Consecrate me to the truth

Consecrate me to the truth

“Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.”  (John 16: 17-19)

Jesus prays to the Father to consecrate me in the truth.  To be consecrated to the truth is to be completely dedicated to the truth, fully immersed in truth.  This is a critical condition for being in the world and not of the world.  To be effective in God’s service in the world, one must be consecrated in the truth.  

What is the truth?  The truth is Jesus, the world of God.  I must be consecrated to Jesus , the truth in order to bear fruit in the world.  The world represents those whose priorities are other things apart from God.  We have three realms:  public sector, private sector and religion.  There are those in the public and private sector who by their lives and witnessing do not belong to the world.  And there are those in religion who are worldly.

Jesus also said that knowledge of God and his Christ constitutes eternal life.  Consecration to the truth is eternal life.  And the eternal life is for those who are in the world but not of the world.