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PRESBYTERIAN
The Presbyterian Church in Canada • presbyterian.ca ISSUE 27, FALL 2023
Sharing the Language of Faith
By the Rev. Dr. Emily Bisset, Calvin Presbyterian Church in Toronto, Ont.
It has always been my conviction that the words we use in Sunday morning worship and to describe the rhythms of church life are the domain of the people of God. This is our language. It is a gift of God to the church. Knowing what theological words mean, how to explain them and feeling comfort- able with this vocabulary allows for a deeper and more meaningful experience of life and faith.
If someone asked you what sin is, could you describe it? How about, what do justification or atonement mean? Or what does holy actually look like? What is the difference between being blessed and being in the right place at the right time?
Some people might be quite comfortable answering these questions. Other people would love to have a conversation about similar questions with fellow church members. While some in the church might call the minis- ter over in hopes that a “profes- sional” could answer them, many others might squirm at being in- volved in this kind of conversation at all—even the minister!
In an era when we are of- ten concerned about the role of church and church communities in a secular and diverse soci- ety, understanding and sharing the language of faith makes the church stronger. Presbyterians have a unique corner on the de- nominational market. We are a thinking church that cares; we are allowed to ask tough ques- tions. We are encouraged to en- gage with the scriptures directly. And we recognize that the min- istry of the church is an equally shared venture between clergy and lay people.
Ministers can’t be the only ones who know how to use and explain the vocabulary of faith.
That is the work of all the people of God. The role of ministers is to equip the saints for this work. In this case, all of us in the church are the saints. Saints in Greek is hagios, which is “holy ones.” Let’s think about the word holy
for a moment. Holy is the ultimate adjective for God, but it gets a little trickier when applied to hu- mans. The theological word for the process of “becoming holy” is sanctification. Sanctification is an important word for the church
and your grandparents probably knew it quite well. We may need a refresher.
In the Old and New Testaments, there is a dual meaning to the word holy when it is used in rela- tion to people: it is a command-
ment, but it is also a gift that is given right now. Sanctification is a gift from God—it comes to us through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the New Testament, it is clear that through Jesus Christ we have been sanctified. Many times, when we come across the verb “sanctify,” it is in a passive form of the past tense. It implies a past action that has been done to us or for us.
Yet, at the same time, the New Testament also maintains a sense of commandment. Sanctification is not something entirely done for us or given to us: it is still a call to be holy.
Holiness—becoming closer to God and being more in the like- ness of God—is therefore both a gift and a mandate. You are holy. And now we are called to become holy and reflect holiness in our living.
So even if God makes us holy, and this holiness is a gift from Jesus Christ, there seems to be room—and even demand—for our participation in the process of becoming holy.
In a Biblical investigation of hagios, the holy and sanctifica- tion, three statements are simul- taneously true:
1. God has sanctified us.
2. God will sanctify us and bring this work to comple-
tion.
3. We can and must strive for
sanctification. The questions are:
1. How does this sanctification
happen?
2. Where does sanctification
happen?
3. How do we know that it is
happening?
Let’s start with the first: How
does this sanctification happen? There have been numerous at- tempts to answer this question. Some theologians say that Jesus accomplishes our sanctification
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