In the Bible, the term “sanctify” holds significant spiritual connotations. It refers to the act of setting apart or consecrating someone or something as holy, separate, and dedicated to the service of God. The definition of sanctify in the Bible encompasses various features that help deepen our understanding of this concept.
Firstly, sanctification is viewed as a process whereby individuals or objects are purified or made holy. It is not a one-time event but rather an ongoing journey of surrendering oneself to God’s transformative power. The Bible teaches that God initiates this process and believers are called to cooperate with His work in them.
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Unveiling the spiritual essence intertwined within the scriptures, this enlightening WordPress post dives deep into the profound meaning of the word “sanctify” as portrayed in the Bible. Prepare to embark on a soul-stirring journey of discovery, as we unravel the intricacies and unique features of this often-misunderstood term.
To sanctify an object means to wash, cleanse, consecrate or set it aside for a special purpose. Sanctification is a Christian teaching about how God transforms a person, making them fit for a holy purpose. Sanctification includes a change of heart, a desire to love God and other people. It includes a change of mind, seeing the world from an honest perspective. It includes embracing the truth about life, one’s self and others. And in the future, sanctification includes a change in the body, healing and perfecting what it means to be human.
Sanctification is a particular aspect of the Christian teaching of salvation. It’s a present experience of salvation, a process of transformation. It’s an experience that happens to a person after trusting in Christ for salvation and after God’s loving acceptance of them into His family.
For almost 2,000 years, Christian teachers and pastors have wrestled with the Bible’s various teachings, stories, histories, poems and prophecies about this transformation of the human heart, mind and body.
If you are in a hurry, these link to specific sections of content you might want to explore:
Defining Sanctification
Sanctification is God’s gracious work that enables Christians to follow God’s moral code, to love Him, to love their neighbors and to love even their enemies as themselves.
1. Sanctification is God’s gracious work.
Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It’s His loving posture toward all people. God does not sanctify a person because they are worthy or good; God sanctifies a person because of His mercy. This means that sanctification is God’s free gift (Ephesians 2:8). Sanctification is work that the Holy Spirit initiates and sustains (Galatians 3:1–3; 5:16–18).
2. Sanctification is supernatural.
As a work of God, sanctification includes acquiring new habits, practices and thoughts. But it’s more than the natural work that a wise psychologist or counselor can accomplish in a person. Sanctification results from the supernatural presence and power of the Holy Spirit working in a Christian’s life (Galatians 5:22–26; Ephesians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
This means that sanctification isn’t limited by personality, life experience or upbringing. It also means that sanctification isn’t limited to civility or obedience that involves actions without heart. It’s more.
Sanctification involves a transformation of the human person in the depths of their heart and soul. It’s more than what anyone can see or feel. It’s a mysterious, complex process that God initiates and sustains as a gift.
3. Sanctification is a process.
It doesn’t happen all at once. Christians don’t immediately become loving, kind, humble and self-controlled. As a process, sanctification means becoming more holy through time. Like a child growing up into adulthood, Christians become more sanctified over time (1 Peter 2:2). This means that Christians should expect to make progress, to grow and become more loving, kind, humble and self-controlled over their life. While there may be occasional setbacks and life-long struggles, God makes His people holy in the long run.
One of the authors of Scripture, the apostle Paul, uses himself as an example. He explains that while he is a follower of Jesus, he is not “already perfect,” but continues to pursue God’s call to new life (Philippians 3:12–14). Even as a missionary and eyewitness to Jesus’ resurrection, Paul continues in an imperfect love (Romans 7:15). For him, being sanctified means embracing weaknesses and trusting in God’s undeserved kindness (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
4. Sanctification results in good works.
God requires his people “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly” with God (Micah 6:8). For Christians, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).
The good news is that in sanctification God gives what God requires. God doesn’t just demand that Christians love and show compassion; instead, God creates a heart that loves and shows compassion. God helps Christians to mature into people who strive to do good in the world. Like a beautiful piece of art designed to bring joy, God turns His people into a masterpiece created to do good in the world (Ephesians 2:10).
5. Sanctification looks like Jesus.
Many of the Bible’s descriptions of good works, love, virtue and qualities that the Holy Spirit produces in sanctification find their perfect picture in Jesus’ life and ministry. Christians are to imitate God through patterning their life after Jesus’ examples of love and compassion (Ephesians 5:1–2; 1 Corinthians 11:1). In sanctification, God forms His people to resemble His own holy character revealed in Jesus’ life of love and self-sacrifice (Ephesians 4:20–24; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
How Does Sanctification Work?
