LESSON 15

Sanctification

The awe-inspiring events that occurred at Mt. Sinai teach us about the holiness of Yahweh. "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses; now choose life so that you and your children may live and love Yahweh your Elohim, listen to His voice and hold fast to Him." Deuteronomy 30:19. Yahweh instructed us about a written "code of ethics" that would teach men how to become holy; that would teach us how to recognize the clean from the unclean. This is sanctification!

   In this Correspondence Course 15, we will be learning about a very important principle called “Sanctification.”  According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “sanctify” (#6942 in the Hebrew—qadash) means, “to be, make, pronounce or observe as clean...consecrate, dedicate...be, keep holy...purify, sanctify one, self.” In Scripture, all of these meanings are used to address those things that pertain to Yahweh and the work He is accomplishing upon this earth.  For example, we read in Genesis 2:2 that He “…blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” 

   Looking at the definitions of sanctify, we understand that the seventh day was “holy,” meaning separate (Exodus 16:23).  It was something that was to be observed, which means “to hedge about, guard, or to protect, attend, or keep.” A person was to sanctify this day, regarding it as clean and pure (Deuteronomy 5:12). Yahweh has made something pure and separate; He has separated the clean from the unclean, and He has commanded us to do the same.

   Scriptures are quite clear, from Genesis to Revelation, that a part of Yahweh’s creation--its inhabitants--had become unclean, as a result of disobedience. Man was created from the “dust of the earth” in the Garden of Eden, but he defiled himself by sinning, and thereby experienced physical death (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).  Man’s uncleanness (nakedness) was made known once he ate of the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil,” and death was the end result (Genesis 2:17; 3:7). In Strong’s #6172, 6173, and 6174, we not only discover what nakedness is, but what it represents (Exodus 32:25; 20:25-26).  Paradise was lost as a result of the true nature of man, which can be easily influenced and corrupted, because the true nature of man is to be disobedient (John 3:19; Romans 13:12; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 6:10-12; Psalms 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9).

   Yahweh knew before He laid the foundation of the world that man would fail.  He knew, in giving man free will and a sinful nature, that paradise would be lost to a creature that had to be taught the meaning of sanctification (Exodus 19:14). Because of the impurity of the man, Yahweh made sanctification a central part of the restoration message.

   It is sometimes hard to understand man’s true nature.  He must learn that he is easily defiled, and that something has to be made right.  In order for the created man to come before the Creator, he must be purified. Flesh and spirit have few similarities, yet they “exist” together.  Flesh cannot exist without the spirit (Romans 8:1-11). 

EVOLUTION THEORY OR THE WORD OF YAHWEH

   There are those who totally disagree with the teachings of Scripture.  They teach that man came from water and not from soil, having evolved upon land to his present state.  Yet the evolutionists cannot explain the elements of which man is made, nor how he came into existence. The basic com-pounds making up water and soil, according to the evolutionist, were already here and just changed over time, creating the essence of life. This theory is in direct op-position to the Scripture’s teaching on Colossians 1:14-18. However simple it may seem, the making of soil is a highly complex endeavor.  Soil is formed through the weatherization of rock; air and water being the two most prominent elements that create soil. Water is the most prevalent element in man.  Over two-thirds of the human body is water. Blood is ninety percent water.  But…from dust, man came!  Water is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen that has been ignited by a spark. Water is the end result of a violent explosion, The flow of water helps to erode rock, which forms soil. Air, containing oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and moisture (water), helps to break down rock by combining with chemical elements in the rocks, causing decay, thereby forming dirt or soil.  This is a highly complex procedure.

   The evolutionist will never understand how a human brain, which is mostly fat, creates thought through electrical impulses. The nervous impulse passing from one neuron to another, creating thought. The psalmist addressed the issue through a simple statement: “I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works...” (Psalms 139:14-16). David, the writer of Psalms, did not understand how he came to be, but he did understand the Book and he did have faith in its validity.

   Again, man is something made from the dirt, having a mind that can think, rationalize, and make decisions. However, “Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  To the Hebrew, the heart and mind were intricately entwined, having oneness in their makeup. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceeds evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23).

DISCIPLINING OUR MINDS

   Paul teaches us that we are to have “…a renewing of our minds, being not con-formed to this world, but to be transformed in order to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim” (Romans 12:2). The teacher of Proverbs tells us, “The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble. My son, attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:19-23).

   It is impossible for the evolutionist to address the things of Yahweh.  It is easier for him to approach the creation (origin) of man from science, rather than the Word of Yahweh. Significantly, the evolutionist has not been able to explain why man has yet to evolve into a higher being.  As the human being matures, he devolves, for the most part, into something that is less desirable than he was in his earlier stages of growth.  It is easier to theorize about the origin of flesh than to come to an understanding of the immoral or unrighteous origins of the flesh. To challenge Scripture concerning man’s beginnings, without first looking within man, is to leave out the most important element—the Creator and His creation.  According to Scripture, man was made in the likeness of Yahweh by the power of His spirit because Yahweh is spirit (John 4:23-26). In this Spirit Creator, there can be found no unrighteousness (Psalms 92:15). Yahweh made that choice, deciding that righteousness was superior to un-righteousness. “You came down upon Mt. Sinai…gave them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: and made known to them Your holy Sabbath…by the hand of Moses Your servant” (Nehemiah 9:13-14). As one man so eloquently put it, “Either Sinai was a quantum leap in inductive rationalization on the part of Moses, or [Yahweh] came down and gave to creation His written instructions.” Yahweh instituted a written “code of ethics” that would teach men how to become holy; how to recognize the clean from the unclean, and then He would challenge man to make the same decisions He made.  This is sanctification!

