Romans 12-15 - Sanctification

The present tense of Salvation

The Greek word we translate mostly as Sanctification is:

Strong’s G37

ἁγιάζω

hagiazō

hag-ee-ad'-zo

From G40; to make holy, that is, (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate: - hallow, be holy, sanctify.

We commonly use the term sanctified to represent someone set apart by YAH, someone achieving holiness.

Paul in Romans 12-15 gives us a practical application of what a sanctified person looks like in real life. He provides a narrative on how to relate with people in the real world. I am providing a link to the best teaching on Romans 12-15 I have found, provided by the late Pastor Stephen Armstrong of Verse by Verse Ministry International. Start here, then follow each audio teaching. Also, download the Target Diagram here.

I want to focus in this article on one of the meanings in the Strong’s definition above; the word (mentally) to venerate, highlighted above.

I contend that a sanctified individual venerates YAH.

In our modern Laodicean Churchianity, we have lost the reverence and awe of YAH. I place the blame for this squarely at the feet of Satan, who has successfully dumbed the Church down to the point where we no longer maintain the foundations of Genesis 1-11 as our Truth, thereby allowing the myth of Evolution to infiltrate every level of our society. This may sound harsh, but it is true.

As evidence for my claim, our children will never learn in our Western schools anymore that YAH created everything we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel, not even our so-called Christian schools. Our children are taught to believe in science.

Creation Science is man rationalizing the unfathomable.

Some things can be explained by science. The observable can be explained.

But who has observed YAH creating the heavens and the earth and all that dwell in it?

Job 38:1-7 TLV  Then Adonai answered Job out of the whirlwind. He said:  (2)  “Who is this, who darkens counsel with words without knowledge?  (3)  Now gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you will inform Me!  (4)  “Where were you when I laid the foundations of earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.  (5)  Who set its dimensions—if you know—or who stretched a line over it?  (6)  On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone—  (7)  when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

As humans, we are wrought by sin. It is our existential reality as Paul explained in Romans 7:

Romans 7:25 ESV  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Serving YAH with our mind starts with venerating Him. Let us take a deeper look into Romans 12:1-2:

Romans 12:1-2 ESV  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.  (2)  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

What is our spiritual worship?

I do not believe our spiritual worship is a process; it is a choice and a choice that we make daily, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second.

Spiritual worship is who we are as Christians, not who we are becoming. If we believe we can become, Satan will have a field day with our flesh.

We have dumbed the word worship down to mean singing spiritual songs.

Oh, how Yeshua must look down from heaven and cry out in our unbelief.

I want to go right back to Abraham to demonstrate what true spiritual worship is.

Genesis 22:5 ESV  Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

The above verse is the first occurrence of the word worship in the Bible, and it occurs amid Abraham demonstrating his faith by his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, his child of the promise. The Hebrew word we translate weakly as worship is (from Strong’s Concordance):

H7812

שָׁחָה

shâchâh

shaw-khaw'

A primitive root; to depress, that is, prostrate (especially reflexively in homage to royalty or God): - bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

Total KJV occurrences: 172

Can you see how our choice of English words to translate both Hebrew and Greek can sometimes (and I believe intentionally) dumb down what was meant in the original language? We have changed the meaning of worship in Laodicea to singing songs to YAH, not the physical submission to YAH. Many can sing to YAH, but few can prostrate themselves in awe and wonder of His Glory.

This is what it is to venerate YAH!

Right back in Genesis 22, we learn that deciding to be faithful is our state of mind, our existential reality.

Faith = Obedience = Sanctification

To venerate YAH is to be obedient to Him. That obedience brings us to our knees in awesome wonder of Him and all He has done.

Oh, the Glory and Wonder of our Masterful Creator of all, through which everything we experience was made and is being made.

I am in humble tears as I pen this. I decided not to go to Church this morning because this has been on my heart for a week or so. It must come out. When the Holy Spirit moves in me, He is relentless. This is my priority today.

YOU!

And your present tense salvation.

Glorification (your future tense salvation) awaits your decision.

Make no mistake, Heaven is for conquerors, as Yeshua wrote to Laodicea, the Seventh Church, the last Church of the Age of the Gentiles, the completion of life on Earth as we know it.

Revelation 3:19-22 ESV  Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.  (20)  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.  (21)  The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.  (22)  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Decide wisely; time is running out!

Your indwelt spiritual slave to Yeshua (Gal 2:20 KJV)