Priestly Christology and Holiness: Christ’s Priesthood and the Sanctification of Believers

Abstract

This article attempts to provide a systematic account of Christ’s priesthood and the sanctification of believers. Approaching Scripture from a systematic perspective, the study focuses on the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is the only document in the NT that explicitly discusses Christ’s priesthood and also deals with the concept of holiness. The article begins with a descriptive reading of the occurrences of the language of holiness in Hebrews and then proceeds to a constructive account of the priesthood of Christ and the sanctification of believers, according to four dimensions of holiness (spatial, personal, ritual, and temporal). The main thesis of this article is that the cultic perspective formulated in this study uncovers a cosmic spiritual experience of holiness deeply rooted in Christological mediation. This perspective constitutes a larger and promising avenue for articulating relevant topics related to sanctification in systematic theology.

1. Introduction

While studies on Christian holiness abound in the theological literature, there is a scarcity of research on the connection between holiness and the priesthood of Christ in systematic theology.1 To take Berkouwer’s (1952) Faith and Sanctification and Allen’s (2017) Sanctification as influential examples of systematic works on sanctification, the concept of Christ’s priesthood is not prominent in their accounts of the sanctification of believers. To be sure, Berkouwer (1952) employs the biblical language of a holy priesthood to refer to believers (pp. 108, 184) and speaks of Jesus’ priestly mediatorial work (pp. 132–35). However, his main categories of discussion involve other concepts, such as the relationship of sanctification with justification by faith (chapters 1–2), the danger of perfectionism (chapter 3), regeneration by faith as the beginning of sanctification (chapter 3), growth and progress in sanctification (chapter 4), humility and sanctification (chapter 5), the imitation of Christ and sanctification (chapter 7), and sanctification, good works, and God’s law (chapter 8).

In the more recent work of Allen on sanctification, the organizing categories used in his systematic account of this topic are sanctification and the gospel (chapter 1), divine holiness (chapter 2), creation (chapter 3), covenant (chapter 4), the incarnation (chapter 5), union with Christ (chapter 6), justification and sanctification (chapter 7), and sanctification and grace (grace and nature—chapter 8; grace and responsibility—chapter 9; and grace and discipline, involving the imitation of Christ and obedience to the law—chapter 10). The language of priest or priesthood is used in many of these chapters.2 Nonetheless, the concept of Christ’s priesthood is not used as an organizing category or subcategory of this systematic reflection about sanctification.

In light of these selected examples of systematic accounts of sanctification, the present article aims to address this lacuna by presenting a constructive view of Christ’s priesthood and the sanctification of believers from a biblical perspective. This tentative articulation explores the language of holiness in the epistle to the Hebrews, where we find the only explicit elaboration of the priesthood of Christ in Scripture, and where there are several occurrences of the language of sanctification of believers (2.11; 9.13; 10.10, 14, 22, 29; 12.10, 14; 13.12). To achieve this goal, a systematic approach will be undertaken in two steps. I will initially provide a descriptive reading of the sanctification of believers in Hebrews. This initial step intends to uncover the concept of holiness in the epistle, providing an overview of the references to sanctification in Hebrews. Two basic concepts will emerge from this descriptive reading, namely, the covenantal framework of sanctification and its cultic emphasis, which centers on the idea of cleansing.

On the basis of the initial descriptive reading, I will outline a constructive account of Christ’s priesthood and the sanctification of believers. The innovative feature of this constructive proposal is that the organizing categories of its systematic picture are not taken from the traditional loci or topics of systematic theology (such as God, Christ, creation, salvation, etc.), but are shaped by a cultic structure of holiness and priesthood that formally articulates priestly Christology and the sanctification of believers. While the structure adopted in this study, encompassing the cultic dimensions of space, personal, ritual, and time, is used by Jenson (1992) to articulate holiness and priesthood in the Hebrew Bible, I will formally use this structure to articulate a systematic picture of Christ’s priesthood and the sanctification of believers. The main thesis of this article is that the cultic perspective formulated in this study uncovers a cosmic spiritual experience of holiness deeply rooted in Christological mediation. This perspective constitutes a larger and promising avenue for articulating relevant topics related to sanctification in systematic theology.

