THE LORD OUR SANCTIFIER

THE LORD OUR SANCTIFIER

One of the most inspirational (yet little known) revelations of the personality and power of Almighty God is His name that is revealed in Exodus 31:13.  In the Hebrew language, this Old Testament text highlights the name of God as “Jehovah M’gaddischcem.”  The meaning of this name implicitly underscores both the grace and mercy of our God.  For herein the Creator manifests Himself to frail and fallen humanity as “The Lord Our Sanctifier.”  This is absolute cause for celebration since “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

According to Dictionary.com, the word “sanctify” means “to make holy, to consecrate, to purify, to render legitimate, to entitle to respect (and) to make productive or conducive to spiritual blessing.”  Wow!  God does all of that for us – despite the fact that we have (at times) so willfully turned deaf ears to His Word and will for our lives.

How is such a marvelous act of grace accomplished in us?  First of all, we are purged from sin through the blood atonement of the Lamb of God. (John 1:29 and Colossians 1:19-21)  Secondly, we are declared to be the “righteousness of God” by the authority of His Word. (II Corinthians 5:21 and Philippians 3:9)  Implicit in both of these acts is the indisputable fact that we have no inherent righteousness on which we can either stand or boast. 

To “sanctify” also means “to set apart for service.”  I am simply amazed that God makes the deliberate choice to use flawed finite vessels to accomplish His divine purpose.  Nevertheless, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “we have this treasure [His Holy Spirit] in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (II Corinthians 4:7)  What an awesome God!

That fact that we are “sanctified” means that we have willingly become the property and possession of the Lord.  As such, in a very literal sense, His Spirit ‘possesses’ us.  This does not mean that He deprives us of free will and personal choice, but He does inhabit our body temples and He influences us to honor His Word and to walk in His way.  I Peter 2:9 (KJV) declares that we are “a peculiar people.” In no way does this scripture imply that the people of God are somehow ‘strange’ or ‘weird’ regarding our attitudes or actions.  Rather, it is a simple declaration that we are the particular property of God, His blood-bought and Calvary-purchased possessions who exemplify His praise and evangelize His gospel message.

Jehovah M’gaddischcem is “The Lord Our Sanctifier.”  I love the fact that He chooses to set us apart for His service – to graciously employ and utilize us as temporal agents of His eternal salvation plan.  It humbles me beyond words that the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Creator of the Ends of the Earth, the Master of the Universe would somehow choose to covenant with, to fellowship with, and to use me in the service of His Kingdom.  And I am sure that you feel the same way.  Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!