What is sanctification, and what isn’t it?
The goal here is to gain an understanding of what sanctification really means, and put to rest some common ideas that err in defining what sanctification is.
The word “sanctification” is translated from the Greek verb “hagiazo”. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses hagiazo to translate the Hebrew word “qadash”. The Greek Lexicon gives the following definitions:
“hagiazo”: to sanctify, to make holy, to consecrate, to set apart, and
“qadash”: to be holy, to consecrate, to sanctify.
Thus, simply put, sanctification describes the action (verb) of being made holy.
A Common Misconception
A common error in thinking about the meaning of sanctification is to lean more toward a definition and understanding that emphasizes our own good works rather than emphasizing God’s work in us. Our fruitful good works are connected to our sanctification, but they are not the substance of it.
One way to clear up this misunderstanding is to stress that sanctification is not something that we do, but rather something we receive. Just as God is solely the cause for our justification, he is also solely the cause for our sanctification. In fact, sanctification flows naturally and organically out of our union with Christ. As we partake in communion with Christ, we become more like him.
There are many scriptures to affirm this truth. We see it in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, where Paul says: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely….He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it”; (the “it” refers to God’s sanctifying us). We also see it in 1 Cor 1:30-31, “And because of [God], you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord’.”
Often times when we think about sanctification, we think about the good works that our sanctification produces, but we must be careful here. It is easy to mistake our own actions or good works for sanctification itself. There is a close relationship between good works and sanctification, but they are not the same. Good works are, essentially, the fruit of our sanctification, but not the substance.
Why does this matter? Well, for one, we shouldn’t give ourselves credit for God’s work. Only He can have the glory! If we want to strive to give God all the glory, we must strive for a proper understanding of sanctification. We can start by laying aside the focus on what we do, and giving centrality to what God does in us, through the promised work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification involves a supernatural Spiritual work of the transformation of our hearts and minds -a work whereby the Lord is drawing us nearer to him, making us more holy in heart and conduct, and causing us to think more in accordance with his own nature and will. We are being “conformed to the image of [Christ]”, (Romans 8:29). This ‘conforming’ is, in essence, God making us more holy. It is sanctification.
Self-Reliance or God-Reliance
Good works can, will and should flow out of God’s sanctifying work in us, but we will never be able to sanctify ourselves by good works. Just as we must rest and trust fully in Christ for the justification part of our salvation, we must also rest and trust fully in him to sanctify us. If we are not relying fully on Christ, then what are we relying on? The answer: self-righteousness. Our own works. This is self-reliance, not God-reliance. The truth is, there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves holy. Only God can do that. We can be sure that sanctification is the work of God alone, and we can confidently and fully rely on him to accomplish all of it.
Holiness
Let’s take a moment to think more about holiness and what we can learn about it from scripture. What is holiness? Holiness is inextricably linked to the character and nature of God himself. “You alone are holy”, Revelation 15:4. The definition of holiness and its very standard is God himself. Outside of God, there can be nothing and no one who is holy. However, maybe you recall that in the OT, God declared many ‘things’ to be holy. For example, his people Israel were called holy, the Sabbath was set apart as holy, the ark of the covenant was holy, many parts and places within the temple were called holy. So, anything can be holy if God declares it to be holy. In fact, just as God declared OT Israel to be his holy people, he likewise declares us to be his holy people. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession”, 1 Peter 2:9.
Why was the innermost sanctuary of the temple, the ‘Holy of Holies’, the most holy place of all, a place where only a Levitical priest could enter once a year? Because in it was the ark of the covenant, the presence of God himself. Why was the nation of Israel holy? Israel was set apart from all the other nations that existed at that time. But it wasn’t their separation from the other nations that made them holy – it was the fact that God himself was present with them. That is what made Israel a holy people. In the era of the New Testament, we ourselves are the temple of God and his dwelling place. God is present with his people through his Spirit that dwells in us. These truths lead us to the most beautiful underlying truth of all this: what holiness really is, is proximity to God. In the Old Testament Holy of Holies, a priest entered through the veil into God’s presence once per year to offer atonement for the people sins. We no longer need a priest to make atonement for us because the veil has been torn, and Jesus himself is our Holy of Holies, our heavenly temple. He is our high priest who intercedes for us continually, forever. Because of this truth, we can draw near in close proximity to God with confidence. Jesus’ finished work means that all our sins, past, present and future have been atoned for. “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”, 1 Corinthians 6:11.