 THE CHOICES WE MAKE

    “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses; now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love Yahweh your Mighty One, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For Yahweh is your life and He will give you many years in the land (earth—Kingdom) He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

   “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no Elohim.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good. Yahweh looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek Elohim” (Psalms 14:1-2). 

   The awe-inspiring events at Mt. Sinai serve to utterly destroy the evolutionary theory, lending a greater understanding of creation. Moses, led by the Spirit of Yahweh, wrote the first five books of the Bible, dealing more with the re-creating of man than the original creation.

   Moses passed on to the house of Israel Yahweh’s righteous law, given in order that, if a man would attach himself to it, he would not only find eternal life, but life abundantly--on earth and in the coming Kingdom (Mark 10:29-30). These things are greatly misunderstood by those who teach that it was by chance and not by design that man was created. The existentialist’s approach to life focuses on the fact that man’s existence is unexplainable, isolated in a hostile or an indifferent universe. This kind of thinking is totally foreign to the “Master Creator.”

   Hope of restoration or reconciliation to Yahweh is one of the most important elements of the law, based on the supreme sacrifice of our Savior, Yahshua the Messiah. “Since then we know what it is to fear Yahweh, we try to persuade men.  What we are is plain to Elohim, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience…So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view…Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from Elohim, who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that Elohim was reconciling the world to Himself in Messiah, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are, therefore, Messiah’s ambassadors, as though Elohim was making His appeal through us.  We implore you on Messiah’s behalf: be reconciled to Elohim. Yahweh made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of Elohim” (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).

   We know from Scripture that, “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) and that the result of sin is death (James 1:15, 5:20).  “How much more, then, will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to Elohim, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living Elohim?” (Hebrews 9:14)  We can be assured that a restorer or a minister of reconciliation will not only remove that which curses us, but He will also re-create, through the Spirit of Yahweh, a totally new person through sanctification by the Spirit (John 3:5-6). 

 MAN’S CARNAL MIND

   After having looked at sanctification in reference to the flesh needing to be cleansed, as a result of man’s heart and mind, what then is the true reason for man’s failures?  Looking objectively at all that has been written, what would cause man to deny Scripture and teach that he was not created, but that he merely evolved?  What would cause him to deny Yahweh as the true Mighty One who created all things through His Son—after the Son was created?  “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He is the image of the invisible Elohim, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created…so that in everything He might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:13-18).  Paul teaches, “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent…Elohim has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and Elohim has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty…that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:19-31).

   What is it about the flesh that it resists so adamantly the things of Yahweh? Even His very Name is hated, not only by ordinary men, but also by Bible-believing people.  Paul gives us the answer in his letter to the Romans: “The carnal mind is enmity against Elohim [hatred of Yahweh], for it is not subject to the law of Yahweh, neither can it be” (Romans 8:7).  This is referring, not only to many of the world’s most renowned scientists, but also to people who supposedly have built their faith around the Scriptures. Two of the oldest and most influential religions of the world hold to Scripture, but deny Yahweh and His law. “If you knew Moses, you would have known Me because Moses wrote of Me” (John 5:45-46).  “You neither know Me, nor My Father” (John 8:19). 

   To those who say they are not under the law, Yahshua had this to say: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20). 

   Do you truly understand the salvation message, and the Kinsman Redeemer—the Deliverer of man? See Luke 15 and 16; John 3:16 and Leviticus 25. Yahshua teaches, “Where your heart is, there is your treasure” (Matthew 6:21). “Seek first the Kingdom of Yahweh and His righteousness and all things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Whose Kingdom is it? “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Who rules over this Kingdom? “ ‘You are a King, then!’ said Pilate.  Yahshua answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a King.  In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth will listen to Me’ ” (John 18:37). 

   Understanding these things, we can clearly see that there are prerequisites to entering the Kingdom belonging to Yahweh, which is ruled by Yahshua, and is governed by the laws of righteousness. Righteousness (from #6663 in the Hebrew) means “to be right, cleanse, clear self.” How does one become right or cleansed? To be sanctified, a person must be set apart, or made holy, and “washed” or purified, before he or she is able to stand before Yahweh. 

   What is the first step in becoming sanctified?  Turn to Hebrews 11:1-6, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at Elohim’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith, Abel offered Elohim a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith, he was commended as a righteous man when Elohim spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.  By faith, Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because Elohim had taken him away. Yet before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased Elohim. Without faith it is impossible to please Elohim, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek  Him.” 

   Yahshua thanked Yahweh for having hidden this from the wise and prudent, and revealing it to babes (Matthew 11; Luke 18). Paul wrote, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Yahweh (Romans 10:17). Unless we become as little children, having a simple, childlike trust in Yahweh, we will, in no wise, understand His law.

   “The law of Yahweh is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of Yahweh are trust-worthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of Yahweh are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of Yahweh are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of Yahweh is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of Yahweh are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Yahweh, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalms 19:7-14). 

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