IS GOD’S WILL MY WILL?

On October 20th, Oswald Chambers asks this hard question in his published daily devotional “My Utmost For His Highest”.

 In My mind and heart, I try to answer questions like this when they are posed, honestly.   So a good place to affirm that answer is a review of my understanding of sanctification.  

For the springboard to scripture, Oswald has provided 1 Thessalonians 4.3 as a scriptural reference. Then I like the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for desktop referencing.

SANCTIFICATION¹

Process of being made holy resulting in a changed lifestyle for the believer. The English word “sanctification” comes from the Latin sanctificatio, meaning the act or process of making holy, consecrated. In the Greek NT the root hag- is the basis of hagiasmos, “holiness,” “consecration,” “sanctification”; hagiosune, “holiness”; hagiotes, “holiness”; hagiazo, “to sanctify,” “consecrate,” “treat as holy,” “purify”; and hagios, “holy,” “saint.” The root idea of the Greek stem is to stand in awe of something or someone. The NT usage is greatly dependent upon the Greek translation of the OT, the Septuagint, for meaning. The hag words in the Septuagint mostly translated the Hebrew qadosh, “separate, 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 NT. See Holy.
Old Testament In OT thought the focus of holiness (qadosh) is upon God. He is holy (Ps. 99:9); His name is holy (Pss. 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 (Exod. 15:13), as well as Jerusalem (Isa. 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 (Exod. 28:38; Ezek. 40–48). The various gifts brought in worship were sanctified. These fall into three groupings: those whose sanctity was inherent (e.g., firstborn males of female animals and human beings, Exod. 13:2, 11–13; Lev. 27:26); objects whose sanctification was required (e.g., tithes of crops and pure animals, Lev. 27:30–33; Deut. 26:13); and gifts whose sanctification was voluntary (see partial list 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 (Exod. 30:30–32; 40:12–15). Additionally, the Nazirite 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 (Exod. 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 (Isa. 5; Jer. 5–7; Amos 4–5; Hos. 11).
New Testament The same range of meanings reflected by the Septuagint usage is preserved in the NT but with extension of meaning in certain cases. Objects may be made holy (Matt. 23:17, 19; 1 Tim. 4:4–5) or treated as holy (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2), but, mostly, the word group stresses the personal dimension of holiness. Here, the two streams of OT meaning are significant: the cultic and the ethical. Sanctification is vitally linked to the salvation experience and is concerned with the moral/spiritual obligations assumed in that experience. We were set apart to God in conversion, and we are living out that dedication to God in holiness.
The link of NT thought to OT antecedents in the cultic aspect of sanctification is most clearly seen in Hebrews. Christ’s crucifixion makes possible the moving of the sinner from the profane to the holy (that is, sanctifies, makes holy) so that the believer can become a part of the temple where God dwells and is worshiped (Heb. 13:11–16; 2:9–11; 10:10, 14, 29). Paul (Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Eph. 5:26–27; 2 Thess. 2:13) and Peter (1 Pet. 1:2) both affirmed the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion as a sanctification, making the believer holy so as to come before God in acceptance. Especially in Paul, justification and sanctification are closely related concepts. See Justification.
Hebrews also emphasizes the ethical aspect of sanctification. Sanctification/holiness is to be pursued as an essential aspect of the believer’s life (Heb. 12:14); the blood of sanctification must not be defiled by sinful conduct (10:26–31). Paul stressed both the individual’s commitment to holy living (Rom. 6:19–22; 1 Thess. 4:3–8; 2 Cor. 7:1) and the enabling power of God for it (1 Thess. 3:13; 4:8). The summation of the ethical imperative is seen in Peter’s use (1 Pet. 1:15–16) of Lev. 11:44; 19:2; 20:7: “Be holy, because I am holy” (HCSB). See Ethics; Hebrews; Salvation.

Are you still with me?    How are you doing so far?  Drop me a note.  I remember when I had that serendipity moment with the true meaning of and application of HOLY.  Wow! What a paradigm shift.   

I pray every day, as you work to achieve the Mind Of Christ, your will, is God’s Will!

Shalom

¹Lorin L. Cranford, “Sanctification,” ed. Chad Brand et al., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1443–1444.

Don’t have a Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary yet?  Drop me an email, and I will send you their entries on Holy and Justification.
Or if you would like a copy of the Dictionary, I will send one free to the first five folks who send me their shipping address. Send the address to: pastor.nhbc@outlook.com    Put the word dictionary in the subject line.  Regards.