Scripture Text: 1 Peter 1
Memory Text: But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Lesson Aim: To understand that sanctification is the vital foundation of one’s walk with the Lord and is pivotal in building an ongoing relationship with Christ Jesus and others.
Key Points
- Sanctification is ongoing.
- There is liberty in sanctification.
- Sanctification is the hinge that holds the door of our relationship with Christ Jesus in place.
Institutions of higher learning have long held on to certain codes of ethics and conduct. Academic communities establish honor systems by which everyone attending the school is to govern them self. They expect all members of the academic community, students, and faculty, to strive for excellence in scholarship and in character. Violation of the honor code can lead to disciplinary actions and/or removal from the school. In essence, they expect everyone to represent the ideals of the school in an upstanding manner.
The Body of Christ is no different. God has set high and reachable standards by which every believer ought to govern him or herself. These standards are set into place to keep us pure, holy, and available for God’s service. God’s honor code, sanctification, is key in maintaining integrity and character both with Christ and His church. “My spirit, soul, and body, Jesus, I give to Thee; a consecrated offering, Thine evermore to be. Now Lord, I yield my members from sin’s dominion free, for warfare and for triumph as weapons unto Thee. I’m Thine, O blessed Jesus, washed in Thy precious blood. Sealed by Thy Holy Spirit, a sacrifice to God.”[1]The words of this hymn epitomize the ongoing relationship one should strive to maintain through sanctification.
God’s honor code is not a list of rules; rather it is a philosophy of conduct through honesty, integrity and understanding. There is liberty in sanctification. Christ is free to come and dine with us at any time because we create the free flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We also can come boldly (freely without hindrances) before the throne of God to ask petition of Him there, and to obtain help in time of trouble. The honor code also allows members of the body of Christ to live together, interact and learn more from one another in ways that help to promote the ideals of Christ.
Sanctification should govern our lifestyle. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” The word “conduct” here means lifestyle. Everything we say, think, and do should be governed by God’s honor code. Sanctification rests on the assumption that individual integrity is fundamental to each member of the body of Christ. How we choose to live our lives has a direct impact on the growth and maturation of the family, the church, and the community.
[1] Clay, Richard. Redemtpion Songs. Great Britian: The Chaucer Press, n.d. 154.
Questions and Discussion
- Let us look at the Old Testament and New Testament definition of sanctification.
Qadash (Hebrew – Strong’s Concordance #6942) – “to be clean (ceremonially or morally); – appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy…prepare, proclaim, purify, sactify…”[1]
Hagiasmos (Greek – Strong’s Concordance #38) – “prop. purification, i.e., (the state) purify; concr. (by Hebr.) a purifier; – holiness, sactification.”[2]
How do they differ? - What are the three stages of sanctification?
- 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 2:1-6
- 1 Peter 2:5, 9-10; Hebrews 6:1
- Ephesians 5:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Philippians 3:20-21
- What is the source of sanctification and how is it applied?
- Jude 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23
- Hebrews 10:10, 14; 1 Corinthians 6:11
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 16:13
- John 17:17; 15:3; 2 Timothy 3:16; Ephesians 5:26
- Why is sanctification an important aspect of a believer’s walk with the Lord? Hebrews 12:14 and Psalms 15
- What are some of the evidences of sanctification?
- Romans 12:1-2; James 4:7; 1 Peter 1:14-16
- Matthew 5:48; John 17:23
- Galatians 5:22-23; John 15:16
- 1 Peter 1:22; Colossians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; Hebrews 12:14-15
- Why is sanctification vital to the progress of the individual and the church? Psalm 1:3; John 15:7
[1] Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990. Hebrew, p. 102.
[2] Ibid, Greek, p. 7