2. The Sanctification of Believers in Hebrews: A Descriptive Reading

In Louw and Nida (1996, pp. 744–45), the semantic domain of “holy, pure” appears in category “88. Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior” and includes twelve related terms or expressions: (1) ἅγιος; ὁσίως, (2) ἁγιωσύνη; ἁγιότης; ὁσιότης, (3) ἁγιάζω (in the sense of causing “someone to have the quality of holiness),” (4) ἁγιάζω (in the sense of feeling reverence for or honoring someone/something as holy), (5) ἁγνός, (6) ἁγνεία; ἁγνότης, (7) ἁγνίζω; ἀπολούω, (8) ῥαντίζομαι τὴν καρδίαν, (9) ἀκέραιος, (10) ἄσπιλος, (11) ἄμωμος, and (12) ἀμώμητος.

Many of these terms or expressions appear in Hebrews. For the purposes of this article, I have delimited the occurrences of this semantic domain in the epistle to those that refer to believers, which means that references to the sanctuary, the Holy Spirit, and others have been intentionally excluded of this list: ἁγιάζω (2.11; 9.13; 10.10, 14, 29; 13.12), ἅγιοι (3.1; 6.10; 13.24), ῥαντίζομαι τὴν καρδίαν (10.22, cf. 9.13, 19, 21), ἁγιότης (12.10), ἁγιασμός (12.14). I will briefly present below each one of these occurrences.

The two occurrences of the verb ἁγιάζω in 2.11, both in the present participle, establish a relationship between Jesus and believers by calling him “the one who sanctifies” (ὁ ἁγιάζων), while they are described as “those who are sanctified” (οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι).3 In the sentence that precedes the statement of 2.11, Jesus is portrayed as the pioneer/founder/author of salvation (τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς σωτηρίας, 2.10, cf. 5.9; 12:2 and also Acts 3.15; 5.31), which appears to highlight the soteriological perspective of his sanctification of believers in 2.11. It is noteworthy that these occurrences of the participial form of the verb ἁγιάζω in 2.11 appear precisely in the pericope (2.5–18) that contains the first explicit reference to Jesus as high priest (ἀρχιερεὺς) in the epistle, in 2.17. In fact, the New English Bible (NEB) even translates the expressions ὁ ἁγιάζων and οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι in 2.11, respectively, as “consecrating priest” and “those whom he consecrates” (italics mine). I do not think that the addition of the term “priest” in the translation is necessary, but this seems to indicate that NEB underscores in 2.11 the priestly tone of the pericope. Likewise, the secondary literature emphasizes that the language of sanctification in 2.11 has cultic/priestly overtones (Lane 1991, p. 58; Johnson 2012, p. 97). Attridge (1989, p. 88) argues that the “cultic language of sanctification” in this verse “gives a hint of the High-Priestly status that results from Christ’s ‘perfection’ (2.17).”4

The next occurrence of the language of sanctification or holiness in the epistle is found in 3.1, where believers are referred to by the author of Hebrews as “holy brothers” (ἀδελφοὶ ἅγιοι). Moreover, the language of ἅγιοι qualifies believers as “saints” in 6.10 (τοῖς ἁγίοις) and 13.24 (τοὺς ἁγίους), which is the last verse of the epistle. A brief comparison of these passages with the description of Jesus as high priest in 7.26 seems to indicate an interesting parallel between the language of holiness used for Jesus and for believers. In 7.26, Jesus as high priest is “holy” (ὅσιος), “blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” Arguably, this list clarifies the meaning of Jesus’ holiness, which is different from the weaknesses (ἀσθένεια) of Aaronic priests (7.28; cf. 5.2). In fact, the audience, who was referred to by the language of holiness (ἅγιοι) in 3.1 is also described by the language of weakness (ἀσθένεια) in 4.15, being dependent of Jesus’ high priestly sympathy (4.15). This suggests that the holiness of believers is distinct from and dependent on Jesus’ priesthood.

