SANCTIFICATION Part 1

2Th :13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

Sanctification is the process of being made holy resulting in a changed life-style for those in Christ for the believer. The English word sanctification comes from the Latin santificatio, meaning the act/process of making one holy, consecrated. "Consecration," refers to a person separated belonging to God. They are holy and they are sacred. Set apart for the service of God. The Hebrew kadosh and Greek hagiazo are translated by several different English words: holy, consecrate, hallow, sanctify, dedicate and "purify” and hagios. Hallow refers to making one holy; set apart for holy use; to revere. The root idea of the Greek stem is to stand in awe of someone. And that is Jesus Christ The New Testament usage is greatly dependent upon the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, The meaning of SEPTUAGINT (sehp tew' uh gihnt) The Title meaning, "the 70." Oldest Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. It also contains several apocryphal books. Most New Testament quotations of the Old Testament are from the Septuagint. The APOCRYPHA Jews did not stop writing for centuries between the Old Testament and the New. The Intertestamental Period were Events and writings originating after the final prophet mentioned in the Old Testament (Malachi, about 450 B.C.) and the birth of Christ (about 4 B.C.). The hag- words in the Septuagint mostly translated the Hebrew qadosh, "separate, and contrasting with the profane." Thus, God is separate; things and people dedicated to Him and to His use are separate. The moral implications of this word came into focus with the prophets and became a major emphasis in the New Testament. In Old Testament thought and the focus of holiness (qadosh) are upon God. He is holy (Ps. 99:9); His name is holy (Ps. 99:3; 111:9) and may not be profaned (Lev. 20:3). Since God exists in the realm of the holy rather than the profane, all that pertains to Him must come into that same realm of holiness. This involves time, space, objects, and people. Certain times are sanctified in that they are set apart especially to the Lord: the Sabbath (Gen. 2:3), the various festivals (Lev. 23:4-44), the year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:12). By strictly observing the regulations governing each, Israel sanctified (or treated as holy) these special times of the year. Also the land of Canaan (Ex. 15:13), as well as Jerusalem (Is. 11:9), was holy to the Lord and was not to be polluted by sinful conduct (Lev. 18:27-28). The tabernacle/Temple and all the objects related to it were holy (Ex. 25--Num. 10; Ezek. 40-48). The various gifts brought in worship were sanctified. These fall into three groupings: those whose sanctity was inherent (for example, firstborn males of female animals and human beings, (Ex. 13:2, 11-13; Lev. 27:26); objects whose sanctification was required (for example, tithes of crops and pure animals, (Lev. 27:30-33; Deut. 26:13); and gifts whose sanctification was voluntary in (Lev. 27). The dedication of these objects mostly occurred not at some ritual in the sanctuary but at a prior declaration of dedication (Judg. 17:3; Lev. 27:30-33). Of course, the priests and Levites who functioned in the sanctuary, beginning with Aaron, were sanctified to the Lord by the anointing of oil (Ex. 30:30-32; 40:12-15). Additionally, the Nazi rite was consecrated (Num. 6:8), although only for a specified period of time. Finally, the nation of Israel was sanctified to the Lord as a holy people (Ex. 19:6; Deut. 7:6; 14:2, 21; 26:19). This holiness was closely identified with obedience to the Law of Holiness in (Lev. 17-26), which includes both ritual and ethical commands. In the prophets especially, the ethical responsibility of being holy in conduct came to the forefront (Is. 5; Jer. 5-7; Amos 4-5; Hos. 11).