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Tag: Christ

Sanctification – saints washed in Christ’s Holiness
Sanctification occurs only 5-10 times in the New Testament, while “sanctify” occurs 70 times in 65 verses in the KJV throughout the Bible.

Doesn’t sanctification require someone or something to be ‘sanctified?’

What is sanctification?

How is it different since Christ Jesus?

Sanctification in the Old Testament

Moses on Sinai

Exodus 19 NKJV excerpt

And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain..

‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant,

… ‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

Exodus 19:3-6 except NKJV

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.

קָדַשׁ qâdash,

to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally):—appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy(-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify(-ied one, self),

Exodus 21:5-7

“Also let the priests who come near to Yahweh set H6942 themselves apart H6942 as H6942 holy H6942, lest Yahweh break out against them.”

And Moses said to Yahweh, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You [testified to] warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain, and set H6942 it apart H6942 as H6942 holy H6942.’”

Exodus 19:22-23 LSB – noting H6942 meaning Sanctify or Hallow

שְׁמֹות (Exodus) 19 :: Masoretic Text

19:22 וְגַם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל־יְהוָה יִתְקַדָּשׁוּ פֶּן־יִפְרֹץ בָּהֶם יְהוָה׃
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19:23 וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהוָה לֹא־יוּכַל הָעָם לַעֲלֹת אֶל־הַר סִינָי כִּי־אַתָּה הַעֵדֹתָה בָּנוּ לֵאמֹר הַגְבֵּל אֶת־הָהָר וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ׃
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Does this washing for holiness before God bring any sanctifying fear over you before facing the LORD your Maker?

An Old Testament Word

You may recognize the same word in a couple of important places in the Bible.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified H6942 it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created in making it.

Genesis 2:3 LSB

זָכוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ׃

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep H6942 it holy H6942.

Exodus 20:8 WLC, LSB
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AND perhaps like me, you recall a similar sanctification from the Word of the Gospels. 
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Pray then like this:
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Matthew 6:9 RSV

Sanctification then prepares unholy sinners to face the Most Holy.

Sanctification in the New Testament

The A.D. first century Greek verb Jesus and the Apostles use is hagiazō.
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verb - From ἅγιος (G40) adjective (most holy thing, a saint) 
- From hagos adjective (an awful thing) [cf ἁγνός (G53) adjective, properly, clean, i.e. (figuratively) innocent, modest, perfect:—chaste, clean, pure. 
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- to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow
- to separate from profane things and dedicate to God
- to purify
  - to cleanse externally
  - to purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin
  - to purify internally by renewing of the soul
    
    Strong’s G37 – hagiazō
The Apostle Paul, in referring to a long list of sins of the Corinthians writes:

And such were some of you; but you were washed,

but you were sanctified G37,

but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 LSB

Therefore, dear chosen of Christ Jesus, do you see yourself as:

a most holy thing, a saint ?

The A.D. first century Greek adjective of the same root is hagios.

Are YOU a HOLY Saint of JESUS Christ, therefore sanctified to Him in your mortal AND eternal life?

Sanctified saints

“For their sake I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

Gospel of John 17:20 LSB

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

Hebrews 2:10-11 BSB

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

John 17:17 CSB – Jesus’ prayer for disciples

Sanctification of children learning to walk in Christ

To the saints in Galatia:

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Paul’s letter (epistle) to the Galatians 4:8-9 ESV

To the saint sitting with you in church:

In conclusion, the best way to examine some of the jargon of Scripture like anointed, consecrated, sanctified, justified and holiness is in prayerful time in the Bible itself.

How better to explain sanctification (or any ‘Christian’ jargon) to a new child of the faith with whom you worship than with Biblical text?
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READ any of the links provided in the Scriptures above. 

OR For more on the topic of Sanctification you may search it here on TalkofJESUS.com OR simply read the earlier post below with my closing thought. 
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Sanctification – a refining of our holiness in Christ

For this is the will of God, your sanctification.. For God did not call us to impurity,

but in sanctification.

Consequently, he who sets this aside is not setting aside man

but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

1 Thessalonians 4:3a, (3b-6 short list of our impurity) 7-8 LSB

~A.D. 51 – Paul writes to encourage the Thessalonian Church
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A look back from 2025 CE to an earlier look at Sanctification
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Paul’s unfinished encouragement of the Thessalonians

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
February 8, 2025
Christian Roles in Christian Worship – 1 Corinthians 11
You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 Berean Standard Bible

Now there’s a tall order seemingly impossible for any worshiper: Imitate an Apostle. But the humble Apostle Paul addresses the different roles of men and women in prayer and worship of the church.

