Sanctification

The sanctification of the saints is what distinguishes and sets them apart from those who indulge and revel in the ways of the world.

Essentially, to sanctify something means to set the thing apart (consecrate) for sacred or holy use. These can be ornaments that serve as special reminders, indicators, or memorials of significant events, so they are deemed sacred and often set apart (consecrated) through the means of a ritual wherein they are declared sanctified and holy to touch or look at. The same applies to vessels or furnishings that have practical value during religious events (cf. 1 Chron. 22:19; 2 Chron. 5:5) and are given special significance.

When it comes to humans being sanctified, this means that a person is set aside from common activities for sacred purposes and will have a different lifestyle from what is commonplace for those who are given to being led by the spirit of disobedience that is at work in the sons of darkness.

When Hezekiah became King of Judah, he looked to God and sought to bring the people back from ungodliness to doing what is acceptable and righteous before the Lord. We read of Hezekiah addressing the priestly tribe of Levi:

Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the holy place. (2 Chronicles 29:5)

The idea is for the Levites to separate themselves from worldly behavior and devote themselves to the Lord. The same applies to the house of the Lord—that is, the place of worship. In doing this, the priests were to identify with the calling and purpose God had ordained for them. What is evident in all of this is the fact that they had the ability to reject the ways of the Lord. If this were not the case, there would not have been any filth in the holy place.

Even though the Levites and the temple of the Lord may not have been given the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were nevertheless types of what was to come: a new nation and a different temple. Note the correlation in the following two passages from the Old Testament and the New Testament:

Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5–6a)

Like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

The two passages are very similar. The difference is that the priests in the Old Testament served at the house of the Lord. In the New Testament text, the priesthood has been equated as living stones that make up the house of the Lord. Moreover, in the New Testament, the whole nation is to be made up of priests. In both cases, the people are called "a holy nation," separated unto the Lord God as His own, distinguishable from the other nations who remain in darkness.

Sanctification is a term many claiming to be Christians have difficulty coming to grips with because they believe that it means being perfect—and they don't want to be perfect. If they did, they would be perfect because they would take what Lord Jesus said to heart:

You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Since people take issue with what is written in the Bible, even though they will call it the literal, inerrant, authoritative, Living Word of God, instead of accepting that they can be actually perfectly sanctified and live in the sanctification to which they are called, the terms "positional" and "progressive" are used to refer to the reasons why they cannot experience complete sanctification.

Positional Sanctification
Positional sanctification refers to a state in which God holds us to be sanctified in Lord Jesus Christ. This is based upon what Jesus said in what is known as the priestly prayer found in the Gospel of John, chapter seventeen. While most of the chapter records the prayer, the following gives various theologians and prelates a basis to develop their doctrine of "positional sanctification":

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth. (John 17:16–19)

We read of the separation from the world of Lord Jesus, but the sending into the world of the disciples, then the words "I consecrate myself that they also may be consecrated." The inference drawn from this is that Jesus is saying the disciples are different from the world, but because they are in the world, they are not consecrated themselves; so since He is consecrated, His consecration will substitute for their sake.

The idea of substitution is not foreign to the New Testament teaching. The Son of God became the substitute for Adam's sin on the cross and, by extension, also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Since He was the substitute for sins, stretching this to include an inability to be perfect—even if given the power of the Holy Spirit to be so—the Son of God acts as a sanctification substitute for all who don't walk in sanctification as saints of the Living God. To further emphasize this view, an appeal is made to what the Apostle Paul said regarding God making Lord Jesus our sanctification. We read:

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

If we read this as "God made Lord Jesus Christ our sanctification," then we might have an argument for positional sanctification rather than actual sanctification. The truth is Christ Jesus is our righteousness, and this has been transferred to us in actual fact and is not something that is yet to be received. For, if we are in Christ, we are a new creation, for the righteousness of Lord Jesus Christ exists within our spirits.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

Unfortunately, there are those who insist they are not a new creation because they have a desperately wicked heart, based on what is written in Jeremiah:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

When we reject what the Scriptures actually say because we take them out of context and seek to establish a worldview that is not in accord with the promises and power of God to deliver, then we are going to seek theology that provides a doctrine of Positional Sanctification.

If, instead of actually experiencing God at work in our lives, we want to read about Him, justify what we do, and not develop a relationship with Lord Jesus Christ, so that we might be perfected by Him through the power of the Holy Spirit, then the idea of positional sanctification does this. It places all our promises and the power of God in Heaven, out of our reach and impossible to attain in this age. Instead of receiving what God has for us as promised, the idea is for us to continue living in the flesh with a wicked heart and deny the power of Lord Jesus Christ in our lives. If this is you, I am sorry—you are missing what God has for you.

