Sanctified by God
1 Thessalonians 5
Sanctified by God, 1 Thessalonians 5. It is God who sanctifies us, making us more and more like Christ, and it is Christ who saved us through His blood, making our spirit, body, and soul blameless before a holy and sinless God.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 5:23, KJV
Sanctified by God
1 Thessalonians 5
There is so much substance in this Bible Benediction. Paul encourages us, in 1 Thessalonians 5:15,
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
He continues this discourse with specific examples in verses 16-22.
16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19 Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Then, he admits in the benediction shown above, that we can only hope to do these things through the intervention of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it mean to be sanctified by God? The first two definitions of the word sanctify by Webster are:
1. To set apart to a sacred purpose or to a religious use.
2. To free from sin.
When Paul prays for the God of peace to sanctify us wholly he quickly adds: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Just think about that. Not only are we sanctified by God (made sinless before God), but our spirit, soul, and bodies are preserved unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words our spirit, soul, and bodies are preserved in Christ forever.
Forever blameless! How amazing is that? Christ did what we cannot. When He saved us, He saved us as sinless before God forever!
I do not know about you, but that is a great relief to me. How many of you have decided, "Today I am going to live for Christ in everything I do and say."? How long is it until you break that promise? One of the most frustrating things is to try to attempt to live a Godly and upright life in our own power. It cannot be done!
It is God who sanctifies us, making us more and more like Christ, and it is Christ who saved us through His blood, making our spirit, body and soul blameless before a holy and sinless God. Not only does He save us, but He keeps us until the day He will return again, and so shall we ever be with the Lord!
Amen! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 5:23
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