1. In sanctification human beings participate in God’s work.
God sanctifies Christians (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 5:21; Ephesians 3:16; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:11; John 15:4; Galatians 5:22). And human beings participate, struggle, fight, work and act. Countless passages teach that human beings are responsible to work out their sanctification (Romans 8:12–13, 12:9–10; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:16–23; Colossians 3:5–14; Philippians 2:12–13).
Christians aren’t passive spectators sitting on the sidelines while God does all the work to win the day. Instead, Christians are active players struggling against evil. “I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body,” said Paul, “and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:26–27).
2. At its heart, sanctification is a process of self-denial and gospel renewal.
Sanctification is a process of dying and rising, of self-discipline and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. Thus Paul can describe the Christian life in these terms: “For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:11).
Self-denial is an essential ingredient in the process of sanctification (Luke 9:23; Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 4:22). But it’s not the only ingredient. The Holy Spirit working through the gospel must birth new life out of the ashes of an old life (Romans 10:17; Philippians 3:8–11; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Being a Christian means following Jesus in death and new life (Luke 9:23; Colossians 3:1–5). Through trusting Jesus, Christians experience a part of that new life as holiness or sanctification.
3. God has provided a plan for sanctification.
In sanctification God has promised to work through human effort and activities designed to discipline the heart. While there are forms of self-discipline that are worthless for the journey and fail to result in a holy life, there are special activities that God has promised to bless (Colossians 2:16–23). “God works to sanctify His people through their reading Scripture, hearing biblical sermons, praying and being baptized. He also works through their receiving of ordinary bread and wine during a worship service, and serving the poor, the marginalized, and anyone in need” (Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 10:16).1
Through God’s sanctifying work, Christians begin to imitate Jesus and reveal characteristics consistent with His (Ephesians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Galatians 5:22–26). This includes loving people that might feel like enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:35; Romans 12:14, 17, 20–21). Yet, even while striving to do good, Christians will fail. They will continue to struggle with harmful, evil desires and weakness of heart and body (Romans 7:15; Philippians 3:12–14; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10). The effects of sanctification in this life are real, but incomplete and imperfect. This is because the end result of sanctification is the resurrection and the fullness of new life that awaits in the next.
What Sanctification Is Not
1. Sanctification is not perfection. 2
After reading passages like 1 John 1:8–2:2 or Romans 8, some Christians concluded that to be sanctified means never committing an intentional act of evil. For these Christians, to be sanctified means to be cleansed from all selfishness, evil or impurity to the point that it becomes impossible for a Christian intentionally to do evil. But a close reading of 1 John 1:8–2:2 only shows that Christians ought to mature to the point that doing good in the world and loving God become a habit. This fits better with other places in the Bible (Hebrews 12:4; James 5:16; Romans 7:15; Philippians 3:12–14; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
2. Sanctification is not natural.
In a society with psychological experts, life coaches and self-help books, Christians can sometimes mistake sanctification for productivity, self-improvement or mindfulness. These are all good pursuits and accomplishments and include good practices and disciplines. A person doesn’t have to be a Christian to be a good person, productive or mindful. Christians can use these resources, but should not confuse personal growth with sanctification no matter how good it is.
Sanctification results from the supernatural presence and power of the Holy Spirit working in a Christian’s life (Galatians 5:22–26; Ephesians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10). It requires a change of heart, an alignment of the will with God’s will. Sanctification means learning to love what God loves and value what God values, and thus sanctification goes beyond what is natural.
3. Sanctification is not a path to earn God’s love.
Scripture teaches that sanctification is God’s gift to people whom He already loves. God loves and desires all people to receive His gift of eternal life (John 3:16–17; 1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus’ entire life demonstrates God’s love and mercy to all people, especially the poor, marginalized, and outcasts of society. Jesus made a point to show love to the very people that felt the most unworthy of that love (Matthew 9:10–13, 21:31; Luke 7:34; Luke 15:2). God loves and accepts people who imagine that they are the worst kind of people (Romans 5:8). In the same way that a person becomes a Christian through God’s grace, a person becomes sanctified through grace (Galatians 3:1–5).
