Sanctify (hallow) (37) hagiazo by Greek Word Studies

Sanctify (37)(hagiazo from hagios [see word study] = holy, set apart) means to set apart for God, to sanctify, to make a person or thing (in the OT altars, days, priests, etc were set apart) the opposite of koinos, which means profane or common. Hiebert adds that... The primary meaning of sanctify is "to set apart, to consecrate," but it also carries the thought of the resultant holiness of character in the consecrated. The note of holiness was already sounded in 1Thes 3:13 and 4:3-8. (Hiebert, D. Edmond: 1 & 2 Thessalonians: BMH Book. 1996) Sanctify is in the aorist tense which usually speaks of a point in time, but which in this context according to Vine speaks... not an act begun and accomplished in a moment, but a “process seen in perspective,” and so contemplated as a complete act. This is the case also with the word “keep,” tereo, in 1Ti 6:14 (that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ), where a momentary act is out of the question. These passages are complementary one to the other, here the divine side is presented, there the human, the action in each terminating only with the coming of the Lord, cp. Php 1:6 (note). Since those addressed were already saints, i.e., “sanctified ones” (see note on “saints,” 1Th 3:13 (note), and 2Th 2:13), the apostle must be understood here to desire for them the continuous and complete realization of this calling, that by His power they might be enabled to live consistently with the fact that every part of their complex being belonged to God, cp. Ep 5:25, 26, 27-notes Ep 5:25; 26; 27 (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson or Logos) Hiebert agrees with Vine noting that... Some insist that the aorist here points to the crisis experience of entire sanctification," but it is generally accepted that the action is best viewed as constative (An aorist tense verb that, along with other contextual features, presents the action simply, in summary, or as a whole. Also called complexive, comprehensive, global, historical, punctiliar, simple or summary), a process of sanctification occurring during this present life and viewed as consummated at the return of Christ. Even those who insist upon the meaning of an initial crisis experience stress that it must be followed by a continuing process of sanctification. The completion of that process is in view here. (Hiebert, D. Edmond: 1 & 2 Thessalonians: BMH Book. 1996) Wuest writes that hagiazo does not mean... merely “to set apart,” but in the case of the pagan word, “to set apart for the gods,” and in the case of the Christian word “to set apart for God.” The worshipper of the pagan god acquired the character of that pagan god and the religious ceremonies connected with its worship. The Greek temple at Corinth housed a large number of harlots who were connected with the worship of the Greek god. Thus, the set-apartness of the Greek worshipper was in character licentious, totally depraved, and sinful. The believer in the Lord Jesus is set apart for God by the Holy Spirit, out of the First Adam with the latter’s sin and condemnation, into the Last Adam with the latter’s righteousness and life (cf 1Cor 15:22,45). Thus, the worshipper of the God of the Bible partakes of the character of the God for Whom he is set apart. This is positional sanctification, an act of God performed at the moment a sinner puts his faith in the Lord Jesus (1Cor 1:2). The work of the Holy Spirit in the yielded saint, in which He sets the believer apart for God in his experience, by eliminating sin from his life and producing His fruit (cf notes Galatians 5:22; 23), a process which goes on constantly throughout the believer’s life, is called progressive sanctification (1Thes 5:23). When our Lord sanctifies Himself, He sets Himself apart for God as the Sacrifice for sin (John 17:19; He 10:7-note). When man sanctifies God, “the word denotes that manner of treatment on the part of man which corresponds with the holiness of God, and which springs from faith, trust, and fear” (see 1Pe 3:15-note)” (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos) Vine adds that... A number of things are "sanctified" in the NT - (a) the gold adorning the Temple and of the gift laid on the altar, Matt. 23:17, 19" class="scriptRef">19; (b) food, 1Ti 4:5; (c) the unbelieving spouse of a believer, 1Co 7:14; (d) the ceremonial cleansing of the Israelites, Heb 9:13; (e) the Father’s Name, Luke 11:2; (f) the consecration of the Son by the Father, Jn 10:36; (g) the Lord Jesus devoting Himself to the redemption of His people, Jn 17:19; (h) the setting apart of the believer for God, Acts 20:32; cf. Ro 15:16; (i) the effect on the believer of the Death of Christ, Heb 10:10, said of God, and He 2:11; 13:12, said of the Lord Jesus; (j) the separation of the believer from the world in his behavior— by the Father through the Word, Jn 17:17, 19; (k) the believer who turns away from such things as dishonor God and His gospel, 2Ti 2:21; (l) the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ, 1Pe 3:15. “Since every believer is sanctified in Christ Jesus, 1Cor 1:2, cf. Heb 10:10, a common NT designation of all believers is ‘saints,’ hagioi, i.e., ‘sanctified’ or ‘holy ones.’ Thus sainthood, or sanctification, is not an attainment, it is the state into which God, in grace, calls sinful men, and in which they begin their course as Christians, Col 3:12; Heb 3:1.” (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson or Logos) Richards makes an interesting point noting that... A basic distinction must be made between the OT and the NT doctrines of holiness. In the OT, the holy is that which is set apart from the common so that it is isolated for God's service. In the NT, holiness is a dynamic process. The holy is actually the common, infused now by God's Spirit and transformed for his service. Thus, our sanctification has to do with God's transformation of us into persons whose actions in daily life are expressions of the Lord. (Richards, L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency) Hagiazo primarily conveys the idea of separation from and consecration to the service of deity in secular Greek but to God Almighty in the Biblical context. Believers are to separate themselves from profane things and dedicate themselves wholly to their Holy God. As alluded to in the notes on the verses that use hagiazo, there are 3 aspects of sanctification... (1) Past (positional) Sanctification - This refers to the time of our initial salvation, which was wrought by the atoning work of Christ, at which time we were clothed with His righteousness, we were given a new nature and we were freed from the power of sin and death. This a one time event, never to be repeated. (2) Present (progressive, experiential) Sanctification - This aspect of sanctification proceeds from past sanctification and deals with present Christian living. It is the process in which believers are working out their salvation by the Spirit’s power, who sets us more and more apart from the world and more and more conformed to the image of Christ. This is the aspect to which Paul's prayer in 1Thes 5:23 relates. (3) Future (ultimate, perfect) Sanctification - Glorification when God makes believers free of even the desire of sin, free of the fallen flesh nature, and joined with our transformed, glorified bodies for all eternity. MacArthur writes that... The Puritan Thomas Watson stated it this way, [Sanctification] is a principle of grace savingly wrought, whereby the heart becomes holy, and is made after God’s own heart. A sanctified person bears not only God’s name, but His image” (Body of Divinity [reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979], 167). In all of Paul’s epistles, whenever he moves from doctrinal exposition to practical exhortation (Ed note: E.g., doctrine in Ephesians 1-3; duty in Ephesians 4-6), he has this aspect of sanctification in mind (Experiential sanctification). His passionate prayer for the Thessalonians and for all believers was that through experiential sanctification God would progressively conform them to holiness. (MacArthur, John: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Moody Press or Logos) There are 28 uses of hagiazo in the NT... Matthew 6:9 (note) "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed (aorist imperative) be Thy name. Comment: When we pray hallowed be we are asking God to make His Name holy, a Name that people will treat as holy and not as profane. We are saying "Treat Thy Name as holy", the idea being that the Father would secure before the whole world in a final and decisive way the holiness appropriate to His Name, to which human beings will respond with praise and adoration. In fact, in Ezekiel God promises to answer this prayer declaring "I will vindicate the holiness of My great Name which has been profaned among the nations, which you [unfaithful Israel] have profaned in their midst. Then the nations [Gentiles] will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. [Ezekiel 36:23] The psalmist Solomon prays "And blessed be His glorious Name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen." [Ps 72:19] Matthew 23:17 "You fools and blind men; which is more important, the gold, or the temple that sanctified the gold? Matthew 23:19 "You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Luke 11:2 