Consecrate Yourselves
So then, if sanctification is God’s work in making us holy, why are we exhorted to “be holy” (1 Pt 1:15)? Why was Israel commanded “consecrate yourselves” (Leviticus 20:7)? Why are Christians told “work out your own salvation”? Well, interestingly, God also says “I am the Lord who sanctifies you” (Lev 20:8). That’s the very next verse after he told the Israelites “consecrate yourselves”. And after “work out your own salvation”, we read “for it is God who works in you to will and to work according to his own purpose”. Essentially, the answer is this: God makes us holy and exhorts us to be what he has declared us to be! He has made us holy and declared us to be holy, and thus he tells us to live in accordance with that declaration. He is saying, “do this” because it is who you are. He is not saying “work to be this”, but rather “work because you are this”.
If you are united to Christ you share in his holiness. Why? Because you are sanctified – made holy – by his blood! We are brought near to God through the sanctifying, once for all blood sacrifice of Christ, the true and eternal Lamb of God. Jesus has fulfilled all that the Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies pointed to. The Old Testament temple and rituals were types and shadows to which Christ is the reality and substance (see Hebrews 9:23-24; 10:1).
We Have Been Sanctified, We are Being Sanctified
So then, is our sanctification full and complete already? No, it is not. First Corinthians 6, quoted above, speaks of our sanctification in past tense, as though it is already done, (“you were sanctified”). Hebrews 10:10, likewise says “we have been sanctified” (emphasis mine). These examples, in theology, may be referred to as speaking of positional sanctification. Positional sanctification is related to justification – both are one time acts that God performs in conjunction with our regeneration. But now look at Hebrews 10:14, which says that we are “being sanctified”. We see that there is another sense in which our sanctification is a progressive work. On the one hand, our sanctification takes place in an instant; in another respect, scripture speaks of an ongoing work of the Spirit in the life of the Christian; the latter is what we call ‘progressive’ sanctification.
In progressive sanctification, we are “being transformed… from one degree of glory to another”, 2 Cor 3:18. Paul says that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion”, Philippians 1:6, emphasis mine. Jesus speaks much of our progressive sanctification in the seventeenth chapter of John. So, it is correct to say that, in one sense, we are sanctified already. God has definitively declared us to be holy. It is also correct to say that, in another sense, God speaks of an ongoing and continual work that he will do in us throughout our lives. God will continue to draw us nearer and nearer to him and conform us to be more and more like him. Again, be reminded that true holiness is about proximity to God. He gives us gracious gifts through which he works to accomplish this closeness to Him, including the Lord’s supper, baptism, the preaching of His word, fellowship with other Christians, and prayer. These are all means through which he accomplishes our sanctification, through which he makes us more and more holy.
Thirdly, we must not neglect to acknowledge that there is also a final work of sanctification that God will accomplish in all those who are united to Christ. We will be completely and entirely removed from sin. We will “be like him”, 1 John 3:2, the him, of course, being Jesus. We look forward to the day when we will be fully glorified and fully set apart in every way to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This will be our final sanctification and will last forever.
A Monergistic Work that We Cooperate With
We should see ourselves as participants in God’s work of sanctification, but not as direct contributors. God contributes all that we need, thus there isn’t anything left for us to contribute. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness”, 2 Pt 1:3. We may cooperate, but we do not contribute. We may attend church, take part in the fellowship of the Lord’s supper, read our bibles regularly, devote ourselves to prayer, and do many other things that may be seen as actively participating/cooperating in our spiritual growth, i.e. sanctification. These are all worthy pursuits, and in this sense, we certainly have a cooperative role in what God is doing in us. We are, in fact, exhorted to participate. This is not, however, equivalent to God saying “sanctify yourselves”. He makes it clear that he both has already sanctified us, and will continue to sanctify us. It is God who does the sanctifying. Having confidence in this, we can rest in his promised work, and guard ourselves against the error of trying to sanctify ourselves through our own works.
Thank you Lord, for your monergistic work of sanctification in us!