Larry Barkdull

(Note: This article is adapted from Rescuing Wayward Children. Follow this link to learn more.)

In his great intercessory prayer, the Savior taught that personal sanctification is the principle by which one person might help to save another. Just moments before Gethsemane, Jesus made the following statement: “For their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified” (John 17:19). In other words, the first action, personal sanctification, makes possible the second action, the saving of another.

We often think of sanctification in the context of being cleansed from sin-and it is certainly that-but here we see Jesus, who had no sin, sanctifying himself. Obviously, there are greater reasons to persist in the process of sanctification beyond repentance.

Definitions

To understand the process, we must first define terms. Purification and sanctification are words that are often interchanged. That they are closely associated is evident. In this article, we will define purification as extracting any impurities that would stand between us and perfection; we will define sanctification as changing the purpose of something or making something holy.

Purification

Purification is dependent upon two factors: 1) our complete effort to change and make amends, and 2) the grace of Jesus Christ to do what lies beyond our ability. The Savior is the Purifier, but the agent for the purification process is the Holy Ghost.

The process of purification is often called the baptism of fire. We are fully immersed in the heat of the Lord’s furnace to burn out of us all impurities. The Holy Ghost will persist in the process until he can commend us to God as being pure, that is, “true and faithful in all things” in the similitude of “Him whose very name is ‘Faithful and True.’” Such people are called “Zion, the pure in heart.”

We must do our part to purify ourselves, but in the end we will need the Holy Ghost and the Savior to make us completely pure. BYU professor, Chauncey Riddle, wrote:

Then and only then will our Savior reach in and give us a new heart. The new heart will be a pure heart, one that has no selfish desires, one that is willing to do the right thing. It will choose to do the will of God at all times and places, no matter what the opposition or the sacrifice involved. This new heart is made in the image of Jesus Christ…. To be purified is to become literally a new creature in Christ, to die as to the old person that we were, literally to become of the heart and mind of [Christ]. The scriptures promise great rewards for those who qualify and take this step. The scriptural name for this new heart is ‘charity.’ Charity is to have a heart that loves with the pure love of Christ.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the result of being purified. When the contaminants, pollutions and alloys have been burned from our souls, we emerge from the furnace sanctified, and we now have a new and holy purpose.

Let us examine sanctification from the point of view of the sacrament prayer. By the priesthood, the priests bless and sanctify common bread and change its purpose to call us to remembrance of the body of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. Now blessed and sanctified, the bread’s purpose has changed from sustaining physical life to sustaining spiritual life.

Likewise, a pile of stones can, by the priesthood, be changed in purpose to become an altar. A regular day in the week can be sanctified by God and become a day to worship him and enter into his glory. A natural man can be purified of sin then sanctified by the Holy Ghost, so that his purpose now becomes one of service to God: “And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”

The Savior sanctifies us through the Atonement, but the Holy Ghost is the agent of sanctification, just as he is the agent of purification. The Holy Ghost rids us of impurities so that he might change our purpose.

Parents, who wish to become redeemers to their children, submit to the process of purification so that their level of sanctification increases. With each effort that they make to become more purified, their purpose changes, as does their power to partner with the Redeemer to redeem their children. They are transformed from caregivers, nurturers, disciplinarians, etc. to saviors on Mount Zion in the similitude on the Savior. Elder Mark E. Petersen said, “You are ministers of the Lord unto your children, and if you will do your duty by your children, you will be as saviors on Mount Zion to them.”

How Jesus Sanctified Himself

So how and why did Jesus sanctify himself? We see the answer in the context of the 17^th chapter of John. Jesus sanctified himself through living a life of strict obedience. He had spent the week before his atoning sacrifice in the temple. The night of his sacrifice, he read and sang from the scriptures, partook of the sacrament, then entered into a fast. Afterwards, he proceeded to Gethsemane where he made a vicarious sacrifice and offered mighty prayer (which I believe is prayer preceded by sacrifice).

Could we not do the same? Clearly, in addition to other sanctifying principles, obedience, temple worship and service, scripture study, partaking of the sacrament, fasting, and offering mighty prayer are essential keys to personal sanctification.

The Savior’s example of personal sanctification teaches us that we simply cannot invite a change in someone else unless we have first changed our purpose. This principle could not be more clearly stated than in the Sermon on the Mount:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

The more we strive to increase our level of sanctification the more we can shine a bright light on that person for whom we are praying. Of course, we cannot interfere with that person’s agency, but we can partner with the Redeemer and better learn and do our part in the Lord’s plan of redemption.

The Easiness of the Way

Despite the present difficulty of working with a wayward child, the gospel solution is easy, according to Alma.” In an Ensign article, Gérald Caussé wrote, “All the knowledge of the gospel which is meaningful for our salvation can be summarized in a few points of doctrine, principles, and essential commandments.” In the case of recuing a wayward child, what is this easy way? What are the few points of doctrine? If we follow the example of Jesus, we will personally focus on fundamental gospel principles before we attempt to invite change in someone else. We will

• Strive to become more obedient.
• Increase our temple attendance, worship and service.
• Feast on, rather than merely read, the scriptures, and do so with more regularity.
• Partake of the sacrament more worthily.
• Offering mighty prayer that is coupled with sacrifice.

