Let us return a moment to the fundamental idea that God is the source of all created things. Some things He creates himself, and some things He creates through humanity. Either way, there are those things that God puts together that should remain together. Now, let us explore three such ideas: Gifts, Callings, and Sanctification.
First of all, gifts, callings, and sanctification are distinct. Gifts are endowments or abilities; callings are commissions; and sanctification is Divine disclosure of God’s purposes and human compliance therein. Gifts can exist without callings (job descriptions), and sanctification can be absent in the exercise of delegated functions. For example, Saul, as king of Israel, left a legacy of disobedience when he moved beyond the boundaries of his gifts and calling. He was king and neither prophet nor priest. He probably observed Samuel performing his priestly duties and then presumed the right to operate in the office of prophet. Saul dismissed the sanctification principle when he sought to perform duties delegated only to Samuel (1 Sam. 13:5-14).
The association of gifts, callings, and sanctification was clearly established in the Antioch church (Acts 13:1-4). In the presence of prophets and teacher, as they fasted and prayed, the Holy Ghost spoke and commissioned Paul and Barnabas for a specific mission. While the ceremony appeared to be brief, it is interesting to note that Paul and Barnabas were both apostles, and prophets and teachers, not other apostles, initiated their commission. Paul and Barnabas, who were both gifted and called, obeyed the commission.
A crisis arises when gifts and callings are assumed to be synonymous. This is evident in the contemporary faith community when people who are gifted but are not called initiate ministries. The ability to preach, teach, and lead are not conclusive evidence of a calling. There remains the need for a Divine mandate.
When God sanctifies something, He requires holiness of its treatment and expression. For believers, sanctification requires that we submit to the Holy Spirit, resisting sin and seeking holiness. Sanctification is a Divine process that demands an ethical and moral human response. The word that summarizes this response is “integrity.” God defines integrity, and it represents human compliance to Divine standards of attitude and behavior. These standards are often introduced by such phrases as “thou shall” and “thou shall not.” Integrity, then, represents human obedience to the ethical and moral demands of a righteous God. It is possible to be conscious of gifts and callings and unconscious of these moral and ethical standards of conduct and behavior. This explains, to some degree, the presence of immorality among some very gifted and called individuals. While their “anointing” provides them with much acclaim, only sanctification validated by integrity maintains their status.
Paul uses the example of Israel to demonstrate the consequences of a disassociation between Divine responsibilities and integrity (Romans 1:21-32). Throughout Scripture, Israel as a nation failed to maintain a consciousness of the purposes and priorities of God, and thus, their moral and ethical degeneration became obvious. Gifts and callings may take one to the pinnacle of success, but only integrity sustains such a status. As such, gifts, callings, and sanctification are necessary ingredients for productive life and ministry.
