As a believer we would like to know the ‘will of God’. We can know the will of God in most areas of our life through applying the established biblical principles, whereas in some areas the will of God is so perfect and straight forward without a shadow of doubt.
Sanctification is one of the important issues where the word of God clearly states that “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor. (1 These 4; 3-4). The word of God gives us ample information about the significance of sanctification in a Christian life.
In order to understand the concept of sanctification better, it is vital to know what sanctification means. Sanctification relates to being set apart for a specific use or to be cleansed from the sinful nature. In the Old Testament times several utensils, places and articles were kept exclusively for the purpose of rendering the services to God. The consequences of using these for general purposes would mean the user have to pay a heavy penalty. For instance, during the reign of King Belshazzar the sanctified vessels were brought into the King’s party. The King Belshazzar and others drank wine in those sanctified vessels and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. The very night, King Belshazzar of the Chaldeans were slain.
According to the New Testament, we are the sanctified vessels. We are the temple of God and the most Holy God almighty wants to reside in us. Because the Christ is the head of the Church and we all belong to the body of the Christ. Each part of the body plays unique role in communion with the other parts of the body. The Spirit of God wants to dwell alone in our hearts. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour the Spirit of God regenerates our spirit and we experience the new life from the above. (Born-again experience) In this new life, we have rejected our old ways of life which contradicts to the Word of God and we welcomed the Holy Spirit into our lives.
Sanctification is the act of God and we cannot sanctify ourselves since our nature itself is corrupt. Our efforts will not help us to become sanctified and since it is a subsequent to our regeneration. Sanctification is an ongoing process and it is an incessant work of God in believers’ life. The sanctification plays an important role in submitting ones mind and body in subjection to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The old nature always constantly wants to prevail in believers’ life and there is always a contradiction between the flesh and the spirit.