Sanctification is the process of being set apart for God's purposes and being transformed into the likeness of Christ in this present age. It follows justification and is essential for living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Sanctification begins with faith in God, is marked by a break from the old life through water baptism, and continues with daily efforts guided by the Holy Spirit.
Sanctification Is Empowered With The Initial Break From Sin
The Old Man: The difference between merely repenting from a sinful lifestyle and repenting and being baptized to gain freedom from the power of sin is significant. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how one can be empowered to live a holy life. Since Adam, all have fallen short of God's holiness and carry a body of sin that empowers sin in one's life. God calls everyone to be holy in word and deed, however, without divine intervention, overcoming the body of death is impossible. Christ has removed the penalty for sin through His sacrifice; it is through the cross that one’s ability to walk in sanctification begins. Through His blood, we are set free from sin.
Repent and Be Baptized: Repentance, faith, and belief involve denying oneself, turning to God’s holy ways, and setting our minds to follow His commands, which bring life. Water baptism is the burial of the old, dead self and the rising to new life - now in Christ and in His work on the cross. According to Galatians 3:21-27, our sonship and freedom from the law of sin are enacted in our baptism into Christ. This act of God's grace clothes us with Christ and His righteousness, marking the beginning of our sanctification journey on earth. Through this act of baptism into Christ, we not only gain the power to live a holy life, but are also given the promise of being raised from the dead to life and entering the coming kingdom (Romans 6:6).
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
Romans 6:3-6
Sanctification is a Command: Living a holy life in the sight of God is not only possible but is also a command from the Lord. Jesus instructed His disciples, “Be holy as my Father is holy.” If living a holy life were not possible, He would not have given such a command. However, it is through the blood Christ shed and the faith a person has—by denying oneself and uniting with Him in the watery and bloody grave—that a life of holiness becomes achievable.
Sanctification Outside of Water Baptism: Water baptism into Christ (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3) is the removal of the body of sin and death (Romans 6:6; Romans 7:24). Apart from removing the power of the flesh through this circumcision made by God (Colossians 2:11-12), it is challenging to live out holiness in the way God requires and even in the way one might desire. This struggle is what Paul describes in Romans 7:
For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
Romans 7:15
But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
Romans 7:20
What is the burden Paul illustrates through this example of someone who has clearly repented and seeks a pure and honest walk with God? Are we destined to be defeated by the burden of sin for the rest of our lives, or is there a way out? This is the question and the answer for such a person:
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:24-25a
Empowerment By The Holy Spirit
A life of sanctification is possible through faith in Christ, initiated by the removal of the body of sin and death. However, it can only be sustained by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is inherently impossible in one’s own strength. Even after gaining freedom from the bondage of the flesh, life is not without challenges. We are placed in a position similar to that of Adam and Eve at the beginning—presented with the choice between life and the tree of knowledge.
Walk by the Spirit: In the book of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he will not enter the kingdom of God. This new birth is achieved through both water baptism and receiving the indwelling of the Spirit of God. The water baptism frees us, and the Spirit sustains that freedom. Therefore, being free from the flesh and now alive in the spirit, we should strive to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Since the Spirit of God guides us in the way of holiness, we can live a holy life as the Father is holy.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
A sanctified life is God’s desire for humanity. For this reason, He sent His Spirit to dwell with man. However, the Spirit within man would not be effective as long as man was in bondage to the flesh, which is why Jesus was sent first. Now, all those alive in Christ can receive the Spirit of the Father and become the righteousness of God. Obedience to the Spirit’s direction enables believers to resist sin and live according to God's will.
Additionally, Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attributes are given to each person not as an obligation but as a gift, so that we may walk in them. By choosing to follow God’s ways, we fulfill the righteousness of God.
Sanctification Is A Choice
Sanctification requires active participation and involves making daily choices to reject sinful behaviors and embrace righteousness. We have been freed from the slavery of sin, our inner man is now alive to God, and we have control over the desires of the flesh. It is essential to choose to walk in this freedom daily by continually crucifying the desires of the flesh. Paul makes this point clear shortly after reminding the Church of the freedom received in baptism:
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:12-14
He further exhorts the Church, reminding them that while we were once slaves to sin, obeying every desire of the flesh, we are now free from that bondage and can choose to become slaves to righteousness. However, walking in this new identity remains a choice:
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
Romans 6:19
In Colossians 3:5-10, believers are urged to "consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry." Instead, believers are called to "put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him." This renewal requires intentional effort in spiritual disciplines such as:
- Communion with the Father
- Prayer
- Studying the scriptures
- Fellowship with other believers
Transformation Through Sanctification
Sanctification is not an immediate result of believing in the Lord Jesus; rather, it is a process that transforms believers into His image. This process forms the basis of one’s complete devotion to Christ and His commands. The more we die to ourselves, the more we become like Him.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18
Living According to Christ: Now that we are free in Christ to control the desires of the flesh and alive by His Spirit, we are called to change our habits from our former ways of living in the manner of this world and be conformed to the patterns and desires of our Creator. This is a daily decision. Over time, a lifestyle of holiness becomes our new nature.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
Living According to the Kingdom's Values: A devoted life to the righteousness of God aligns believers with the values of God's kingdom:
…so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:10-13
This new self reflects the character of the coming King and the standards of His kingdom, which He will establish on earth at His return. Our time on earth is an opportunity to live according to His righteousness, as stated in the book of Matthew, where we are told to “seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness.” We are to conform ourselves to the values and standards of righteousness that come from God, not from our own understanding.
In Closing
Sanctification is the standard set by God for standing before Him and is obtained only through His grace. Once initiated in a person’s life, sanctification begins the process of becoming more like Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. It starts with a decisive change of heart towards God, a release from the power of sin, accomplished by the blood of Christ in water baptism, and continues with daily decisions to pursue holiness and righteousness. Through spiritual disciplines and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, believers grow in Christlikeness, aligning their lives with the values of God's coming kingdom. Sanctification is a crucial aspect of a disciple's race, preparing them for the ultimate fulfillment of God's redemptive plan in glorification.
Maranatha
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