Christians know very well that their sanctification or cleansing comes from God and His Word. But Christians also have the responsibility to sanctify one another. This is one of the purposes of the church. Believers are not only called to encourage and edify one another but also to sanctify.

Bible Verse: John 13:10, NKJV

Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

Obviously, Jesus was not talking literally. Everybody gets dirty. Our entire body gets dirty. Jesus is referencing our spiritual cleanness.

The cleansing that Christ does in the life of a sinner who trusted in Him is complete and permanent. However, as the believer walks in this world, it is easy to become defiled. He does not need to bathe again but needs constant cleansing from everything that caused his defilement.

God is faithful; He promises to cleanse us when we confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9).

Sanctify One Another

While God promised to continually cleanse us, we have the responsibility to sanctify our spiritual brethren. The Lord’s instruction to His followers (this includes us) is clear. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).

How, then, should Christians sanctify one another? By constantly reminding each other of the sacrifice God made to redeem us from sin. It’s our responsibility to rebuke our brethren when we see them going off the rails.

The reality is, that we tend to forget the cost of our salvation which often leads us to a compromised lifestyle. In this regard, we need other Christians to remind us. We may feel offended but that’s what having a spiritual family is about. After all, God expects us to look out for one another.

And should we have friends and family who are going the wrong path, it’s our job to get them back on track. We must do what it takes for them to go back to their first love.

Defiled by the World

At the moment of salvation, Jesus cleanses the sinner completely. That begs the question, why do the feet of believers still get dirty? John 17:18 answers this question. “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

God has sent us to a dirty world. He has sent us to share the good news of the gospel to a lost, dying, and dirty world. As we go into a dirty world, our feet are going to get dirty since the primary mode of transportation was on foot.

This is where Christian fellowship and community are critical for spiritually washing the feet of others as John 13:14 says. It’s also why the author of Hebrews exhorted the church to “not forsake our assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). It’s pretty easy for us to go back into the “world” after coming to the truth of God’s amazing grace.

This is why we need to be in constant fellowship with other Christians.

Sanctified by God’s Truth

In John 17:17, Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

God gave His truth to us in three “editions.” His Word is truth (John 17:17), His Son is the truth (John 14:6), and His Spirit is the truth (1 John 5:6). We need all three for a true sanctification experience; sanctification that touches every part of our inner person.

With the mind, we learn God’s truth through the Word. With the heart, we love God’s truth, His Son. And with the will, we yield to the Spirit and live God’s truth day by day. It takes all three for a balanced experience of sanctification.

Sanctification by Washing

Washing the feet of other believers is another way of saying “to sanctify each other.” God uses other believers and the Bible to bring about sanctification by showing humility and using the water of the Word. Christians sanctify one another by humility and submission as the Word of God commands.

What the Lord showed when He washed His disciples’ feet with water is the greatest example of humility. If the King of kings and Lord of lords stoop down to wash His disciples’ feet, why can’t we do the same to one another? We must always remember what the Lord said in Matthew 23:12 and Matthew 20:26.

If we want to grow and experience true sanctification, we need to wash one another’s feet. It is important to note that God wants all Christians to grow spiritually. That is sanctification.

Conclusion

Sanctification is an ongoing transformation or renewal of our actions, thought processes, and attitudes so that we live a Christ-like life. That is the will of God for our life.

Jesus wants us to be transformed so much to the point that we are willing to humbly sacrifice for other believers. We do this by using the Word to bring about sanctification in others.

Jesus did it for us. We can do it for others. How well are we washing the feet of other believers?

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Recommended Resource: Sanctification: God’s Passion for His People by John MacArthur

Among all the things that a pastor will do on any given day, he must not lose sight of his one ultimate goal: the sanctification of God’s people. This is the heart of God’s purpose for Christians.

John MacArthur calls pastors to remember what all the countless hours preparing sermons, visiting hospitals, counseling, conducting weddings, and more are all about, even when the finish line seems so far in the distance that they’re tempted to give up.

He encourages pastors with the power God gives them to place the sanctification of God’s people at the center of their ministry.

“Sanctification is a powerful tract for our times―a purposefully short book. You can read it in an hour or two, but its goal is the transformation of the rest of your life.”

― Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries