God's Will for Us to Be Sanctified

Sanctification means to be set apart & holy. It is God's will for you to be sanctified, i.e. set apart & holy, or simply put, to become more like Jesus.

God's Will for Us to Be Sanctified

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality."

(1 Thessalonians‬ 4‬:3)‬

I recently helped to teach a baptism class for six people between the ages of 16 and 32 who will be baptized next Sunday at our church. A friend and I taught the third session which concerned what it looks like to follow Jesus. Whenever I teach classes like this, especially with new believers, I am careful to use Christian words that we use often in the church but are not as commonly used in other contexts. One of those words is "sanctification". We say this word all the time in the church, but what does it actually mean? Sanctification is the process of a Christian (who is already declared holy and righteous through the work of Jesus on the cross which purchased forgiveness for all who believe) living a progressively more holy and righteous life as they learn to follow Jesus and be more like him. Remember, we are already declared righteous because Jesus took our penalty for our sin away. Nothing we do can earn this. Positionally, we are already holy and righteous. However, we still sin. So sanctification is us growing in maturity in Christ to live out practically the status that has already been granted us through Jesus.

Literally, the word sanctification means to be set apart and holy. It is God's will for you to be sanctified. This means that it is God's will for you to be set apart and holy. Since Jesus is set apart and holy in every way unto perfection, sanctification can also simply be put as "becoming more like Jesus".

Here in 1 Thessalonians 4, we read that it is the will of God for us to be sanctified, and then an example of this is given: to abstain from sexual immorality. This is a clear way that Christians can live set apart from the world. This broken world we live in more often than not praises promiscuity and pursuing temporary personal pleasure with no regard for the pain it causes later. Abstaining from sexual immorality, of all kinds, is a confession that God's design is better than the ways of the world. Choosing to abstain from sexual immorality is a testimony that God's ways are good. All throughout the Bible, we can read of other examples of ways we can live set apart from the world. The first example that comes to mind is the verses that we have been studying so far this week! Rejoicing always is certainly not par for the course in our world today. Pessimism and complaining permeate so many conversations. How different do Christians look, in the best way, when we choose to rejoice and be thankful despite whatever circumstances we might be facing.

I love to think about this truth: since it is God's will for me to be sanctified and set apart in this world, He will help me to be sanctified. Amen! God doesn't tell us to be sanctified and then wish us good luck and kick us out of the nest. He provides His Holy Spirit to be our Helper. He has given us His Word to reveal to us what it looks like. He has given us the gift of the church to walk this path together. He has given us all we need. Remember, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3).

So, what is the will of God for your life? Well... I don't know the specific things God may call you to do in your life. What we can be 100% sure of, however, is that it is God's will for us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, to be sanctified, and so many other wonderful things that He has revealed to us in Scripture.