The LORD who Sanctifies You

Introduction: The importance of God's names

The Lord is sanctifying you:

The Name: “The Lord who sanctifies you.” (Yahweh Mi-kadesh-kem). This name of God reveals critical truth about the nature of our sanctification.

7 Consecrate (Hit-kadesh-kem) yourselves, therefore, and be holy (vet-kadesh-tem), for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you (Mi-kadesh-kem).

Mi-kadesh-kem is a Hebrew participle derived from the word kadosh, which means holy. Mi-kadesh-kem means the sanctifier of you or the one who makes you holy. Hebrew participles signify an ongoing action. Thus we can translate: I am the LORD who is sanctifying you or I am the Lord who is making you holy.

WSC 35. What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.

Scripture also calls us to be active in our sanctification

NT expression of the mystery of sanctification

Phil. 2:12,13 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.