Bible Reading: Philippians 1:1-17
Key Verse: Verse 1 - “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:”
Key Words: to all the saints
The word saint is a shortened form of the word sanctification. It means someone who is born again, consecrated, and set apart for God’s service. Let me be clear, sanctification is not salvation. One cannot be sanctified until they are first saved. But sanctification is our desire to be used of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Paul reminds the church of Corinth that they are called to be saints (I Corinthians 1:2), “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”
In Ephesians 1:1 Paul is evidently not writing to the church as a whole but to the saints, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:.”
In Colossians we find that faithful and sanctification go together. Colossians 1:2, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now, we could go on with this but by now you’re getting the point. God desires that we be saved, but He also wants us to be sanctified.
A lady was going away to meet some friends and bring them home with her. She had left her children at home with the understanding that they were to be clean when she returned with the company. She said to the children upon leaving, “Now here is plenty of soap and water and here are your clothes and I will expect you to be clean and dressed up when I return.” What she had made provisions for and had demanded, she would require. So it is with the Lord. Provisions have been made, at awful cost, for the cleansing of the heart. Holiness! God demands it. “Be ye holy.” And what He has provided for and demands, He will require. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
So now let me ask you, are you saved? OK then, are you sanctified? Think about it.
What to do:
✞ Be consecrated to God’s service, not the world.
✞ Love God, not the world.
✞ Make God the priority, not things.
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