In our opening lesson, we were reminded that the Set Apart One is God the Father.  He is “other” than us.  Because of His perfection, He is everything we are not.  Because of our sin nature, we are everything He is not.  He draws us to Himself through the Holy Spirit by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  We serve a holy, set apart God.  

Our first “setting apart” as a human being created by God the Father comes when we respond to the call of God the Holy Spirit to come to God the Son Jesus Christ.  In a way, it reminds me of animals that shed their skin and move on to a new stage of growth.  By contrast, in this particular “shedding” and setting apart, the change comes from the inside out!  Our salvation is a soul becoming united with God through the shed blood of Christ and His power over the grave.  

A Louisiana Cajun pastor friend of mine used to say: “Well, tink about it diss way mah good  fren, dah closah you git to God, dah less of yourself you can take wit you.”  Stop and ponder that for a moment.  He was right!  As we come to Christ in salvation, our next step is to grow in sanctification.  That means your life begins to change as you grow to look more like Jesus!  All of the bumps and flaws and indecencies of the old YOU have to go.  You have been washed in the blood of Jesus unto salvation.  Now you begin to be washed by the Word of God unto sanctification as you study the scriptures to show yourself approved unto God day by day. 

Paul writes in Romans 6 that we first show our identification with Christ by water baptism.  Of course, Paul is speaking of the beauty of going down into the “grave” of water and being completely immersed in it.  Then, we emerge from the water to show we are raised and resurrected in newness of life to walk with Jesus.  Just after his Damascus road salvation experience, Paul was rendered blind for three days.  In Acts 9, as soon as his blindness was removed, Paul was baptized.  Baptism also means to “identify with” another.  This man who had done all he could to destroy people of “The Way” was now walking in the way of Christ. 

This setting apart unto salvation frees us from slavery to sin.  We now have the strength  of the Holy Spirit living inside us to give us ability to say no to temptation.  Our death to self and selfishness provides our first glimmer of the assurance of eternity with complete freedom from sin.  The power of sin is destroyed.  The penalty for sin is paid in full.  One day, the presence of sin will be removed as soon as we are in the presence of Jesus for eternity! 

Romans 6:12 makes plain for us an essential truth.  We must not allow sin to “reign” as king of our lives. Before salvation, we were indeed slaves to sin.  Now we are free to place ourselves under the rule and authority (and kingship!) of Christ.  We are to yield ourselves to His plan for our lives.  We are to present ourselves to Him moment by moment.

In the New Testament language of Greek, this word “present” is “para-stayme” which means to stand beside.  First thought here is to show up and report for duty.  Picture yourself making an “offering” of yourself to the Lord for service.  Isaiah put it this way in chapter six of his book, “Here am I, Lord!  Send me!” 

Think of the word present.  There are many shades of meaning for this word.  Sometimes it indicates a tense that is neither past nor future, but present in the now and now.  Sometimes it is used to mean a gift given.  In school when your teacher called the roll at the beginning of class, you probably answered, “Here!” or “Present!”  Sometimes it means you are not only here and awake but you are also ready for action.  If you give a gift, you present it to another person.   All shades of meaning apply directly to our relationship to Christ!  

No one can present anyone else to God.  Salvation and being set apart unto Christ must be an individual, personal decision.  Salvation is an “all in,” once for all, point in time event.  Being willing to live set apart unto Christ is a daily, moment by moment choice.  Sanctification is growth toward the likeness of Christ.  We are existing in this process of personal growth until we see Jesus face to face.  We are daily being set apart to serve.  First, God sets us apart unto salvation.  Then, as we present ourselves to Him, he sets us apart to serve Him.