CONSECRATED LIFE: Biblical Perspective

 CONSECRATED LIFE
Biblical Perspective

Praveen Gopu, OFM Cap.

Introduction

We are all created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). The Lord blessed us and appointed us lords over all creation (Gen 1:28). Our vocation was to reproduce in ourselves that image in which we are created. We turned away from this original plan of God and distanced ourselves from the very purpose of our existence. But God continuously calls us back to His original purpose, until this is realized by Jesus Christ (cf. Rm 5:18-19). That is to say, God’s image is restored in our lives through Jesus. But this restoration through Jesus Christ has to be realized in each one of us by conforming ourselves to Christ. Our life of consecration has to do with our growth in conformity to Christ and thus to become the image of the invisible God.

 

The ‘life of consecration’ is deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Jesus, who himself is the perfect model of the consecrated life. Bible is the first source of ‘consecration’; and so the aim of this study is to explore the meaning of the term ‘consecration’ in both Testaments of the Bible. The basis for the Christian understanding of Consecrated Life as ‘a gift of God the Father through the Holy Spirit’ (Vita Consecrata, no.1) can be found in the Bible.

 

1. Meaning of the Term ‘Consecration’

From the Biblical point of view, Consecration is ‘the separation of oneself from things that are unclean or anything that would break one’s relationship with God.’ It also means ‘sanctification, holiness and purity.’

Consecration is ‘dedication to God’s service.’

The term is applied to the people of Israel (Ex 19:6), to priests (Ex 30:29-30; 19:22; 28:3, 41; 29:1-2, 44; Lev 1-13; 1 Chr 23:13), to Levites (Num 8:5, 6), to individuals (1 Sam 1:11), to the first-born (Ex 13:2, 12; Deut 15:19), to possessions (Lev 27:28, 29). It is also applied to Christ (Heb 2:10) and to Christians (Jn 17:23; Rom 12:12; 2 Cor 6:14-18; Rev 14:1-6; 1 Jn 2:20, 27; 1 Pet 2:5, 9).

Consecration is ‘to set apart’ or ‘dedicate’ or ‘sanctify’ a person or thing to some sacred purpose related to the service and worship of God, and often the character of ‘holiness’ is given to the consecrated person or thing.

Thus, the word is used for hallowing of persons to sacred offices and sacred service (Ex 29:9; Lev 8:33; 1 Chr 29:5; 2 Chr 29:31) through religious rites (Josh 6:19; 1 Chr 31:6).

The Hebrew words for ‘consecrate’ or ‘consecrated’ are qādas and nāzar, and the Greek word is hagiazō. The usual meaning rendered is ‘sanctify, hallow, make holy’ (Ex 22:31); ‘separation’ (Num 6:18); ‘saints’ (Deut 33:3); ‘dedicate’ (Judg 17:3); ‘separated’ (Hos 9:10) and ‘belongs to God’ (1 Cor 7:14).

The root word qdš (qādas) means ‘to separate or set apart.’ It conveys the idea of ‘cleanliness’ or ‘holiness’ (Ex 13:2; 19:10, 14, 22-23; 22:31; Lev 8:10-12; Num 3:13; Deut 15:19; 1 Sam 7:1; 1 Chr 23:13).

Thus, the basic meaning of ‘consecration’ is one of ‘separation’; it denotes ‘to be holy,’ that is, ‘to be separate from the common and the profane.’

The root word nzr (nāzar) means ‘to separate, dedicate’; occasionally, this word is translated as ‘consecrate’ (Lev 21:12; Num 6:9, 18-19; Hos 9:10). Nazirite (nāzir) is ‘one who separated himself’, or ‘found himself separate’ from God (Num 6:2, 6-8, 12; Judg 13:5, 7; 16:17). It is an expression of loyalty to God.

The law concerning the Nazirite (Num 6:1-21) assumes that a man or woman becomes a Nazirite by a voluntary vow, that is, the consecration to God for a specified term (Num 6:2, 5).

