“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” – John 17:17 (ESV)
Jesus prays this for His disciples on the night of His arrest. Sanctification — the process of being set apart for God, of being made holy — happens through truth. And truth is identified with God’s Word. This is not merely a theological statement about Scripture’s authority; it is a prayer about Scripture’s transformative function. The Word of God is the primary instrument of sanctification. As we encounter truth — about God’s holiness, our sinfulness, Christ’s redemption, the Spirit’s indwelling — we are changed. Not by willpower, not by religious effort, but by truth received and believed. A Christian who neglects Scripture is a Christian who is slowing their own sanctification, because the primary instrument of their transformation is sitting unopened.
Reflection:
How actively are you cooperating with the sanctifying work of God’s Word?
Is there a truth you have been resisting — about your sin, your priorities, your relationships — that the Word has been speaking to you?
Prayer:
Father, sanctify me in the truth of Your Word. I open myself to whatever truth You need to speak to make me holy — even the truths that are uncomfortable. Do not let me resist what You are using to transform me. Amen.
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