Featured How can I be sanctified?

If you have been saved you were sanctified by the hearing God's word.

John17:17, ". . . Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. . . .". Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, ". . . God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, . . ."

 

"and sanctification; Christ is the sanctification of his people, through the constitution of God, the imputation of the holiness of his nature, the merits of his blood, and the efficacy of his grace, he is so "federally" and "representatively"; he is their covenant head, and has all covenant grace in his hands for them, and so the whole stock and fund of holiness, which is communicated to them in all ages, until the perfection of it in every saint: this is sanctification in Christ, which differs from sanctification in them in these things; in him it is as the cause, in them as the effect; in him as its fountain, in them as the stream; in him it is complete, in them it is imperfect for the present: and they have it by virtue of union to him; sanctification in Christ can be of no avail to any, unless it is derived from him to them; so that this sanctification in Christ does not render the sanctification of the Spirit unnecessary, but includes it, and secures it: likewise Christ is the sanctification of his people "by imputation", as the holiness of his human nature is, together with his obedience and sufferings, imputed to them for their justification; Christ assumed an holy human nature, the holiness of it was not merely a qualification for his office as a Saviour, or what made his actions and sufferings in that nature significant and useful, or is exemplary to men; but is a branch of the saints justification before God: the law required an holy nature, theirs is not holy; Christ has assumed one not for, himself, but for them, and so is the end of the law in all respects: and this may be greatly designed in the whole of this passage; "wisdom" may stand in general for the wise scheme of justification, as it is laid in Christ; "sanctification" may intend the holiness of his nature; "righteousness" the obedience of his life; and "redemption" his sufferings and death, by which it is obtained: but then justification and sanctification are not to be confounded; they are two distinct things, and have their proper uses and effects; sanctification in the saints does not justify, or justification sanctify; the one respects the power and being of sin, the other the guilt of it. Moreover, Christ is the sanctification of his people "meritoriously"; through the shedding of his blood, whereby he has sanctified them, that is, expiated their sins, and made full atonement for them; see Hebrews 10:10. Once more, he is their sanctification "efficiently"; by his Spirit, as the author, and by his word, as the means; he is the source of all holiness, it all comes from him, and is wrought by his Spirit in the heart; which lies in filling the understanding with spiritual light and knowledge; the mind with a sense of sin, and a detestation of it; the heart with the fear of God; the affections with love to divine objects and things; the will with submission and resignation to the will of God in all respects; and is exercised in living a life of faith on Christ, and in living soberly, righteously, and godly, before God and man: and this, though imperfect now, will be perfected from and by Christ, without which it is impossible to see the Lord."

- from John Gill's Bible commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:30

 

This is a little like a trick question!

First no one can be saved unless we keep God's commands. Second, no one can keep God's commands. How are we to "be perfect as our Father is perfect?

What if there is a way to the Father through the Son! What if we believe in Christ with all our heart, mind and soul, i.e. we go "all in" for Christ, could God accept our faith and put us into Christ where we undergo the washing of regeneration are arise in Christ a new creation, with our sins, past, present and future forgiven? Can we be made perfect in God's eyes with the blood of the Lamb.

To coin a phrase, Mr. Guido, you must be born again!

 

To coin the phrase more accurately, Mr. Guido, it's literally 'born from above':

7 `Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above; Jn 3 YLT

...and you've literally no more say so in this spiritual birth from above than you did your physical birth here below.

 

Along with what Gill says of a life continuing to be sanctified, or separated, From the Flesh and the world, and the devil, TO GOD, as an ongoing process, after Jesus has saved you and sanctified, or separated, your soul to Himself in salvation, Paul's affiliation of his life is your affirmation.

In Galatians 2:20; "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

I am crucified with Christ:- and so I die daily to the Old man of the flesh who Jesus died for - nevertheless I live - in the Spirit of God in New life - ; yet not I, - do you and did you get that? It is not by our efforts that we now live sanctified to God in Worship and service - but Christ liveth in me - through the Divine Nature of the Holy Spirit, when the Old flesh is put down and crucified -: and the life which I now live in the flesh - meaning although I still have my old Nature also - I live - Spiritually - by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

And as you affirm that, you are saying, "Thank you. Jesus", for it.

"This is the New me".

"I have been bought with a Price and given the Spirit of God within me, which now enables me to Worship and serve God, as He commands, to love, forgive, witness, persevere, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and eventually know what it is to share one another's burdens and weep for the lost.

Enjoy it. The Christian life is the greatest show on earth, as you see God continually show Himself to greater degrees, WHEN YOU NOTICE HIM VISITING YOU EVERY DAY.

NO GREATER THRILL THAN LIVING FOR THE LORD, PROCLAIMING HIM, AND WITNESSING ABOUT YOUR GOD TO THE LOST.

That is being sanctified and separated for His USE.

 

Your are in good company, Sir, Nicodemus did not understand the concept either.

 

He could've known, there was nothing 'NEW' about the spiritual birth from above, nothing 'NEW' being implemented here, Christ had revealed something very old:

7 `Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above;
8 the Spirit where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been born of the Spirit.`
9 Nicodemus answered and said to him, `How are these things able to happen?`
10 Jesus answered and said to him, `Thou art the teacher of Israel -- and these things thou dost not know! Jn 3

 

Except that you have to believe in Christ Jesus before you are born from above.