And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed (aorist imperative) be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. John 10:36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified (set apart for a specific task) and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God '? John 17:17 "Sanctify (aorist imperative) them in the truth; Thy word is truth. John 17:19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Acts 20:32 "And now I commend (entrust to the care of God and His word, to deposit for safekeeping!) you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (perfect tense) Acts 26:18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (perfect tense) by faith in Me.' Romans 15:16 (note) to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified (perfect tense) by the Holy Spirit. Comment: Hagiazo here refers to the moment these Gentile sinners were set apart and made saints - the moment of salvation (so called "positional sanctification") with perfect tense pointing to the permanence of their position in Christ (which should give you assurance regarding eternal security). Denney explains that “The offering which Paul conceives himself as presenting to God is the Gentile Church, and the priestly function in the exercise of which this offering is made is the preaching of the gospel.” (Nicoll, W Robertson, Editor: Expositors Greek Testament) MacArthur writes that "In faithful fulfillment of his unique apostolic calling, Paul’s supreme offering to God was a multitude of Gentiles, who by virtue of the Holy Spirit’s power had been sanctified and thus made acceptable for fellowship with the Father. Like Paul, every believer who is instrumental in winning a soul to Jesus Christ presents that convert, whether Jew or Gentile, as a priestly offering to the Lord." (MacArthur, J: Romans 9-16. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos) 1 Corinthians 1:2 to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified (perfect tense) in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: Comment: John MacArthur explains that "They were saints because they had been sanctified (hagiazo), set apart from sin, made holy in Christ Jesus. According to Scripture, every true believer in Jesus Christ—whether faithful or unfaithful, well known or unknown, leader or follower—is a set apart person, a holy person, a saint. In the biblical sense, the most obscure believer today is just as much a saint as the apostle Paul. This is the believer’s position in Christ. Holiness, in that positional sense (Ed note: Synonymous with "positional sanctification"), is not a matter of good works, of holy living. As Christians we should live holy lives, but holy living does not make us holy. To the extent our living is holy, it is because, in Christ, we already are holy and have the counsel and power of His Holy Spirit. We are holy because the Sanctifier (the One who makes holy) has already sanctified us in response to our trust in Him (Heb. 2:11). Christ’s work, not our own, makes us holy. We are “saints by calling.” That refers to the efficacious call of God to salvation (1 Cor 1:24, 26). (MacArthur, J: 1Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos) (Bolding added) 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified (aorist tense), but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. Comment: To be sanctified is to be made holy inwardly and to be able, in the Spirit’s power, to live a righteous life outwardly. Before a person is saved he has no holy nature and no capacity for holy living. But in Christ we are given a new nature and can live out the new kind of life. Sin’s total domination is broken and is replaced by a life of holiness. By their fleshly sinfulness the Corinthians were interrupting that divine work. (Ibid) 1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. Comment: Wuest notes that "In the case where the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband, and the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, it “clearly cannot signify the sanctification in its fulness which the NT divine and saving work produces; for a personal faith is required in the object of it, which is in this case denied. Still it is unmistakably intimated that by virtue of the marriage union, the unbelieving side in its measure participates in the saving work and fellowship with God experienced by the believing side" (Ibid) MacArthur adds that "In God’s eyes a home is set apart for Himself when the husband, wife, or, by implication, any other family member, is a Christian. Such a home is not Christian in the full sense, but it is immeasurably superior to one that is totally unbelieving. Even if the Christian is