Leviticus 22:31–33 31 “So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord. 32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord.”
The Lord brings His people, Israel, out of captivity in Egypt. God’s purpose is to make it evident to the surrounding nations that He is the God of the nation of Israel, and they are His people. One of the ways it will be evident that they are the people of God is that they will affirm His ways by obeying His commands. To deviate from their singular devotion to God would be to profane His name, which would be to put other desires and practices above that of the Lord. Doing so is an act of irreverence and contempt. It is the Lord’s truth and the Lord’s power that sanctifies them, meaning this is the way God sets them apart.
In the New Covenant, God calls us as His people out of captivity to sin and damnation. His purpose in the New Covenant is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. Knowing and living the will and ways of our Lord causes us to shine as lights of truth and righteousness in the darkness of the world’s sin and depravity. Hebrews 2:11 makes the point that the Lord Jesus sanctifies us, displaying that He has divine power to set His people apart from the people of this world. Working out our salvation with fear and trembling, living with a singular devotion to our Lord Jesus, keeps us from profaning His name.
The Lord wants His people to stand out. Through His love and mercy, He has led us out of the darkness of our sin into the marvelous light of His righteousness. Biblical truth instructs us in the will and ways of the Lord, and He enables us to abide in Him and in truth faithfully. We are not left to our own devices to try and fail. We are led and cared for by our faithful Shepherd who saves and sanctifies us.
May the name of the Lord Jesus be praised, and may you be encouraged; it is the Lord who sanctifies you!
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