Sanctification comes from the Latin word “sanctus,” which simply means “holy.”  Our church “sanctuary” is the holy space in which we gather for worshiping God.   Similarly, the word “saint” is a person who is “holy.” This Sunday we will focus on “sanctification” because it is “All Saints Sunday,” the celebration of all the saints who have died in the faith of Jesus Christ. 

As Paul notes, Jesus sanctifies us.  He makes us holy.  His death and resurrection sets us apart.  A person who trusts in the death and resurrection of Jesus is by definition set apart because they become something quite different than everyone else; they become a person of faith.

The Corinthians fell into the trap of thinking that some Christians were better or more spiritual than others (see 1 Cor. 1:10-17; 12:1-31: 13:1-13).  In 1 Cor. 13:1 when he says that speaking in “tongues” without love is just noise he is criticizing those who thought that their ability to speak in spiritual (angelic?) languages made them holier and more spiritual.  He said that this was utter rubbish.

We are all saints through Christ alone.  There is no higher or lower status saints.  We are all equally loved by God and made holy by the blood of Christ, alone.