The three elements of Nazirites were (i) to abstain from wine and strong drink (Num 6:4); (ii) hair might not be cut (Num 6:5); to be cut only after the vow (Num 6:18); like the blood, hair symbolized the life of a person and it is a form of self-dedication and (iii) to avoid presence of the dead (Num 6:7); all their days as nazirites (those separated or those consecrated), they are holy to the Lord (Num 6:8).

Samson, being consecrated to God, observes these prescriptions (Judg 13-16).

Samuel’s mother Hannah makes a vow to dedicate him to God his whole life: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite (that is one separated or one consecrated) until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants and no razor shall touch his head” (1 Sam 1:11).

In the New Testament, Luke presents John the Baptist keeping the Nazirite rules (cf. Lk 7:33).

The Greek word hagiazō means ‘to separate, set apart, sanctify, and be sanctified’; in a few instances it is translated as ‘consecrate’ (Jn 10:36; 17:19; 1 Cor 7:14; 1 Tim 4:5; 2 Tim 2:21), but generally, it means ‘sanctify’ (Jn 17:17; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Rom 15:16; 1 Cor 1:2; 6:11; Eph 5:26; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 2:11; 9:13; 10:10, 14, 29; 13:12). The word does not refer to ‘purifying from sin’, but ‘setting apart someone for holy use’ or to ‘separate someone for the service of God’ (Jn 17:19; 1 Pet 3:15) who has already been cleansed from sin.

The English word ‘consecration’ comes from the Latin word consecrare, meaning ‘to consecrate, to hold sacred, to make holy, to immortalize, to set apart, to dedicate, to sanctify’.

 

2. Consecration of Israel

Consecration of persons and things is an integral part of the life of Israel. The first occurrence of qādaš is Gen 2:3; God sets the Sabbath apart (sanctifies) as a testimony to God’s creation.

The word appears again when God sets aside a people to Himself. The Lord said to Moses: “Consecrate to me all the firstborn” (Ex 13:2, 11-16). In the context of Passover and the Exodus, God saved the firstborn of Israel, killing all the firstborn of the Egyptians, both humans and animals (Ex 12:29). So, here consecration is associated with belonging to God (Ex 13:2; Lev 27:26; Num 3:13; Deut 15:19).

God accepted the Levites as substitutes for all the firstborn, saying, “The Levites shall be mine” (Num 3:12). Then, Moses consecrated the people of Israel as the Lord commanded him on Mount Sinai. There are two things associated with this consecration: ‘washing their clothes and not going near a woman’ (Ex 19:14-15) and the priests are to consecrate themselves (Ex 19:22).

The people of Israel are to sanctify themselves, literally, “sanctify yourselves” (Josh 3:5) in the context of preparing to cross the river Jordan to enter into the Promised Land. This involves a purification ritual which prepares one to enter into the divine presence (e.g., Ex 19:22; 1 Sam 16:5). It is the purification for battle in accord with the law of Deut 23:14; the Lord God travels along with the camp to save, and therefore the camp must be holy.

 

The people of Israel, seen as a priestly community, are ordered to leave Babylon (cf. Is 52:11) and to separate themselves from everything unclean; the thrust is a call to be holy. So, here ‘to separate’ means ‘to be holy’ (“Touch no unclean thing”).

 

For Paul, the necessity of sanctification or consecration follows from the promise of God’s presence: the Lord Almighty says, “I will live in them and walk among them and I will be their God and they shall be my people... touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters” (2 Cor 6:16-17).

 

Thus, consecration in the Old Testament means ‘to be set apart’ for a special purpose; something different from all else; something different from this natural life. It identifies the people with God, who are separate from this world. God has cleansed and made holy inside, and consecration involves the outside too. It is God’s call to the entire congregation of the people of Israel, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev 19:2).

 

3. Consecration and Mission: Old Testament

Consecration (setting apart) and Mission (plan/purpose of God) go together. People are set apart for a special purpose directed by God through promises and blessings; consecration or setting apart involves the mission of God. We shall focus on some of the Biblical personalities who were set apart (consecrated) for a special mission by God.

