After the glorious declaration of “not guilty” in justification, a new and purposeful journey begins. It is the journey of becoming in experience what you already are in your legal standing. You have been declared righteous; now you are being made righteous. This process, often fraught with struggle, joy, setbacks, and victories, is the beautiful and necessary work of sanctification. It is God’s will for you (1 Thessalonians 4:3), and it is the evidence that the life of Christ within you is real and active. It is the story of the potter reshaping the clay, the vinedresser pruning the branch, and the Refiner purifying the silver, all for the purpose of conforming you to the image of His Son.

The Position and the Process

The moment you were justified, you were also, in a profound sense, sanctified. This is your position. The writer to the Hebrews says that “by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). You were set apart, made holy unto God, positionally and permanently. You are a saint; a “holy one.” This is not a title for the super-spiritual; it is the identity of every person in Christ.

Yet, your daily experience often falls short of this glorious position, doesn’t it? You still feel the pull of old desires, the nagging presence of sin. This is where the process of sanctification comes in. It is the lifelong journey of working out your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). It is the constant, sometimes painful, renewal of your mind so that you are no longer conformed to the pattern of this world but are transformed (Romans 12:2).

Imagine a slave who has been legally declared free. The papers are signed; his position has changed. But he still lives in the slave quarters, thinks with a slave mentality, and wears his chains out of habit. Sanctification is the process of walking out of those quarters, renewing his mind to his new identity as a free man, and learning to live in the reality of his liberation. You have been freed from the dominion of sin (Romans 6:6-7, 18); now you must learn to live as the free person you are.

The Divine-Human Cooperation

Sanctification is a work of God in which you are an active, willing participant. It is not passive. You are called to “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13), to “put off your old self” and to “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:22-24). This involves a daily, moment-by-moment choosing. You choose to turn away from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), which have been the world’s trap since the Garden (Genesis 3:6). You choose to present your members your eyes, your tongue, your hands, and your mind as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:13).

How is this possible? It is possible only through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is the divine side of the cooperation. The Christian life is a life “in the Spirit.” You are to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The flesh and the Spirit are in constant opposition. The fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, is not something you manufacture through grim determination. It is the supernatural product of a life yielded to the Spirit’s control (Galatians 5:22-23). It is the life of Christ, the true Vine, flowing through you, the branch, causing you to bear fruit (John 15:5). Your role is to abide, to remain, to stay connected, to trust, and to draw life from Him.

Sanctification changes your CHARACTER (from sinful to Christlike).

The Tools and the Goal

God, in His wisdom, uses specific tools to shape you in this process. His Word is the primary scalpel. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). As you immerse yourself in Scripture, it washes you, cleanses your thinking, and corrects your path (Ephesians 5:26; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Furthermore, God uses your circumstances, especially trials, to sanctify you. The testing of your faith produces steadfastness, making you “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). Even the difficult relationships and the daily frustrations are His instruments to sand away your rough edges and teach you to love as He loves.

The ultimate goal of sanctification is Christ-likeness. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). From the original design in Genesis 1:26-27 to the final fulfillment in Revelation, God’s purpose is to have a people who reflect His character. One day, this process will be complete. You will see Him as He is, and you will be like Him (1 John 3:2). The struggle with sin will be over. The final chapter of your salvation, glorification, will have arrived.

Sanctification is the progressive work of God and man that makes the Christian increasingly free from sin and more and more like Christ in their actual life.

Sanctification is built upon the foundation of justification and flows from your union with Christ. It is a journey of active dependence, where you fight sin and pursue holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit, using the tools of God’s Word and prayer.

Sanctification is a process that is often challenging but is infused with God’s grace and aimed at a glorious end: your conformity to the image of the Son, for your joy and for His eternal praise.

The Benefits of SANCTIFICATION

(The Transformational Benefits: What is Developed Within You)

1. Freedom from Sin’s Dominion: Sin is no longer your master; you have the power to say “no” and to choose obedience (Romans 6:6, 14, 18).
2. A Renewed Mind: Your thinking is progressively transformed to align with God’s truth, enabling you to discern His good and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
3. The Fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control become the supernatural evidence of Christ’s life in you (Galatians 5:22-23).
4. Increasing Christlikeness: You are gradually conformed to the image of Jesus, reflecting His character in your daily life (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:29).
5. Effective Service & Ministry: You are cleansed and prepared for every good work God has planned for you (2 Timothy 2:21, Ephesians 2:10).
6. Inner Peace and Stability: As your mind is stayed on Christ, you experience a perfect peace that guards your heart, even in turmoil (Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:7).
7. A Clean Conscience: The ongoing washing of the Word and confession brings freedom from shame and a clear conscience before God (Hebrews 10:22, 1 John 1:9).
8. Greater Capacity for Intimacy with God: Holiness is the pathway to seeing God; purification deepens fellowship (Matthew 5:8, Hebrews 12:14).
9. Strength in Suffering: Trials become tools that produce endurance, character, and a hope that does not disappoint (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4).
10. A Life of Purpose and Meaning: You participate in God’s redemptive work, finding deep significance as you are used for His eternal kingdom.