Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Sanctification

What is sanctification how does mankind obtain to sanctification, can they obtain to sanctification on their own? In other words, if a person was to take all in their power to obey God faithfully, never stealing, never committing adultery, attending church several times a week, being good to their neighbor, and giving to the poor, would they be sanctified before God?

Unequivocally, no! Mankind are sinners, they cannot sanctify themselves outside of God dealing with them, that is, giving them a provision too sanctify themselves by.

When Adam and Eve sinned they were no longer sanctified before God by his Holy Spirit, in other words, they could not maintain a standing with God because of their sin. They could not stand before God, aright, that is, without imperfection of sin, they were unholy, without righteousness before God to stand before Him.

God Acts To Sanctify Mankind

No matter how righteous a person felt they could not by self-goodness sanctify themselves before God; there was no sanctified before God without His help, they could not say; “I am righteous enough to commune with God: 'that I by my own goodness purify my heart from sin, so God must reward me with life.'”

Mankind found themselves in a deep dark hole of sin, and death, God must act to bring mankind up, so He could deal with them once again giving them life.

Psalms 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?"

God set out to have a people for His name, in doing so, God would show each person of His nation Israel that He alone was pure, Holy, and righteous, and mankind was not. Instead, each member would have to atone for their uncleanness before God, by His provision of atonement.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

In other words, God set out to shut men up in their self-righteousness so they might see their true condition before Him, where they should humble themselves, and put faith in God's love.

Putting The Cart Before The Horse

Self-right Christian's put the cart before the horse in not understanding the subject of sanctification, what does this mean? It means that if you are dying and you receive a gift of someones heart; thei heart in your body is a gift of life from someones else, not yours.

For the rest of you life you cannot boast that you have done something worthy to have that life in your chest, all you can do is appreciate the gift of the life, but it is the life of the heart pumping in your chest that gives your body the life.

You can take care of your body showing appreciation for the gift of life, but you cannot say, because I have sanctify myself each day by eating properly, and exercising I've earn the life of my new heart.

No! That arrogance, will not work, you were dead, someone gave you a life so you might live. Sanctification is pointless without the life of the heart, you are dead, you now have life, as a gift.

The nation of Israel was dead in their own life, without God saving them by innocent life to sanctify them before Him. Without, the innocent life, sanctification is pointless.

Exodus 29:36 Every day you shall offer the bull of sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it.

God Mankind's Sanctification

God then in real terms is mankind's sanctification, not the other way around. We were warned that in these last day Christian's, or those boasting as being of Christ Jesus as his followers would be self-centered, that is, putting all the importance on their life, their righteousness, over God being their life, and sanctification, what does that mean?

Proverbs 30:12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness.

Malachi 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says Yahweh of Armies.

2Tim 3:1 But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3:3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, 3:4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also. 3:6 For of these are those who creep into houses, and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 3:7 always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

These fleshly weed-Christian's glory in their own goodness, obeying commandments; teaching others that they are holy by sanctifying themselves by rules of some group, but they give glory to their own life instead of the very life God has given so they might live, Jesus Christ.

Failing To Understand One Faith

The biggest failing of self-center Christian's,which is, a religion that center around human goodness, instead of God goodness, and God righteousness, is. They don't understand, God has but one place of pure worship, just as He did with the nation of Israel. God had but one place to receive his sanctification, not many nations, or many temples, or many priesthood, but one faith, one body, one place of pure worship in which God sanctified, with His Own righteousness, how did God do that?

God's righteousness was expressed in the Law, it was the law that proved to any honest hearted person of Israel that God was righteous, and they were not, how? By the indelible act of an innocent victims giving its life so they could have sanctification, which made their standing before God, for breaking His righteousness, and what is God's righteousness?

Yes, for violating God's own righteousness, not theirs, it was not personal, it was rather God name, not their name, and sanctification that must be made holy, God's name, by mankind's sin which needed atonement, for sinning against God's righteousness, the law.

There were not many faith's in Israel, but one collective faith, as a nation in God's righteousness, or law. Moreover, it was God own provision of the blood by the His righteousness, the law, that atone the nation as one, So the nation could have a standing before God.

The nation of Israel had one body, what was the body of that nation of Israel? The law, the law was the body that needed sanctification before God when they transgressed the Law by their sin.

1Cor.10:1 Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
10:2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
10:3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

Moses was the giver of God's law to the people of Israel, he was their mediator of that law for God; the nation of Israel was baptized into Moses, as the head of their nation.

To be sanctified as people, as a nation, they could not get the cart before the horse, they could not say: “I am pure of heart, I have sanctified my-self by obedience to God's law, no!

They could not do so, because God had made a provision for them to be sanctified by, no one of Israel could keep the law; they needed to be much more; a priesthood, temple, altar, utensils, blood, and so on, all to sanctify the nation, and the people given to them by God's own righteousness, which was represented in the body truth, the law of God, through Moses.

How Could the Nation Purify Itself?

It sancitification was not from their own self-goodness, no! They had no self-goodness by the Law, instead the law proved they were all unrighteous. It was rather by God's own righteousness expressed in the law. Yes, God sanctified the nation by His righteousness, not the other way around. The people must believe in the atonement of God, that is, put faith in the blood, as saving them from God's righteous judgment.

