“For both he that sanctifieth and they
who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call
them brethren,”-Hebrews 2:11
It seems like every year the Christmas paraphernalia comes
quicker and earlier to the stores and shops of America. As Christmas comes earlier and earlier, I am
sure will the “Reason for the Season” banners, signs, and sermons. Perhaps this
is just me wanting to get a jump on it all, stay in front of the curve. While I am not overjoyed at the obvious
commercialism; at least it helps bring to mind Christmas itself, and hopefully,
the meaning of Christmas. Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, became flesh, was born of a virgin, walked this earth as the
first perfect man, died on a cross, and was raised again on the third day. Jesus was/is the first sanctified man in
every sense of the word, and both he who sanctifies and they who are, are all
of one.
Jesus told the Pharisees that they were of their father the
devil and the lust of their father they will do. He plainly laid out that because they were
sinners, they were not children of God and furthermore, they were children of
the devil. When we are born into this
world, we are born through the seed of Adam and therefore the works of sinful
Adam we will do. This is because the
seed of unrighteousness is within us. We
are children of the devil. The works of the
devil we will do. You see this plain in
little kids. They lie, cheat, steal,
covet, etc.; and then they grow up to be adults who lie, cheat, steal, covet,
etc. We are what is within, and what is
within every man at birth is the seed of sin.
This is true for every man that is born into the world, except for
Jesus. He was born of a virgin,
conceived by the Holy Ghost. The Son of
God had God within and he did no sin; he did only the will of the Father. Jesus was the first sanctified man and
because of that he is the sanctifier. We
must understand and accept this if we want to be sanctified, because as he is
so are we in this world. He sanctified himself so that we also might be
sanctified. This is the will of God even your sanctification. Jesus is the example that we are to be in
this world and he is the one who provides the means and grace for us to live
that example. Without Christ: we are
without hope, without love, and without a true relationship with our heavenly
Father. We are lost, stumbling through
this world serving diverse lust and pleasures that only mask the true calamity
of it all, which is; that the devil himself is living within letting us destroy
our own lives while we think we are living.
We in America recognize Christmas day as the birth of our Savior Jesus
Christ, but how few recognize him as a Savior and sanctifier. One who does not save us in our sins, but
saves us from our sins (to quote Bro Ray Smith). A Savior that we desperately needed to
sanctify himself, so that we might also be sanctified.
Like Jesus, when the Holy Ghost comes upon us, there is a new
birth inside. The old man of sin
destroyed and the new life of righteous born within. We are sanctified by the Holy Ghost. This brings us into full fellowship with
Jesus, and we are now one with Him and therefore one with the Father. The gulf of sin that separated a Holy God
from an unholy man was spanned by the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. We can be sanctified, by the
sanctifier, and be brought back into full fellowship with God the Father. This is Christmas, the meaning of it, the
purpose for it. It is the greatest gift
of all.
