I am sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy. (1 Corinthians 1:2) That is an incredible blessing and a wonderful responsibility at the same time. That is a “God has done it, now you live it” statement!
To be sanctified means to be made holy and set apart for the Lord. Only God can sanctify me and there are two ways that he does this. First, I was sanctified through the blood of Jesus when I acknowledged him as my Savior. If Jesus had not paid the price for my sins, my sins would’ve forever separated me from God. There is nothing I could ever do on my own that would satisfy my sin debt.
Then, once I was saved and sanctified by the blood of Jesus, God began the day-by-day process of sanctification. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. As I walk through life with my eternal destination safely set, God is refining me to make me more like Jesus. He is building my faith and removing the impurities of my sinful nature.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Only God can sanctify me. But even though I cannot sanctify myself, I am called to be holy. That is an assignment. Since I have been set apart by God and for God, my life should reflect that. I should be being holy. I should be making moment-by-moment choices that reflect Jesus. The closer I get to heaven, the more I should resemble my Savior!
For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because it was his plan from the beginning of time — to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 1:9
I am sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy! What that means to me is that since God saved me and is working in my life, I better be acting like it!