3.1. Abraham

Abraham was set apart by God to a new relationship based entirely on faith and complete dependence on God. The mission fulfilled through Abraham is clear from God’s promises and blessings:

(i)                I will show you a land,

(ii)             I will make you a great nation,

(iii)           You will be blessed and become a source of blessing,

(iv)           I will bless your friends and curse your enemies,

(v)              Other nations will benefit from your blessing.

Abraham replaces pagan worship with the cult of YHWH. He worships God and “consecrates” the land. The mission of Abraham is also clear in Gen 18:18-19 (cf. 12:1-3) that “Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him... he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice.”

3.2. Moses

Moses is set apart from the time of his birth (Ex 2:1-10). The experience of the ‘Burning Bush’ communicates that Moses is set apart (consecrated) for a divine mission: “I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt” (Ex 3:10; cf. 3:16-17; 7:1-2; 19:5-6). It is God redeeming the people of Israel from the slavery of Egypt. It is God’s salvation for his people.

3.3. David

Yahweh set apart David from all his other brothers. Samuel anointed David with the oil of consecration to be the future king of Israel. David was set apart (consecrated) by Yahweh for a noble mission. Like Abraham, David was a man of faith in God. He was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). The noble mission of David is contained in the promises of Yahweh to David through Prophet Nathan:

(i)                The Lord will make a house for David (2 Sam 7:11),

(ii)      God will raise up an offspring after David, who shall come forth from his body, and who will establish his kingdom, that is, God’s kingdom for ever (2 Sam 7:12).

3.4. Prophets

True prophecy is born of God. Prophets are called by God (set apart/ consecrated) and are entrusted with the mission of proclaiming God’s word, which is speaking in the name of God to all. Having heard the word of God, they felt in their hearts a burning desire for holiness or consecration (cf. Vita Consecrata, no. 84). God consecrated every true prophet in the Bible: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5); God cleansed their unclean lips, their guilt was removed and sin was blotted out (Is 6:5-7; see also Jer 1:9).

4. Consecration as Qualitative Difference: Jesus and the New Testament

The biblical call to holiness is universal. All Christians are called to be holy (consecrated). All are called to ‘the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of Charity’ (Lumen Gentium, 40). The rich young man in the gospel according to Mathew (19:16-22) comes to Jesus and asks, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ Jesus answers, “Keep the commandments,” namely, the precepts of God from the Old Testament. The young man replies that he has always fulfilled the commandments (cf. Ex 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20; Lev 19:18). It is the fulfilment of the Law of Israel, found in the Torah. When the young man asks for more, Jesus answers, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Jesus does not abolish the law but asks the young man to do more (qualitative distinction/difference) to be ‘perfect’; this ‘more’ is to be distinguished from mere ‘performance of the commandments,’ and it is to be understood as consisting of the practice of the evangelical counsels, and thus living a life of ‘perfection.’ It is a distinction between ‘precept Christians’ and ‘perfect Christians.’ Thus, the life of consecration (call to set apart) is the call to ‘perfection’ through abandoning all obstacles that may stand between oneself and Jesus.

4.1. Jesus Is the Example

Consecrated life has its origin in Jesus’ life and teaching. Jesus is the perfect model of consecration in the New Testament. As “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord (Lk 2:23; cf. Ex 13:2, 12: Deut 15:19), Jesus was offered in the temple by his parents (Lk 2:21-24) as a sign of his consecration to God. At the beginning of his mission, Jesus is consecrated by an anointing with the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:21-22; Acts 10:38). Jesus was sanctified and sent into the world by the Father (Jn 10:36). Vita Consecrata affirms that Jesus is “the Consecrated One par excellence” (no. 9).

