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THE MEANING OF SANCTIFY, AND THE DEFINITION OF THE DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION.
1. Our definition of sanctify gives consecration or dedication as its radical, true, primary idea. This is the philological power of our English word. It is compound, -fy (facio), "to make," and sanctus, "sacred." But it is to be remembered, that [66] the sacred things and gods of Rome were very unclean. And their sanctificatio corresponded to the Greek hagiosma (hagios). This Greek word, the one invariably used in the New Testament, and variously translated, as hallowed, holy, sanctify, sanctification, saint, holiness, is compound. Its parts are a, a privative, or negative; and gee, "the earth." Accordingly one sanctified is one not of the earth. One who is separated from the earth, and dedicated or consecrated to the gods, to God (Dr. Clarke). The latest and best Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament defines the term thus: "1. Consecration, purification. 2. The effect of consecration." The Hebrew. for which this Greek and this English word are equivalents, is defined by Oehler thus: "1. Being taken out of worldliness. 2. Being appropriated by God." Consecration is the prevailing idea here.
2. That consecration expresses the true power of the word sanctify, and the original words for which it stands, cannot be made clearer than by a few quotations from Scripture.
(1) Of objects sanctified in which there is no moral character. "Take up the censers out of the burning . . . for they are sanctified" (Nu 16:37). "And the tent shall be sanctified" (
Ex 29:43). "Set bounds about the mountain, and sanctify it" (
Ex 19:23). "And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the Tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt sanctify it, and all the furniture thereof, and it shall be sanctified" (
Ex 40:9). Many similar texts can be quoted, in which objects of every variety are said to be sanctified. And this evidently not in the sense of being made pure and clean, for no change is effected, nor can be, for they have no moral character. Nothing of this kind can he sanctified in the sense of being made pure and clean morally. This applies to infants just born, who in various places are said to have been sanctified; and to fields, garments, grapes and wine, etc.
(2) Of God, who is infinitely pure, and cannot be sanctified in any other sense than that of being set apart in our thoughts and acts from all that is worldly and impure. "But I will be sanctified among the children of Israel" (Le 22:32). "And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations" (
Eze 36:23). "And God, the [67] sanctified one, is sanctified in righteousness" (
Isa 5:16). God is not made pure by any of these acts of sanctification.
(3) Persons of mixed qualities of moral character are sanctified. "Sanctify the congregation" (
Joe 2:16) "Sanctify the people" (
Ex 19:14). "And he sanctified Jesse and his sons" (1Sa 16:5). "It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are sanctified to burn incense" (2Ch 26:18).
(4) Of morally unclean men. Thus men known to have been impure, and to have remained so, were sanctified (set apart) for special purposes. "And I will sanctify destroyers against thee" (
Jer 22:7). "Sanctify the nations against her" (
Jer 51:27, 28). "Job sent and sanctified them" (
Job 1:5). But men consecrated to the impure, sensual worship of Astarte (the Sodomites) are called sanctified, and the word harlot in five instances is the translation of the feminine of Kah-dash (Ge 38:21 (two times), Ge 38:22 De 23:17 Ho 4:14). So the word is at times translated defiled and unclean.
3. In these facts we have unanswerable arguments in favor of the definition given of the word sanctify. And as the Greek word must in these instances be equivalent to the Hebrew, the same definition applies to it. In this connection we need to recall the rule laid down in our second chapter, to the effect that the words of Scripture must be taken in their historical sense. It is wholly immaterial what sanctify means to-day, except in so far as it is used as a synonym of the words found in Scripture. And to know what these words mean we must go back to the time when they were used and inquire into their meaning then. That meaning must govern the interpretation of Scripture.
4. The definition which will hence stand the test of the hottest fires of criticism is, that the word sanctify, in its various forms, means "to dedicate," "set apart," "consecrate," with the implication that the person sanctified partakes of the character of the object for, or the person to, which he is sanctified. In favor of this definition we have the definitions commonly given, the translations and the facts. Primarily moral character, then, has nothing to do with the word. But gradually, by a law of association, the sacred literature of Hebrews and Christians [68] connected the moral character of purity with it. Hence, the doctrine of sanctification in the New Testament as deduced from this investigation is as follows: Sanctification is the consecration of the believer to God in his person, and the consequent purifying by the Spirit through the truth of his nature.
It will be borne in mind that by person we mean, as before defined, the moral man, the intelligent, voluntary being, the mind, the will, the "I," the self, der ich, as an intelligent, voluntary power. And by nature, the "flesh," the affections, sentiments, passions and involuntary powers. Man as to the person, the "I," being justified, renewed, born, again, purified, is dedicated, consecrated to God. This is the sanctification of the man as person. In virtue of this fact a process of sanctification goes thenceforth on, or is to go on, until he is wholly sanctified; until the nature is made pure, mortified, crucified and brought into captivity to the law of God. The sanctification of the person must take place at the time of justification, and is instantaneous. The sanctification of the nature cannot take place until afterwards, and cannot be instantaneous. The doctrine as thus stated will be made the subject of investigation and proof in subsequent chapters.
We recur to our definition of the doctrine of Sanctification, namely: "Sanctification is the consecration of the believer to God in his person (personality), and the consequent purifying by the Spirit through the truth of his nature. If this is the true doctrine it must be capable of gathering into itself all the facts of sanctification as found in the Bible. No definition is adequate and true that fails to do this. That this definition fully meets the rules of definitions as laid down by Sir William Hamilton will appear evident as we proceed.
and the spirit its done in, but i believe in sanctification and the sanctification process begins with a right relationship with God and understanding how to apply his word in daily life. 
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