On sanctification

This term (hagios, i.e. holy) did not express an inner, ethical piety or outward sanctimony, but rather the dedication of things or persons to the awesome service of Yaweh. It was a cultic term that marked off from the secular or the profane such persons or things for this service. For Paul, God made Christ Jesus "our sanctification" (1 Cor 1:30), that is, the means whereby human beings were dedicated anew to God and oriented to serve him with awe and respect. To this status "God has called us" (1 Thess 4:7), and we have been "made holy" or "sanctified" by Christ Jesus (1 Cor 1:2, 1 Cor 6:11) or by his "holy Spirit" (Rom 15:16, cf Rom 6:22). So true is this for Paul that hagioi, "saints," becomes a common designation for Christians...