Jesus lived as a poor man and had nowhere to lay his head; he says, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (cf. Mt 8:20; Lk 9:58; 2 Cor 8:9) and demanded the same spirit from his followers (Lk 14:26-27). He was chaste and celibate and invited others to become ‘eunuchs for the kingdom of God’; Jesus says, “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (cf. Mt 19:12). Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father: “Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8). Thus the evangelical counsels of celibacy, poverty and obedience of Jesus are signs of his consecration to God. This is affirmed in Vita Consecrata that Christ is “chaste, poor, obedient, prayerful and missionary” (no. 77).

4.2. Consecration, Kingdom and Doing the Will of God: The Mission of Jesus

Consecration is ‘unto the Lord.’ I consecrate myself to the Lord to do His will. Jesus again is the example who always had the thirst to do the will of the Father; He says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (Jn 4:34; 6:38; cf. Mk 14:36; Heb 10:7, 9). Jesus is “the supreme Consecrated One and missionary of the Father for the sake of his kingdom” (Vita Consecrata, no. 22).

Consecration is the sign of the Kingdom of God. The will of Jesus is contained in the announcement of his mission: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Lk 4:18-19; cf. Is 61:1-2 and 58:6). The mission of Jesus is more clearly expressed in Acts 10:36-38: “You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ – he is the Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” That ‘doing good’ was the kingdom of God, the mission of Jesus and thus his consecration.

Jesus Himself is the kingdom (cf. Lk 17:21), and the kerygma of Jesus is the Kingdom of God (Lk 4:43; 8:1; 9:11). Jesus announces, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God…for I was sent for this purpose” (Lk 4:43). Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God as a revelation of an unconditional love. It is this revelation of God’s love (God as Abba) that is the true content of Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom. The mission of Jesus is also of service. He says, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).

4.3. Consecration and Discipleship

Consecration aims at a close following of Jesus Christ. It is walking in the footsteps of Jesus, the Master. It is the radical following of Jesus in the Gospel. Discipleship is seen as an intimate relationship with God through following Jesus. Jesus calls people to be his disciples in the context of his mission and ministry (Mt 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20; 3:16-19; Lk 5:1-11; 6:14-16; Jn 1:35-51).

Jesus calls to himself those whom he desires (Mk 3:13-14; Lk 6:13). Jesus calls his disciples not for any academic purpose or just to impart knowledge to them, but he calls them to a personal commitment, to a personal and intimate relationship and fellowship.

The call to discipleship is an invitation to witness and proclaim Jesus Christ. It always begins with an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. It is ‘to be with Jesus and to know him’ (cf. Mk 3:14; Phil 3:10) and to have intimate fellowship with him (1 Cor 1:9). It is entering into a lifelong relationship with Jesus (cf. Mk 3:14).

Mathew emphasizes the perfection of disciples (5:48) whose righteousness had to exceed that of the Pharisees (5:17). It is a radical way of life, radical in obedience to the will of God. According to Mark, the call of the disciple is rooted in the call “to be with him” (3:14). The personal relationship is paramount and shapes the whole life of the disciple, which implies bearing witness to him – ‘to be sent out to preach’ (3:14). Luke portrays discipleship as the identification of oneself with Jesus’ way of life and destiny in an intimate, personal following of Jesus. It is making progress in the life of faith (cf. 8:15; 17:5-6).

The Johannine discipleship is a response to Jesus, a living relationship and communion with him, and the disciples are called to live in love and service. They are sent into the world to continue the mission of Jesus, their Master (cf. 13-17). In the Gospel according to John, discipleship consists in becoming a true and beloved disciple of Christ. A Beloved Disciple lives in constant communion with Christ just like Christ was in constant communion with the Father. A Beloved Disciple is one who, like Christ the only Son, is in the bosom of the Father (Jn 1:18). A Beloved Disciple is one whom Jesus loved who was lying close to the breast of Jesus (Jn 13:23). Thus, Johannine discipleship calls every disciple of Christ to become a Beloved Disciple by committing themselves totally to Christ; a life of consecration is nothing but such a total commitment.

