Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you ( Lev. 20:7-8, KJV)

Jehovah Mekaddishkem is the English transliteration of the Hebrew words for “I am the LORD which sanctify you” ( “mekaddish” = sanctify, “kem” = you). He reveals Himself to Israel  as the God that sanctifies His people.

There are three keywords that underlie the meaning of sanctification. They are “wash,” “consecrate” and “separate.” Sanctification essentially means to make something holy. And there is more to holiness than sinlessness. It is the very nature of God. However, when used in reference to us humans, it means to be cleaned from sin, set apart for God, and  consecrated to Him.

The second important concept of our sanctification is shown in the verses above. Verse 7 commands the people to be holy, while verse 8 reveals that God is the One who sanctifies them. Sanctification is a work of God in our lives, and we also have a part to play. He is the God who sanctifies you. First, He completed your sanctification in Christ, and He now commands you to cooperate with Him to achieve your practical sanctification.

The scripture says “but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”(1 Cor. 6:11 KJV). He also says “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (1 Thess. 4:3 KJV). You have been sanctified( your spirit man) in Christ. God did that by giving you His Spirit that brought the nature of God inside of you. Your soul( the man that lives here and now) has to be sanctified practically by the power of the Spirit. Jehovah Mekaddiskem has been fulfilled in Christ as the One who has sanctified you and continues to sanctify daily by His Spirit!

MEDITATE

Is our sanctification completed, ongoing or both?

APPLY THE WORD

This is the crucial part of this devotional. Until you receive the truth that God has already sanctified you by His Spirit, you will not be empowered to be sanctified practically. Put God’s sanctification power to work in your life daily by faith in the finished work of Christ.

PRAY

Ask the Lord to help you in your daily walk of sanctification.

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