I Am the Lord Who Sanctifies You!

"Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you." (1)

The dictionary definition of sanctify includes: To make holy; to make free from sin; to purify; to set apart as holy; to make sacred; to make productive of spiritual blessings. Sanctification implies cleansing, purifying, setting apart for a very special purpose.

The Lord draws us to Himself and makes us holy, if we are willing. He does not force Himself upon us. He values our freedom; in fact He is the One who gives us freedom, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (2) He shows us a better way, a way that benefits us physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. His values and direction for our lives is incorporated into His laws and statutes for our benefit.

Keeping God's statutes and performing them is involved in the Lord's sanctification processes. He is the Lord our Creator and He knows of what we are made. He also knows that which will bless and benefit us, therefore He gives us direction for a successful and more abundant life, (John 10:10).

"And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: "Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you." ' " (3)

What's the deal with the Sabbath? In the creation week, we first learn about the Sabbath, "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (4) Here again is the word sanctified. God set the seventh day apart and rested, blessed it and made it holy for His people, He sanctified it.

So God sanctifies a people to Himself and a special day of rest for their benefit. Why? Let's take another look at one of God's statutes, in this case a statute in the heart of His Commandments. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hollowed it." (5)

The Lord sanctifies His people and His Sabbath. The Sabbath is a memorial of His creation and of His special relationship with His people. They are both made holy by Him. And His people are to rest on the Lord's day (Rev. 1:10; Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28) as God rested from His labors on the seventh day of creation.

The solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (6) How else will the Lord know those who are His, other than they are drawn by His love and kindness, His mercy and justice, and His great sacrifice for them. They respond to Him because of His love, His everlasting love, and they love His commandments and statutes because they are a protection to them from the evil that is in the world. They are loyal and obedient to God and Jesus Christ, because He is the One who makes them special, they are holy to Him and He rewards them by adopting them into His own family. (7) He sanctifies them and draws them unto Himself. He is their God, Creator, Savior and best Friend.

"I am the Lord your God; Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." (8)

"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." (9) No one can separate us from God's everlasting love, (Romans 8:35-39).

"Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (10) (To be continued)

1. Leviticus 20:7, 8.
2. John 8:32, 36.
3. Exodus 31:12-14.
4. Genesis 2:2, 3.
5. Exodus 20:8-11.
6. 2 Timothy. 2:19.
7. 1 John 3:1-3.
8. Ezekiel 20:19, 20.
9. John 10:28, 29.
10. Revelation 14:12.