March 28, 2021
John 17:17-19, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
Jesus introduces a new concept here in the discourse: sanctification. Sanctification is the process of growing in Christ-likeness over time. It’s different than justification - a word Paul uses frequently which means that we are seen as completely righteous in God’s sight, right from the moment of our salvation by faith. Because we are seen as righteous in God’s sight, now it’s fitting that with the presence of the Holy Spirit, a Christian will grow in faith and holiness over their life. Jesus says here that it is truth that is the agent of sanctification, and that truth is held in the Word of God. This matches much of what the rest of the Bible says about the Word - that we should meditate on it (Ps. 119; Joshua 1), that it is life-giving to us (Hebrews 4), and will cause change. So as we contemplate God’s truth our hearts will be shaped.
But notice too that Jesus says it is based on our union with him that we could grow at all in Christ-likeness. He says he consecrates himself, he is shown to be holy, and the Bible says that he showed his perfection by being completely obedient to God (Hebrews 5:8-9) - he never sinned. So his righteousness is now given to us, we are able to be sanctified because we have tapped into the one source of pure goodness and holiness and truth. We can’t do it on our own - we don’t have the ability - it’s a work of the Spirit of Christ in us, and for that we must be grateful.
It means for us that amidst our busyness, we must make time to read the Word - we must pray that we would continue to grow more and more like Jesus, and to be able to resist sin. We should give thanks to God for his Spirit that empowers us to grow in grace.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, be at work in me. Grow my faith and grow my heart that I live a life that is pleasing to God. Help me to make good decisions, to not fall into sin, and then to sing your praises when I find success. And when I fail, Lord, let me not despair, but look to Jesus, who went to the cross for those sins and paid the ultimate price so that I could have new life in him. In his name I pray. Amen.
40 Days of Joy: “Ukuthula,” a traditional African spiritual, sung by the Cape Town Youth Choir. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNqmpQPp-ns
