Your Word Is Truth

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (1)

In the prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, He said, "I have given them Your word... Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." (2)

The definition of the word sanctify in the dictionary is "to make (a person) holy; to make free from sin; to purify; to cause to be respected; make sacred; to make productive of spiritual blessing." Why is it important to be sanctified, to be made free from sin? Well, according to Scripture, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (3) The gift of God is to purify us, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (4); and to set us free from the sin, "and having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." (5) Doing what is right is the opposite of doing what is wrong and the difference has eternal consequences.

Nothing can compare with doing it right! The best that we can do to recover from doing it wrong is to learn from our mistakes, to make restitution as best we can, and do it right the next time around. If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. It saves so much time, trial and hardship. This is true of everything we do in life.

Jesus came to make it easy for us. We all make mistakes. By getting to know Him, He teaches us how to live successfully, how to overcome faults of character and behavior, and he sets us on the path to doing things right. He helps us to overcome the mistakes we have made and He, and God the Father, tell us the truth. What they tell us we can depend on.

A lot of what we hear in life, in the news, in the market place, in the movies, even from friends, is like a lot of garbage, it is far from the truth and leads to consequences that are harmful to us and society. God has provided for our benefit and blessing something to keep our feet from straying into dangerous territory, He has given us Jesus to give us light and understanding as we live out our days, "I am the way, the truth and the life; He will guide you into all truth; you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free; Follow Me." (6)

1. John 17:17.
2. John 17:14, 17-19.
3. Romans 6:23.
4. 1 John 1:9.
5. Romans 6:18.
6. John 14:6; 16:13; 8:32; 21:19.