Progressive Sanctification
Not all Christians accept the "positional sanctification" view of life in Christ. Those who actually encounter Lord Jesus Christ know that there is a transformation taking place within. They understand that they are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17); not because they read this in the Bible, but because they are involved in a relationship with the Heavenly Father via Lord Jesus Christ, having received the Holy Spirit. Inside, they are motivated to focus on what God wants for them. Their desire is to understand the will of God for their lives. Communion with God becomes very important to them. Every day they are in communion with God in prayer. Theologians of this ilk find themselves seeing life as a journey toward experiencing more sanctification as they grow in the experiential knowledge of Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, the term "progressive sanctification" is used.

Those who subscribe to the idea of progressive sanctification take heart in what the Apostle Paul said about seeking to attain to the resurrection of the dead (Philippians 3:11). His aim is to become completely hid in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Still, many of these individuals see this as an impossibility, mainly because they find themselves falling short of walking in the narrow way of righteousness. All too often, anger is the problem.

Anger comes from pride and self-righteousness most of the time. Righteous anger can be expressed without sin, for it confronts the issue of injustice. Anger from frustration is another matter. This comes from personal issues that haven't been resolved during the maturation phase of psychological development beginning when one is a child.

There may be some other issues, but mostly the greatest difficulty one has when it comes to being humble is pride and an unwillingness to die daily in all areas of one's life (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:31).

Closely associated with sanctification is the modification of behaviors that do not conform to godliness. The transformation of how one thinks is a critical element of consecrating oneself from the ways of the past that do not meet with God's approval. The past lifestyle, with its habitual unconscious behavior, has to be brought to task when it contravenes the requirements of God for holiness. Although it is not all that needs to be changed, thinking is like the rudder of the ship, because not only does one need to reason with God regarding lifestyle changes, one has to consciously make choices when confronted with situations that could be entrapments—situations which pull one down to the sewer of depravity and give the Devil claim upon one's life. Stinking thinking will distort one's perception and cause one to transgress God's righteousness. Clear thinking will steer one away from worldly evils, and one's treasure will become the hatred of evil (cf. Isaiah 33:6; Proverbs 8:13). The renewal of our mindset is part of the sanctifying process.

The following Scripture comes through an Old Testament prophet and a New Testament apostle. The message is essentially the same, just expressed differently. Sanctification is the desired outcome:

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be eaten by the sword; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 1:18–20)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God—what is good, acceptable, and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Essentially, there are three phases of life on Earth that are known to humans and experienced by all who live a long life. The first is maturing. The second is maturity itself. The third is diminishing maturation.

How psychological maturity is viewed varies from person to person and culture to culture. Cultural expectations are considered the final arbiter of maturity. The irony is that physical maturity outpaces psychological maturity, with spiritual maturity usually being attributed to the degree of wisdom one possesses as senescence starts appearing and the physical body begins to lose its suppleness and agility.

The first stage is where each one lays the foundation for maturity through personal experience and personal perception. The contrasting perceptions of self-concept (how one views oneself) and self-image (how one believes others view oneself) are developed unconsciously, even though one is consciously active in making these assessments.

During this first stage of development, various frustrations can become embedded within one's person, and similar to how a knot in a tree is formed, a protective barrier encompasses painful frustrations and a hardening takes place. This hardening becomes an attitudinal disposition that manifests whenever similar experiences are encountered. If the hardening does not form, frequent encounters that arouse afresh the unalleviated rawness of the trauma previously felt will result in emotional instability, oversensitivity, and impetuosity, to say the least. The more unresolved trauma festers, the greater a knot becomes, manifesting a lopsided character flaw which prevents the natural traits of personal development from growing into maturity.

We can compare human maturation to a tree that ought to reach its full height, proportionally balanced circumference, and display its full majesty and beauty—but doesn't. Instead, being full of knots and leaning to one side, its twisted boughs grow horizontally rather than reaching to the heavens. Eventually, the tree is uprooted before its originally intended time.

Everyone failing to successfully morph through the natural childhood stages of development toward maturity encounters more debilitating and restrictive problems during the intended life cycle from birth to death, often failing to reach peak potential and live out the fullness of one's days.

