Sanctification
“To set apart, to make holy”
Summary
The process by which God sets apart believers for Himself, progressively transforming them into the image of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.
☩Old Testament Background
In the Old Testament, sanctification meant setting something or someone apart for God's special use. Priests, Levites, the firstborn, the Tabernacle and its furnishings, and even the entire nation of Israel were sanctified or made holy to the Lord. The Lord declared Himself as the Sanctifier: 'I am the Lord who sanctifies you.' Material things were sanctified by anointing with oil; people were sanctified by ceremonial cleansing and separation from defilement.
☩Positional Sanctification
In the New Testament, believers are described as already sanctified through faith in Christ. We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all; by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. This positional sanctification is the believer's standing before God, complete in Christ from the moment of conversion. Paul addressed even the troubled Corinthian church as those 'sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.'
☩Progressive Sanctification
Scripture also speaks of sanctification as an ongoing process of growth in holiness. Believers are commanded to pursue holiness, to cleanse themselves from defilement, and to present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness. This is the Spirit's work of conforming believers to Christ's image, mortifying sin, and producing spiritual fruit. The Word of God plays a central role: Jesus prayed that the Father would sanctify His disciples in truth, declaring 'Your word is truth.'
☩Final Sanctification
Complete sanctification awaits the believer's glorification. When Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. The God of peace Himself will sanctify believers completely, preserving spirit, soul, and body blameless until the coming of the Lord—and He who calls is faithful, so He will do it. This final sanctification is the consummation of salvation when sin's presence is forever removed.
Related Verses57 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Sanctification," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Sanctification," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Sanctification," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.George Morrish, "Sanctification," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).