Definite Sanctification

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: (Jude 1KJV)

The word 'sanctified' here in Jude 1 is in the perfect participle in the Greek, which means that it is a completed action in the past, with present effects. It refers to definite (complete) sanctification and not progressive sanctification. When a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are set apart for God's exclusive use and unique service.

Let me give some examples from the Bible to clearly show what the word 'sanctified' means in this verse. In the Book of Genesis 2:3, when God created in six days, and He rested on the seventh. The seventh day was sanctified (set apart) from the other days because God has rested from His Work. Then we see in the book of Exodus, when God gave the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, God gave a commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy, which means to sanctify the Sabbath Day, to set apart from the other six days. They were to do their work on six days, but set apart the Sabbath Day, and do no work. It was to be set apart from the other days.

Another example would be the Tabernacle and the furniture. God's Tabernacle and its furniture in the Old Testament was sanctified, set apart as the place of God's presence and for worship. The Tabernacle and its furniture were set apart for God, not like other tabernacles and furniture.

When we come to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, He was sanctified by God the Father as the Christ, the Anointed One. Jesus was set apart for the Father's exclusive use and purposes. The Book of Isaiah calls Him, 'The Suffering Servant'. Christ came to do His Father's will. He was set apart to be the Saviour of the World.

So just like the Sabbath Day was sanctified, the tabernacle and its furniture, and the Lord Jesus Christ was sanctified, believers have been sanctified for God's exclusive use and unique service, not just for one day (the Lord's Day) but for every day. Believers have been set apart by God for Him.

Now understand that Jude is not speaking about sinless perfection, or having complete sanctification, in the sense of no longer able to sin, but Jude speaks here about our position that God has placed us in, positionally set apart in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Every true believer has been born again in Christ Jesus, born from above, has been sanctified by God the Father. Every believer has moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light; from the kingdom of the devil to the everlasting kingdom of Christ. The Bible says a true believer is a new creation in Christ (2Cor. 5:17). This is the reason that all true believers can say, 'I am sanctified in Christ', which speaks of passed sanctification, positionally set apart.

Here is one more example- When a man and a woman get married and become husband and wife, they are set apart for his or her exclusive use and purpose as a husband or as a wife, completely, wholly and totally. The same with our Lord, believers have been set apart for Him, and not for this world. The Church (who is the Bride) has been set apart for the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Bride-Groom.

The called (Jude 1)

Jude is writing to believers in his epistle. In the first verse he writes, 'to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.' So "the called" can only refer to something that has happened to a believer and not an unbeliever. So what does Jude mean?

Jude is not speaking here about a call to a particular ministry, but a call to the Lord. The Greek word means "a saint or appointed to be God's holy ones, who receive the whole blessings of God, in time and eternity. It comes from the word in the Greek which means "to invite", which is found in Ephesians 4:1b KJV, which says, 'beseech you that ye walk worthy of your vocation wherewith ye are called.'

It is a divine invitation or call to the privileges of the gospel. Christians have come into the gospel privileges. Jude writes here about the internal call. The Bible says in John 16:8KJV, speaking about the Holy Spirit, 'And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.'

The outward call is the preaching of the gospel. The Bible says in 2Thessonians 2:14KJV, 'Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.' The outward call is the preaching of the gospel, calling sinners to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save them by His death, burial and resurrection. This is the outward call. Even unbelievers can have the outward call (the preaching of the gospel).

The inward call is the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The illumination is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit of God (John 16:8). For example, If you put a blind man into a dark room, and switch on the light, the blind man still will not be able to see the light, because he needs sight. The same with the gospel and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. There needs to be an outward call which is the light (the gospel), and there needs to be an inward call, the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, to give the sight to embrace the light. The outward call and inward call go hand in hand when a person comes to faith in Christ. The gospel is preached and the Holy Spirit takes His gospel and convicts (works) on the sinner to enable them to embrace the light (gospel). The illumination is needed for a person to receive salvation. Only a person who has embraced the light (the gospel), responded to the inward call by God's grace, has spiritual sight, thus are the 'called'.

Be Careful!

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are never to compromise the Word of God, but we are never to go beyond our boundaries. What do I mean? There are people who profess to be Christians who will condemn people personally by name to the Lake of Fire before the Great White throne Judgement when lost people will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ, and cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15). There are professing Christians who will name individuals personally, and say, 'They are in hell now!'. That is over stepping the mark. The Bible never teaches Christians have the authority to personally condemn a person by name, Christ has that authority, and Christ will do according to His Word.

We are to tell the truth of God's Word boldly, that all who truly put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save them by His death, burial and resurrection will go to heaven (John 3:16; John 14:6; Eph. 2:8)  and all who reject Christ and His finished Work when they die will go to hell, and to the Lake of Fire for all eternity because the Bible says, 'And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15). We are never to compromise these truths, but we are never told by God to personally condemn openly by name anyone to the flames of hell, even though they may be there, leave that to God, and let us tell others the good news, so they may not go there. 

You may say, doesn't the Bible tells us that Judas went to hell? I believe the Bible does, but God is telling us that in His Word. There is a big difference when God tells us a person by name is in hell in His Word, than yourself personally condemning a person by name to hell.

You could also be in danger of publicly condemning a person to hell, when that person actually put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ before he or she took their final breath on this earth

Apologetic Moment

In one of his lectures, Dr. James N. Anderson gave a good answer to the following question that an atheist may ask- "Can God create a rock so heavy He cannot lift it?" Just reply, "Any rock that God creates He can lift!" Always remember, God cannot defeat Himself because He is Omnipotent! 

Judas Iscariot by John MacArthur

The devil is the father of lies

Notice that Satan lied to Eve when he said to her, “Ye shall be as gods”, or simply put, “You will be god” (Gen. 3:5). The devil knows there is only one true God, and understood that Eve would not be god, but he wanted Eve to trust in herself as god, and be independent from the One True Living God and not trust in Him. 

Satan still uses this lie today. What does Satan want? He does not want people to come into a relationship with God through Christ and go to heaven, but to remain in their sin and rebellion against God, and go to hell; all false religions and cults which includes atheism accommodate the devil's desire. Atheists believe the lie that they can be independent from God, just like Eve believed in the Garden of Eden. The many people who claim to be atheists want to set their own moral standard and say what is right and wrong because they have pleasure in unrighteousness. They make themselves believe they are not accountable to the true living God by deceiving themselves to believe the lie that there is no God. The reason is because they want set their own moral standard that allows them to have pleasure in sin, thus to make them feel comfortable in their practice.

Christ will lead His Sheep Home!

The  Lord Jesus makes intercession for His people (Rom. 8:34), and you can be sure that Christ will not fail because His intercession is based on His finished work. He has already won the victory by His death, burial and resurrection, and His people will endure to the end. Christ is already victorious. Christ cannot fail and He will see His people to the end. You can witness this with Peter when Jesus knew Peter would be going down by denying Him 3 times, but Jesus prayed for Peter that He would not be staying down, but he would be coming up again, and would endure to the end (Luke 22:32). Now compare that with Judas, who betrayed the Lord Jesus. Jesus did not pray for Judas like He did for Peter, and Judas did not go to heaven.

The people who professed to be believers and have turned their backs on Christ and become apostate were not truly saved in the first place (1John 2:19), because if they were truly saved, they would never have become an apostate because Christ intercedes for His Sheep, and His Sheep will endure to the end.

Christ has accomplished salvation for His sheep, and He will lead them home and not lose one (John 10:27-29).  He has given every true believer eternal Life (John 3:16).