When one becomes a Christian, the sanctifying process is often restricted by the attitudinal traits, character flaws, emotional dispositions, and self-perceptions (self-concept, self-image, and consequential self-esteem) one possesses.

Sanctification is not so much what one does; rather, it is what one allows God to do. One can consecrate oneself by fully devoting one's attention to doing what one perceives God requires and by avoiding involvement in distracting worldly activities. But this is separating oneself from the world, not sanctification brought about by God. Nevertheless, for one to be sanctified by God, one first needs to consecrate oneself to God. This is not a salvation-by-works trip; rather, it is presenting oneself to God for sanctification. The book of James advises:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. (James 4:7–8)

According to James, the initiative has to be taken by the one seeking God. One has to submit to God, but to do this, one has to draw near to God. Once one is submitted to God, then the Devil can be resisted—not because one resists the Devil in one's own strength, but because, sanctified (protected and separated and empowered) by God, he has to flee; for he has no right, no legal authority, no claim that will stick. One could say that being sanctified is similar to being coated with Teflon. Nothing that the Devil does has any attachment to oneself, for one is impervious to his designs. The Teflon covering that comes through sanctification places a protective barrier between one and the spirit of the world.

Sanctification is often viewed as a transformative process, whereby one is transformed from one degree of glory to another (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18). However, while this may appear so, glorification is another matter altogether. Glorification is a transformative process that occurs within one that brings forth qualities that endure for eternity, which are manifested through bearing fruit in one's life as a saint. This follows as a corollary of having been sanctified.

We find in the Scripture that there are various types or aspects of sanctification, which can require some explaining, for some are rather unexpected and may seem difficult to fathom. There is sanctification:

• by God's own blood (Hebrews 13:12; cf. Acts 20:28)
• in the truth (John 17:17)
• by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26)
• by faith (Acts 26:18)
• in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2)
• in the name of Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11)
• by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16)
• by the blood of the covenant (Hebrews 10:29; cf. 1 John 1:7)
• by the offering of the body of Christ (Hebrews 10:10)

Understanding each facet of sanctification, and how it is that one can be sanctified by one thing and not another, depends upon one's experience. At the heart of each facet of sanctification is the idea of separation from the world. Having an academic comprehension of how each facet of sanctification may affect one is insufficient for understanding what really occurs. Likewise, so is saying that there is no distinction in being sanctified by one factor from another. Once one is sanctified, one is always sanctified. With such a statement, the Scriptures agree. Take note:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Romans 6:22)

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)
Many take issue with the idea that sanctification is presented as complete in an experiential sense, because they see this as an ongoing, progressive experience. Hence, rather than seeing people as sanctified, they are viewed as being in the process of sanctification. This is an ongoing experience that has yet to be completed. The difficulty is one is either sanctified or one is not. The idea that a person may be sanctified but not yet sanctified presents its own problems. Christians are "saints" by virtue of the fact that they are sanctified—set apart to do the will of God.

In the book of First Thessalonians, an appeal is made to readers that their whole body, soul, and spirit be sanctified until the day of the Lord, so that they may be ready to meet the Lord at His second coming:

May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Once we have been adopted and received the seal of the Holy Spirit, we have protection against the Evil One, for we have been set apart from those who have no protection.

Observation and experience inform us that while every provision has been made available for sanctification, trying circumstances—and one's reaction to them—often produce un-saintly responses that seem to contradict the idea of being sanctified or set apart from ungodly behaviors.

With this in mind, many perceive the sanctification of the spirit, soul, and body as three different phases of the same action. This is where the ideas of "positional sanctification" and "progressive sanctification" appear to make sense. For it seems that it is possible for our spirit to be sanctified, our soul not yet fully sanctified, and our body not sanctified until the last day. However, this line of thinking indicates that sanctification is being confused with the process of redemption.

Acknowledging that this is the case, the doctrines of Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification have been delineated and propounded as collectively embracing the truth of the redemption of our spirit, soul, and body.

When speaking of the body, it is referred to as the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit within the person encased by the body makes it the temple. This is the reason those who possess the Holy Spirit are called saints.

People who claim that only a state of "positional" sanctification exists—and that actual sanctification is impossible—clearly do not understand what Scripture says: that all who are in Christ are Christians by virtue of the fact that the Holy One indwells them. If the Spirit of Christ is not indwelling a person, then that person is not a Christian—for the word Christian means "belonging to Christ." We read:

But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)

If the word Christian means belonging to Christ, the Scriptures could not be clearer than what is written above in Romans 8:9. Christ is the Anointed One, or the One who is set apart by virtue of the Spirit of Holiness (cf. Romans 1:4).

