Sanctification & Mission: Reflections on John 17:18

By Phil Newton

The work of grace in our hearts never produces thumb-twiddling in our actions.  God's saving work brings life to dead sinners.  Such life cannot be hidden or silenced.  Lively saints are sent into the world by the living Lord to bring spiritually dead men to life through the message of the gospel.

All too often we are led to believe that this work belongs to the realm of the 'professional'.  Yet when we consider the marks of the church that are noted in our Lord's high priestly prayer (John 17:13-26), we do not see any believers excluded from them. All believers are to know the joy of the Lord, His holiness, sanctification by the truth, and mission in this world.  While you will always have different degrees of growth and experience, there is level ground in the characteristics that mark the redeemed of the Lord. This includes Christians on mission.

If I use the term mission in any setting other than the church, its usage is clearly understood. If the state department gives a mission to an ambassador, then he knows what he is to do. In the sports world, I've seen athletic teams claim to have a 'mission', to win a championship. Quite clearly, mission implies that a given person or group of people are dedicated to carry out a particular task or goal in order to honor the desires of the one who sent them.

Someone has written that 'the Great Commission is the Great Omission'.  The challenge of Christ's prayer is to realize that we are on mission in this world.  It is not an option but a divine necessity for those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ to stay on mission to this sin-darkened world. "As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world" (John 17:18).

Our Lord compares the whole work of mission to His own essential work. He interweaves our mission with our sanctification. Could it be that with the great emphasis in our day on methods, programs, and strategies, that we have left out the one vital matter related to the work of evangelization: sanctification? 

We must not attempt to lift his verse from its context.  While it has been oft-quoted to spur Christians on in the work of evangelism, it is more often separated from its foundation, that of sanctification.  Because we have been justified we, out of gratitude and obedience, have a mission to carry the gospel to the world.  But because we are being sanctified, we can and must effectively carry out our mission to the world.  Justification gives us the right to carry the gospel to the world.  Sanctification gives us the light and the power to do so.

When you neglect the work of sanctification in your mission to the world, then you must resort to all sorts of techniques, manipulation, and schemes to attempt to get the job done. The unfortunate thing is that when we attempt to accomplish God's work apart from God's ways we get the results of what man can do, not what God can do. Consequently, we are seeing multitudes of people make religious decisions without any inward change of life and conduct. That is not biblical mission. We must consider with all seriousness our basis for mission in the church.

Sanctified in the truth

It is important to see how this text flows from a singular thought. "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth." With that essential statement, we know that Christ is speaking of a reality that will come to pass for every believer: his sanctification. The means of sanctification is the Word of God--heard, studied, meditated on, embraced, and applied in the believer's life. He continues, "As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." There is the call to mission for the church. All of us are included in this great work of being sent into the world as Christ was sent. But the connection with sanctification continues. "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth." The conjunction "and" shows us that Christ is not speaking of an unrelated matter when He speaks of sanctification, mission, then again, sanctification. He is showing that sanctification in truth is the basis for the Christian's mission to the world.  Our Lord set Himself apart to the work of the cross and resurrection, that we might be sanctified in the truth.  And in being sanctified we are also being sent on mission into the world.

Sanctification fits a believer for mission.  We must think again of what is taking place in sanctification. It is two-fold:  we are being separated from the world or from 'common use' so that we are distinct in our character and lifestyle; and we are being set apart unto the usefulness of the Lord, to fulfill His purpose, to do His bidding. Sanctification works certain things out of us that are not Christ-honoring. And it works certain attitudes and practices in us so that we practice righteousness.

Sanctification equips us for mission through the means of the Word.  Since we are sanctified by the truth of God's Word, there is a residual impact of being equipped for the mission of proclaiming this Word to others. In sanctification we are growing in our knowledge, understanding, and application of the Word of God. As we do, we are coming to understand those truths that relate to the salvation of sinners.  We are coming to grasp more of the glory and holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the merit of Christ for sinners, the work of regeneration, and the grace of repentance and faith.  When we have these truths in our heads and hearts they can easily flow from our lips in Christian witness. The truth is flooding you in sanctification so it in turn flows from you in mission to others. 

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