Purity

Purity

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, NIV

What is sanctification?

“Sanctification is the process of God’s grace by which the believer is separated from sin and becomes dedicated to God’s righteousness. Accomplished by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, sanctification results in holiness, or purification from the guilt and power of sin.”^a

How does sanctification take place?

It is God who sanctifies us, and the tools he uses are his Word and his Spirit. We cannot do it ourselves, but we do have a responsibility. Our part is to decide—wholeheartedly—that we want to be separated from sin, and then present ourselves to God. If I want my son’s dress pants cleaned, I take them to the dry cleaner; likewise, if I want to be sanctified, I need to present myself to God and be prepared for change. I would never hand the pants to the dry cleaner and ask for only one leg of the garment to be cleaned. In order for my life to be sanctified, God needs all of me too.

This process isn’t fast—it begins when we present ourselves to God and ends only when we get to heaven. But God promises that if we make ourselves available to him, he will be faithful to sanctify us.

Father,

I give all of myself to you—my body, my mind, and my soul. Amen.