March 16, 2020 SANCTIFICATION
John 17:17-19 “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Sanctify: to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use: to free from sin. We do discredit to the clear teaching of scripture when we reserve the designation of ‘saint’ for just a select few. The idea of sainthood only for certain individuals is another one of the lies of the culture that we must be alert to; and it shows a lack of understanding the scriptures, and a misrepresentation of the scriptures. It seems that man has an innate desire to have a king-in this sense, a spiritual ‘king’-or ‘saint;’ perhaps that is because man wants to feel it’s ok to live up to a lower standard for himself. We may hesitate to see ourselves as ‘saints’ because we primarily see ourselves as sinners. The truth is that the Pope, or Saint-whoever-is no closer to God, is no more spiritual than the believer who lives down the street. There are different functions, gifting’s, and responsibilities in the body of Christ, but there is no hierarchies in the body of Christ. (That’s the background for today’s topic.) We may have to revamp our thinking, our understanding of scripture, but we must understand that as believers, God has called each of us to Himself, He has made us His people, and we are saints (set apart), and a priesthood for God’s own possession. There is a key element we must understand when it comes to how we are sanctified. Verse 17 above is key: “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.” If we do not know the truth, we are not in a good place, and we live beneath our privilege as believers. I fear that as a whole, we have become lazy when it comes to studying with the motivation of discovering truth. We are the ‘instant society’-we want it now. ‘Truth’ seems like a broad topic, and people embark on sundry paths in their quest for truth. However, the really good news is that truth is found in one place, God’s word-it’s that simple. As we discover the truth of God’s word, we are changed at our core. John 8:32 tells us “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The truth does indeed set us free. There is nothing more freeing than to know God as our creator and our Father, and that He makes us new, that He has a purpose for us, and that our sins are forgiven. Also, God gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, and empower us for life. In God’s word we find instructions for life-how to respond, how to think, and how to live as ambassadors for the kingdom of God. One of the greatest blessings of knowing the truth is that it exposes and sets us free from the lies of this world system where self is the primary focus in life; those who know the truth are free to serve and to bless, and free from being consumed with satisfying self. When we understand the true definition of sainthood, seeing ourselves as a saint is not a case for spiritual pride, but is simply understanding that God has called us and has set us apart for His own purposes. In fact, it is humbling to realize that God has chosen us not because we deserved it, but because of His grace and mercy. Let us walk in the truth and as those who have been set apart, proclaiming His excellences.
Romans 1:7 “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 1:2-3 “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who are in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy
March 16, 2020 SANCTIFICATION
John 17:17-19 “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Sanctify: to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use: to free from sin. We do discredit to the clear teaching of scripture when we reserve the designation of ‘saint’ for just a select few. The idea of sainthood only for certain individuals is another one of the lies of the culture that we must be alert to; and it shows a lack of understanding the scriptures, and a misrepresentation of the scriptures. It seems that man has an innate desire to have a king-in this sense, a spiritual ‘king’-or ‘saint;’ perhaps that is because man wants to feel it’s ok to live up to a lower standard for himself. We may hesitate to see ourselves as ‘saints’ because we primarily see ourselves as sinners. The truth is that the Pope, or Saint-whoever-is no closer to God, is no more spiritual than the believer who lives down the street. There are different functions, gifting’s, and responsibilities in the body of Christ, but there is no hierarchies in the body of Christ. (That’s the background for today’s topic.) We may have to revamp our thinking, our understanding of scripture, but we must understand that as believers, God has called each of us to Himself, He has made us His people, and we are saints (set apart), and a priesthood for God’s own possession. There is a key element we must understand when it comes to how we are sanctified. Verse 17 above is key: “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.” If we do not know the truth, we are not in a good place, and we live beneath our privilege as believers. I fear that as a whole, we have become lazy when it comes to studying with the motivation of discovering truth. We are the ‘instant society’-we want it now. ‘Truth’ seems like a broad topic, and people embark on sundry paths in their quest for truth. However, the really good news is that truth is found in one place, God’s word-it’s that simple. As we discover the truth of God’s word, we are changed at our core. John 8:32 tells us “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The truth does indeed set us free. There is nothing more freeing than to know God as our creator and our Father, and that He makes us new, that He has a purpose for us, and that our sins are forgiven. Also, God gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, and empower us for life. In God’s word we find instructions for life-how to respond, how to think, and how to live as ambassadors for the kingdom of God. One of the greatest blessings of knowing the truth is that it exposes and sets us free from the lies of this world system where self is the primary focus in life; those who know the truth are free to serve and to bless, and free from being consumed with satisfying self. When we understand the true definition of sainthood, seeing ourselves as a saint is not a case for spiritual pride, but is simply understanding that God has called us and has set us apart for His own purposes. In fact, it is humbling to realize that God has chosen us not because we deserved it, but because of His grace and mercy. Let us walk in the truth and as those who have been set apart, proclaiming His excellences.
Romans 1:7 “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 1:2-3 “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who are in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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