I am a Christian, and I still struggle with sin.
Daily.
Like the Apostle Paul, I do sinful things that I don’t want to do, and I don’t do the things I know I ought to do (Romans 7:18-20). Such is the life of a Christian. Through the work of Christ, we’ve been made righteous in the eyes of the Father and we’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit, who gives us the desire and ability to obey God’s Word and do what is right. But all of us, even the godliest of saints, are still sinners. We still mess up and make mistakes. We hurt and offend people, and we disobey what’s written in the Scriptures. We say and do the wrong things, even if we have the best of intentions.
Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us this way. He doesn’t just save us and say sayonara, leaving us to fend for ourselves and figure out how to behave on our own until Jesus returns. No, God actively works in and through us every single day to make us more and more like Him through a process called sanctification.
What exactly is sanctification? Bible teacher Lydia Brownback writes,
“Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit transforms believers to become more and more like Jesus Christ.”[1]
This transformation of sanctification is not the same as the transformation that occurs at salvation. Author Amy Gannett differentiates between the two—
“While salvation is the gift of God that secures our place in God’s family for eternity, sanctification is the ongoing work he does in our hearts and lives by his Spirit.”[2]
Or, as theologian J. I. Packer succinctly put it—
“Regeneration is birth; sanctification is growth.”[3]
Now, the Bible actually talks about two different types or phases of sanctification, which are often called positional sanctification and progressive sanctification. Positional sanctification occurs when we are saved and regenerated. Jesus offered up His life, His body on the cross, and because of this, all who believe in Him are sanctified (Hebrews 10:10, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Thessalonians 2:13). This means that we are forgiven of all our sins and we are made holy and righteous in the eyes of God (Acts 26:18, Hebrews 10:14). Positional sanctification is a one-time event which allows us former sinners to become citizens of God’s eternal kingdom.
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11, ESV
The second phase of sanctification, which is what most people think of when they hear “sanctification,” is progressive sanctification. Pastor Kevin DeYoung explains the relationship between these phases—
“In Christ every believer has a once-for-all positional holiness, and from this new identity every Christian is commanded to grow in the ongoing-for-your-whole life process of holiness.”[4]
While positional sanctification is a one-time event, progressive sanctification is a lifelong process of becoming more and more holy, more and more like Christ. If you’ve ever wondered what God’s will is for your life, this is it! Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
Many have pondered how exactly the process of sanctification works. Some passages in Scripture seem to suggest that it is God who works in us (Philippians 2:13), who transforms us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), who will bring our sanctification to completion (Philippians 1:6). Others appear to command Christians to cleanse themselves (2 Corinthians 7:1, 2 Timothy 2:21), strive for holiness (Hebrews 12:14), and work out their salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Is our sanctification our responsibility or God’s? Packer offers a wonderful answer—
“God’s method of sanctification is neither activism (self-reliant activity) nor apathy (God-reliant passivity), but God-dependent effort.”[5]
It is God who sanctifies us, but it is up to us to be obedient to His will and His Word. This means we put off our old selves, our sinful desires, and our wicked ways and put on holiness and righteousness (Ephesians 4:22-24). This means that our lives produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives—namely love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This means that we press on towards our goal of becoming more and more like Christ by fixing our eyes on Him (Philippians 3:12-14).[6]
You are a sinner, even if you have submitted your life to Christ. You still make mistakes and poor decisions, but there is hope for you! In Christ, you have been positionally sanctified and made holy before the Father. In Christ, you are currently—right now where you’re sitting—being progressively sanctified, being made more holy and more like your Savior every day, every hour, every minute. And one day, Christ will ultimately sanctify you and make you completely holy and righteous so that you will be without sin for eternity.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
[1] Lydia Brownback, 1-2 Peter: Living Hope in a Hard World (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021), 45.
[2] Amy Gannett, Fix Your Eyes: How Our Study of God Shapes Our Worship of Him (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2021), 61.
[3] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), 184.
[4] Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 33.
[5] Packer, 184.
[6] Fix Your Eyes is the title of Amy Gannett’s book and also her answer to becoming more like God (“By fixing our eyes on Christ,” 61.