Roles of men and women

Maintaining the Traditions

Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.
- 1 Corinthians 11:2 BSB
Paul compliments the Corinthian church for remembering him in everything, including his teaching as an Apostle of Christ, from going back to when he ministered personally to the Corinthian church.

The apostle specifically addresses what he expects of the Corinthian believers.

Yet centuries later we may wonder:

To what ‘traditions‘ is Paul referring? Jewish traditions? Local Hellenist Corinthian traditions?
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So let's take a more formal from the King James in order to clarify who Paul addresses in the Corinthian church.
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Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

1 Corinthians 11:2 KJV

In his Apostolic authority of these ordinances, Paul first and primarily addresses the men of the Corinthian church — a cultural consideration expected by both Jew and Hellenist gentile believers.

An Illustration of Leadership

Paul employs a common metaphor we won’t want to miss.

κεφαλή – kephalē – head

metaph. anything supreme, chief, prominent
1. of persons, master lord: of a husband in relation to his wife
2. of Christ: the Lord of the husband and of the Church
3. of things: the corner stone
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Paul uses this metaphor of the head ten times in his first letter to the Corinthian church. 

So IF you tend to shun authority, you may question what the Apostle humbly orders by way of this ordinance of relationship and roles. 
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Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.

1 Corinthians 11:4

The idea here is that man was made in the glory of God and it would be dishonoring to God for him to cover his head while he prayed or prophesied. Now that is interesting coming from Paul considering that in Orthodox Jewry today, they all wear their little hats whenever they come into any sacred place of prayer.

Chuck Smith commentary on 1 Cor 11:4
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So where where is the Apostle headed? 

Paul naturally points to the creation of mankind by God. 

"Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man." 1 Cor 11:9 KJV
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But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.

1 Cor 11:5 NKJV
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Paul does not tell the men of Corinth that women should neither pray nor prophesy publically, only that she should have her head covered out of respect to the authority over her. 
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Thinking it through

What is Paul’s reasoning?
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He uses hyperbole with irony here (pointed in the KJV):
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- For if the woman be not covered,
  - let her also be shorn:
- but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven,
  - let her be covered.
Again the Apostle emphasises:
- For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
- Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
  - For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
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"Because of the angels?"

Where did angels enter into roles of worship in church? 
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You may not accept this on either, but the Apostle has already made mention in this letter to the Corinthians of such authority. 
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Apostles at the end of the procession

.. like prisoners appointed for death.”

Picture the ranks of all authority: Kings and captive prisoners of other kings.

AND above all, God the Father, with Cherubim and Seraphim, ARCH-ANGELS and countless ranks of Angels — all spirits as gods serving the LORD with power to the glory of the Almighty — servants and messengers of God interacting with mortal men of dust and souls quickened in His Image with His Holy Spirit.

We have become a spectacle [theatron] to the whole world [kosmos],

to angels [angelos] as well as to men

[anthrōpos {both men and women}].

1 Corinthians 4:9b BSB

– Paul’s reference to Apostles viewed by the world and angels

Wearing your Symbols of AUTHORITY with humility and respect

head-covering, the emblem of “power on her head”; the sign of her being under man’s power, and exercising delegated authority under him.

Paul had before his mind the root-connection between the Hebrew terms for “veil” (radid), and “subjection” (radad).

BENGEL explains, “As the angels are in relation to God, so the woman is in relation to man. God’s face is uncovered; angels in His presence are veiled ( Isa 6:2 )

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown :: Commentary on 1 Corinthians 11:10

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

A head uncovered

13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
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Now the Apostle addresses the opposing sign of a head uncovered. 
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14 Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
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Again, a helpful overview of this Greek word for uncovered or unveiled [11:5 & 11:13].
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ἀκατακάλυπτος – akatakalyptos

“uncovered” (a, negative, katakalupto, “to cover”), is used in 1Cr 11:5, 13, RV, “unveiled,” with reference to the injunction forbidding women to be “unveiled” in a church gathering. .. and in the phrase “because of the angels,” intimating their witness of, and interest in, that which betokens the headship of Christ. – Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
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The Apostle has not yet reached his final point on the matter, but for our purposes consider it now: 
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For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in the churches..