 

Except that you have to be born from above before you can believe in Christ Jesus,

14 Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. 1 Cor 2

Unless one has been born from above by the Spirit the word of the cross is absolutely foolishness unto them. He cannot know it, see it, enter into it, receive it, unless he is a child of Zion.

 

So you have put the cart before the horse. You have a person saved before they believe, actually before they even know about Christ. But since one is only a child of God through faith that throws a monkey wrench into your view.
Eph 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

The gospel message has to make sense to our mind before it will reach our heart resulting in faith exercised by our will.

 

Nah.

Yep.

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began."—2 Timothy 1:9

 

So KY according to your calvinism, one will be saved or damned for all eternity because they were saved or damned from all eternity. If, as you say, they are saved before they believe then why is faith even necessary? Why was it necessary for Christ to suffer and die on the cross? You cannot give one logical reason. In calvinism the elect must have been saved without him; and the non-elect cannot be saved by him.

 

So you now agree?
Second "from above" is a mistranslation. The context precludes the locative meaning (top).

The best translation choice is born anew.

 

How can a person be "sanctified?"
The person must be born anew, spiritually!

 

John 3:7 NASB
“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born [fn]again.’
_______________
Footnote: Or "from above"

The Greek word (anothen/G509) has three historical usages, (1) from above or from the top, (2) from the first or from the beginning, and (3) anew or over again. Context determines which meaning to use in translation.

Let's ask these questions.

1) Are we to be born again, repeating our first birth? Nope We were conceived and born as sinners, spiritually dead, separated from God. Do we need to repeat that? Nope.

2) When we are born anew, we are born spiritually alive, together with Christ. Is this location up, down or sideways? Nope The spiritual realm of the kingdom exists outside of physical dimensions

3) Do we know where we are born anew, or do we not know from where the Spirit comes? The location is unknown..

 

Not. There is conveyed a strong 'celestial motif' within the dialogue, yea, the entire chapter, between Christ and Nicodemus that the rendering 'born anew', in lieu of born from above, misses:

2 this one came unto him by night, and said to him, `Rabbi, we have known that from God thou hast come -- a teacher, for no one these signs is able to do that thou dost, if God may not be with him.`
3 Jesus answered and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;`
7 `Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above;
8 the Spirit where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been born of the Spirit.`
21 but he who is doing the truth doth come to the light, that his works may be manifested, that in God they are having been wrought.`
27 John answered and said, `A man is not able to receive anything, if it may not have been given him from the heaven
31 he who from above is coming is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is, and from the earth he speaketh; he who from the heaven is coming is above all. Jn 3 YLT

'Born from above' melds nicely with John's other writings:

who -- not of blood nor of a will of flesh, nor of a will of man but -- of God were begotten. Jn 1:13 YLT
if ye know that he is righteous, know ye that every one doing the righteousness, of him hath been begotten. 1 Jn 2:29 YLT
9 every one who hath been begotten of God, sin he doth not, because his seed in him doth remain, and he is not able to sin, because of God he hath been begotten. 1 Jn 3:9 YLT
7 Beloved, may we love one another, because the love is of God, and every one who is loving, of God he hath been begotten, and doth know God 1 Jn 4:7 YLT
1 Every one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ, of God he hath been begotten, and every one who is loving Him who did beget, doth love also him who is begotten of Him
4 because every one who is begotten of God doth overcome the world, and this is the victory that did overcome the world -- our faith
18 We have known that every one who hath been begotten of God doth not sin, but he who was begotten of God doth keep himself, and the evil one doth not touch him 1 Jn 5 YLT

'Born from above':

26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother. Gal 4 (Psalms 87)

 

Per Edersheim, anothen always has the meaning 'above' when used by John:

3 Jesus answered and said to him, 'Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;' (YLT)
7 'Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above; (YLT)
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly , and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. Jn 3

11 Jesus answered , Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout . Jn 19

Anothen always has the meaning 'above' when used by James:

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Ja 1

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure , then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Ja 3

 

At best it is just speculation as to which is the correct or best translation of G509. Either “born again” or “born from above” will fit with the context. But “born again” seems to fit better although not by a great deal.

We are not to imagine that any thing is wanting to complete the sense or connexion. Our Lord replies, It is not learning, but life, that is wanted for the Messiah’s Kingdom; and life must begin by birth. Luther (Stier, iv. 17, edn. 2) says: “My teaching is not of doing and leaving undone, but of a change in the man (nicht von Thun und Lassen, fondern von Werden);—so that it is, not new works done, but a new man to do them; not another life only, but another birth.” And only by this means can Nicodemus gain the teaching for which he is come, ‘become a disciple of Christ:’ Henry Alford's The Greek Testament Joh 3:3

As for your contention that there is a strong “celestial motif” when you look at John 3:14-21 it would lean the overall context more to an earthly motif, unless you contend that Christ will be crucified in heaven.

So which translation should we use? Either one, the context supports both.