Jeremiah 29: 11 says: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
God has a grand plan for the life of every person, and it can be summed up in the word sanctification. If you have never been certain of the term’s meaning, you are not alone – many people are unclear about the definition. However, believers should understand it because the word defines them.
In its verb from – sanctify – the term means “to make holy” or “to separate.” So when something is sanctified, it is separated from its former common usage and is dedicated for sacred purposes. The OT mentions a number of things that the Lord sanctified.
Genesis 2: 3 for example: “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
God still sanctifies people today. Before a person places his or her faith in the Savior, he or she is spiritually dead and, in fact, and enemy of God.
Ephesians 2: 1 – 3 says this: “(1) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
But the moment someone chooses to trust in Jesus, his or her sins are wiped away, and he or she is adopted into God’s family. That individual is set apart as a child of God, with a sacred purpose. This means believers are not here to chase after personal gain but to serve the Lord and bring Him honor and glory.
As members of God’s family who are called upon to reflect His glory, believers are referred to as “saints.” We are given this moniker – which shares its roots with sanctification – not because we live sinless lives, but because we live a life consistent with the One we represent.