Excerpt from "Our Lord Prays for His Own"

In John 17:19 Jesus prayed, "I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified."

Rainsford goes on to point out that:

In all of God's dealings with His people, God generally begins with the Lord Jesus and do unto Him, and with Him, what in His purpose in grace and love He intends to do with us.

"Thus, God in the first instance unites Christ to Himself, and then in Christ unites Himself to His people."

"Christ is 'the first begotten among many brethren,' and then we are begotten in Him;

Christ is the 'most blessed for evermore,' and we 'blessed in Him with all spiritual blessings.'

First, the Father gave to Christ ' to have life in Himself,' and then He gave us life in Him;

Christ is first filled with 'all the fullness' of God, and then we out 'of his fullness have received, and grace for grace';

Christ was first manifested and declared to be the Son of the Father, then we in Him;

Christ crucified for sin, and we 'crucified with Him';

Christ risen, we 'raised up together with him';

Christ more than conqueror, we 'more than conquerors through him';

Christ set down at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, we 'sitting at God's right hand in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus';

the Holy Spirit descending without measure upon Him, so we might, through the anointing of our High Priest, enjoy His power and share His blessing."