The term “sanctification” has been used by Protestant Christians for hundreds of years to describe a key component of the Christian life. Following conversion, Christians embark on a journey of faith to become more like their savior. But today, talking about personal “sanctification” can also feel lofty and overly abstract. What does this process of following Jesus actually look like?
The best way to bring this key term back down to the ground is by studying what the Bible has to say about it. With a robust survey of Scripture, a greater degree of understanding is given, and the joy of becoming more like Jesus is unfolded. The Bible describes sanctification along four major lines.
A Finished and Ongoing Reality
Paul begins his letter to the church of Corinth by giving them the following greeting:
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.— 1 Cor. 1:2, ESV, emphasis added
Subtle though it may seem, Paul’s greeting helps us understand sanctification. He addresses the church as “those sanctified,” in the past tense. In the very next breath, he reminds them of the fact that they are “called to be saints.” The word “saints” literally translates to “holy ones.” Paul is greeting the church by reminding them that they have been made holy (sanctified), and are called to keep living as holy ones. In doing so, he captures the first core component of biblical sanctification in one breath. Sanctification is both a finished and ongoing reality. It is something that has definitively happened in the past, in Christ’s death and resurrection. It is also something that progressively continues on.
This duality is seen all throughout the New Testament. Passages such as 1 Corinthians 6:11, Acts 20:32, Hebrews 10:14 and more underscore the truth that sanctification is something that has happened to an individual in the past. Other portions of Scripture, like Romans 6:19, 2 Corinthians 7:1, and 1 Thessalonians 4:3, reinforce the continual nature of sanctification as something that Christians participate in.
Belonging and Conforming
Peter, in his address to the church, captures the second component of biblical sanctification when he writes to those who: “Have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood” (1 Pet. 1:2, emphasis added).
This passage, alongside many others (Acts 20:32; Rom. 6:19; 1 Thess. 4:3), reveals that sanctification describes both our relationship to God, and the continual process of renewal we experience within this relationship. This beautifully corresponds with the finished and continuous components discussed above.
To be sanctified is to belong to God. To continue walking in sanctification is a continual process wherein we are becoming more like Jesus. In this second sense, Christians should expect for their lives to consist of growth in the fruits of the Spirit and Christ-like character. This is the continual, conforming reality of the Spirit’s work.
Sanctification Ends in Glorification
Paul reveals that although sanctification is continuous, it is not eternal. Sanctification has an end in mind, a place where it shall be complete once and for all. “But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life” (Rom. 6:22).
Sanctification is wrought from the work of Jesus, and it finds its end in eternal life itself. This can be understood in two ways. First, this means that sanctification is wrapped into the process of salvation itself. We are not saved by our growth. We are saved by Jesus. But Jesus’ renewing work in us by the Holy Spirit always involves sanctification. Second, this helps us understand when sanctification itself shall cease. The end of the conforming process shall be the day that Jesus returns, and the people of God receive their glorified bodies. Then, there shall be no more growth to be had. We will finally be in perfect communion with God.
The Work of the Spirit (and Humankind)
How do we fit into this picture? How much of sanctification is on our shoulders, and how much does God achieve? Paul beautifully addresses this reality in his letter to the Phillippians:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.— Phil. 2:12–13, emphasis added
In sanctification, human beings are called to “work.” We are clearly commanded to seek out growth and walk in obedience. At the same time, the Bible is clear that all of our striving for sanctification is still a result of God working on our behalf.
Paul has no trouble commanding the church to work out its salvation (a Pauline shorthand for sanctification and endurance through the Christian life), only to then remind them that all of their striving and effort comes from God. At the end of the day, we strive for growth because God is first working within us.
So, do we achieve our sanctification? No. It is primarily the work and achievement of God. But God is pleased to manifest our sanctification through ordinary means, namely, through our own human agency. So, we strive forward, seeking to grow in sanctification, all the while aware of the truth that God himself is working in our souls to achieve such ends, and therefore, he is truly worthy of all the glory.
