We Have Been Sanctified!

“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all… For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”  (Heb. 10:10; 14 ESV)

Did you know that if you are a believer in Jesus, you are a “Saint”? It’s true. I can hear you right now saying, “But I am no saint!”, I have said it myself many times. But yes, we are! To understand what I mean, we must go back to the original Greek word that is usually translated as “saint”; it is “hagios,” which means “to regard as special, to be set apart, to sanctify.” So, we, as believers in Christ, have been “set apart” by God for His use. We have been “sanctified” or made holy. So, being a saint is not about how good we are; it is about how good God is. The verb that is used for “we have been sanctified” is in the passive voice, which means that being set aside or sanctified is something that is done for us, not something that we do, that would be in the active voice. I know that is being a bit of a “word nerd,” but it is important. So many of us think that being a “saint” is all about us, and it is not. It is really all about Jesus. He is the one who has set us apart and sanctified us for his use.

The other word that throws us off sometimes is the word “perfected”; again, we should not use the English definition but go back to the original Greek word which is “teleioo’” which means “to complete, to bring to an end, to accomplish what was set before us.” So, it is not about our being “perfect” because we all know that we are not; it is about having been made “complete” for all time by Jesus’ offering. What a wonderful truth. Living in God’s grace is not about our being a “perfect saint” but about Jesus having set us apart from the rest of the world to be used by Him for His honor and glory and that He has made us complete in Him for all time.

Once we understand this truth it has to change the way we live. No longer do we have to try to earn God’s love; we already have it through Jesus. No longer do we have to wonder if we are good enough for God, and of course, on our own merit we are not, but we know that God Himself has set us apart for His use, sanctified us, and has “Perfected” us, made us complete for all time. Now we are free to live our lives of service, whatever that may be, out of appreciation for what He has done and not out of an obligation to try to earn His love.

If you are a believer, read these verses again, and see if you agree with me that “Living in grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!”

Friend, if you have not accepted the gift of eternal life from God, you can. You, too, can become a “Perfect Saint,” someone who is set aside by God and complete in Jesus for all time. Please feel free to contact us, and we would be delighted to show you from God’s Word how you can become a child of the God most High.

“Living in grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!”