“Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:17
To be sanctified means to be set apart. Jesus prayed that His followers would be set apart in truth, in God’s word. Truth isn’t complicated. It really isn’t. What makes truth complicated is sinful, broken human beings who find creative ways to bend, break, twist, and refuse to walk in it. Then we end up in messes trying to figure out how to navigate life when we’ve strayed from the simplicity of God’s design. Imagine what life would look like if we simply lived according to God’s word: exclusively following Him, honoring His name, working and resting in rhythm, honoring authority, being sexually pure, life-giving instead of destructive, truthful instead of deceptive, generous instead of stealing, content instead of envious.
Being sanctified in truth is a lifelong process. Maybe when you first started reading the Bible, it didn’t make sense. You tried John’s Gospel and got confused. That’s okay. Keep showing up. Keep placing yourself under the teaching of God’s word week after week. Find a mentor who can explain Scripture and how it applies to life. Attend studies and groups where the Bible is opened. Over time, steadily, God’s word starts to come together. You begin to understand it and, more importantly, you begin to live it. You become more and more set apart, shaped into the image of Christ. That’s the goal. Not just knowing truth, but being transformed by it.
Reflect:
- In what area of your life have you been complicating truth instead of simply obeying it?
- What practical step can you take this week to immerse yourself more deeply in God’s word?
- Ask God to sanctify you in His truth. Pray for a love of His word and for the discipline to place yourself under it regularly so you can be shaped more and more into the image of Jesus.
