May God himself, the God of peace,
sanctify you through and through. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
When we
pray to be sanctified, are we praying for the standard Paul sets here—the
“through and through”? We take the term sanctification much too
superficially. Sanctification means an intense narrowing of our earthly
interests and an immense broadening of our interests in God. It means an
intense concentration on God’s point of view—every power of body, soul, and
spirit bound and kept for him. Are we prepared to let God do his work in us?
And when his work is done, are we prepared to set ourselves apart, as Jesus set
himself apart?
God wants
us to be sanctified entirely. The reason some of us haven’t entered into the
experience of entire sanctification is that we haven’t understood the meaning
of it from God’s viewpoint: “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be
truly sanctified” (John 17:19). Sanctification means being made one with Jesus,
so that the mindset which ruled him will also rule us. Are we prepared for what
that will cost? It will cost everything that is not of God in us.
To be caught up in the swing of Paul’s prayer, the “through and through,” means asking God to make us as holy as he can make sinners saved by grace. Jesus prayed that we might be one with him as he is one with the Father (v. 21). The sanctified soul has one defining characteristic: a strong family resemblance to Jesus, a freedom from everything that doesn’t resemble him. Are we prepared to embrace this freedom by setting ourselves apart? Will we agree to let Jesus make us one with him, as he is one with the Father?
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