What is Sanctification
Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus
Philippians 3:12 (CSB)
When we discuss sanctification, we discuss becoming more like Christ. Sanctification encompasses what we understand as the activity of discipleship and the work of the Lord. It occurs through the partnership of God and His children. While we most often talk about the process of sanctification, we must also recognize that it refers to both a positional change and a perfected state.
Sanctification Is Positional. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior through faith, our status before the Lord undergoes a positional change. We transition from enemy to friend, from foe to family, and from stained by sin to set apart by the Lord. This setting apart signifies a positional change that brings us into a reconciled relationship with the Lord and distinguishes us as part of His kingdom.
Sanctification is a process. As followers of Christ, we pursue a life that increasingly resembles Jesus. This pursuit reflects the nature of sanctification as a journey. It is the process by which we are set apart, becoming less engaged in sin while living more faithfully before the Lord and according to His Word. Sanctification involves us, as disciples, learning and maturing in our faith. A key aspect of this process is that it must remain an ever-growing and active journey. We must recognize that there is always room to become more like Jesus, and we never outgrow the sanctification process.
Sanctification Is Perfected. The last concept of sanctification is the idea of perfected sanctification. We will understand this more in depth when we investigate the part of salvation known as glorification. But for the current understanding, sanctification is perfected in heaven. We become perfected and completely set apart for the Lord when we enter the presence of the Lord. This moment becomes the conclusion of the sanctification process.
Sanctification is not merely a suggestion from the Lord; it is an expectation for the child of God. We must commit ourselves to the process of sanctification and strive to become increasingly like Jesus. Sanctification is both the work of God within us and our endeavor to become more like Christ.
QUESTIONS
What spiritual activities promote spiritual growth in the process of sanctification?
How does positional sanctification and perfected sanctification fuel our process of sanctification?
