| “Sanctify them to live in accordance with the truth; your word is truth.” |
| —John 17:17 |
One of the most stunning passages in all of Scripture is the prayer Jesus prayed shortly before His arrest and crucifixion. Recorded in John 17, this prayer gives us amazing insight into the mind of our Savior, as He prays first for His current disciples and then for those of us whom He would welcome into His Kingdom over the passage of time. I strongly, strongly encourage you to take the time to read this startling passage of New Testament Scripture.
One of the qualities of Jesus so very evident in this prayer is the great love He has for those whom God has chosen to belong to His Son. As we read through this prayer, our bodies fairly bristle with electricity as we see how everything Jesus desires for us stems from His enormous love and care for us. Among the desires of His heart that Jesus expresses in this “High Priestly Prayer” is this short sentence found in John 17:17:
Sanctify them to live in accordance with the truth; your word is truth.
Speaking of those who belong to Himself, Jesus asks God to sanctify—make holy—those who live in accordance with the truth. And, what is that source of truth? Why the very Word of God, of course. Jesus says of His Father: “…your word is truth.”
So, the Word of God, passed down to us in the written Word—the Bible—and empowered in our hearts by the indwelling Holy Spirit as the Living Word of God—the Lord Jesus Himself—has the ability to make us holy. If we live “in accordance with the truth” we will become more and more like Jesus; we will become holy, even as God is holy.
Of course, this process of sanctification will not be completed during our current life on earth. We still occupy our bodies tainted by the nature to sin we have inherited from Adam and the sins we have committed ourselves. But, the process begins in the here and now. Just as the Kingdom of God exists in the present, as well as in eternity yet to come, so our ever-increasing holiness begins now and continues to completion in heaven.
The question for us seems quite obvious: Are we on the pathway to holiness? Said another way: “Are we living in accordance with the written Word of God?
A new day begins. In this new day, we would do well to stop for a moment and take stock. Are we putting into practice the things we are learning from Scripture?
- Are we loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength?
- Are we loving our neighbors as we love ourselves?
- Are we looking at the pathway of Jesus and following in His footsteps?
- Do we allow God to take our selfish wills and bend our wills to His perfect will?
- Do we live in a joyful way?
- Does the fruit of the Holy Spirit clearly exist in us: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?
Yes, it’s a very tall order. But, it is one that the Holy Spirit will gladly help us along our way. I say we go for it. Are you with me?
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, March 9, 2017
