(#1572) Day 18. That They May Be Truly Sanctified (14/10/26)
Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (currently posted on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) as we continue our 9-week series: Fresh Vision From Jesus' High Priestly Prayer from John 17.
This week, we finish our three-week focus on John 17:6-19, the second section of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, where we see that genuine Christian fellowship ('One Anothering') is essential to God's vision for our lives and the local church.
To watch this devotional, go to:
Please read John 17:6-19
Jesus prays that His people would be “truly sanctified.” As we finish our reflections on the One Another aspect of our vision, let’s see that Jesus is praying not simply for holy individuals, but for a holy people.
Jesus prays for us:
"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." (John 17:17–19)
1. Jesus Died For Our Sanctification
In our last devotional, we reflected on how Jesus sanctified Himself by going to the cross. Building on that foundation, we now see the result of His sacrifice: our sanctification - our transformation and growth in holiness.
Jesus says that He sanctified Himself “that they too may be truly sanctified.” Do you see the movement? We first look up to what Christ has done on the cross, and then we look at what His finished work means for us. The cross certainly leads us to thankfulness and the joy of forgiveness, but it also calls forth a response: a repentant and increasingly holy life.
2. We Are Sanctified by the Truth
The phrase “truly sanctified” could be translated sanctified in truth (hagiázō en alētheia).
Christians are sanctified by the truth - by the gospel and the Word of God. We are set apart for God, shaped by His truth, called to obey it, and sent into the world to proclaim it as we continue the mission of Jesus.
Paul describes this beautifully when he compares marriage to Christ’s relationship with the church:
‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.’ (Ephesians 5:25-27)
Jesus is our great Bridegroom who desires a holy bride. He “gave himself up for her” - He sanctified Himself - “to make her holy.” He saves us through the Word of the gospel and continues to sanctify us as we place ourselves under the teaching and truth of Scripture.
3. Why Does Jesus’ Sanctification Lead to Ours?
Jesus’s words are His revealed will, and they are also a promise:
“I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."
Why is this necessarily true? Because no one can truly belong to Christ without being transformed by Him. A Christian is someone who has been made alive by the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who gives us faith also produces new life within us.
This does not mean Christians become perfect overnight, but it does mean that a new direction begins. The fruit of the Spirit starts to grow. We become people who increasingly love what God loves and hate what God hates.
Martin Luther wrote:
‘We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.’ (Martin Luther)
Genuine faith always bears fruit. Of how grace and transformation always go together, Paul wrote:
‘For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.’ (Titus 2:11-14)
Notice the order: grace appears, grace saves, and grace teaches. The same grace that forgives us also transforms us.
4. A Sanctified Community
Finally, notice that Jesus is praying for His church to be sanctified. His vision is not simply that individual Christians become more like Him, but that together we become a holy people who reflect His character to the world.
One of the clearest places we see this is in Paul's description of the fruit of the Spirit. These famous verses are written in the context of a church struggling with division and conflict. Notice how Paul finishes the paragraph:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:22–26)
The fruit of the Spirit is certainly seen in each individual believer, but it is displayed most clearly in the life of the church. We could summarise Paul's point like this:
The fruit of the Spirit is seen among God's people as they love one another.
This raises an important question. Are we as concerned for the sanctification of our church family as we are for our own personal growth? Do we pray not only, "Lord, make me more like Jesus," but also, "Lord, make us more like Jesus”?
Moment To Reflect
Through the cross, we are justified and are also being sanctified - continually transformed from "glory to glory" into the image of Christ until the final consummation of our salvation.
Do you believe that God has the power to transform even your deepest weaknesses and failures?
Sanctification requires a prayerful and repentant response to God's Word, are you seeking to obey Him in every area of your life?
Are you praying not only for your own sanctification, but also for the sanctification of your church family? How can you help cultivate the fruit of the Spirit through love, forgiveness, encouragement, and humility?
Download the booklet
Below is the link to download the devotional booklet: Fresh Vision From Jesus Prayer. This is a series of 27 devotionals based upon Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in John 17.
This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of CCP; to watch our anniversary video, please select the link below:
Community Group Study
This week, due to our 50-hours of prayer, we will not be meeting in our groups.
Please see our Church News, or contact the church office (office@communitychurchputney) for information.
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