Set apart Spiritually in Christ

Peter addresses his letter (1 Peter) "To God's elect." To be elected is to be chosen. Christ was Chosen and all those "in Him" are chosen by God. When God formulated His plan of redemption, He chose His Redeemer, and as a consequence, chose corporately anyone subsequently redeemed. During our lifetime, God chooses us as specific individuals and baptizes us into Christ, thereby setting us apart, and thus “in Christ” we are saints.

Paul addresses his letter (Romans) to those "called to be saints." Saint, like sanctify means to be set apart, so those that respond to (gladly receive) the gospel are those called to be saints. When God chooses them, He sanctifies them, sets them apart by transferring them spiritually into Christ.

Paul addresses his letter (1 Corinthians) to "those sanctified in Christ Jesus." So to be chosen as one of God's elect, we are set apart spiritually in Christ Jesus.

Paul addresses his letter (2 Corinthians) to "all the saints" in the area. So again referring to those that heard the gospel and believed in Jesus Christ, and whose faith God crediting as righteousness, and therefore set apart in Christ.

Paul addresses his letter (Galatians) to the church and does not specifically mention they are part of God's elect, but they are.

Paul addresses his letter (Ephesians) to "the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus." Here we see that the saints are those who are faithful in Christ Jesus, that their faith continues and does not fall away. This is the evaluation that all those saved must take to have confidence they are one of God's elect.

Paul addresses his letter (Philippians) “to the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi.”

Paul addresses his letter (Colossians) “to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse.” Here Paul adds to our understanding of a saint, he or she is set apart from unholiness and together the saints are brothers (siblings we share the same Lord, the same Spirit, the same call to holiness) and as before we are faithful.

Paul addresses his letter (1 Thessalonians) to the church of the Thessalonians, but adds in verse 4, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.” The reference to power, conviction and the Holy Spirit means that Paul brought the message personally, not just via a letter. Individuals filled with the Holy Spirit have deep conviction, power and the Holy Spirit. Nothing beyond the straightforward understanding of the text is necessary for the correct understanding of the text.

Paul addresses his letter (2 Thessalonians) to the church.

Paul addresses his letters (1 and 2 Timothy) to his son in the faith, Timothy.

Paul addresses his letter to Titus as follows, “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – a faith and knowledge resting in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time….” Here Paul introduces several additional concepts. Paul’s job, given him by Christ, was “for the faith of God’s elect.”
By spreading the gospel message, those that placed their faith in Christ and His gospel, would be individually chosen by God, based on His accepting their faith, becoming His elect. Paul was also teaching the Word of God so that newborn believers would gain an understanding and grow toward godliness. And finally, the faith and knowledge were based on accepting God’s promise of eternal life for whoever believes in His Son. God’s predetermined plan, which contained the promise of salvation for whoever believes in the name of Jesus, was established before time began.

Jude addressed his letter (Jude) “to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” Here, again, we see that those who accepted the gospel (those called) are kept by Jesus Christ. We have been set apart and nothing can pluck us out of God’s hand. We do not sustain our salvation through the power of our faith, we are kept by the power of God who protects our faith. Thus saints are faithful, not perhaps in their walk, because we stumble, but in our devotion to Christ Jesus.

In summary, sanctification refers to more than one activity: (1) being set apart, our individual election; (2) being guided by our indwelt Holy Spirit into godliness, the sanctification process that conforms us to the image of His Son; and (3) our bodily resurrection.

With reference to the first usage of the term (positional sanctification), our election occurs when we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit which means we are chosen by God, based on His crediting our faith in His Son, and then baptized into the body of Christ where we are converted and then as a new creature indwelt with the Spirit of God. As we live our born again life, we undergo progressive sanctification, where we mature as Christians, becoming more Christ-like, and serve Him as ambassadors, earning eternal rewards. Ultimate sanctification will occur when we are bodily resurrected in glorified bodies, free of our corrupt flesh.

 

How does scripture refer to God's action of setting a person apart in Christ?
These are referred to as the "called," plural.

Romans 1:7 - To all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,

1 Corinthians 1:2 - to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

1 Corinthians 1:24
but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Jude 1:1
Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: ​

They are referred to as "baptized into."

Romans 6:3
Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

1 Corinthians 12:13
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit.

Galatians 3:27
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.​

They are referred to as "sanctified" (set apart).

Act 20:32 - And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace. This message is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Act 26:18 - to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

1Co 1:2 - to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. ​

Another word used to refer to setting a person apart in Christ's spiritual body is transferred.

Colossians 1:13
He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves,​

 

Of course the most well known verse is John 3:16, which (when translated accurately) says everyone believing into Him....
Since we have no ability or power to change our spiritual location from being in Adam to being in Christ, the idea of believing into Christ refers to God transferring the individual into Christ based on crediting his or her faith as righteousness.

John 12:11
because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in [into] Jesus.

John 12:37
But though He had performed so many signs in their sight, they still were not believing in [into] Him.​

See also John 2:11, John 2:23, John 3:18, John 4:39, John 7:5, John 7:31, John 7:39, John 7:48, John 10:42, John 11:45, and
John 12:42. Yes, all these say believed in, but the preposition can be more accurately ranslated as "into."

 

If we look back to Jude 1:1, the last phrase in the NASB is a little confusing. The idea we are kept for Jesus might suggest to some that we are kept somewhere else. The Greek does not seem to have a preposition, we have kept (or preserved) then Jesus Christ without any preposition appearing in the text, thus "for" or "by" or "in" is supplied by the translator. Preserved or kept in Jesus Christ presents the actual idea of the text. Once transferred into Christ, we are never cast out, kept forever.

 

Other words are used to indicate the action of God transferring an individual from being "in Adam" to being "in Christ."
In 1 Corinthians 1:30 scripture says woulds to the effect by His doing we were united with Christ. In John 6:37, scripture says were were "given" to Christ... such that we will not be "cast out." In Ephesians 2:5 we were made alive together with Christ. Same word was also used at Colossians 2:13.