The way in which Jesus’ priesthood sanctifies believers is explained in chapters 9 and 10, which deal with the superior sacrifice of the new covenant, mentioned in 7.22 and introduced in chapter 8. In 9.13, the sacrificial blood of animals according to the Levitical order is asymmetric compared with the blood of Christ’s sacrifice. Whereas the blood of such sacrifices externally sanctifies (ἁγιάζει) those defiled, in the sense of having their flesh purified (καθαρότητα), the sacrificial blood of Christ will internally or morally purify (καθαριεῖ) the conscience (συνείδησιν) of believers “from dead works” (9.14). This purification is necessary for believers to worship God (9.14). To put it more sharply, this asymmetric comparison associates the concepts of sanctification and purification/cleansing, given the parallel between ἁγιάζω and καθαρίζω.5 Therefore, Christ’s sacrificial blood sanctifies believers in terms of cleansing or purification.

The immediate context for the purifying sanctification of the conscience of believers by means of Christ’s blood describes his once-for-all entrance as a high priest into the heavenly sanctuary, precisely on the basis of his sacrificial blood (9.11–12).6 Furthermore, the context highlights the crucial role of blood in the inauguration of the first covenant (9.18–21), the covenantal and cultic notion that “almost everything is purified (καθαρίζεται) with blood,” and that sacrificial blood is necessary for the “forgiveness of sin” (9.22). Moreover, Heb 9.23 emphasizes the need for purification (implicitly expressed by the verb καθαρίζω in the first part of the verse) of the heavenly sanctuary on the basis of Christ’s superior sacrifice.7 It is noteworthy that three out of the four occurrences of the verb καθαρίζω in the epistle appear in chapter 9 (vv. 14, 22, 23; see also 10.2). These occurrences seem to suggest that the purifying sanctification of believers by means of Christ’s blood is associated, implicitly or explicitly, with his priestly entrance into the heavenly sanctuary, the inauguration of the new covenant, the forgiveness of sins, and the purification of the heavenly sanctuary. To be sure, all these associations require further elaboration; however, given the limitations of space in this article, I will only mention them to emphasize that this sanctification occurs within the larger framework of Christ’s priesthood, encompassing the heavenly sanctuary, the new covenant, and the forgiveness of sins. Another significant point to be underscored is that the verb καθαρίζω in 9.14 is in the future tense (καθαριεῖ), which could imply that the purifying sanctification of the conscience of believers is not a past or complete event for the audience of Hebrews.8

It is not only the blood that is mentioned in the sanctification of believers by means of Christ’s sacrificial offering. His body is emphasized as well: “it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified (ἡγιασμένοι) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (10.10). In this passage, the verb ἁγιάζω is in the perfect participle passive form.9 The offering is contrasted with the repetitive offerings of Aaronic priests (10.11). While their offerings could not “take away sins” (10.11), Christ “has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους)” by means of his “single offering” (10.14).10 The cultic conception of perfection is also highlighted in 9.9, where the author of Hebrews argues, in opposition to what he affirms in 10.14, that sacrifices offered by Aaronic priests were unable to “perfect the conscience of the worshiper.” Therefore, these passages appear to indicate that sanctification is associated with the language of being perfected, in the cultic sense of taking away sins, especially from the conscience, by means of sacrifice. It is noteworthy that the language of being perfected and sanctified in 10.14 is associated with the description of the new covenant quoted from Jeremiah 31.33–34 LXX in Hebrews 10.16–17. In this passage, the two key features of the new covenant are (1) the Lord writing his laws in the hearts and minds of his people and (2) the forgiveness of their sins, expressed in terms of the Lord no longer remembering them. It is plausible to argue that the perfection and sanctification produced by Christ’s sacrifice are related to these two features of the new covenant being effected in the lives of believers. To use the language of the epistle, Christ’s sacrificial blood is “the blood of the covenant” that produces sanctification (10.29).

After the expositional material in Hebrews up to 10.18, we find the teaching about sanctification in the hortatory section of the epistle. According to 10.19–22, Jesus’ sacrificial blood and his heavenly priesthood (“since we have a great priest over the house of God”) enable believers to spiritually enter the heavenly sanctuary sanctified/purified, that is, with “hearts sprinkled clean (ῥεραντισμένοι τὰς καρδίας) from an evil conscience” and “bodies washed with pure water.” This passage seems to fulfill the promised purification of Ezekiel 36.25–26 LXX (see also Eph 5.26), which employs the language of sprinkling, water, purification (καὶ ῥανῶ ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς ὕδωρ καθαρόν, v. 25), and a new heart (καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν καρδίαν καινὴν, v. 26) (Rahlfs (1979)).11 The promised purification in Ezekiel is framed in terms of the vindication of God’s holiness (36.23), promotes the people’s obedience to his laws (36.27), and employs the covenantal language “you shall be my people I will be their God” (36.28, cf. vv. 26–27). Hence, Hebrews seems to combine Jeremiah 31.31–34 and Ezekiel 36.23–28 as the OT theological background for understanding the sanctification of believers from a covenantal standpoint.

