John 17:17 kjv
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
John 17:17 nkjv
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:17 niv
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17 esv
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17 nlt
Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
John 17 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eph 5:26 | ...that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word | Christ cleanses the church by the Word. |
| Ps 119:9 | How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. | God's Word purifies actions and life. |
| Ps 119:11 | Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. | God's Word stored in heart prevents sin. |
| Ps 119:160 | The entirety of Your word is truth... | Affirmation: All of God's Word is truth. |
| 2 Tim 3:16-17 | All Scripture is given by inspiration of God... for instruction in righteousness... that the man of God may be complete... | Scripture's inspired authority and transforming power. |
| Heb 4:12 | For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword... | The active, penetrating nature of God's Word. |
| Jas 1:21 | ...receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. | God's engrafted Word has saving power. |
| 1 Pet 1:22-23 | ...having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God... | Regeneration occurs through God's living Word. |
| Ps 33:4 | For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. | God's word is right and faithful. |
| Titus 1:2 | ...in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised... | God's unchangeable truthfulness. |
| Num 23:19 | God is not a man, that He should lie... | God's integrity and veracity. |
| Jn 1:17 | For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. | Jesus embodies and brings divine truth. |
| Jn 14:6 | Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." | Jesus Himself is the ultimate Truth. |
| Jn 8:31-32 | ...If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. | Abiding in Christ's word brings knowledge of liberating truth. |
| Jn 16:13 | However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth... | The Holy Spirit guides into all truth. |
| Rom 12:1-2 | ...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God... be transformed by the renewing of your mind... | Call to practical sanctification and mental transformation. |
| 1 Thess 4:3 | For this is the will of God, your sanctification... | God's explicit will is for believers to be holy. |
| 2 Thess 2:13 | But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you... because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. | Sanctification by Spirit and belief in truth leads to salvation. |
| Act 20:32 | And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance... | The Word of His grace builds up believers. |
| Ps 19:7-8 | The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple... | The transforming power of God's perfect law. |
| Phil 4:8 | ...whatever is true, whatever is noble... Meditate on these things. | The call to embrace truth in thought. |
| 1 Jn 2:3-5 | Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments... whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. | Obedience to God's word as proof of knowing Him. |
| Jn 6:63 | ...The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. | Jesus' words impart life and spiritual reality. |
John 17 verses
John 17 17 Meaning
John 17:17 records Jesus' prayer to God the Father for His disciples, requesting that they be "sanctified by Your truth." This sanctification, a process of being set apart for holy use and cleansed from worldly defilement, is explicitly identified with "Your word." Jesus declares that God's revealed word is the very essence of truth, acting as the divine instrument for the disciples' spiritual purification, moral transformation, and consecration for God's purposes in the world.
John 17 17 Context
John 17 is known as Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, a profound and intimate conversation with His Father just hours before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. This prayer immediately follows the Last Supper discourse (John 13-16) where Jesus gave His final instructions and comforts to His disciples. The chapter flows through several themes: Jesus' glory, protection for His disciples in a hostile world, their unity, and crucially, their sanctification and future mission. Verse 17 directly builds on Jesus' previous prayer for the disciples' preservation from the evil one (Jn 17:15) and His statement that they "are not of the world" (Jn 17:16), making sanctification essential for their effective witness while remaining in the world. It marks a shift from protection to empowerment through purification for the task ahead.
John 17 17 Word analysis
- Sanctify (Ἁγίασον - Hagiaon): This is an imperative verb, a command or fervent request, derived from hagiazo, meaning "to make holy," "to consecrate," or "to set apart." It implies both a positional separation unto God for His service and a practical, progressive purification from sin and worldly influences. It is a divine act, prayed for by Jesus, highlighting God's agency in the believer's holiness.
- them (αὐτοὺς - autous): Refers primarily to the eleven disciples present, but implicitly extends to all future believers for whom Jesus also prays in John 17:20-21. This demonstrates Jesus' concern for His followers' spiritual purity and effectiveness in carrying out His mission.
- by Your truth (ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου - en tē alētheia sou): The preposition en (ἐν) here can be translated as "by," "in," or "through," indicating the means or instrument of sanctification. "Truth" (ἀλήθεια - alētheia) denotes reality, reliability, and divine veracity. It refers to God's ultimate objective reality and what genuinely is. The sanctification is not by mere human effort or ritual but by adherence to God's unadulterated reality.
- Your word (ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς - ho logos ho sos): "Word" (λόγος - logos) refers specifically to God's revealed message, His divine utterances, commands, teachings, and Christ's own instructions given to the disciples. While Jesus is "the Word" (John 1:1), here "Your word" is distinct, denoting the content of divine revelation. "Your" emphasizes its divine origin and authority.
- is truth (ἀλήθειά ἐστιν - alētheia estin): This is a direct, emphatic affirmation. God's word is truth; it is not merely containing truth or conveying true facts. It is the very standard and embodiment of what is real, reliable, and divine. This declarative statement grounds the entire process of sanctification.
Words-group analysis:
- Sanctify them by Your truth: This phrase highlights that spiritual purity and dedication are not self-generated but are a work of God's grace, mediated through divine truth. It's a prayer for transformation and separation for God's holy purposes in a world full of unholy influences. The purpose is for the disciples to become fit instruments for God’s will, morally and spiritually prepared for their mission.
- Your word is truth: This statement serves as the foundation and justification for the first part of the verse. It declares the nature, reliability, and efficacy of God's word. Because God's word is unequivocally truth, it possesses the inherent power to cleanse, purify, guide, and set apart those who receive and obey it. It is the objective standard against which all other claims to truth must be measured.
John 17 17 Bonus section
This verse implicitly challenges any relativistic views of truth, firmly establishing an objective, divine source for reality and holiness. It posits God's word as the ultimate, unalterable standard. Furthermore, Jesus praying for His disciples' sanctification underscores that believers do not pursue holiness by their own strength alone; it is a divine work, initiated by the Father in response to the Son's prayer, and empowered by the Holy Spirit (as the Spirit of truth). This prayer is deeply communal, not just individual, emphasizing the holiness of the body of believers as a consecrated instrument in God's redemptive plan for the world. It also implies that neglect of God's Word inevitably hinders or reverses the process of sanctification.
John 17 17 Commentary
John 17:17 captures a crucial aspect of Christian discipleship: sanctification as a process driven by divine truth. Jesus, in His most intimate prayer for His followers, asks the Father to set them apart. This "setting apart" or sanctification is not merely a legal declaration but a profound, ongoing work within the believer, distinguishing them from the world system they inhabit. The instrument for this progressive holiness is unambiguously God's truth, which Jesus equates directly with God's word. This signifies that true spiritual growth and conformity to God's nature do not arise from human philosophies, fleeting emotions, or experiential phenomena alone, but from consistent engagement with and obedience to God's revealed written and spoken Word. It acts as a divine cleanser, exposing sin, correcting error, guiding righteousness, and transforming character. For the disciples then, and believers today, the daily appropriation of God's Word through reading, study, meditation, and obedience is indispensable for living a life consecrated to God and effective for His kingdom purposes. It means allowing God's authoritative, unchanging reality to shape one's thoughts, desires, and actions, making them truly holy and distinct for God.