Topic: Sanctification

1 Corinthians 1:2 > Exodus 19:10 > Doctrine and Covenants 84:23 > Doctrine and Covenants 88:68 > Ephesians 5:5-7, 26-27 > Luke 3:3 > Matthew 28:19, 20 > Hebrews 10:10 > Alma 7:14 > Acts 2:38 > Doctrine and Covenants 38:6 > 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 > 1 Peter 1:2 > 1 Corinthians 6:11 > Alma 13:12 > 3 Nephi 27:20 > Matthew 3:11 > John 3:5

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, states in chapter 1 verse 2 that he is writing to the Saints who have been sanctified in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be sanctified? To sanctify means to make holy or to give official acceptance or approval to. For example, if a person is sanctified, we might say he has been made clean from sin or he is holy. When an edifice is sanctified such as a Temple, the Lord has given His official acceptance or approval of it; it has become a holy place. So the topic of Sanctification may deal with the sanctification of objects or people. In this Scripture Train, the term Sanctification will be used as it applies to people.

In this same verse of scripture, Paul states that the Saints are sanctified in Christ. In Exodus chapter 19 verse 10, Jehovah commands Moses to sanctify his people; and in Doctrine and Covenants section 84 verse 23, the Lord, while teaching us about priesthood, explained this commandment he gave to Moses to help us understand the priesthood’s role in our sanctification. Also in Doctrine and Covenants section 88 verse 68, we are commanded to sanctify ourselves. In this Scripture Train, we will examine scripture that teaches us Christ’s role, the role of the priesthood and our role in the sanctification process.

First let’s examine why we need to be sanctified. Sanctification is a purifying process, the process whereby we become holy and cleansed from sin and the desire to commit sin. We are reminded in Ephesians chapter 5 verses 5 through 7 that all who have sinned are unclean and thus cannot enter into the kingdom of God. We learn in these verses that Sanctification and our previous subject of Obedience are closely related. Paul teaches that disobedience is what makes us dirty, or unclean, thus unfit to enter the kingdom of God. Then in verses 26 and 27 we are taught that sanctification is the process whereby we, individually and as a church, are cleansed with the washing of water by the word, thus becoming glorious, without sin. So, how does this work?

We learned in previous Scripture Trains that through our repentance and baptism we are cleansed or forgiven of sin. Luke chapter 3 verse 3 teaches that before the beginning of Christ’s ministry John the Baptist taught the people that they needed to repent and be baptized for the remission of sin. At the end of the book of Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20, Christ commanded His disciples to go into all the world and baptize all who would believe. From these verses of scripture we learn what part of the sanctification process belongs to us as individuals. We need to repent of our sins and be baptized. Of course, this is only possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, see Hebrews chapter 10 verse 10, but Christ and His Disciples do not force us to use the blessings of the Atonement, but rather we have to use our agency to choose to repent and be baptized. Repentance and baptism are the beginning of the sanctification process, a process that must begin with us, by our choice. Alma teaches in Alma chapter 7 verse 14 that we must repent and be born again or we cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. He also teaches that through our faith, repentance and baptism, we are washed from our sins and cleansed from all unrighteousness.

After our baptism, we have hands laid upon our heads and are told to receive the Holy Ghost. Peter taught such in Acts chapter 2 verse 38 and Christ taught in Doctrine and Covenants section 38 verse 6 that they, His ancient Disciples, conferred the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands. Is the Holy Ghost important in the sanctification process? Yes! In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 13 through 14, we are taught that we are saved or we obtain the glory of Christ through sanctification of the Spirit. Thus we learn that the Holy Ghost is critical in the sanctification process. How so?

The Apostle, Peter, in his opening remarks of the epistle, which bears his name, states that the elect are those who have been sanctified through the Spirit and that they are sanctified unto obedience, or, in other words, they are sanctified through their obedience and righteousness. This is found in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 2. When we are obedient, we are righteous and being righteous qualifies us for a greater portion of the Holy Ghost that we were promised after baptism. This teaches me that the Spirit has a very important role in our being made holy and set apart as we earlier defined Sanctification. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 11, Paul references the doctrine that we are sanctified through the Spirit of God. Alma in Alma chapter 13 verse 12 and Jesus Christ in 3 Nephi chapter 27 verse 20 all teach that sanctification comes through the Spirit of God, or in other words, the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Once we have repented of our sins and been baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost and there after live after the manner of righteousness and obedience, we will be sanctified by the Spirit and as Alma teaches, we will not even be able to look upon sin save it be with abhorrence. The Spirit purges from us, as with the likeness of fire, even the very desire to sin and when this happens, sin truly becomes abhorrent, we are truly sanctified, cleansed from even the desire to sin. This teaching of Christ in 3 Nephi 27:20, really helps us put it all together, we see all three factors needed for us to be a sanctified people: 1. We need to come unto Him in faith (although the principle of faith is not mentioned, the very act of coming to Him is an act of faith); and 2, we need to come unto Him repentant and desire baptism, remembering that only through Christ and His atonement is repentance possible; only through Christ is baptism meaningful, 3. Receive the Holy Ghost; we know from scriptural accounts that on occasion the baptism of fire that comes through the Holy Ghost comes immediately, but for most of us this begins the process whereby someday we will receive the baptism of fire; this event is taught very plainly throughout the scriptures, but let’s look in Matthew chapter 3 verse 11: Christ will baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

Sanctification is a true principle and is possible for each of us; remember Christ’s teaching found in John chapter 3 verse 5: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit”…; the baptism of fire comes through the Holy Ghost.