“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:” (Jude1:1)
“Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:” (1Corinthians 1:2)
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” (1Peter 1:2)
These three Scriptures tell us that the work of sanctification is a work of the Holy Trinity, Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. We are sanctified by God the Father and sanctified in Christ Jesus through sanctification of the Spirit. Most people are stumped by the vocabulary. What is sanctification? It’s that process in which we are made holy and more in the image of Jesus. Remember that it was only our spirit man that was born again of God. It has constant communication with the indwelling Holy Spirit who is in unity and agreement with the Father and Jesus in everything. Over and over the writers of the New Testament urge us to live in the spirit. What they are saying to us is to be influenced by your spirit man who is in constant communication with the Holy Spirit Who is in unity and agreement with the Father and Jesus. Whatever the Holy Spirit is telling the spirit man is God’s Will.
Our flesh was not reborn. Those carnal, earthly and temporal desires we had before our spirit was reborn are still there. Were you lazy and would you procrastinate on everything you were required to do? You will do the same thing as a reborn child of God. But through sanctification of the Holy Spirit, He will work in you to give you the desire and the ability to do what you have to when you have to. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) And it is the same with everything the flesh wants and craves whether it’s a sin desire, a human fault, defect or failing.
The soul also was not reborn. The soul is made up of our mind, will and emotions. Your mind is still thinking the same thoughts and influencing your will to sin. Your emotions are also being influenced by what your mind is telling your emotions which are reactive, super sensitive, angry, jealous and every other emotion you can think of. The mind and emotions act on the will to act and do what satisfies the mind and emotions. Your soul (mind, will, emotions) can begin to be transformed by the living and active Word of God. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) When we get our thinking right, we will begin to act righteously and in conformity to the spirit man, to the Word of God, in obedience to the will of God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Trinity, Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit work together in unity and agreement in our sanctification. It is a work of God. We cannot manufacture it. We cannot imitate it. It is an eternal work of God. We have to be careful not to neglect the working of the Holy Trinity. Many denominations concentrate on one part of the Trinity and ignore or are totally ignorant of the other two parts of the Trinity. Yes, the Trinity is difficult to understand and so the unity and agreement of the Trinity isn’t taught nor emphasized. The response of Jesus when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father explains this, although it’s hard to understand. “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake.” (John 14:9-11) The unity and concept of God being One, Jesus in the Father is foreign to this world. When Jesus said, “I and My Father are one,” in John 10:30, the Jews wanted to stone Him.
The Bible repeatedly tells us we are in Christ. We read these words without understanding or we think we understand. I will list some Scriptures of study for meditation. I don’t like to list Scriptures because people rarely follow up, but if one really wants to know, the Holy Spirit will reveal what in Christ really means. But I will only list a few and there are several more. (2Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1; Romans 6:3) It’s mind (human limited mind) boggling to know we are in Christ Who is One in the Father and the Holy Spirit. It’s hard for our minute minds to understand, but also exciting to know. And it’s something we will fully understand when we get to heaven. By faith, we accept God’s Word even if we don’t fully understand. God is so superior to us, we have no understanding of many things, but the Lord will give us some revelation that we can wrap our limited minds around. We don’t understand being in Christ or how sanctification works, only that it does work in us to make us into the image of Christ until we meet Him face to face. “And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)
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