“…to them that are sanctified by God the Father,” (Jude 1b)
The book of Jude was written by the half-brother of Christ. In verse one, he refers to himself simply as “the servant of Jesus Christ.” Jude helps us understand how to live in these last days before Jesus Christ comes again.
Something out of the ordinary is taking place in our world. We are living in an age of apostasy. An apostate is one who has never trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior but has looked at revealed truth and turned from it.
Jude is written to those who know Jesus Christ as their Savior. He writes to “them that are sanctified.” What does this truly mean? Read 1 Peter 1:13-19. If a person is a Christian, then he has been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. God desires for Christians to live a holy life for Him.
We Are Set Apart for God
First, the word sanctified means “to be set apart.” The Lord Jesus purchased us with His own blood, and what He has purchased, He has sanctified. As Christians, we belong to the Lord. Christians have been set apart for something different than the rest of the world. We have been set apart for His use.
Read Genesis 2:1-3. The Bible says that God sanctified the Sabbath day. He set a day apart to make that day different from all other days. This use of the word helps to illustrate what God does with His children.
We have been sanctified for God’s use, set apart for the Lord. We should yield ourselves to God. Yielding our members for anything else is sin because the Lord has redeemed us for Himself. God’s work in this world must be done by His people.
We Are Declared Holy
Second, the word sanctified means “to declare or regard as holy.” When we become Christians, God sanctifies us. He begins at that moment to regard us as holy. He does not see our sin. When we come to Christ for salvation, God sees us as He sees His own dear Son.
If we ask God to forgive and cleanse us, He will. However, there will be times when Satan will try to use false guilt to bring us again into bondage. No matter how we regard ourselves, if we are Christians, God regards us as holy.
We Are to Be Holy
Third, the word sanctified means “to be holy.” We find an Old Testament example of this in Joshua 3:1-5. As Israel prepared to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land, Joshua said, “Sanctify yourselves.” This means to be holy.
The Bible teaches that the Christian life is to be a holy life. The only way to exemplify Jesus Christ in this world is by living a holy life. If you desire to know how Christians should live, ask those who are not Christians. They know what Christians are supposed to do and are not supposed to do.
Read John 17:16-17. Here Jesus Christ speaks of His own children. He prays, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The Lord desires to make us holy. How are we sanctified? How are we made holy? God has made a way for His people to live holy lives, but it is impossible to live a holy life apart from God’s Word.
Jude wrote, “to them that are sanctified.” Let us praise God for His wonderful work of sanctification and seek to live the holy lives He has called us to live.
Background Reading for Next Week: Jude 2; Romans5:1; Philippians 4:7; John 13:34-35; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; John 3:36; Habakkuk 3:1-2