During the Last Supper and at the conclusion of the discourse with the disciples, praying to the Father (‘priestly prayer’), Jesus consecrates himself and prays for the sanctification or consecration of his disciples: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth” (Jn 17:17-19). He prays for the glorification of the Son and of the Father (17:1-18), for ‘life’ for men and for the unity of all in the Father and the Son (17:9-26). Thus, the disciples participate in the very consecration of Jesus and thus in his very life and mission.

Consecration to Jesus or being set apart for the mission of Jesus is to live in service and self-sacrifice (cf. Jn 12:24); “If any want to become followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it” (Lk 9:23-24).

Consecration to Jesus is ‘being with Jesus,’ ‘being in Jesus’ and ‘becoming more like Jesus’ (cf. Rom 6:1-11; 8:29). It is coming into a new relationship with God; it is a Christ-centred life.

Paul expresses this idea by saying that “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:7-8).

The call to discipleship also leads to a communitarian life: “All who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44); “The whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32); Paul exhorts to “Bear one another’s burdens” in the community (Gal 6:2).

5. Our Consecration

We are consecrated through our baptism. Jesus baptizes us with ‘the Holy Spirit and fire’ (Lk 3:16). Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was buried from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:3-4). Thus, through baptism, we are consecrated to God the Father in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. CCC nos. 1272, 1273 & 1280). This ‘being immersed’ in Jesus Christ (baptism) is the consecrated nature of Christian life.

Peter writes, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1 Pet 2:9); and we read in the letter to the Hebrews, “It is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10; cf. Mk 10:38); it is God who sanctifies us entirely (1 Thes 5:23). The Lord continuously says, “I am the Lord; I sanctify you” (Ex 31:13; Lev 20:8; 22:32).

Consecration is holiness and being separated from the world. It is the new life in Christ.  Paul asks the believers to come out from them (unbelievers, darkness, liars, idols) and be separated from them and touch nothing unclean (2 Cor 6: 14-17). Paul explains it as follows: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship; do not be confirmed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what the will of God is—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:1-2).

Our consecration is having a “special conformity to Christ who is chaste, poor and obedient” (Vita Consecrata, no. 31). By our call, the destination of our consecration is to become conformed to the image of the invisible God (cf. Rom 8:29; Col 1:15). It is growing “to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Eph 4:13).

Consecration is a transformation into Christ (cf. Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18), and it involves total, absolute, unconditional, and irreversible surrender to Christ.

Our consecration is aimed at the growth of our discipleship with Jesus. It is because of our consecration, as Disciples of Christ, that we have a mission, the same mission of Jesus.

Pope Paul VI insisted that our consecrated life is ‘a privileged means of evangelization’ (Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 69). In fulfilling our mission, we are called to give witness to Jesus, just as Jesus himself was sent by the Father and is the first and true witness (cf. Jn 20:21). But the world as our mission field is a hostile environment for us, just as it was for Jesus (cf. Jn 7:5-7). But it is precisely by faithfully giving witness in the face of persecution and hostility, by being ‘martyrs’ even to the point of death, that our mission bears fruit. As disciples we are called to ‘remain’ in Him, not just for a short time (cf. Jn 1:39), but a life-time of true discipleship, which means learning to “love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). Only the fully dedicated disciple, bound to Christ in a relationship of lasting, intimate love, can ‘follow’ the Lord to the extent of giving his life, and can continue Christ’s mission in the world. By loving in this way, as Jesus did, the disciple will ‘come after’ Jesus, perpetuating his mission in time, to the point of being “another Christ” (alter Christus).

Conclusion

With the root meaning of being “set apart, dedicated, consecrated” in both Hebrew and Greek, ‘consecration’ in its various forms denotes the holiness of the people of God and of certain individuals, things and institutions expressly dedicated to the service of God.

In the New Testament, consecration and mission come together in the Person of Jesus: He proclaims the kingdom of God as a relationship of unconditional love (Sonship) between God and humanity. Like their Master, the disciples of Jesus are dedicated to a mission of service. He says, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).