Sanctification vs. Justification
To understand sanctification, it’s helpful to distinguish it from another important teaching, justification. Justification and sanctification are both Christian teachings related to salvation. They both are part of the good news of Jesus Christ. Both justification and sanctification are God’s gracious gifts, received by faith. But there are also three important differences.
1. Justification is legal; sanctification is transformational.
Justification is the opposite of condemnation (Romans 8:1). It’s a change in status from being guilty before God to being called righteous, holy or perfect. Justification is God’s legal declaration that a person is both innocent of all charges made against them and immune from any future charge in God’s court of law. It’s both forgiveness and legal immunity so that the person is unable to become guilty (Romans 7:4).
This works because by faith a person embraces Jesus as their legal representative before God. And as the work of their legal representative, Jesus’ work counts as their own, and Jesus’ death counts as their own (Romans 5:12–21). To explain further, in justification, Jesus’ status is applied to a person by faith (Romans 3:21–26).
Unlike justification, sanctification is transformational. Sanctification isn’t a change in status but an actual change in the human condition. Justification is being declared forgiven and righteous, but sanctification is being made righteous and holy.
2. Justification happens all at once; sanctification happens over a lifetime.
As a change in status, justification is immediate, final and complete. A person doesn’t become justified over time, and a person doesn’t become more or less justified throughout their life. For Christians, justification is an event in God’s court of law that has already happened. This is why Paul described a Christian as having “been justified” in the same way that Christ died “once for all” (Romans 5:1, 6:10).
3. Jesus’ work is the grounds for justification; Jesus’ life is the pattern for sanctification.
By faith a person embraces Jesus as their legal representative before God, meaning that Christ’s work counts as their own and Christ’s death counts as their own (Romans 5:12–21). This works because Jesus, as the Messiah, came to fulfill all of God’s requirements for eternal life as a representative of humanity. Through the resurrection, Jesus enters into the eternal life that He has secured for everyone who trusts Him for salvation.
In sanctification, Jesus’ life is a pattern to follow (Ephesians 5:1–2; 1 Corinthians 11:1). In sanctification God transforms His people over time to resemble Jesus (Ephesians 4:20–24; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
Embracing the Divine: A Closer Look at Sanctification
Through this comprehensive exploration, we strive to shed light on the profound concept of sanctification. Often misconstrued as mere purification or ceremonial rituals, sanctification, in its truest essence, is a divine process that consecrates and sets apart the believer from the worldly confines. It is a transformational journey that allows us to grow spiritually, becoming vessels of righteousness, guided by the divine will.
The Multifaceted Nature of Sanctification: Illuminating Its Unique Features
Within the realm of sanctification, we encounter a myriad of extraordinary attributes that encompass and enrich the believer’s life. Exploring the biblical narratives, we delve into the multifaceted nature of sanctification, unveiling its unique features:
- 1. Sanctification as a Process: Delving beyond the notion of an instantaneous event, we catch a glimpse of sanctification as an ongoing transformational process. It encompasses both initial consecration and a continuous refining journey, forging the believer’s character to reflect the divine image.
- 2. Empowerment through Holiness: Sanctification endows individuals with divine empowerment, enabling them to lead lives of holiness, separated from the corrupting influences of the world.
- 3. Liberation from Sin’s Shackles: A captivating facet of sanctification is its ability to liberate human souls from the bondage of sin. By surrendering to the divine sanctifying grace, believers find freedom, experiencing true redemption.
- 4. Connection with the Sacred: Sanctification intertwines believers’ lives with the sacred, bridging the gap between the earthly and the divine. It establishes a purposeful connection, allowing individuals to partake in the divine plan.
The Intrinsic Value and Benefits: Embracing the Sanctifying Journey
Engaging in the process of sanctification offers numerous intrinsic values and life-changing benefits for believers earnestly seeking a deeper connection with the divine. Some of these include:
- 1. Spiritual Awakening: Embarking on the sanctifying journey leads to a profound spiritual awakening, unveiling hidden realities and fostering a deeper communion with the divine.
- 2. Personal Transformation: Through sanctification, individuals witness a remarkable personal transformation, transcending their previous limitations and embracing a life marked by righteousness and grace.
- 3. Guidance and Direction: Sanctification opens doors to divine guidance, leading believers on a path of purpose, clarity, and deeper intimacy with God.
