Sanctified By the Truth

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

John 17:17-19

I don't know what you think sanctification is. All too often we think of it as kind of a religious deworming process — you go through it once and you're sanctified, and nothing can ever touch you again. But that is false on the face of it. Scripture doesn't teach that, and neither does experience. Sanctification is a simple word which means to be set apart unto a certain purpose, to be put to an intended use.

When I select a necktie from a number of other ties, I sanctify it. When you select a seat to sit on, you sanctify that seat; you put it to its intended use. When you tear off a piece of paper to write a note, you sanctify that piece of paper to the use for which you intend. That is all it means. And when God called us be Christians, he set us apart for the use for which we were intended — not to be our own, but to be his instruments, and to walk in conformity with his ways.

What is it which accomplishes this? Jesus tells us: It is the Word, the truth, the truth about life. The world lives in a shimmering illusion, a dream world. The world lives by things which are not true at all, but which it thinks are true, by values and standards which are worthless and meaningless but which they exalt very highly. Jesus said, That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. That is how the world lives. And how can we live in that kind of a world, touch it, and hear it, have it pouring into our ears and exposed to our eyes day and night, and not be conformed to its image and squeezed into its mold?

The answer is, we must know the truth. We must know it so clearly and strongly that even while we're listening to these alluring lies, we can brand them as lies and know that they are wrong; even while we feel the flesh within us rise up and urge us to get involved with it and participate in it and not be different, we can say by the Spirit of God, No, I've given my life to Jesus. Jesus is my authority. And he is my strength. By his grace and power I'll stand in the midst of this world. But if your Bible is closed, if you are not growing in the knowledge of the Word of God, it is only a question of time before the world will move in and take you over. You will lose all the joy and vitality of your Christian experience.

Jesus lived this way himself. In his prayer, he said to his Father, For them I have sanctified myself. Why did he sanctify himself? So that we might have an example of what it means to be sanctified, to live by the truth of God in the midst of a sick and dying world.

Father, I pray as Jesus prayed, that you will keep me from the evil one. Keep me by your truth so that I may glorify you. Amen.