Set Apart By The Truth

In John 17:14-17, Jesus prayed to His Father,

"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."

Here, Jesus asks the Father to sanctify us by the truth. "Sanctify" means to set apart, to purify. By having the truth, we are purified and set apart from others in this world who do not have the truth. And that truth is the word of God.

How can the Word of God set us apart and purify us? It can do so because the word is Jesus Christ as we read in John 1:1 &14,

[1] "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." [14] "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Jesus came here, in the flesh, full of grace and truth. Only through knowing and accepting Jesus, do we have the truth and are therefore set apart and purified. The key is that we need to “know” the truth and not just “know of” the truth.

How do we get to know Jesus, the embodiment of truth? By reading the word. Jesus tells us in John 8:31-32,

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

When we abide in the word and live by its truth, we are free from the hopelessness and lies of this world.

How can we navigate and comprehend all of the truth contained in the word?

Jesus answers this in John 16:13,
"When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”

When we want to understand more about the word, we just need to ask God to reveal more to us through the Holy Spirit as Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:7-8,

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

David asked God to open that door and provide guidance and teaching in His truth in Psalms 25:4-5,

"Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."

Like David, let us earnestly seek to learn and understand the "truth" which is only found in the word of God. Through reading the word from Genesis to Revelation, we can intimately know Jesus. And as we abide in the word, we are “set apart by the truth” at the request of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
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