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Pastor's Blog October 17, 2019
"Sanctification or Holiness"
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Second Thessalonians 2:13 states, "But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth" (NRSV). We've been spending this year looking at the idea of holiness, and this is the first instance where a biblical passage in English talks about holiness without using the word "holiness." If you look up 2 Thessalonians 2:13 in any of the English versions of the Bible, you will be hard pressed to find one that says "holiness by the Spirit"; generally, they all use the word "sanctification."
The Greek term Paul uses in this verse is the same basic term for holiness in the New Testament (i.e., hagiasmos), which can be translated in English as either "sanctification" or "holiness." But to all appearances, the translation doesn't seem to make any difference. Whether it is holiness by the Spirit or sanctification by the Spirit, it looks like 2 Thessalonians 2:13 is saying the same thing! And that is exactly the point I want us to think about today.
Sometimes we get so caught up with the words of the Bible that we forget what the Bible is actually saying to us. I've encountered a few Christians who believe that 2 Thessalonians 2:13 should say "God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through HOLINESS by the Spirit," because it's vitally important that we live holy lives; to them, the phrase "sanctification by the Spirit" ignores this truth. But this is the response I always give to this argument: no matter what word you use, whether it is "holiness" or "sanctification," 2 Thessalonians 2:13 stresses that God gives us the gift of holiness - and he does this by the power of the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies us and makes us holy.
Arguing over words is an easy and often-repeated way for believers to avoid the experience of holiness/sanctification that the Holy Spirit wants to convey to us from the Father and through Jesus. As we worship God today, let us always give thanks to God for each other and for what he is doing in each other's lives, recognizing that God loves us, has chosen us, and saves us by his grace and holiness, which is experienced through the power and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
