Introduction
Sanctification is a central doctrine within salvation and shows how God sets believers apart for Himself. Justification declares a sinner righteous through faith in Christ, while sanctification describes the believer’s growth in holiness. Scripture presents sanctification as a completed reality at salvation, an ongoing process throughout the Christian life, and a future certainty when believers are glorified. This essay will examine these three aspects of sanctification as well as the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing about this work.
Three Aspects of Sanctification
Positional Sanctification
The Bible presents three aspects of sanctification. The first is positional, or definitive, sanctification. This refers to the believer’s standing in Christ, established at the moment of faith. It is not dependent on spiritual maturity, good works, or biblical knowledge; rather, it is true of all believers.
For example, 1 Corinthians 6:11 declares, “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” Here, the verbs “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified” are all in the past tense, showing that the believer’s new position is already accomplished.
Progressive Sanctification
Progressive sanctification refers to the believer’s ongoing conformity to Christ. Ryrie defines it as “the present experiential or progressive work of continuing to be set apart during the whole of our Christian lives.”³ It is lifelong, requiring active participation on the believer’s part (enabled by the Spirit) to deny self and follow Christ.
Though every believer experiences this process, growth varies. Romans 6:11 exhorts believers: “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Based on this new reality, Paul urges them to resist sin and live in holiness.
Two truths about progressive sanctification are especially important:
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Sanctification is a central doctrine within salvation and shows how God sets believers apart for Himself. Justification declares a sinner righteous through faith in Christ, while sanctification describes the believer’s growth in holiness. Scripture presents sanctification as a completed reality at salvation, an ongoing process throughout the Christian life, and a future certainty when believers are glorified. This essay will examine these three aspects of sanctification as well as the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing about this work.
Three Aspects of Sanctification
Positional Sanctification
The Bible presents three aspects of sanctification. The first is positional, or definitive, sanctification. This refers to the believer’s standing in Christ, established at the moment of faith. It is not dependent on spiritual maturity, good works, or biblical knowledge; rather, it is true of all believers.
For example, 1 Corinthians 6:11 declares, “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” Here, the verbs “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified” are all in the past tense, showing that the believer’s new position is already accomplished.
Progressive Sanctification
Progressive sanctification refers to the believer’s ongoing conformity to Christ. Ryrie defines it as “the present experiential or progressive work of continuing to be set apart during the whole of our Christian lives.”³ It is lifelong, requiring active participation on the believer’s part (enabled by the Spirit) to deny self and follow Christ.
Though every believer experiences this process, growth varies. Romans 6:11 exhorts believers: “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Based on this new reality, Paul urges them to resist sin and live in holiness.
Two truths about progressive sanctification are especially important:
- Every believer is commanded to pursue holiness (1 Thess 4:3–8; 1 Pet 1:16). God is not pleased with stagnation.
- Progressive sanctification is a process, not an instant change. It will never reach perfection in this life, but the believer should sin less and become more like Christ in thought and action.
Set Apart… Biblical Foundations of Sanctification :: By Alexander Major
(Set Apart By God and For God: Biblical Foundations of Sanctification) Introduction Sanctification is a central doctrine within salvation and shows how
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