ridiculed and persecuted, unbelievers in the family are blessed because of that believer. One Christian in a home graces the entire home. God’s indwelling that believer and all the blessings and graces that flow into the believer’s life from heaven will spill over to enrich all who are near." (Ibid) Ephesians 5:26 (note) that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 1Thessalonians 5:23 (note) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify (optative mood) you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 4:5 (For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude) for it (everything created by God) is sanctified (present tense) by means of the word of God and prayer. Comment: BKC explains that "All the seemingly “ordinary” things of life can then become extraordinary as they are consecrated (hagiazo) by the Word of God and prayer (Ed note: in context especially gratitude or thanksgiving). In the light of the Scriptures a Christian recognizes God’s good hand behind the things provided, and offers thanksgiving to the Lord. In this way the ordinary things so easily taken for granted (some of which are forbidden by errorists) become sanctified (set apart from common things) as occasions for worship and praise. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor or Logos) 2 Timothy 2:21 (note) Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified (perfect tense), useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Hebrews 2:11 (note) For both He who sanctifies (present tense) and those who are sanctified (present tense) are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren Comment: "He Who sanctifies" is the Lord Jesus Christ. "Those who are sanctified" is present tense, passive voice which could be paraphrased "those who are continually being set apart from the world and to God" which describes our present state of progressive sanctification ("present tense salvation" -- see the Three Tenses of Salvation) which describes our daily being conformed to the image of God's Son, which will culminate in our being "like Him" (1 John 3:2-3) (glorification). Hebrews 9:13 (note) For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled (made "common" or unclean, violating the state required for ritual holiness), sanctify for the cleansing (purifying, making ritually cleansed and acceptable to offer worship in the setting of the Tabernacle) of the flesh Comment: In the OT the worshippers were "set apart" from whatever ritually defiled them by the blood of animals, which effected only an "external" cleansing, not an internal one (contrast this effect with that brought about by the blood of Christ in Hebrews 13:12 below). Hebrews 10:10 (note) By this will we have been sanctified (perfect tense) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Comment: Here the writer's use of perfect tense pictures a past completed event with present ongoing effect/result. Note also that sanctified is in the passive voice, indicating we are being acted upon by an outside force [God and His will] Who takes a sinner and sets them apart as a same person. Furthermore note that the perfect tense shows in the strongest way the permanent and continuous state of salvation into which the believer is brought and in which he lives, which is especially significant if you wrestle with the issue of eternal security - even the verb tense underscores the truth of "eternal security"! Hebrews 10:14 (note) For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (present tense). Comment: This verse can be amplified as follows - "Those who are continually (present tense) being (passive voice = subject acted upon by outside source, ie, the sanctifying work of the Spirit) set apart from the world and unto God". Here the reference is to ongoing sanctification or so-called "progressive sanctification" (= "present tense salvation") which is a continuous process in this life and is terminated only when we are glorified ("future tense salvation") in eternity future in heaven. (See also the Three Tenses of Salvation) Hebrews 10:29 (note) How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? Comment: Wuest writes that "The words “by which he was sanctified” in connection with the identity of the person who committed this sin (trampling under foot...), might trouble the reader when he remembers that the historical background and analysis of the book show that that person is an unsaved person. But the difficulty disappears when we remember that the writer is addressing himself to the professing Christian church, made up of saved and unsaved, and that the idea here is, “by which he professed to be sanctified.” (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos) Hebrews 