Sanctification

Sanctification

Sanctification is God’s work of setting a people apart for Himself through the blood of Christ and into holy service (1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:29). In Scripture, sanctification names both our consecration and our calling to live as a holy people (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, 7).

Sanctification in Scripture: Set Apart for God
The Bible uses a family of words—sanctify, holy, saints—to describe consecration. From the beginning, God claimed people and things for His service. Under the Law, the firstborn, the priests, and the temple vessels were set apart for the Lord’s use. When something was sanctified, it was taken from ordinary use and devoted to God (Exodus 13:12). This language helps us feel the weight of the word: sanctification means belonging to God.

Hallowing God’s Name and Heart Religion
The Lord teaches us to pray, “Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). To hallow—or sanctify—God’s name is to treat Him as utterly distinct from all that is common. Peter applies the same truth inwardly: “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” (1 Peter 3:15). The disciple separates God’s honor from every profane thought. Sanctification reaches the inner life; it is reverence enthroned within.

Vessels for Honor
Paul pictures believers as vessels prepared for the Master’s use: cleansed, sanctified, ready for every good work (2 Timothy 2:21). Cleansing and consecration belong together. God purifies a people and appoints them to service. The sanctified life is not idle; it is useful to the Lord.

A Holy People with a Holy Purpose
Peter blesses the church as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy—or sanctified—nation, God’s own people to proclaim His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9). Sanctification marks identity and mission. God takes those once common and makes them His treasured possession so they may declare His praise.

Sanctified by the Blood of the Covenant
The New Testament locates our consecration in Christ’s atoning work. Scripture warns against treating “the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified” as common (Hebrews 10:29). The sanctified have been claimed by the costly blood of Jesus. Such a gift demands reverent gratitude, faithful worship, and holy conduct.

Who Are the Sanctified?
Paul addresses the church at Corinth as “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Sanctified, saints, and church describe the same people. In their past, many had walked in dark sins, yet the gospel changed everything: “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). This consecration occurs when sinners are cleansed and set apart unto God.

Personal Responsibility in Sanctification
Sanctification is a gift that calls for a way of life. God’s will is our sanctification, so we must “abstain from sexual immorality” and “possess” our bodies “in sanctification and honor” (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4). God called us in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). The sanctified guard their vessels, refuse impurity, and pursue what is fitting for a consecrated people.

Sanctified by the Truth and Kept Clean
Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The word trains holy habits, renews the mind, and protects a clean conscience. When we stumble, we return to the fountain: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us” (1 John 1:9). Confession and continual trust in Christ preserve a holy walk.

The Moral Order of Responsibility
Each soul answers to God for its own choices. Scripture states, “The soul who sins shall die… the son shall not bear the guilt of the father” (Ezekiel 18:20). Guilt does not transfer down family lines. Sanctification speaks to present allegiance and conduct before God and arises from Christ’s cleansing, not from inherited defect.

Sanctification and Service
God sanctifies a people to be useful. He cleanses, sets apart, and employs them in worship, witness, good works, and mutual love. The consecrated life seeks purity of body and spirit, zeal for God’s name, and readiness for every good work. Such a life displays the beauty of holiness.

“Sanctification” Sermon Outline:

• Text: 1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:29; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, 7

• Thesis: In Christ, God cleanses and sets a people apart by the blood of the covenant, calls them to holy living by His word, and preserves them through continual confession and faithful obedience.

• I. The Meaning of Sanctification (Exodus 13:12; Matthew 6:9; 1 Peter 3:15)

  • Consecration: set apart for God

  • Hallowing God’s name and heart religion

• II. Cleansed and Useful (2 Timothy 2:21; 1 Peter 2:9)

  • Vessels for honor

  • A sanctified nation with a mission

• III. The Ground: Christ’s Blood (Hebrews 10:29; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 6:11)

  • Sanctified by the covenant blood

  • Washed, sanctified, justified

• IV. The Call: Holy Conduct (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, 7; John 17:17)

  • God’s will: sanctification

  • Shaped by the truth

• V. The Practice: Ongoing Cleansing (1 John 1:9; Ezekiel 18:20)

  • Confession and cleansing

  • Personal responsibility before God

Call to Action
Present yourself to God as a vessel for honor. Embrace the cleansing Christ provides and yield your whole life to holy service. Guard your body, your thoughts, and your speech. Immerse yourself in the word that sanctifies, confess your sins without delay, and walk as one who belongs to the Lord.

Key Takeaways

• Sanctification means being set apart by God for His service (Exodus 13:12; 2 Timothy 2:21).

• God’s people are a sanctified nation with a holy calling (1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 6:9; 1 Peter 3:15).

• The blood of Christ consecrates; the church is washed, sanctified, and justified (Hebrews 10:29; 1 Corinthians 6:11).

• God’s will is our sanctification, formed by truth and expressed in holy conduct (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, 7; John 17:17).

• Confession preserves a clean walk; each soul answers to God (1 John 1:9; Ezekiel 18:20).

Scripture Reference List

• Exodus 13:12 — Firstborn set apart to the Lord; pattern of consecration.

• Matthew 6:9 — “Hallowed be Your name”; God’s name set apart.

• 1 Peter 3:15 — Sanctify the Lord in your hearts; inner reverence.

• 2 Timothy 2:21 — Cleansed vessels sanctified, useful to the Master.

• 1 Peter 2:9 — A holy nation, God’s special people with a mission.

• Hebrews 10:29 — Sanctified by the blood of the covenant; warning against profaning it.

• 1 Corinthians 1:2 — The sanctified are the saints, the church.

• 1 Corinthians 6:11 — Washed, sanctified, justified in Christ.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:3–4, 7 — God’s will is sanctification; holiness of life.

• John 17:17 — Sanctified by the truth; God’s word is truth.

• 1 John 1:9 — Confession and God’s faithful cleansing.

• Ezekiel 18:20 — Personal responsibility before God.

Prepared by Bobby Stafford of the church of Christ at Granby, MO

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Expository Sermons on Sanctification

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