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Category: Doctrine

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Consecration, Ceremonies and Rites
Two weeks ago in my Saturday Post SERIES addressing the jargon of the church I asked, “Can you picture a process of ‘consecration?’“
- You probably picture consecration as a rite of sorts, most specifically a public religious rite.
That’s right and an important view of occasions of consecration.

Anoint, Consecrate and Sanctify – more Biblical jargon
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We also defined anointing, but today I'm not quite ready for  'sanctification' without first briefly examining what some view as consecration in this Common Era.

Even though some rites seem Biblical, some Common Era christians claim their rights in place of observing a religious consecration to God.
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And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exodus 28:41 KJV

Consecration a Public Picture

What do you see here?

Short answer:
- Two religious ceremonies,
  - one Jewish and
  - one (perhaps) christian.
Consecration, whether Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist — Orthodox, Reformed, unaffiliated — Roman Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian or evangelical — atheist or naturist — – consecration is part of a public proclamation of faith — a religious rite.

Who is consecrated?

The answer here seems simple enough. In this instance, the priests who are exclusive Aaron and his sons.

And by extension into an Old Testament context, the Levites are the ONLY Priests anointed and consecrated to serve the LORD on behalf of the church (that is, the Hebrew chosen) as a separate and holy people to God our Father of all creation.

The LORD will judge some Priest and strike them down to death in some instances. The Priest of God and especially the one High Priest bear a weight of accountability for the entire congregation of the Hebrew people.

What is consecrated?

The garments of the priests – the linen cloths and holy garments.

On certain occasions the priest must consecrate all the people and everything in the place of worship.

Even certain times carry an obligation of consecration to the Lord our God:

The LORD instructed Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the LORD..

“He is holy to the LORD during the time of consecration.

Numbers 6:1-2 ,6 CSB

Many Christians speak the priestly blessing of Numbers

More than simply a benediction

The LORD said to Moses,
“Say to Aaron and his sons, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
Numbers 6:22-23 RSV

“SAY to Aaron and his sons (the Priests)” — “SAY to them (the people of Israel)” receiving the blessing of the LORD through HIS command!
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DO NOT MISS the weight what the LORD says here. 
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דָבַר dâbar, daw-bar’; a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue:—answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter
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Now you may have recited this COVENANTAL BLESSING in your earlier days; perhaps in English, Latin, some other language, or even in its original Hebrew of the Torah: 
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יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ׃ ס

יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ׃ ס

יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם׃ ס

Yᵊhōvâ bāraḵ šāmar

Yᵊhōvâ ‘ôr pānîm ‘ôr ‘ēl ḥānan

Yᵊhōvâ nāśā’ pānîm ‘ēl śûm šālôm
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Source: BlueLetterBible.org 
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a New Covenantal Relationship between God and His Church

And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Gospel of Luke 22:20 RSV
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.

And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

Gospel of Matthew 23:8-9 RSV

– Instructions of the One Son of God, our only Lord and Savior Christ Jesus
- Do WE casual communicants of our Common Era church worship our ceremony and rites as personal idols?
a Catholic conversation

Excerpt from a Catholic C.E. podcast:

“I think a lot of people have a problem with consecration to Mary.

Fr. H. She’s not Jesus. Gender neutral language, okay, she’s not Jesus-

we don’t want to be gender neutral with the mother of God.

Fr. H. No we don’t.

It’s not directed apparently at least when we say consecration to Mary, maybe you’re going to straighten that out. But the other thing is we have no idea what the word consecration means. What does that mean concentration to?

Fr. H. Well, this is an important topic. And of course, but that’s not the most important aspect of the topic… The term consecration comes in mostly in the 17th century… All right. So that means giving everything over to someone else.

But the word consecration in Catholic theology, and I really don’t like to question what has become a term in popular devotion. And I’m perfectly happy to say consecrate yourself to Mary, it’s a perfectly good expression, but probably the word entrustment is more precise.

“Consecration has an expression that is meant for such things which are given over to God, in the service of God, liturgically especially in him only…

‘Father‘ H. – Roman Catholic theologian

Is every consecration ‘Holy?’

CONSECRATION of Priests according to Scripture, consecration to holiness in ceremonial rites of the Church, leadership of Christ’s flock — like with the Levites, NONE to be taken lightly.

