“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”
in sanctification of the Spirit
Before salvation can occur, every person who receives eternal life must be 1) sanctified by the Spirit and 2) cleansed by the blood of Christ.
Note that we find the concept of the trinity in this verse. There are groups on the fringe of Christendom who deny the deity of Christ. We call them cults or sects. This verse plainly teaches the trinity. If you reject the trinity, you are caught in a cult.
The sanctification of the Spirit makes us fit for our calling. This is the means whereby God brings us into the family of God. Only those to whom the Holy Spirit ministers will become a child of God.
The word “sanctification” means to “set apart.” It is like a person who shops for a suit and finds one he likes. He asks the clerk to set it aside. The Holy Spirit sets us aside for God. He sets aside every person God elects (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). The Holy Spirit convicts them while they do not know Christ (John 16:7-11).
God places us into union with Christ. We fall heir to all that he is before God. God accomplishes this through sanctification, which is a grace means of operation. Sanctification is a system of grace. God is the one who sets us apart. It is his act. So sanctification is a grace word.
PRINCIPLE:
The Holy Spirit sets us apart forensically or judicially before God.
APPLICATION:
Sanctification here is positional sanctification. This is our status in God’s eyes. It is not personal conduct. In the Christian life, the divine always precedes the human. God imputes that he might impart. A man is first accounted righteous that he might eventually be made righteous.