The nation or individual within the nation could not purge themselves from sin, they could purge themselves in one way, and one way only, by God's righteousness, that is, by the provision God had made for them through His righteous law.

God's Superior Body of Law

Did God give Christian's a body of Law, yes, the law of freedom, love, how did God do that? God did that by His own love, love for what? Mankind, God sent the life of His only begotten Son to give us a innocent life too free us of sin. But this time for a superior nation, a spiritual nation of Israel.

God than put Christ Jesus at His right hand, giving him all His own authority upon earth and in heaven. Christ became the temple of God, the King of God's Kingdom, and the body of Truth for God's children. Next God put the life of Christ Jesus in his born again children, giving them life by their own death, into sin,and corruption.

One Body, One Faith, One Sanctification.

Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, isn't it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn't it a sharing of the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling.

The erroneous mistake legal Christian's make is thinking they can purge themselves separately after accepting Christ Jesus, which cannot be done by self-goodness, and the desire to serve God.

There is for Christian's one faith, one Lord, and one baptism, what does this mean? It means that Christ Jesus is the head of his own body, each person anointed within that spirit body of Christ Jesus receives the anointing of the body, not a separate anointing, it is the anointing that sanctifies us.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth.

Jesus Christ is the “truth” the Word of God, and it is the Holy Spirit which gives us a measure of faith, and keeps us in the spirit body of Christ, so Christ may sanctify us.

Hebrews 13:12 Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside of the gate.

Ephesians 5:26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,

John 17:17 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.{Psalm 119:142}

John 17:19 For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Spiritual Israel Purging Itself From Sin

How does the Spiritual nation of Israel, that is, the body of Christ Jesus purge itself from sin? This subject is most confusing to the self-righteous fleshly Christian's. First they think of harsh treatment of their bodies in developing an uncompromising self-will obeying commandments of the bible and/or their group.

By these means they are going to purge themselves of sin, after becoming a Christian's; this will prove they love God, but can they purge themselves of sin?

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.

No they cannot purge away their sin, they cannot cleanses themselves from sin, they can ask God in faith in His provision for sin, Christ Jesus, for a clean conscience, but they cannot put away the sins of their flesh, by self-will, self-control, without becoming self-righteous

1 Peter 3:21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, they can purge out the thing convicting them of sin, and what is that, it is the laws of the flesh. In other words, the dead works they are trying to prove themselves righteous by instead of faith in Christ Jesus righteousness, what does this mean?

Christ Jesus is the unleavened bread of God, which, means, he has no death in him, he is incorruptible sinless life. Subsequently, the law is for the wicked not the righteous, Christ needs no laws of the flesh to control wickedness and punish disobedience to God's law of love, the law of freedom.

The real issue for Christian's is to purge out the laws of death which is yeast to unleavened bread of Christ, but why? Simply put, Christ Jesus already purged out the yeast by his sinless life, he abolished the condemnation of God's laws of sin, and all laws of our flesh.

Romes 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.{NU omits "who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit"} 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

So how do those in Christ purge themselves of sin, by staying in the righteous life of Christ Jesus, yes, by walking in the same law Christ walks in, the law of freedom, love, that has no yeast of corruption in it.

Mark 8:15 He warned them, saying, "Take heed: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

How Does A Christian's Purify Themselves?

James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

If you were part of the physical nation of Israel where would you have to go too be purified, well, it would be to the temple of God on earth set up to purify the sins of the nation and each individual within he nation. But where is the temple of God today? Well, it is Christ Jesus, and each person that is born again by Holy Spirit purify themselves by staying in the temple of God Christ Jesus, why? That is where the present of God is at, that is, represented by His Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you?

Yes, one can only stay in God's temple by faith in Christ Jesus as our sanctification. Does a Christian's have to go to some special meeting
to perform acts of eye service to purify themselves, do they have to obey some special commandments removing their sins, so they can be pure before God? No! They must not be double minded, they must put faith in God's provision for sin Christ Jesus and walk in love, to walk in love, they must walk in faith, but why?

Christ Jesus is God's love, God express his love through Christ Jesus too us, when we walk in love, we are walking in Christ Jesus, to walking in Christ Jesus require faith, for his Kingdom and his very being is unseen by human eyes. The whole world walks by laws of the flesh, they only believe in what fleshly laws produce in acts of good or bad, just like their religions built from the same laws.

But beyond this, faith in a provision of God's Spirit found in the body of Christ. Yes, God give each member of Christ Jesus body a measure of faith as He pleases, it is a part of the gift of life in Christ Jesus.

Rom.12:3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith

Gal.5:13 For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don't use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."{Leviticus 19:18}

Gal.5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,{or, faithfulness} 5:23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

It is the pure Word of God, the Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus that comes down from above that we can purify ourselves by. There is not purifying ourselves by laws of the flesh. But instead it is by walking in faith producing the fruit of God's Spirit that purify us, in love.

Hebrews 10:22 let's draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water.

1 John 3:3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

See also: www.nu-truth.com