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Sanctification is an ancient concept widespread among religions that refers to anything blessed or set apart for special purposes, from totem poles to temple vessels, to the change brought about in a human believer. The word sanctification (see -ification) refers to the act or process of making sacred or setting apart as special. To sanctify is literally “to set apart for special use or purpose,” figuratively “to make holy or sacred,” and etymologically from the Latin verb sanctificare which in turn is from sanctus “holy” and facere “to make.”
[edit] Christianity[edit] Roman CatholicismAccording to the Catholic encyclopedia, “sanctity” differs for God, individual, and corporate body. For God, it is God's unique absolute moral perfection. For the individual, it is a close union with God and the resulting moral perfection. It is essentially of God, by a divine gift. For a society, it is the ability to produce and secure holiness in its members, who display a real, not merely nominal, holiness. The Church's holiness is beyond human power, beyond natural power. Sanctity is regulated by standards. For example, according to the doctrine of the love of suffering, holiness must include this quality. It is not that pleasure were evil in itself, but that suffering purifies one's love of God. Those who attain holiness learn to rejoice in suffering. By it their love of God is freed from self-seeking. Their lives conform to their master. [edit] CalvinismCalvinist and Evangelical theologians, such as John Piper, interpret sanctification as the process of being made holy and therefore Christians must properly work to attain sanctification (as opposed to justification through Jesus' atonement). Ultimately, God motivates and accomplishes sanctification through this process.[1] [edit] Eastern OrthodoxyOrthodox Christianity teaches the doctrine of theosis, whereby humans take on divine properties. A key scripture supporting this is 2 Peter 1:4. In the fourth century, Athanasius taught that God became Man that Man might become God. [2] Essentially, Man does not become divine, but in Christ can partake of divine nature. This Church's version of salvation restores God's image in man. [3] One such theme is release from mortality caused by desires of the world. [4] [edit] LutheranismMartin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism, taught in his Large Catechism that Sanctification is only caused by the Holy Spirit through the powerful Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses churches to gather Christians together for the teaching and preaching of the Word of God.[5] [edit] AnglicanismIn the Church of England, English occurrences of the word appear five times in the Authorized King James Version of the New Testament (1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Peter 1:2) translated from the Greek word αγιασμος ((hagiasmos) "purification,"[6] which is from the root hagios (άγιος) which means holy or sacred.[7] The thing or process which is sanctified can be called a Sacrament. [edit] MethodismJohn Wesley, the founder of Methodism, taught what is known as entire sanctification in the Holiness movement churches, such as the Church of the Nazarene, the Salvation Army, etc., or Christian Perfection in "mainstream" Methodist denominations, such as the United Methodist Church, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, etc. This is the doctrine that by the power of God's sanctifying grace and attention upon the means of grace may cleanse a Christian of the corrupting influence of original sin in this life, though not every Christian may experience this. It is explained in depth in the Articles of Religion in the Book of Discipline of the Methodist Church.[8] For mainstream Methodists, it is a life-long process of healing humanity's sin-distorted perspective and way of life. But for Holiness Wesleyans, entire sanctification comes in an instantaneous transformative moment. The understanding that holiness is relational is growing in the contemporary Holiness movement. In relational holiness, the core notion is love. Other notions of holiness, such as purity, being set apart, perfection, keeping rules, and total commitment, are seen as contributory notions of holiness that find their ultimate legitimacy when love is at their core (Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl). It is only as a believer is empowered to respond to the love of God that they begin to live a holy life. Their goal is to make God their one desire, yield their all to God, and let Christ be enthroned in their life. [edit] Non-trinitarian interpretations[edit] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsMain article: Perfection (Latter Day Saints) In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sanctification is a process that makes its members holier. Dallin H. Oaks, an LDS General authority and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that trials and adversities can change who a member is into what God wants them “to become”, if they approach it with the right attitude.[9] [edit] References and notes
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