Power to Commit:
Entire Sanctification – Part 1
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28
Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
When we become Christ followers through faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, we gain the power to make commitments. In fact, God’s goal for every new believer is to make an entire, thorough commitment of themselves to Him. This complete commitment has been called “entire sanctification.” Let’s study the biblical case for this title.
In our scripture for today, Paul writes that God Himself wants to sanctify us through and through. The word sanctify means to separate from profane (evil) things and dedicate to God. The word also carries with it the meaning of purification; to cleanse and a renewal of the soul.
God is looking for a commitment from us that gives Him permission to cleanse us from all that is profane. When on the cross Jesus said, “Father, I commit my spirit into your hands.” He was surrendering or trusting His total being into the hands of His Father. That is what God wants from each of us. We die with Christ to ourselves—our wants and desires. We commit our spirit—our very beings—into His hands. God responds to that by receiving us and cleansing us thoroughly. The New International Version uses the phrase, “through and through.” Tomorrow we will study the one Greek word that Paul actually used. For today, have you made the commitment?
Father, I surrender my very being and existence into your hands. I trust your will and purpose for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.