The definition of sanctification is the action whereby we are
made holy and productive members of God's Kingdom. It is likened to the word 'consecration'. The difference between consecration
and sanctification is that consecration occurs first and is the action of offering something to God so that He may use it
for His purpose. Sanctification is the action that makes us useful to God once we have offered to Him ourselves.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity
of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield
your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. Romans 6:19
Sanctification is sometimes confused with salvation. Salvation
is being rescued from our sins. Through faith in Jesus, we are saved from the death our sins deserved. Sanctification has
a lot to do with what happens after we are saved. Sanctification keeps in mind where we are presently and where we shall one
day be. In John chapter 17 verses 15-17, Jesus prays, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that
thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth." Sanctification is what makes us holy (set apart) and useful to God while we continue to live in
this world. Sanctification is an ongoing process that is completed by and by.
Sanctification is more like regeneration than it is salvation.
Although it is impossible for human beings to save and sanctify themselves, we can offer ourselves to the Father so that He
can sanctify us. Although the subject of sanctification might be difficult for us to understand, it is not necessary that
we understand its specifics in order to be sanctified. Since sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit, all we are required
to do is to offer to Him ourselves and yield our will to His. He will handle the specifics for us, even though we might not
understand it all.
Many Christians fail to totally surrender to God. This
is one reason why some Christians feel disconnected from God's Kingdom. There is indescribable joy found in serving God, but
we cannot do that if we are not being sanctified. Some of the saddest persons I know are Christians who have yet to experience
this. They believed in Jesus and were baptized, but that is as far as they were willing to go.