The sanctifying purification of 10.22 wholistically encompasses both the hearts and the bodies of believers. Even though in 9.13–14 (cf. 10.2–4) the contrast between the sacrifices of animals in the first covenant and the sacrifice of Christ highlights, respectively, the outward purifying sanctification of the flesh and the inward purifying sanctification of the conscience, the new covenant is not restricted to an inward purification of believers. Instead, it includes the sanctifying purification of both internal and external dimensions. As Cockerill (2012, p. 474) points out, the “inner transformation of the ‘heart’” is externally “expressed in the changed conduct” of an obedient body. According to his combined background reading of the new covenant in Ezekiel and Jeremiah, the purified heart is an obedient heart (Ezekiel), since this is the “heart upon which God has written his laws” (Jeremiah). In Hebrews, the cleansing of the heart is further specified as a purification of the conscience, which suggests that conscience is part of the heart (Koester 2001, p. 444). Moreover, this purification of heart and body (10.22) is explicitly associated with the priesthood of Christ (10.21) and makes possible the spiritual entrance of believers into the presence of God in the heavenly sanctuary (10.19, 22), probably in terms of prayer (cf. 4.16). Cockerill (2012, pp. 473, 475) underscores that the language of cleansing with participles in the perfect tense in 10.22 (ῥεραντισμένοι, λελουσμένοι) not only indicates that Christ’s “past act of purification” continues to enable “the worshiper to enter God’s presence” but also emphasizes that cleansing remains a “prerequisite for entrance into the divine presence.”

The author of Hebrews also warns believers against the danger of profaning (κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος) “the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified (ἡγιάσθη)” (10.29). This profanation seems to be described in terms of willful (Ἑκουσίως) and persistent sin (ἁμαρτανόντων), which neutralizes the salvific effects of Christ’s sacrifice for sins (οὐκέτι περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπολείπεται θυσία, 10.26). Hence, even though the sanctification produced by Christ’s sacrifice is able to perfect believers for all time (10.14), this sanctification can be interrupted by sinful apostasy (10.26, 29). This contingent picture of sanctification is positively reinforced in 12.14, where the epistle encourages believers to pursue (διώκετε) “the holiness (ἁγιασμόν) without which no one will see the Lord.” The context of this passage seems to indicate that this pursuit is viewed negatively in terms of not becoming defiled (12.15).

Furthermore, the author of Hebrews motivates believers to “endure (ὑπομένετε) trials for the sake of discipline (παιδείαν)” (12.7). The New Jerusalem Bible emphasizes the meaning of instruction and training conveyed by the term παιδεία12: “Perseverance is part of your training” (12.7). Just as in the discipline (in the sense of training) of a responsible father with his child, God “disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness (ἁγιότητος)” (12.10). In other words, trials should be endured and conceived as a form of God’s discipline/training, and this endurance is a necessary step for our sharing in God’s holiness. When 12.7, 10, and 13.12–13 are read together, the endurance of believers is a reflection and a result of Jesus’ sacrificial endurance. In 13.12–13, the author highlights that Jesus “suffered outside the city in order to sanctify (ἁγιάσῃ) the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear (φέροντες) the abuse he endured.” Once again, Hebrews underscores the idea that believers are sanctified by Jesus’ sacrificial blood. However, the epistle also emphasizes that sanctified believers endure trials, and God may even use them to enable believers to participate in His holiness.

After this descriptive reading of the sanctification of believers in Hebrews, I will outline a constructive account of Christ’s priesthood and their sanctification.