- 4. Eternal Reward: The ultimate benefit of sanctification lies in its promise of eternal reward. As individuals progressively conform to the divine image, they become heirs to the heavenly kingdom.
In this captivating WordPress post, we have embarked on an illuminating journey, peering into the multifaceted nature of sanctification in the Bible. By deciphering the divine essence of this transformative process, we have unveiled its unique features and explored the inherent value it brings. Now, it is your turn to embrace the sanctifying journey, allowing it to weave its profound impact on your spiritual life. May you find true sanctification and abundant blessings as you walk hand in hand with the divine.
Definition Of Sanctify In The Bible
When it comes to understanding the depths of spirituality and the divine, the Bible serves as a timeless guide. Within the sacred text, the term “sanctify” shines like a beacon of hope, shedding light on the path towards inner transformation and a deeper connection with the Divine.
So, what exactly does sanctify mean in the context of the Bible? At its core, sanctify means to set apart, dedicate, or consecrate oneself or something to God. It involves a process of purification and holiness, bringing forth a profound sense of reverence and devotion.
Intriguingly, the concept of sanctification is not limited to a one-time event but is an ongoing journey, a continuous progression towards spiritual growth. It can be seen as an arduous pilgrimage to purify one’s heart, mind, and soul in order to align one’s will with the divine will.
Key Aspects of Sanctify in the Bible:
- Divine Transformation: Sanctification fosters a transformation of the self, leading to a more Christ-like character. It involves a process of renewal where one’s thoughts, actions, and desires are aligned with the teachings of the Bible.
- Separation from Sin: Through sanctification, believers strive to distance themselves from sin and worldly influences. It is an invitation to live a life that is pleasing to God, forsaking the ways of the world and embracing a higher moral standard.
- Empowerment by the Holy Spirit: Sanctification is not a solitary endeavor but a divine partnership with the Holy Spirit. Believers are empowered by the Spirit to resist temptation and pursue righteousness, finding strength in their faith.
- Set Apart for a Purpose: To sanctify oneself is to be set apart for a divine purpose. It involves surrendering one’s own desires and ambitions to serve God’s greater plan, allowing divine guidance to illuminate life’s path.
Benefits and Value of Sanctify:
Embracing the concept of sanctification brings forth a multitude of benefits and intrinsic value. Through the ongoing process of sanctifying ourselves, we experience:
- A profound sense of inner peace and spiritual fulfillment.
- A deeper connection and intimacy with the Divine.
- Increased clarity in discerning God’s will and purpose in our lives.
- An enhanced moral compass, guiding us towards righteousness.
- Empowerment to overcome obstacles and resist temptations.
Sanctification is a sacred journey that adds depth and meaning to our existence. It calls upon us to embrace a higher calling, to walk a spiritual path paved with devotion and reverence. As we delve into the depths of sanctification, we unlock the true essence of our purpose and embark on a transformative voyage towards divine communion.
So, let us embark on this extraordinary journey of sanctification, allowing it to shape us into vessels of pure light, radiating the divine presence in all aspects of our lives.
What are the 4 stages of sanctification?
1. We Are Now Sanctified in Christ Jesus
In the above definition from Jack Hayford on sanctification, you will note that he says that sanctification is “instantaneous before God through Christ,” but that it is “progressive before man through obedience to the Holy Spirit and the Word.”
As you will see in the first two Scripture verses I will list below, these verses are telling us that we are now “sanctified in Christ Jesus,” and that we now receive sanctification, along with redemption and righteousness, through the blood that Jesus has personally shed for all of us on the cross.
This is what Mr. Hayford means by the first part of this definition in that our sanctification is instantaneous before God through Christ.
However, as you will see in several verses I will list in the second caption below, this sanctification is also progressive in nature as far as we are individually concerned.
This means we have to go through a progressive process through the Holy Spirit and the Word in order to become more holy and sanctified in the Lord.
What I believe the Lord is trying to tell us in these first two verses is that we have already received His sanctification, like we have already received His redemption and righteousness as a result of being saved and born again. Here are the two verses:
- “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord …” (1 Corinthians 1:2)
- “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption …” (1 Corinthians 1:30)
To think that God the Father has given us a full redemption and a full pardon for all of our sins – and then to add to this package the process of being able to be sanctified through the power of His Holy Spirit to become the saints that He wants us to become in Him – is enough to knock you right off the couch if you really stop and think what is in these three words:
And to think that all of this is coming direct from the one and only Almighty God of the entire universe if we are willing to accept His free gift of eternal salvation through His Son Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross.
