Sanctification

The process of sanctification flows from the heart. This act is done through reading the Scriptures, self-examination, and constant prayer. “The word ‘sanctification’ means ‘to be set apart.’”[1] Christ followers find this term to mean “likeness of nature” with Christ. Sanctification is a process (2 Pet. 1:3-11).[2] As one calls upon Christ for salvation, they are then filled with the Holy Spirit and receive salvation. However, they are still in the flesh and will not be made perfect until the time of death or rapture. “If holiness is progressive, it is also purposeful. The goal is not that we should just become better people, nicer neighbors and certainly not necessarily more astute or pedantic theologians, but that we should be renewed ‘in the image of the Creator.’ So the goal is to become Christlike.”[3]

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). To sanctify something means to set it apart for God’s service. In order to model what it means to be fully sanctified, one must look to Jesus as the model in which the believer is to follow. John’s use of sanctification presents itself in the form of mission. Jesus serves as a model of this through the consistent devotion to God’s authoritative will and commands. The disciples were to be sanctified by the truth, the living Word of God (Jn. 15:13). Practical sanctification means devoting oneself consistently to the use of Christ and His kingdom in separation from the desires and temptations of the world. It is through sanctification that believers experience gradual transformation into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly…body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). In this passage, Paul is desiring to see the Thessalonian believers mature in the faith that had been established within them at the moment of salvation. The heart of this sanctification is to develop closer in union with Christ, noting that believers should devote themselves to being slaves of Christ and His righteousness.

Sanctification’s process is aided by the Holy Spirit. The threefold experience of sanctification (past, present, future) denotes that “Sanctification for the Christian is past, present, and future, or positional, progressive, and prospective sanctification…Our practical sanctification is a continual process beginning with conversion and being finally accomplished at the coming of Christ.”[4]

Positional (past) sanctification is where one comes to faith and trust in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).[5] As the individual has been buried and raised in life with Christ, the “old man” is now dead to the past (Rom. 6:11). This process is justifying the believer’s faith at work. The second step in the sanctification process is called progressive (present) sanctification in which the believer will experience ups and downs the Christian life (Rom. 8:18, 28). Following Christ on the path to glorification does not become easier with the progression of time. It becomes harder. One must discipline themselves to walk by the Spirit in order to avoid the fulfillment of fleshly desires (Gal. 5:16-26). The Fruit of the Spirit is to be pursued with a whole heart. In order to grow in grace and knowledge of the truth, the believer must yield to the discipline found within the pages of the Word of God.

Godly habits need to be pursued in order to conform closer to Christ’s image. Not only does this reference the Fruit of the Spirit, but it is also referring to the application of gifts and blessings that have been received for spiritual growth in serving to occur.

The third and final stage of the sanctification process is pointed toward future sanctification.[6] This third part of sanctification is referred to as prospective sanctification. This final stage focuses on what is to take place during the time to come – whether death from the earthly life or the rapture of the church. the principle outlined in 1 John 3:2-3 point out that believers will be just like Christ, through sanctification, and are continuing in the process of maturity in order to become pure. If Christ comes before the believer’s death, it is important to note that life’s limitations are removed and are taken up into glorification in heaven.

The believer’s hope is rooted in Christ, as the struggles of life seem to become harder to handle each day; but, the blessed promise is that God will walk with His children through these times of testing (1 Cor. 10:13). Living in the desires of the flesh means that man will struggle until he is perfected in the time to come. The outcome of this process is the results of action (1 Cor. 9:7).

The two main points that need to be clarified on the “fruit” aspect are discipleship and worship. It is through discipleship that people come and live life intentionally with accountability and relationships with other people at its core.[7] Transformation of the mind is only found in the pursuit of holiness in worship, as it relates to God’s personal holiness (Rom. 12:1-2). Regarding mind transformation, Moo writes “God’s Spirit comes to reside in us, and he provides a whole new orientation to our thinking. But our thinking itself is not instantaneously changed.”[8] God allows each believer to use themselves in a specific way to build up the body as a whole. In holding each other accountable, it should encourage believers when seeing that the mission of service in the local church, the evangelism of the lost, and the continuity of fellowship with the believing community occurs. The worship of Christ through an effective plan of discipleship will help to navigate community and patterns of fellowship.

[1] Elmer L. Towns, Theology for Today, (Mason, OH.: Cengage Learning, 2008), 302.

[2] See Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:10 for further study.

[3] Kelly M. Kapic, ed., Sanctification: Explorations in Theology and Practice, (Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 30.

[4] Towns, Theology for Today, 473-474.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Moo, The NIV Application Commentary, 398.