Sanctification is the Bible's term for the state, condition, and process of being separated from others for God's purposes, serving as a major step in enabling us to fulfill our responsibilities in this process. It is both a result of God's calling and an active, ongoing process that becomes more refined over time. The basic meaning of sanctify is to set apart or separate, akin to cutting an animal from a herd for a specific use. Our calling by God initiates this condition and process of sanctification for His purpose of salvation and the creation of Himself in us. God sovereignly chooses whom to sanctify, as seen in the separation of the Israelites from the Egyptians and other nations they encountered. This act of setting apart was not by the works of the Israelites but by God's grace and love, distinguishing them for a special purpose. Sanctification, as a pattern in the Bible, is evident in the lives of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Israel, each called out and separated by God for His objectives. Similarly, we, as the church, are drawn by God's grace, separated from the world, and placed in a unique position relative to Him. The Greek word ecclesia, meaning a calling or summons to an assembly, underscores our specific and formal separation from the world. Over time, this term came to imply those called and separated by God to have Him reproduced in us. The terms sanctify and sanctification also carry implications of cleanliness, purity, blamelessness, and sacredness, often translated as holy or holiness in contexts emphasizing devotion to God. Under the New Covenant, our sanctification is not geographical but spiritual, moral, and ethical, requiring us to depart from the world's ways, attitudes, and lifestyles while remaining within it. We are called to be different, to become moral instead of immoral, ethical instead of unethical, and spiritual in God's way rather than the world's. This spiritual separation aims toward the Kingdom of God, achieved through a change in attitude, practice, and conduct. God demands that those set apart as a dwelling place for Him be holy as He is holy, not merely separated but clean in life and sacrifices. We are to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, reflecting our present responsibility as a royal priesthood. As living stones, we are being built up into a spiritual house by God and His Son, individually selected, shaped, and fitted into place according to an intelligent plan, emphasizing the active process of sanctification. We are a chosen, holy, special people set apart for God and His purpose, tasked with witnessing that our God is the Creator through keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments. By living this way, we demonstrate our separation and holiness. Simultaneously, God shapes us spiritually to perform these commands, creating us as His workmanship for good works. Our privilege and responsibility as a royal priesthood involve drawing near to God, serving at His altar, and fulfilling our duties in nearness to Him.

Sanctification and holiness are central to our relationship with God, reflecting His standards and calling. God alone makes us holy, setting us apart through His calling, and we are charged with maintaining that holiness in our conduct. Everything we do must be to the glory of God, ensuring that nothing obstructs His glory from being reflected in our lives. Holiness is tied to what we consume, as eating something abominable or unclean renders us defiled, both physically and spiritually. God designates specific foods as acceptable for His children, and consuming anything outside His designation defiles us, making us unacceptable. This principle extends to offerings, where only what God has stipulated as authentic is recognized by Him. Offerings must be pure, as seen in His rejection of unacceptable sacrifices on His altar, symbolically His table. We are now the temple of the living God, His dwelling place, and must keep our bodies pure, just as the Tabernacle and Temple were to be kept undefiled. Defilement, whether through unclean food or sin, is not merely ceremonial but spiritual, affecting our holiness. To eat unclean things is to commit a spiritual sin that defiles God's temple, as we are holy and must remain so because He is holy. The laws of purity and holiness, including regulations on clean foods, set us apart from the world, teaching that God's holiness cannot coexist with uncleanness. Only those cleansed by God through His calling and the blood of Jesus Christ are made holy and acceptable; others remain unclean and unrecognized by Him. We are living sacrifices, clean only as God has cleansed us, and we bear the responsibility to keep ourselves clean. Sanctification by God qualifies specific people, objects, and responsibilities for His worship and service. Those set apart must carry out commanded duties, but being qualified for one role does not automatically qualify for another. Attempting a responsibility for which one is not sanctified renders one a stranger, not authentic or recognized by God. This principle applies to sanctified things as well; only what God has designated is acceptable, and substitutes are deemed strange, profane, or abominable. God's standards remain unchanged, expecting worship in spirit and truth, adhering to His eternal character. Only a holy God can make things truly holy, stipulating precise requirements for worship, ensuring that only what He has given within our covenant relationship is acceptable as an offering back to Him. Faith and the fear of the Lord are intimately involved in maintaining and increasing holiness, trusting and respecting His Word even when we lack full understanding. Through His Spirit, God creates us anew in Christ Jesus, imparting His holy love. He expects us to return this love through sacrifices of obedience, worship, and good works. Our calling reveals His purpose and love, demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, forming His love within us to be given back in practical application.