What is the meaning of John 17:19? For them • Jesus is crystal-clear about His motive: everything He is doing in this prayer is “for them,” the people the Father has given Him (John 17 : 6). • He is acting on behalf of His disciples, and by extension all who will later believe through their word (John 17 : 20). • This self-giving focus echoes John 10 : 15—“I lay down My life for the sheep”—and Romans 5 : 8, where Christ’s love is demonstrated “while we were still sinners.” • The phrase positions the coming cross as a substitutionary work, just as Isaiah 53 : 5 foretold: “He was wounded for our transgressions.” I sanctify Myself • “Sanctify” has the idea of setting apart for God’s special purpose. Jesus, already perfectly holy, now dedicates Himself to the Father’s saving plan in a unique, once-for-all way. • Hebrews 7 : 26 describes Him as “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners.” By stepping toward the cross He intentionally sets Himself apart as the flawless sacrifice, fulfilling Hebrews 10 : 10—“we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” • His voluntary consecration heightens the wonder of Philippians 2 : 8, where He “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death.” so that they too • The goal is not merely His own consecration; it is the transformation of His people. • Ephesians 5 : 25-27 says Christ “gave Himself up for her to sanctify her,” linking His self-offering with believers’ cleansing. • 2 Corinthians 5 : 15 reinforces this purpose: “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves.” may be sanctified • The same setting-apart Jesus embraces is now applied to us. • Hebrews 2 : 11 stresses the shared family bond: “Both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family.” • God’s will, 1 Thessalonians 4 : 3 tells us, “is your sanctification.” Here Jesus ensures that will is accomplished. • Practically, this means a life progressively conformed to Christ’s likeness (Romans 8 : 29) and separated from the world’s corruption (James 1 : 27). by the truth • The means of our sanctification is “the truth,” immediately defined two verses earlier: “Your word is truth” (John 17 : 17). • Psalm 119 : 160 affirms, “The entirety of Your word is truth,” underscoring the substance God uses to reshape us. • 2 Timothy 3 : 16-17 explains that Scripture “is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” equipping believers “for every good work.” • By anchoring us in objective, revealed truth, Jesus protects us from the lies of the evil one (John 17 : 15) and guides us into increasing holiness. summary Jesus deliberately sets Himself apart for the cross “for them,” securing our salvation. His consecration has a clear purpose: that we also be set apart for God. This sanctifying work is activated and sustained “by the truth,” the living, unchanging Word of God. In Christ’s self-dedication we find both the foundation and the means for our ongoing transformation into holy, truth-shaped lives. |
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