to receive the chastisement of peace for the sinful man; He by whom all creatures are blessed was about to be made poor; He who is Light was about to enter into the gloom of darkness and He who is Life for evermore was about to have life taken from Him.
Our Lord was stripped of everything He was and ever knew to be, He was made bare, a spectacle. Prophet Isaiah saw this and exclaimed in chapter 52 verse 14: “Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness”. And further in chapter 53 verse 5 of Isaiah we read: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed”
For Christ Jesus our Lord to be a sacrifice acceptable to the Lord God for our sake, He was made bare, stripped. He became as us to bear the full wrath of judgment for our sin. He was taken outside of Jerusalem unto Golgotha, the place of the skull. Even His garment was taken away from Him. In Psalm 22 verse 18 our Lord said: “They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots”.
Our Lord was so made bare that there was nothing comely about Him. In Matthew 27 verse 46 we saw the last cry of the anguished soul of our Lord: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”.
Our Lord sanctified Himself in order to become a perfect sacrifice for man. He was made bare, stripped of everything, His glory and all, to become man, and He has left us a pattern to follow that we too who follow after Him might be truly sanctified.
Sanctification cannot be without first stripping.
There has to be a taking away of the old before we are clothed upon. Sanctification cannot be without first stripping. We saw an account in book of Zechariah chapter 3 from verse 3 to verse 6: “Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by. The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua”.
We like Joshua, the redeemed of the Lord but still in our filthy garment, the old man and its stuff, standing before the angel of the Lord have to come to a place where we will be made bare, stripped off of everything that is of the old nature in order to be clothed upon anew, with the nature of Christ, with His divine power and with His glory that we might be made meet for a holy use and for fellowship with Him. This is true sanctification.
Paul the Apostle demonstrated this in his life and ministry. He said in Philippians chapter 3 verse 7: “Yes, indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ; and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith”.
In the animal world, if a zookeeper touches with his hand the newborn, and the mother smells a strange smell, the newborn is rejected. In our sanctification, we cannot pile the new upon the old nature and ever think God will accept this and separate us for His holy use. We must first be stripped. It might be painful, it might cause us to swallow our pride, but we will have to be made bare, and it is going to be our own choice like Paul to count all things but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ.
Sin causes shame, but sanctification brings about the reclothing of man with glory
Paul admonishing believers further in Philippians chapter 2 verse 5: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:” Which mind is this? In His meekness, He (Jesus Christ) did not hold on to who He was; He took on the form of a servant in His humility; and He was obedient to the death on the cross. The work of sanctification must have these elements in us, and it will have to be a continuous intentional cross we embrace. We must be made bare, in order to be clothed upon by God and be of holy use. When Adam sinned in the garden, he took leaves to clothe upon himself and Eve his wife, but God took that away and clothe them with the skin of an animal which had to be slain. Thank God, our Lord Jesus was that Lamb slain before the foundation of the world to clothe us with, but we must be willing to be stripped naked of God from our carnal heights. After all, Adam the first man was naked before God and he was not ashamed and the glory of the Lord was their covering until sin came, and they became ashamed. Sin causes shame, but sanctification brings about the reclothing of man with glory. So for this, the book of Hebrews called out to us in chapter 13 verse 12 to 14: “And Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood. Therefore, let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come”.
At our new birth, we are partakers of God’s divine nature through the great and exceeding precious promises given us in Christ (2 Peter 1: 4). The more we escape from the corruption that is in the world by these given promises as they abide and abound in us, the more we partake of this divine nature. So this is progressive depending upon our diligence. Also, we receive power at the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Acts 1: 8) and we are to be drunk with His Spirit and not with wine, so we are endued with power continually to be witnesses unto Christ and to do the works that He did. This is also progressive as we yield more and more to the Holy Spirit. But as for the glory which we shall be clothed upon, this is still a hope as it is written” “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1: 27); but we do know that when Christ Jesus our Lord shall appear, we shall be as He is. Epistle of John makes it clear in 1John chapter 3 verse 2: “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”.
Just like we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, even so our sanctification, and that by not reckoning ourselves to be anything before God; in humility; and in obedience, we strip ourselves of every vestige of the old man, the old life, and we put on Christ daily (Galatians 3: 27) that we might be clothed upon with the nature, the power and the glory of Him who sanctified Himself for us so that our spirit, our soul and our body is preserved blameless till His coming.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. (1Thes 5: 23)
