Sanctified Holy.
Are you “sanctified holy”? What does it mean to be, “sanctified holy”?
Brother R.B. Dowd, may he rest in peace, was a former Pastor of the Long Creek Church of the Nazarene at Long Creek, TN. He introduced me to the phrase “sanctified holy” back in 1998. Since then, I have sought to learn just what it means to be “sanctified holy”.
Could I be “sanctified holy”? Could you, Dear Reader, be “sanctified holy”? Could anyone be?
Taken in the religious content, “sanctify” means: To set aside for sacred use, to purify.
“Holy” means: Belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred.
So, if “you” are sanctified holy it means that “you”, defining “you” as the body, the flesh, the mind, the spirit and your soul, have set “yourself” aside for sacred use ONLY by, and through, the divine power of God. That is, every part of “you” is set aside for God.
Taken in a generic content, “sanctification” means: “the state of proper functioning.” So, to sanctify something or someone means that we set that thing or that person apart for ONLY the use that was intended by its creator. It would mean that a pen is “sanctified” when it is only used to write. If you use a pen as a pointer it is no longer sanctified. Eyeglasses are “sanctified” only when worn to improve your vision. Your eyeglasses are not sanctified if they rest on your head as they are not being used for their intended purpose. In the religious sense, people are sanctified when they are used for the purpose according to God’s design.
If you are sanctified holy then you walk in the Spirit of the Lord every waking moment of your life.
Galatians 5:16 says,
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
So you can, Dear Reader, be “sanctified holy” but it is not as easy as it looks. There was only one perfect being and that was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The only person that I have ever known to be even close to being sanctified holy was Brother R.B. Dowd. He lived every second of his life walking in the Spirit and sharing the gospel. God’s light was forever showing through him. He showed me that it could be done, if you worked at it unceasingly.
Romans 12:1 says,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Praise the Lord.
The Bible, the word of God, is our handbook to salvation. It is the peace that passes all understanding. Thank you for sharing it with PNN today.
RLB4
Editor’s Note: In the interest of full disclosure; I am not sanctified holy. I try to be and I work to be better almost all of the time as I try to help people and treat people fairly but there are times when I can’t hold my tongue or my pen. I am constantly asking God to help me with my struggle of brutally calling things as I see them rather than just rolling over and taking it like I did when I was younger. Back then, I sat blindly by and trusted man’s “authority”. I have learned that man’s authority is not always right. God tells me that it is sometimes better to point out a mistake rather than let it turn into something worse. I used to hold my tongue but now, in my older age, I have learned that if you don’t take up for yourself you will get run over and silence only empowers, even more, those that don’t give a darn about anybody but themselves.
As I have mentioned here before, I don’t hold a monopoly on the truth, just my understanding of it. I always ask for people to correct me if they believe I have spoken incorrectly. I am always open to hearing the other side of the argument. I am grateful that PNN is beginning to get comments after each story. I encourage everyone to go back and read them and join in the discussion.
RLB4