3. Christ’s Priesthood and the Sanctification of Believers: A Constructive Account

In his systematic investigation of holiness and priesthood in the Hebrew Bible, Philip Jenson organizes his study according to four cultic dimensions of holiness, namely, (1) spatial, (2) personal, (3) ritual, and (4) temporal.13 The spatial dimension refers particularly to the sanctuary, the personal dimension describes the (high-)priests and other agents involved in the priestly service, the ritual focuses on the sacrifice and other cultic activities, and the temporal dimension is especially related to calendar festivals, the Sabbath, and the Day of Atonement (Jenson 1992). Jenson (1992, p. 58) argues that these categories are helpful for dealing with holiness not merely as a conception but more broadly as a worldview.

I will borrow these four categories for the systematic purposes of the present section. Obviously, they will only serve to formally organize the material information gathered in the descriptive reading of the previous section. However, before I start to outline the constructive account according to these four dimensions of holiness, it is imperative to highlight two important notions identified in the previous section that need to inform the systematic discussion of the categories. First, the sanctification of believers in Hebrews is understood within a covenantal framework, in which they are prepared to enter into the presence of God. Second, the sanctification of believers has a cultic emphasis, which means that the focus is on the idea of cleansing. These two notions are elaborated in terms of Christ’s (high) priesthood. Christ the (high) priest is the mediator of a new covenant (8.6; 9.15; 12.24). On the basis of his sacrifice, he sanctifies believers by purifying them. From this perspective, I will provide a brief constructive account of the four dimensions of holiness.

3.1. The Spatial Dimension

From a spatial perspective, the discussion of the sanctification of believers in Hebrews initially emphasizes the importance of the heavenly sanctuary. The affirmation of the purifying sanctification of the conscience of believers by means of Christ’s blood (9.14) assumes his entrance as a high priest into the heavenly sanctuary (9.11–12). This emphasis is maintained in the teaching about sanctification in the hortatory section of the epistle, in 10.19–22, as Jesus’ priesthood enables believers to spiritually enter the heavenly sanctuary, provided their hearts are sanctified/purified from an accusing conscience.

While in the exposition section, the passage of 9.11–12 describes Christ’s ontological entrance into the heavenly sanctuary, in the hortatory section, the passage of 10.19–22 invites believers to enter this sanctuary arguably in terms of prayer. In both cases, however, the entrance into the heavenly sanctuary has the presence of God in view (cf. 4.16; 9.24), which seems to explain why the non-ontological entrance of believers still needs to be preceded by their cleansing through the mediation of Christ’s priesthood.

In the final hortatory section of the epistle, the author spatially underlines in 13.12–13 (see also 10.5, 10) the earthly realm of Christ’s sacrifice to sanctify believers through his blood. The location is identified as “outside the city”/“outside the camp,” which is a language of the sanctuary service in the Hebrew Bible (see Heb 13.11; Exod 29.14; Lev 4.12, 21; 16.27), and the audience is rhetorically invited to come to this place of shame as Jesus did. Believers should come to this earthly place in the midst of sufferings, as this is where the sacrifice of Jesus took place for their sanctification. At the same time, the emphasis on the heavenly sanctuary in 9.11–12 and 10.19–22 indicates that believers receive a purifying sanctification to spiritually enter the heavenly sanctuary. This is a curious interplay between the earthly and heavenly realms related to the believers’ experience of holiness.

3.2. The Personal Dimension

Jesus is undoubtedly the agent of sanctification in Hebrews. He is “the one who sanctifies” believers (2.11). This statement appears in the pericope (2.5–18) where Jesus is explicitly called high priest for the first time in the epistle (2.17). Jesus as high priest is “holy,” “blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens” (7.26). In contrast, believers are paradoxically referred to both by the language of holiness (3.1) and of weakness (4.15), which makes them dependent on Jesus’ high priestly sympathy (4.15).

It is noteworthy, however, that the hortatory invitation of sanctified believers to spiritually enter the heavenly sanctuary (10.19–22; cf. 4.16) may suggest that they are being implicitly14 considered priests (see Scholer 1991), inasmuch as they are called to come to God’s presence in the heavenly sanctuary. However, this would be a priesthood in a secondary sense, considering their utter dependence on Christ’s unique priesthood. If this interpretation is correct, the wholistic cleansing of believers with water in 10.19–22 could be potentially connected with the consecration of priests in the Hebrew Bible. Although purification with water was practiced in a number of cases in the Hebrew Bible, this was a particular consecrating rite for the priesthood of Aaron and his sons (see Exod 29.4; 40.12; Lev 8.6). In short, this is a sanctifying purification for approaching God.