13:12 (note) Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 1 Peter 3:15 (note) but sanctify (aorist imperative) Christ as Lord in your hearts (quoting from Isaiah 8:13), always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence Comment: Instead of worrying or being afraid, the readers are commanded to set Christ apart as Lord in their heart. The idea is that instead of fear, affirm Jesus is Lord and submit to (and trust) His control, instruction and guidance. Set Christ apart from all others as the sole object of their reverence and obedience, even in the face of unjust suffering. He will give courage, boldness and fortitude that we might be able to weather the storm. Revelation 22:11 (note) "Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy (aorist imperative)." From the preceding passages we learn several truths about hagiazo or sanctifying... In Romans 15:16 the Spirit produces an initial sanctification or so-called positional sanctification (which equates with the moment of salvation). Other passages also speak of our initial salvation as the time at which we were sanctified or set apart from the world and unto God (Acts 20:32, 26:18, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:11). In John 17:17 Jesus teaches that the Word of truth is the agent by which believers are sanctified (here speaking of ongoing sanctification once we are saved). In Hebrews 10 we see these two aspects of sanctification - past tense salvation or initial salvation where by God's "will we have been sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10) and present tense salvation or experiential (progressive) sanctification. There are 144 uses of hagiazo in the Septuagint (LXX) (Ge 2:3; 13.2" class="scriptRef">Ex 13:2, 20" class="scriptRef">20.8" class="scriptRef">8.12" class="scriptRef">12" class="scriptRef">12; 7.22" class="scriptRef">22.16" class="scriptRef">16" class="scriptRef">16.19" class="scriptRef">19.14" class="scriptRef">19:14, 25" class="scriptRef">22f; 29.20" class="scriptRef">20.8" class="scriptRef">20:8, 11; 28:38, 41" class="scriptRef">41; 29:1, 20, 27" class="scriptRef">27" class="scriptRef">27, 33, 36f, 43f; 30.29-Exod.30.38" class="scriptRef">30:29f; 31:13; 40:8ff, 13; Lev. 6:18, 27; 10" class="scriptRef">8:10, 12, 15" class="scriptRef">15" class="scriptRef">15, 30; 10:3; 11:44; 16:4, 19; 20:3, 8; 21:8, 12, 15, 23" class="scriptRef">23; 22:2f, 9, 16, 32; 25:10f; 27:14ff, 22; Num. 3:13; 5:9f; 6:11f; 7:1; 8:17; 16:16, 37f; 18:8f, 29; 20:12f; 27:14; Deut. 5:12, 15; 15:19; 22:9; 32:51; 33:3; Jos. 7:13; Jdg. 17:3; 1 Sam. 7:1, 16; 16:5; 21:5; 2 Sam. 8:11; 11:4; 1 Ki. 8:8, 64; 9:3, 7; 2 Ki. 10:20; 12:18; 1 Chr. 18:11; 23:13; 26:26ff; 2 Chr. 2:4; 5:11; 7:7, 16, 20; 26:18; 29:33; 30:8; 31:6; 35:3; Ezr. 3:5; Neh. 3:1; 12:47; 13:22; Ps. 46:4; Prov. 20:25; Isa. 8:13; 10:17; 13:3; 29:23; 49:7; Jer. 1:5; 17:22, 24" class="scriptRef">24, 27; 51:27f; Ezek. 20:12, 20, 41; 28:22, 25; 36:23; 37:28; 38:16, 23; 39:27; 44:19, 24; 46:20; 48:11; Dan. 4:22; 12:7, 10; Joel 1:14; 2:15f; 3:9; Amos 2:12; Zeph. 1:7; Hag. 2:12) Hagiazo is repeatedly used in the Septuagint (LXX) to express the entire dedication and consecration of persons (including an entire nation, Israel), things (altar, etc), times (days, etc) to God. Genesis 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Exodus 13:2 "Sanctify (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) to Me every first-born, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me." Exodus 29:1 Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish Exodus 40:13 And you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) him, that he may minister as a priest to Me. Leviticus 11:44 'For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. Leviticus 22:2, 3 Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD. Say to them, 'If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me. I am the LORD. Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated (Hebrew = qadash = set apart; Lxx = hagiazo) you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." MacArthur comments that this prayer is for their sanctification explaining that... Sanctification is the ongoing spiritual process by which God increasingly sets believers apart from sin and moves them toward holiness. The apostle’s entreaty for the Thessalonians parallels and reiterates the theme and form of his earlier prayer for their spiritual growth (see notes 1Thes 3:11; 12; 13) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/1thessalonians_523-24.htm#sanctify

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Sanctify (hallow) (37) hagiazo

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