Complete sanctification requires us to separate ourselves from the world, so that we are not participating in it at all. Difficult to do. Absolutely essential if we are to be what our Lord God calls us to be and do. We are encouraged to strive for holiness so that our eyes might be opened and we may see the Lord.
Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

Striving for something is not working for it. We contend against the spiritual wickedness that exists in heavenly places and the ruler of this world. This is the spirit of the power of the prince of the air, who is at work in the sons of disobedience, but who also uses every wile possible to deceive and distract people from seeking the Lord and walking in His ways.

Progressive sanctification is the term used to describe what we understand to be God working in us as we seek to work out our salvation by learning to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Progressive sanctification is also known as experiential sanctification, because by seeking to place ourselves in subjection to our Heavenly Father through Lord Jesus Christ, we learn in real time that walking toward the Light takes us from darkness through a twilight zone—where shadows appear and begin to shrink, and where colors even become more distinguishable—the closer we get to the Light. Once we leave the twilight zone and become light ourselves, we are fully sanctified, fully set apart from the darkness; for the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.

This walk from darkness, through twilight, toward the source of light is something we can understand through observation of summer mornings—especially the closer we live to the North or South Pole. Twilight is extended for quite some time as the sun begins to rise. However, for many, the experience of twilight in the evening may provide a clearer idea of what it is like without the sun. After sunset, initially, there seems to be no difference in the amount of light. But soon, shadows begin to lengthen and darken as night sets in.

The importance of this for understanding our Christian experience and what it means to be sanctified becomes clear when we consider what Lord Jesus told the Apostle Paul when commissioning him:

“To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:18)

As pointed out earlier, there are nine facets of the sanctification process found in the New Testament. These incorporate God’s own blood (Hebrews 13:12; cf. Acts 20:28), separating us from the Evil One so that we can receive the truth (John 17:17) and be washed by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26). This allows us to exercise faith (Acts 26:18) in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2) through water baptism by calling upon His name, Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11), and by being baptized in the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16). Thereafter, we are covered by the blood of the covenant (Hebrews 10:29; cf. 1 John 1:7) and included in the body of Christ that was offered up for us (Hebrews 10:10).

The body of Christ that was offered up for us was reclaimed by virtue of Lord Jesus rising from the dead. We who are many are now one in the body of Christ. We are sanctified by partaking of the bread and the wine as members of the body of Christ.

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16–17)

Sanctification, as with everything we experience in the salvific process, needs to be understood on two levels. God is not governed by time, so everything that is happening on Earth is already complete as far as He is concerned, even though for those living through the experience, this is not yet the case. Hence, we find ourselves working out our own salvation, which—according to God—is already completed.

For us, who are walking from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, provided we continue on the path set before us, we are sanctified. When we allow ourselves to be distracted or are threatened by the bluff of the Evil One—who attempts to arouse doubt and unbelief within us—we may lose the favor we experience in the covering that protects us. Fortunately, this can be rectified. However, experientially, once we reach the place where we are sanctified, the probability of such loss becomes low. By this stage, we have come to understand more about who we are and why we are journeying toward the kingdom of God.

1. We are no longer concerned about corruption, for we understand who is depraved and that we have left the darkness of depravity.
2. The Evil One has no claim on us, because we now understand that we have been imputed with the righteousness of God.
3. We understand that the grace of God is extended to us so we can lay hold of His promises.
4. We know that we do not have to offer up any sacrifices to God, for Lord Jesus offered Himself as the sacrificial ransom price for our redemption.
5. Because of what Lord Jesus did—having made atonement and brought peace—we are able to approach the throne of God.
6. This has enabled us to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father, so we are no longer estranged.
7. Responding to the call, we now look to God for fulfillment in life.
8. The regeneration process has begun deep within.
9. This has united us with God.
10. Turning away from our sins, we repent and head toward the kingdom of light.
11. Our faith becomes stronger as we draw closer.
12. With increased confidence, we believe that God raises the dead, and so we are justified to enter His presence.
13. God adopts us as His children—sons and daughters.
14. Now we are set apart from the world, saints, sanctified by everything that pertains to salvation.
15. All we have to do now is cross the moat and enter the kingdom of light, to know that we have secured our salvation forever.

Eternal Security

Translations used:

World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

RSV (Revised Standard Version of the Bible) copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 Used by permission.

Young's Literal Translation (YLT) by Public Domain

KJV (King James Version)

*****