3.3. The Ritual Dimension

Certainly, the most emphasized priestly ritual of the sanctification of believers in Hebrews is the notion of Jesus’ once-for-all sacrificial offering (10.14). His sacrificial body (10.10) and blood (9.14; 10.29; 13.12) are the means by which they are purified/sanctified. While the author of Hebrews does not explain exactly how this bloody purification works from an ontological standpoint, he does affirm that it is not merely a ritualistic purification. Rather, Christ’s sacrifice is able to profoundly purify the hearts of believers and clean their accusing conscience (9.14).

However, the reference to the sanctification of believers in 10.29 appears to imply that there is more to Christ’s actions in the priestly ritual. Positively, this passage qualifies his sacrificial blood as “the blood of the covenant,” which arguably plays a role in the divine forgiveness of sins and the transformation of the human heart in light of the exposition of chapters 8–10. The transformation in view here refers to a genuine, obedient heart, in the context of God’s new covenant with His people. Negatively, the problem of rebellion against God in the form of willful and persistent sin (10.26) is described, among other things, in terms of profaning “the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified” (10.29). As a result of this problem, the author of Hebrews associates the divine judgment against apostasy (10.27) with a negative reference to the effectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice for the apostates: “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (10.26).

This statement raises the question of what makes Christ’s sacrifice effective or ineffective for human beings. A more immediate answer could focus on the presence or the lack of faith on the part of the person. While this is an important and crucial part of the answer, the dimension of faith seems to be connected with a broader dimension. Considering that Christ’s sacrifice for sins took place once for all and, thus, chronologically precedes the actual response of (or lack of) faith on the part of the audience of the epistle (and of other people living after the time of Christ’s sacrifice), we could ask what makes the benefits of the past sacrifice still available for subsequent years. According to the sanctuary rituals of the Hebrew Bible, there is no sacrificial offering disconnected from priestly mediation. This same picture seems to inform the priestly understanding of Christ’s heavenly mediatorial work for salvation (Rom 8.34; Heb 7.25; 9.24; 1 John 2.1–2). From this perspective, it is his priestly intercession in heaven that makes the benefits of his sacrifice available to forgive and sanctify/purify believers.15 Conversely, the rebellious attitude of apostasy described in 10.26–29 is not only a profanation of “the blood of the covenant,” but firstly an extreme disdain (trampling underfoot, καταπατήσας) of Christ himself (10.29), who is the priestly mediator of the new covenant. For the purposes of this article, the depiction of this radical experience of apostasy in 10.26–29 negatively portrays a reversal of the experience of sanctification, but positively implies the crucial and continuous priestly role of Christ’s heavenly intercession in the sanctification/purification of believers, which makes the benefits of his once-for-all sacrifice effective in the lives of believers.

3.4. The Dimension of Time

The dimension of time was partially treated in the previous subsection regarding the ritual connection between sacrifice and intercession in Christ’s priesthood. The sacrifice was a once-for-all event, while the heavenly intercession is an ongoing action. The sacrifice is past. The intercession makes the benefits of the sacrifice available in the present. The sacrifice provides the basis for the sanctification of believers, while the continuous intercession makes this sanctification effective in their lives. Taking into account these distinctions, it is precisely the intercession of Christ that is contemporaneous with the prayers of believers. To use the language of Hebrews, believers “approach God” in prayer “through him,” in the context of Christ’s intercession (Heb 7.25; see also 4.14–16; 10.21–22).

The dimension of time is also present in the discussion about the nature of sanctification itself. Recent studies,16 particularly in the field of biblical studies, have challenged the traditional definition in Protestant systematic theology of sanctification in terms of ongoing progress17 or gradual transformation, situated between the event of justification and the culmination of glorification. As Dunson (2019, p. 71) points out, this challenge does not deny that God “transforms believers throughout their lives.” Rather, the question is “whether this process should be called sanctification.” Peterson (1995, p. 70) argues that the NT does affirm the important process of spiritual growth (1 Cor 3.1–4; 1 Tim 4.7–10, 15; Heb 5.11–6.2). But he maintains that this is not expressed in terms of sanctification. Instead, Peterson (1995) claims, with particular reference to Hebrews,18 that sanctification is related to the initiation of the Christian life, involving forgiveness, cleansing, and the reorientation of one’s life, which must be maintained until the end (pp. 67–68).