Convocations of Bishops

Error by many Bishops of Rome.

Many Priests and Pastors of all Common Era christian churches have worn the shepherd’s robes of heresy with cunning common rebellion against Jesus Christ, Who IS and WAS and WILL be.
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Do we not commonly witness these in everyday culture? 
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Who so quickly dismisses Scripture and twists the Lord’s instruction?

ἐπίσκοπος – episkopos – masculine noun

A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 BSB

Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher.. He must manage his own household well.. He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil…

excerpt from the First Epistle of Paul to Timothy 3: RSV
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Pronouns: this, these, etc.
Yet Christ's Apostle is clear in his instruction concerning consecration of leadership of the Church. 

God's word is clear as to the humble roles of Christ's servants, both husbands (of a woman) and wives (of a man). NO adultery. NO divorce. NO fornication. NO sinful flesh usurping God-given roles. 

NO idolatry of Rite (or of no rite). NO worship of Saint (capital 'S') or Angel. NO idolatry of self or knowledge or earth or sea or tree. NO following of prophet, for the false proclaim false gods.
 
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! 
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OUR CONSECRATION to GOD is to HOLINESS! And in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we worship ONLY HIM.

Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel
February 1, 2025
Consecration, Sanctification – more Biblical jargon
- Can you picture what takes place when you hear Biblical words like ‘anoint?’
- OR Can you picture a process of ‘consecration?’
- Can you explain ‘sanctification?’
THIS WEEK we continue defining Biblical jargon, switching from passive verbs like consecrate to their nouns, i.e. consecration.

In case you missed our focus on anointing last week, take a look:

Roger@TalkofJesus.com

Anoint, Consecrate and Sanctify – more Biblical jargon

And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exodus 28:41 KJV

The Anointed, the Consecrated and the Sanctified ones
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I have employed a different part of speech here for the same concept.
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Anointed, Consecrated, Sanctified: Which do you understand least?

Anointing

NOTES:

NOTE: The ANOINTED and the CONSECRATED hold the office of PRIEST.

And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exodus 30:30 KJV

NOTE: Saul, the ANOINTED and the CONSECRATED King holds the office of KING, but NOT PRIEST as does Samuel.

Samuel also said unto Saul,

The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

1 Samuel 15:1 KJV

1 Samuel 16 excerpt KJV

.. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward…

Consecration
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Once again let's look at Hebrew Scripture of the Old Testament. 
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And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.

Exodus 29:31-33 KJV
- Did you get all that ABOUT the food of the Priests?
- See any significant symbolism to remind us of the LORD’s grace?
- Read on and observe that the anointed Priests remain in the Tabernacle for seven days in order to remain holy to the LORD.
מִלֻּא

masculine noun from מָלָא (H4390) –

For the false Common Era priestess: The LORD only dedicated certain men as Priests.

a fulfilling (only in plural), i.e. (literally) a setting (of gems), or (technically) consecration (also concretely, a dedicatory sacrifice):—consecration, be set.

source: Strong’s H4394 – millu’

a Covenant broken by Priests

Ezekiel – The Sins of Jerusalem

Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things.

They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Ezekiel 22:26 ESV

Vision of a Future Temple

Then the man brought me to the gate that faces the east, and there I beheld the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. The sound of his coming was like the sound of a mighty torrent of waters, and the earth shone with his glory.

The vision I beheld was like the man I had seen when he had come to destroy the city, and like the vision I had seen by the River Chebar, and I fell prostrate.

6 Say to the rebels of the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: I have endured enough of these abominable practices in which you engage, O house of Israel. You have allowed foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and body, to enter my sanctuary and profane it when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. Thus, you have broken my covenant with all of your loathsome practices…

But as for the Levites who abandoned me when Israel strayed far from me by following its idols, they must suffer the consequences for their iniquity.

22 Priests may not marry either widows or divorced women, but only virgins of the race of Israel. However, they may marry women who are the widows of priests.

They shall teach my people to distinguish between the sacred and the profane, and they shall make known to them the difference between what is clean and what is unclean.

Ezekiel 41 excerpt; Ezekiel 44 excerpt New Catholic Bible

Ezra
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Just a bit more from the restoration of fallen Israel.
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Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. And .. one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra,

“We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this.

Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
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READ more of Ezekiel 10 NKJV
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Consecration of a New Covenant
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Here is where some confusion and considerable controversy can divide the Church. 
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And for their sake I consecrate myself, [fn] that they also may be sanctified [fn] in truth.
Gospel of John 17:19 ESV
– from The High Priestly Prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ
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The function notes of the ESV derive from two forms of the same Greek word [translated: hagiazō]. These notes read respectively: 
Or I sanctify myself; or I set myself apart (for holy service to God) 
and Greek may be set apart (for holy service to God)
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A deeper study of John 17 and various English translations, though not possible today, will point to the symbolism and mystery in the Lord’s words here.

Briefly, we’ll approach the chief controversy among divisions between Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches:

Holy Communion

.. the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said,

“This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying,

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Church at Corinth 11:23-26 ESV

Food for Thought

For today, I will simply ask one question concerning our eternal High Priest Jesus’ consecration of the communion bread and wine:

IF, ‘as often as [we, the saints of Christ’s Church] eat this bread and drink the cup, proclaim[ing] the Lord’s death, — are the body and blood proclaimed, with or without mysterious consecration of a priest, LITERAL or SYMBOLIC?
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I can hardly wait to hear YOUR COMMENTS on consecration, in general, and also specifically on Holy Communion. 
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Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel
January 25, 2025
Anoint, Consecrate and Sanctify – more Biblical jargon
And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exodus 28:41 KJV

Do you understand what takes place when you hear Biblical words like ‘anoint?’ Can you picture the process of ‘consecrating them‘ or understanding the full weight of ‘sanctification?’

Although this Biblical jargon seems foreign to Common Era christians WE are expected to know what they mean when the preacher throws this Christian jargon about.
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Before we begin, let's take a look at a first impression and artificial intrusion of human-less analysis. I'm referring to the  Artificial Intelligence directing what WE humans read and write.

Although this is not my main purpose today, never-the-less, I seek to prove these computer programmers wrong.  
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Anoint, Consecrate and Sanctify

If you think that any instructions of Almighty God to a mere human being are unemotional and unpowerful to the faithful or simply Biblical jargon; think again, my fellow Common Era Christian and read your Bible better.

Roger@TalkofJesus.com

WE will start here. Comment at the bottom and tell me which one of these THREE WORDS is simply jargon.

Anoint, Consecrate, Sanctify: Which do you understand least?

Think about Aaron and his sons, priests of the LORD, and tell me how you think they felt (compared to our impression on AI) about representing God and the process involved.
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To be continued... 
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No comments yet. So I guess that you understand all of these important Biblical terms.

So let’s begin with anoint; since most of the Common Era world is watching the United States of America anoint a new President today.

Anoint (according to God’s word)

מָשַׁח māšaḥ

The KJV translates Strong’s H4886 in the following manner:
- anoint (68x), painted (1x).
1. (Qal) to smear
2. to anoint (as consecration)
3. to anoint, consecrate; (Niphal) to be anointed
I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst H4886 the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me:

Genesis 31:13a KJV

And thou shalt anoint H4886 Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exodus 30:30 KJV

Anointing and consecration to a vow and task are a very public witness before Almighty God and those you serve confirming the vow of what you will surely do for those you serve.

Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

1 Samuel 15:1 KJV
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Yet beware! And remember your vow unto the Lord you God.
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1 Samuel 16 excerpt KJV

.. fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

.. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

.. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward…

Anointed Kings in years of our Lord

ἀλείφω – aleiphō (Greek) – anoint
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A glance from a scene with Jesus joining a Pharisee (Rabbi) to a feast at his house.
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.. and he went into the Pharisee’s house, and took his place at table.

.. a woman of the city, who was a sinner.. standing behind him (Jesus) at his feet, weeping.. kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
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Gospel of Luke 7:36-38 excerpt RSV 
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Then turning toward the woman he (Jesus) said to Simon, .. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Application of a Common Era Anointing

A prayer of the Apostles Peter and John in Jerusalem after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts of the Apostles 4:23- RSV

“Sovereign Lord, who didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, didst say by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things?

The kings of the earth set themselves in array, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’–

for truly in this city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever thy hand and thy plan had predestined to take place…”

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Acts of the Apostles 4:23-28,31 excerpt RSV
January 18, 2025