Completely Transformed - January 27

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and

soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflect

How has God transformed your life? How has He made you more holy?

Sanctification. Chances are, you’ve read or heard the word before. But do you understand what it means? It’s a big word, but an important concept to understand. So today, we’ll look at the word “sanctification” more closely and we’ll see how it applies to our Christian life.

In today’s verses, Paul used the word “sanctify” in his prayer for the Thessalonian church. Paul is beginning to wrap up his first letter to the believers that he had to abruptly leave behind in Thessalonica. As he closed, he prayed for them that “the God of peace himself” would completely sanctify them. But what does that mean?

Former Back to the Bible director, Dr. Warren Wiersbe defined the term sanctify as “set apart for God’s exclusive use” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, New Testament). He also differentiated between three different types of sanctification. Three different ways that we are made holy and set apart for God.

First, is our positional sanctification. This was accomplished for us by Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Hebrews 10:10 explains: “...we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” At the moment of our salvation, God declared us holy and righteous. Not because of anything we have done but only because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

In his commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur further explained: “God imputes Christ’s righteousness to believers so that He sees them not as sinners, but as those sanctified, covered with the righteousness of Christ.” In other words, even though we have sinned and will still sin, God doesn’t see us as sinners if we have placed our faith in Jesus. He sees Christ’s righteousness covering us and declares us as holy and sanctified. Jesus’ death on the cross atoned for and covers our sins once and for all.

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Did you catch that? The author of Hebrews says that we were perfected by a single offering and yet we are still “being sanctified.” That brings us to our second type of sanctification which is practical sanctification. This is the daily process of gradually being made more and more like Christ. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). While we are declared holy at the moment of our salvation, we don’t become holy overnight. With the Holy Spirit as our power and our Helper, we pursue holiness and strive to be more like Christ from now until the day He returns.

That brings us to our third and final type of sanctification which is perfect sanctification. All of our striving after holiness will cease when we see Jesus and are made holy for all eternity. In 1 John 3:2, the apostle John wrote: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

Paul knew that the believers in Thessalonica were already positionally sanctified because they were in Christ. But he prayed that God would continue to practically sanctify them, more and more each day, so that when Christ returns, He will find them pursuing holiness. Then, He will make them perfectly and eternally sanctified. We will be completely holy for all time.

You see, we are sanctified, we are being sanctified, and we will be sanctified. And, here at Back to the Bible, it is our prayer that God will continue to do His sanctifying work in all of us.

Respond

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your saving work on the cross for me. Your sacrifice made me holy and blameless in the Father’s sight. Please keep making me more like You. Help me pursue holiness. Make me blameless. Amen.

Reveal

How has God transformed your life? Living out your transformed life is a powerful witness of God’s sanctifying power. Share your testimony with someone and reveal how God has changed you.