This initiation is defined negatively in terms of separation from uncleanness/evil, and positively as consecration to God and His will (Peterson 1995, p. 53). It is the relationship between the initiation and the need to keep (or even regain) this condition throughout time that makes it possible to speak of the “now” and the “not yet” of sanctification. Throughout time, there is the danger of defilement and apostasy, which are mentioned in the warnings of Hebrews (10.26–29; 11.15). In this sense, Peterson (1995) points out, holiness is not only a gift but a calling (pp. 77–78). This is a call to sanctified believers to “live out the practical implications of sanctification,” where holiness becomes a way of life (pp. 136–37). It is from this perspective that the final exhortations of Hebrews 13 are viewed as guidelines for holy living (pp. 76–77). That is, what begins in the heart reaches all aspects of life (p. 25).

In contrast to this so-called “positional or definitive sanctification in Christ” (Peterson 1995, p. 52), Allen (2017) has recently defended the traditional notion of sanctification as progressive growth. Ironically, it is precisely from the book of Hebrews that he intends to broaden the discussion about sanctification (see pp. 190–96). Among his arguments about the nature of sanctification, Allen (2017, p. 192) highlights that Hebrews employs the language of sonship, in the context of the relationship between God and believers, as part of “its ongoing call for not only growth but discipline (12.5–13).” While Allen (2017) wants to elaborate on this point in light of Israel in the wilderness, I suspect that this idea has the potential to be further explored in the NT itself. In the descriptive reading of Heb 12.10 located in the previous section of this article, I mentioned the language of παιδεία (see Eph 6.4; 2 Tim 3.16; Heb 12.5, 7, 8, 11), which conveys the meaning of upbringing, training, instruction, discipline, and correction. This seems to be a promising avenue for thinking about the connection between development/growth and holiness in 12.10, where endurance (see 12:7) and discipline (παιδεία) aim to share in God’s holiness. Furthermore, the perfect passive participle γεγυμνασμένοις is used in 12.11 to describe the positive results of παιδεία, “a fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained (γεγυμνασμένοις) by it.” Curiously, the same verb γυμνάζω appears in passages that Peterson indicates as examples of spiritual growth in the NT (1 Tim 4.7; Heb 5.14). The difference is that, for Peterson, these passages are examples that growth is distinct from the language of sanctification in the NT. But in Hebrews 12.7–11 growth and holiness seem to be intimately connected.

While a proper treatment of this discussion goes beyond the scope of this article, it serves to illustrate that, in Hebrews, the concept of sanctification has both complete and incomplete aspects, as we approach it from the standpoint of the dimension of time. The epistle strongly emphasizes that believers have been sanctified by Christ’s sacrificial offering (10.10, 14). On the other hand, believers are warned against the danger of profaning the blood “by which they were sanctified” (10.29). Furthermore, they are informed that God trains/disciplines believers in difficult situations so that they “may share in his holiness” (12.10). Then, they are encouraged to pursue holiness and avoid defilement (12.14–15). Therefore, a balanced account of Christ’s priesthood and the sanctification of believers must take into account these complete and incomplete aspects.

4. Conclusions

The main purpose of the present article was to articulate the connection between the priesthood of Christ and the sanctification of believers. This task began with a descriptive reading of the concept of sanctification in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which provided an overview of the concept of sanctification in the epistle. In short, this descriptive reading highlighted two significant points. First, this sanctification is understood within a covenantal framework, in which believers are prepared to enter into the presence of God. Second, the sanctification of believers has a cultic focus, centered on the notion of cleansing.

The descriptive reading of holiness in Hebrews was followed by a constructive account of the sanctification of believers and the priesthood of Christ, from the perspective of cultic dimensions of holiness. While these cultic dimensions have been explored in the literature regarding priesthood and holiness in the Hebrew Bible, the present article has employed them as heuristic tools to articulate a systematic picture of the sanctification of believers and priestly Christology. What emerges from this cultic approach is that sanctification is viewed from the broader standpoint of a worldview shaped by the priesthood of Christ and the concept of holiness. This worldview includes the notion of sanctification as development or growth in holiness, but it is not limited to it.

