“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
John 17:13-19 NLT
Jesus prayed, “Make them holy by Your truth”, and He mentioned this again at the end of verse 19. What did He mean by this? How can truth make us holy? To answer that we have to consider the two words involved. God’s holiness is His absolute and complete perfection. In God there is not even a hint of unrighteousness. Everything about God is perfect. Perfect love. Perfect grace. Perfect everything. And this applies to truth as well. His truth is the only and perfect truth. God’s truth is absolute. So, in God, the one doesn’t make the other. He is perfect holiness and perfect truth. So, from that bedrock, that foundation, we then turn to what the Bible says.
Peter wrote to believers in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy””. Over the page we read, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). So, believers must aspire to be holy just as God is. But becoming holy is a lifetime’s work. Sin is always knocking at the doors of our hearts and we must stay close to Jesus and His cross for our redemption and forgiveness. The process of becoming holy we call sanctification and it is a major part of our pilgrimage to Heaven.
But how can truth make us holy? Jesus helped in His prayer when he said, “teach them Your Word, which is truth”. The Bible, God’s Word, is a gold mine of truths, all of which will make us holy, if we apply them to our lives. For example, we read the Ten Commandments and find truths for holiness. We read the Beatitudes and find more. But something we soon find is that holiness cannot be achieved through our own efforts. The Pharisees tried it, and, full of pride, thought that they had achieved it. Matthew 23, though, records what Jesus thought about the Pharisees, and His closing words include, “Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
We pilgrims are a sanctified people, a people who are set apart from the worldliness around us. In bygone days, some excluded themselves from society, dedicating their lives to being monks or nuns, people who dedicated their lives to prayer. They declared their sanctified status by dressing and living in a certain way, and the custom even continues today, with the ministers of certain denominations wearing what are called “dog collars”. But true sanctification is what is happening in a person’s heart. The outward signs of holiness must start inside. Jesus said in Matthew 23:25-26, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too“.
Step by step we pilgrims march on, and in the process we pursue a life of holiness. We allow the Holy Spirit to reveal within us the parts that are making us unholy, and we slowly do what He suggests, always bearing in mind Hebrews 12:14, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord“. “Working” at becoming holy is not an easy process but thankfully God is patient.
Dear God. Only you are holy. Only You have the Words to help us and the grace to make it happen. We worship You today. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 