"For this is the will of God, your sanctification." (1 Th. 4:3)
The Lord has a grand plan for the life of every person, and it can be summed up in a single word: sanctification. If you are scratching your head about what that term means, you are not alone. Many people - even some longtime Christians - do not know its definition. However, believers should see to it that they acquire that knowledge because it's an important word, and it defines them.
In its verb form - sanctify - the term means "to make holy" or "to separate." So when something is sanctified, it is separated from a common use to a sacred one. In the Old Testament, we are told that the Lord sanctified a number of things: He made the seventh day holy, set side the Levite tribe as priests, and even consecrated places like the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle (Gen. 2:3; Num. 3).
The Lord still sanctifies people today. Before a person receives salvation, he is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3). What's more, Romans 5:10 tells us that before we come to faith, we're actually enemies of God. Yet the moment someone trusts in Jesus as his personal Savior, his sins are wiped away, and he is adopted into the Lord's family. That individual is then set apart and a child of God for a sacred purpose. This means believers are not here simply to chase after personal gain. Rather, they are to serve God and bring Him honor and glory.
As members of God's family who are called to reflect His glory, believers are referred to as "saints." This word shares a root with sanctification. We are referred to this way, not because we live sinless lives but because we live a life consistent with the One we represent.
God's grace and blessing, Pastor Todd
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