In summary, the spatial dimension of holiness underlines the cosmic interplay between the earthly and heavenly realms in the believers’ spiritual experience of sanctification. In other words, the purification of sanctification aims at the spiritual elevation of believers to the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ is performing His priestly work. From a covenantal perspective, this cosmic spiritual elevation to the heavenly sanctuary describes believers approaching God in heaven through prayer. This notion of cosmic spiritual elevation does not typically constitute a major point in accounts of sanctification in systematic theology literature.

In the context of the personal dimension of holiness, sanctified believers invited to spiritually enter the heavenly sanctuary implicitly function as consecrated priests covenantally called to come into God’s presence. However, they are dependent on the covenantal mediation of Christ as the high priest for their sanctifying consecration and access to the heavenly sanctuary. To put it more sharply, they cannot consecrate themselves nor act as priests on their own. Typically, the literature on sanctification in systematic theology attempts to distinguish sanctification from the idea of salvation by works. The idea of sanctified believers as priests in a secondary sense, as they are entirely dependent on the priesthood of Christ, also distinguishes sanctification from salvation by works, but employs a broader framework of thought, which preserves, for example, the idea that sanctified believers functioning as priests (in a secondary sense) imitate Christ, the high priest, to some degree, as they enter the heavenly sanctuary as well, even though they do so in a spiritual sense. Interestingly, the imitation of Christ is another topic in the discussion of sanctification in systematic theology.

The continuous dependence of sanctified believers on the priesthood of Christ is further emphasized by the ritual and temporal dimensions of holiness. The earthly sacrifice on the cross and the ongoing heavenly intercession constitute the main ritual dimensions of Christ’s priesthood, involving the temporal dimensions of the past (sacrifice) and the present (intercession). The purifying benefits of Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice in the past are made contemporaneous to present-day believers through his ongoing heavenly intercession. On the other hand, human apostasy, which ultimately constitutes a denial of His priestly mediation, reverses the experience of sanctification or cleansing. Continuous dependence on Christ’s heavenly intercession and the risk of a reversal of sanctification, where the former makes the benefits of His sacrifice effective in the sanctification of believers and the latter renders these benefits ineffective, could be notions more emphasized in the discussion of the dynamics of sanctification in systematic theology.

The temporal dimension of holiness refers not only to the connection between the ritual events of Christ’s earthly once-and-for-all sacrifice in the past and His ongoing heavenly mediation in the present, but also to the believers’ temporal experience of sanctification. It is in light of the dynamics of time that believers constantly depend on Christ’s heavenly mediation for their sanctification and are warned about the danger of apostasy, which reverses sanctification. In other words, from the perspective of the dynamics of time, the experience of sanctification may become temporary rather than enduring. The ideal of temporal (rather than temporary) endurance in holiness highlights the ongoing dependence of believers on the mediation of Christ’s priesthood and does not take for granted that the experience of sanctification in the past will be simply replicated in the present. It is from this standpoint that we can speak of complete and incomplete aspects of holiness, in the sense that while believers are purified and consecrated (complete sanctification, in the sense of the efficacy and sufficiency of the purification provided by Christ), on the basis of Christ’s priestly mediation, they still need to endure in this experience of holiness, also on the basis of the priesthood of Christ, both in the present and in the future (incomplete sanctification, in the sense that it is not automatically replicated in the present and in the future given the risk of apostasy). Moreover, the believers’ experience of enduring sanctification in the past, present, and future encompasses the idea of progression and growth. Endurance does not simply describe a replication of the same attitude in the past into the present, but rather implies becoming, by faith, stronger in the face of numerous challenges over time and can be understood as growth in terms of discipline and training (παιδεία), which aims to share in God’s holiness. Once again, the growing strength of endurance is Christologically, rather than anthropologically, based, as the appeals of Hebrews 12 begin with the endurance of Jesus at the cross, who is the founder and perfecter of the faith/faithfulness of believers (Heb 12:2).

In short, the four cultic dimensions of holiness employed in this constructive account of the priesthood of Christ and the sanctification of believers underscore a cosmic spiritual experience of holiness that is strongly grounded in Christological mediation. This framework of discussion constitutes a broad and promising avenue for articulating relevant topics related to sanctification in systematic theology.