With regard to offering sacrifice, interestingly, the sacrifice that seems to be most Christlike-or Saviorlike-is vicarious sacrifice, or proxy sacrifice. Is it any wonder, then, that some of the mightiest of prayers that we can offer are in a most sacred place in the temple after we have performed a vicarious sacrifice for someone who could not otherwise achieve salvation? It is in the temple where we come to understand that parents, who are united in love and who sanctify themselves, are endowed with power from on high to pray down angels in behalf of their children. Clearly, the prayers offered by sanctified parents for their children are only exceeded in power by the prayers of Jesus Christ.

An Example

We end this article with a story from “Ellen,” a mother in San Diego, California, who learned an extraordinary lesson in the power of personal sanctification.

My patience was wearing thin. First, I lost patience with my daughter, Angela, whom I could not reach no matter what tactic I used; and second, I lost patience with the Lord for not stepping in to help. My husband and I counseled with our bishop, after which I felt even more hopeless. All he did was run down the checklist: Were we praying as a couple, individually, and as a family? Were we fasting for our daughter? Were we holding family home evening, diligent in our callings, reading the scriptures, attending the temple-you get the idea. I felt as though I was in a temple recommend interview. That is not what is needed! I screamed inside. Give me something concrete that I can do to change Angela! My husband and I left the bishop’s office with his parting counsel, “Take everything up a notch. When you shine more brightly, you’ll be able to shine a brighter beam on your daughter.”

I was so disappointed, and I told my husband as much. It was Angela who needed changing, not us. I felt as though the Church had let me down; the gospel was merely theory and void of practical application-a set of pat Sunday School answers with no substance.

My patient husband listened to me rant, then presented another view. He had actually felt something when the bishop had talked to us about light. Quoting D&C 93:37, my husband said, “The scriptures say ‘light and truth forsake that evil one.’ If light is what is needed then we should do as the bishop counseled and try to bring more light into our lives.”

After that, I repented of my tantrum and followed my husband’s lead. Over the next few months, we examined every spiritual aspect of our lives and tried to bring our spirituality up a notch: better prayers, more consistent scripture study, more frequent family home evening and temple attendance-anything to infuse more spiritual light into our lives. Although I felt a decided improvement in me, I noticed no improvement in my daughter. Nevertheless, I persevered in increasing the light.

One day when I was reading the scriptures, two visual images came into my mind. First, I imagined that I was holding a spotlight with the beam fixed on my daughter. Every time I prayed, fasted, studied the scriptures, attended the temple, etc., the beam grew more intense. Despite Angela’s ongoing attempts to seek the darkness, she could not escape the light that I was shining on her. Then I saw Angela under a magnifying glass that the Lord was holding. She was also under its light, although the glass was far away from her now. Nevertheless, I realized that the Lord was slowly moving the glass toward her, and in the process, the light was growing more and more concentrated. In time, the light would form a focused beam and become very intense. When that happened, the concentrated light-depending upon her choice-would either burn out all her impurities or burn her up. Clearly, someone skilled and someone who knew Angela very well needed to be in charge of the magnifying glass. I understood that I was not that person. If I were holding the magnifying glass, I might incinerate Angela due to my impatience; but gratefully, the Lord held the glass, and He knew how to focus the light through the lens to purify her. His intention was to save and not to destroy her.

I gained an appreciation for the bishop’s counsel. The gospel was truly a practical remedy for spiritual problems. If I simply focused on filling myself with light-Jesus said we are the light of the world-then I would gain the ability to cast a continual, bright beam on my daughter, which would illuminate her while the Lord worked the magnifying glass to concentrate the light. The Lord and I were partners in the light!

Angela has not totally forsaken her wayward ways, but my husband and I have noticed marked improvement in her. Recently she was involved in a serious accident that could have taken her life. Miraculously, she walked away unscathed, knowing that God had saved her and given her a second chance. There was no other explanation. She has given up alcohol and has begun to pray. Spiritual ideas nag at her constantly, as though she is under a persistent beam of light. She can’t get those thoughts out of her mind. Now, when she brings them up of her own free will, we have opportunities to talk about the gospel. My husband I and know that Angela will return; it is just a matter of time. But in the meantime, we continue to try and bring more light into our lives.

Author’s Note

This article was adapted from my book, Rescuing Wayward Children. Follow this link to learn more.

Also, get a sample of my new 5-book series on Zion: The Three Pillars of Zion. Click here.

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2 Nephi 31:13-14; D&C 20:41; 33:11; 39:6.

McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 316.

D&C 97:21.

Riddle, “The New and Everlasting Covenant,” 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter Sixteen, 236-37.

D&C 20:77.

John 6:35.

Exodus 40:10.

Genesis 2:3.

D&C 84:24.

Exodus 28:41.

McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, vol. 4:114.

Alma 13:11-12; 3 Nephi 27:19-21; D&C 84:33.

Petersen, Conference Report, October 1959, 14.

Matthew 7:3-5.

Alma 37:46.

Caussé, “Even a Child Can Understand,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 34.