Consecration is the act of setting something or someone apart exclusively for God's use and service — moving them from the common sphere into the sacred. In the OT, the tabernacle, its vessels, and its priests were consecrated with oil, blood, and ceremony (Exodus 29, Leviticus 8). Nothing consecrated to God could be used for ordinary purposes. In the NT, consecration expands to encompass all believers — Paul urges the Romans to present their bodies as "living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1). The Christian life is one of total consecration: body, time, resources, relationships — all set apart for the Lord's exclusive use.
CONSECRATION, n. The act or ceremony of separating from a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God, by certain rites or solemnities. Consecration does not imply a change in the nature of the thing consecrated, but only a change of its use and purpose.
Modern Christianity has nearly abandoned the language of consecration, replacing it with "just being yourself" spirituality. The notion that a Christian's entire life is set apart — not their Sunday mornings alone — is foreign to most pew-sitters. We consecrate our quiet times but keep our finances, entertainment, relationships, and ambitions firmly in the "common" category. This is the opposite of the NT vision. Paul's argument in Romans 12 is unambiguous: the body itself — not a slice of it — is the living sacrifice. "Do not be conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2) implies that re-worlding yourself is the default danger. Consecration must be actively maintained.
Romans 12:1 — "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
Exodus 29:1 — "Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests."
2 Timothy 2:21 — "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself… he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house."
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 — "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
H6942 — קָדַשׁ (qadash): "to be holy, to consecrate, to set apart" — the root of all OT consecration language
G37 — ἁγιάζω (hagiazō): "to make holy, to consecrate, to sanctify" — the NT equivalent
G40 — ἅγιος (hagios): "holy, set apart, consecrated" — applied to God, the Spirit, believers, and sacred objects
"Consecration is not a moment — it is a posture maintained daily. You do not get consecrated once and coast; you present yourself fresh each morning."
"The high priest of Israel could not simply walk into the Most Holy Place — elaborate consecration was required. Christ has opened the way, but the spirit of consecration — total devotion, nothing held back — remains our calling."
"What is in the 'common' category of your life that belongs in the 'sacred'? Consecration is the question behind that question."