# Commentary on 1 Corinthians Word Study – Sanctified > *Sanctified* (1 Cor 6:11) - *Hagiazō* (Gk.): \"make holy\", \"set apart\", \"consecrate\". The verb is used four times in 1 Cor and 24 times in the rest of the NT. Its precise meaning varies depending on its context. When *things* are sanctified, they are separated from the realm of secular life and devoted to a sacred purpose, as when the Tabernacle was set apart for sacred worship (Ex 29:44) and the bronze altar was sanctified for sacrifice (Ex 29:37). Even an ordinary meal can be sanctified by a prayer of thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:5). When *persons* are sanctified, they are set apart to serve God in a holy way. Under the Old Covenant, the Levites were separated from the laity of Israel and ordained for clerical ministry (Ex 28:41), and the nation of Israel as a whole was set apart to be God\'s representative to the nations (Deut 33:3). Under the New Covenant, believers are set apart through Baptism, which, by the sanctifying power of Christ\'s blood (Heb 13:12), cleanses us of all sin and makes us inwardly holy (1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26). The challenge to grow in sanctity is supported by Jesus\' prayer for our consecration in truth (Jn 17:17) and by Paul\'s prayer that our whole being be preserved in holiness for the last day (1 Thess 5:23). --- > Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, *The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament*, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010).