It really does not get any better than this – that God and Jesus would go to this type of extreme length to bring us back to Themselves – and then allow us to become partakers in this sanctification process where God the Father can then start to mold, shape, and transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ.
2. Sanctification is a Progressive Process
Now here are the two main verses that will show us that becoming sanctified in the Lord is a progressive process. The two keys words in both of these verses are “being sanctified.”
If we were all instantaneously sanctified at the moment of our conversions with Jesus, then the Bible would not be using these two words of “being sanctified.” The word “being” is telling us that this is a progressive and ongoing process.
- “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren …” (Hebrews 2:11)
- “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14)
Again, with God the Father being willing to open up this sanctification process to each born-again believer – this is really an incredible privilege and the highest of all blessings that we can receive from the Lord.
3. God is Calling All of Us to Sanctification
As you will see in the next set of verses, God is calling all of us to this sanctification in Him. These verses are all very direct and straight-to-the-point.
The first verse I will list below is telling us that God wants to sanctify us “completely” in all three parts of our being – body, soul, and spirit!
When God uses the word “completely” – He is using a maximum intense kind of word. He wants to take us all the way in this realm if we are willing to yield to it and work with Him during the process.
If you really study the wording in all of these verses, you can really feel the importance that God is placing on this sanctification process, and that this is something that He wants all of His children to become a part of, not just a few of His select saints.
- “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
- “… but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15)
- “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God … For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3,7)
- “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)
- “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:20)
- “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
- “I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness … What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” (Romans 6:19-22)
When you first read the way these verses are worded, it is very easy to become dismayed and distraught.
If you are really honest with yourself, you can really feel and sense how far of a gap there is between where you are at right now with the Lord in your present level of spiritual development and how far God would really like to take you in this realm.
Many Christians, when they first read these kinds of verses, realize they are simply too far away from this type of holiness in their present state of spiritual development and they thus throw in the towel – never even attempting to give God a chance to start this sanctification process through them in this life.
This will now lead us into the next section.
These next set of verses will tell you exactly how God can get this sanctification process started in your life right in the middle of wherever your present level of spiritual development may be in Him – no matter how bad you think it may be.
4. Sanctification is Done By the Word and the Holy Spirit
Study these next set of verses very, very carefully. Trying to achieve the state of holiness that God the Father would like to bring us up into is completely impossible if we try to do it through our own flesh and through our own efforts.
Many Christians are trying to achieve this state of holiness without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit helping them out. You can easily spot those who are being properly sanctified through the Holy Spirit and those who are not.
The ones who are trying to achieve this sanctification out of their own efforts and out of their own flesh do not appear to be genuine. Their acts of holiness do not appear to be coming from the heart.
You get the sense they are just trying to put on a show. There just seems to be something fake and plastic about them and the way they operate.
Even most non-believers can see right through them. There is a sense of false piety about them that does not seem to ring true.
However, with the person who is being properly sanctified by the Holy Spirit, you can really tell there is something different about this type of person.
This person does not flaunt his piety, goodness, or holiness. They are very humble about it. Everything they do comes from the heart and everything appears to be done very naturally.
There is no pretentiousness or sense of false piety in their actions or attitudes.
This sense of real holiness they are projecting through their personalities literally has a drawing power to it. You find yourself gravitating to these types of people.
You can almost sense or see a radiance or glow about them. The love of God just radiates from their countenance.
You are very comfortable in being in their presence and talking with them. You can see that their holiness is genuine and that it really is coming from the heart of God Himself.
This is why these next set of verses are so specific on how this sanctification process is done in the Lord.
Bottom line – sanctification in the Lord is done by the power of the Holy Spirit operating through the knowledge that the Word will give you.
In other words – it is the Word and the Spirit working together that will cause this sanctification process to begin and occur in your life.
It really is the Holy Spirit who will be the One to cause this type of transformation to occur in your personality. However, the Holy Spirit will not work without the Word.
Why? Because the Word of God will give you the knowledge that you will need in order to be able to work with the Holy Spirit in this process.
You have to know exactly what it is that God wants to change about you before the Holy Spirit will move to cause some of these changes to start to take place in your personality.
Example – you have to learn from the Bible what some of the specific qualities are that God will want to impart into your personality. A good example of this are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit.