Third request…

“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 ‭NIV‬‬

Sanctify? What does sanctify mean?

“In the Bible, to sanctify means to “set apart” or “make holy” for God’s special purpose. 

Key Meanings and Hebrew/Greek Roots

• Hebrew (qadash): To be clean, consecrated, or dedicated to a holy use.
• Greek (hagiazo / hagiasmos): To render or acknowledge as holy, or to experience holiness.
• Core Action: It involves a two-part separation: turning away from sin and the world, and turning toward God for His service.” (Google AI)

“The GotQuestions.org Guide to Sanctification outlines three distinct phases of how this works in a believer’s life: 

A. Positional Sanctification (Past):

• A once-for-all standing.

Believers are instantly made holy and set apart in Christ the moment they believe. 

B, Progressive Sanctification (Present):

• An ongoing, lifelong process.

The Holy Spirit helps believers grow in moral purity, overcome the power of sin, and become more like Jesus day by day. 

C. Ultimate Sanctification / Glorification (Future):

• The final state when a believer            is completely freed from the  presence of sin upon Christ’s return.

“And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus not only asked the Father to set His disciples apart from sin to serve Him but He also revealed the means by which believers are set apart…by His Word. 

Once again, the Word of God plays a pivotal role in the daily lives of God’s people. David explained the process in a simple sentence…

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Two opposing thoughts cannot occupy the same space in the mind at the same time. Just as the truth of God’s love drives out fear, so also the truth of God’s holy standards and our present state of holiness drives out sin. 

According to the Word of God, God uses three methods by which He sets us apart from sin to Himself…

The Word…the revelation of who He is, who we are, and what He requires of us…

The Word exposes the nature of sin in us, and calls us to repentance and death to self. 

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Spirit…His power at work in us, through the Word, transforming us from within…

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The trials and hardships which He uses to discipline us…i.e.,  “suffering in the flesh”.

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“In 1 Peter 4:1, “suffering in the flesh” means enduring the inner struggle and external hardship of saying no to your selfish desires so you can obey God, just as Jesus did. 

The Meaning Behind the Phrase

• Christ’s Example: Jesus lived in a human body and faced every kind of temptation. He fought hard against sin in His mind and chose God’s will over His own comfort and desires.
• The Inner Battle: When you decide to follow Jesus, your human nature (“the flesh”) still wants to do wrong things. Saying “no” to these selfish cravings causes an inner pain or spiritual friction. This mental fight to deny sin is what it means to suffer in the flesh.
• Ceasing from Sin: As noted by GotQuestions, the phrase “has ceased from sin” does not mean you become a flawless, sinless person. Instead, it means you make a clean, decisive break with your old, sinful lifestyle. You stop living to please yourself and start living to please God.” (Source: Google AI)

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?…Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬, ‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This sanctifying work of God is not step-by-step but rather a slow , ongoing,  integrated process between the Word, the Spirit, and the disciplines we suffer…so that we, with our eyes on what God is doing, cooperate with the Father rather than kick against the circumstances the Master Potter uses as He patiently works on us to restore in us the image of His Son. 

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Instead of fighting our circumstances, how much better to submit to the Father with confidence, believing the truth that…

“…In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