What does "sanctify Myself" reveal about Jesus' role in our sanctification process? Setting the scene John 17 records Jesus’ prayer on the eve of the cross. After asking the Father to protect and set apart His followers (John 17:17: “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth”), He adds, “For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:19). What “sanctify” means •To sanctify (Greek: hagiazō) is to set apart for God’s holy purpose. •It involves both consecration (being devoted to God) and purification (being made holy). Why Jesus says “I sanctify Myself” •He is sinless already; the phrase does not imply self-purification. •He deliberately sets Himself apart for the cross—the climactic, once-for-all offering that fulfills the Father’s redemptive plan (Hebrews 10:10). •By consecrating Himself, He becomes the perfect High Priest and the spotless Lamb simultaneously (Hebrews 7:26-27; John 1:29). How His self-sanctification secures ours •Substitutionary foundation – His consecrated sacrifice purchases our standing as “holy and blameless” (Colossians 1:22). •Representative obedience – Everything He devotes to the Father counts for those united to Him (Romans 5:19). •Ongoing ministry – Risen and ascended, He applies what He accomplished, cleansing us daily (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 7:25). •Truth channel – We are “sanctified by the truth” because His Word now comes through the One who embodied and authenticated it (John 14:6; 17:17). Two sides of our sanctification 1.Position: Already set apart in Christ •1 Corinthians 1:30—Christ has “become for us… our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” •Hebrews 10:14—“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” 2.Progress: Daily growth into what we are declared to be •1 Thessalonians 4:3—“For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” •Ephesians 5:25-27—Christ “cleanses” His church so she might be “holy and blameless.” Living in the light of His self-sanctification •Rely on His finished work, not self-effort, for acceptance. •Embrace the Word of truth; Scripture is the Spirit’s tool for shaping Christlikeness. •Submit daily choices to the purpose for which He set you apart. •Take hope: the One who sanctified Himself now intercedes to complete what He began (Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 7:25). |
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