In the Hebrew, the words sanctify, set apart, and holy are derived from the word qadash. We find this name for our heavenly Father, Jehovah-mekoddishkem, used in Exodus 31 where God is instructing the children of Israel about the Sabbath day and the significance of sanctifying or setting apart a day of rest and worship.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses,
13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people.
15 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.
16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.'”
In this passage we also find the Lord sanctifying, or setting apart, the Israelites as His very own people. Notice in verse 17 that the covenant was between the Lord and the Israelites forever. God was telling them that they were a set-apart people, a holy people. They were to look different and act differently from all the other peoples of the land.
This applies to you and me as well. Over and over in the New Testament, we are told that the blood of Jesus sanctifies us; sets us apart. We, too, are to look and act different from the other people in this world. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul tells the Corinthian believers that only those who are washed clean and sanctified by the blood and in the name of Jesus will inherit the kingdom of God.
So, I ask you….in what way do you look different from the world? When the unbelieving world cruises around your life, do they consider you to be odd or peculiar? Do those who are not Christians avoid telling you crude jokes or saying curse words because they know of your stand for Jesus? Do your unbelieving friends know that Sunday is a day of worship for you, rather than a day of only rest and pleasure?
If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord, then His blood has sanctified you. The million dollar question is whether or not you are living the sanctified life. Think about it!!