1 Corinthians 14:33-34a KJV

.. the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 1 Cor 14:37b

we have no other practice

The Apostle Paul concludes this section definitively as a segue into Holy Communion in this way:

If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.

1 Corinthians 11:16 BSB

NEXT: Holy Communion and Worship
February 6, 2025
Hail Mary, humble wife of GOD
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Gospel of Luke 2:16 King James Version

Mary an Introduction
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Christians, Jews and unbelievers know parts of the iconic scene unfolding in Bethlehem through a virgin Jewish mother. 

Today I honor Mary most appropriately by retelling her story of Christmas mostly from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
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Mary, Eve of the Virgin Birth

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem..

.. with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Gospel of Luke 2:4-5 KJV excerpt

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

Mary, wife of Joseph?

Not quite, according to custom and Jewish law.
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Do YOU know any young woman who has been pregnant (even near full term) yet not married to the man she knew?
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μνηστεύω – Strong’s G3423 – mnēsteuō – from a derivative of G3415; to give a souvenir (engagement present), i.e. betroth:—espouse.
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Recall that GREEK is the common language not only of Luke the Physician but also of all of the Roman Empire ruled by Caesar Augustus. 
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused G3423 to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Gospel of Matthew 1:18 KJV

SCANDELOUS !

(as least in the A.D. First Century)

Mary, ENGAGED to Joseph

AND they both know that the Virgin Mary had NEVER come together with Joseph her fiancé!

Joseph, an honorable man
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(like his namesake and ancestor, Joseph, son of Jacob, who the LORD used to rule Egypt under Pharaoh.) 
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Gospel of Matthew 1:19- KJV

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying,

Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 1:20b KJV

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people from their sins.

Gospel of Matthew 1:21 KJV

An angel of the Lord speaks to you!

What to do?

The adoptive father of JESUS believes God (of course). And Joseph is a righteous and honorable man.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Gospel of Matthew 1:24-25 KJV

Signs and Witnesses

Prophesy of Isaiah and others centuries Before Christ.

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 KJV

a Failure of Kings Advent 4 of Christ

Witness by a heavenly host of Angels – Luke 2:8 KJV

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Gospel of Luke 2:8-14 King James Version

Witnesses and worship

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. .. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

A light to lighten the Gentiles,

and the glory of thy people Israel.

Gospel of Luke 2:25-32 KJV excerpt [context]

Signs before Jesus’ birth

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

Gospel of Luke 1:5-11 King James Version
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An Angel of the Lord standing beside the Priest of God right inside the Holy of Holies! A pretty big deal.

Briefly, what happens next is a foretelling prophetic birth of JOHN the BAPTIST, preparing the way for the Lord Jesus, the consolation of Israel and Messiah sent of God the Father. 
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Elisabeth, John and the Holy Spirit
- Zacharias the Priest of God continued to serve his term in the Temple unable to speak.
  - Daily worshipers in Jerusalem must have know that something was up.
- He returns home.
- Elisabeth conceived.
- An angel of the Lord then appears in Nazareth prior to their trip to register for the census of Caesar and also tells Mary:
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Gospel of Luke 1:36-37 KJV
- And Mary went into the hill country of *Juda
- And entered into the house of Zacharias
- and (knowing the the angel had revealed) saluted Elisabeth.
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,

the babe leaped in her womb;

and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Gospel of Luke 1:41 KJV signs confirming the Messiah when Mary greeted the mother of John the Baptist

In the Year of the most controversial birth in history

Jesus Christ born in a manger

Church fathers, theologians who study such things, took a few centuries to articulate the trinitarian Christology from the Apostles recorded in Scripture from the A.D. first century.

Creeds, Catechisms, Confessions & Christ – What do you believe?

The clarity of their CREEDS and CONFESSIONS of FAITH define our hope of eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary,
and was made man…
Nicene Creed excerpt
AD 325 & AD381

Born of the Virgin Mary

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her,

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,

and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:

therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Gospel of Luke 1:34-35 King James Version

εὐλογέω – eulogeō

.. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Luke 1:42b KJV

κύριος – kyrios

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:

for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Gospel of Luke 1:46-48 KJV [familiar beginning of the Magnificat of Mary]

As were Joseph and others to whom the Lord sent His angels:

The soul of Mary is humble, as is JESUS from her womb to the Cross.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
And his mercy
is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.
Gospel of Luke 1:49-50 King James Version – from the Magnificat of the Virgin Mary declaring that the Lord is mighty and holy is His Name.

Talk of JESUS . com

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
December 24, 2024