To share in God’s holiness is God’s ultimate goal for mankind. When He gave us His Son to be sacrificed on the cross, He confirmed His goal by let Him pay the ultimate price with His own life. Therefore, apart from YAHSHUA’S sacrifice, man can never share in God’s holiness. His death opens the way for the process of sanctification into God’s holiness. God’s plan of salvation involved the Trinity- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Peter’s letter confirms it: Peter, an apostle of YAHSHUA Messiah, to the elect exiles of the dispersion scattered abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who we chosen and foreknown by God the Father and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by the Spirit to be obedient to YASHSUA the Messiah, and to be sprinkled with His blood may grace and peace be given you in increasing abundance. (I Peter 1:1-3). Here we see that God the Father was the Master planner of it, YAHSHUA His Son performed the plan, and the Holy Spirit took His position as the Counselor, the Helper, the Comforter the Advocate, the Intercessor when YAHSHUA ascended to heaven. He is here to continue the work YAHSHUA started. And that is of sanctification, among many other plans. YAHSHUA said, When He comes, He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness; He will guide you into all the Truth. The process of sanctification is that of molding the lives of those who are born again. Romans 8:29 says, For those whom He foreknew, He also destined from the beginning to be molded into the image of His Son, that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. When God breaks and molds the clay, He is doing the work of sanctification. Correction and discipline of God’s children are the ways in which the process achieve sanctification. My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him; for the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not train and corrects and discipline? (Heb. 12:5b-7). When we reject God’s correction, we are positioning ourselves to be outside of His plan of sanctification. The in-result will be that we will not see God; and hear the hard words, “I never knew you, depart from Me.”
Light from the Word 