Sanctification Defined

This excellent article was sent to us in the June 26, 2001, issue of the online devotional, "The Daily Bread." The source and author were not mentioned. If you can point us to them so that we can give proper attribution, we would appreciate it.
In the Pillar of Fire Church, we recognize sanctification as a two-fold experience of the Christian believer: a crisis experience of sacrificial dedication and heart holiness, and a lifelong experience of maturation in the Christian walk. (See our page, Sanctification Q&A, and the book recommended below, Holiness for Ordinary People.)

What Is Sanctification?

Sanctification (Gk: hagiasmos) means literally “making holy”. It also means “consecration” or “setting apart” something for a special holy purpose.

In the Christian life, sanctification has two parts - God’s part and ours. In many things in the Christian life God is playing the major role - and yet we have our part to do also - which is to respond in faith and obedience to what God is saying.

In sanctification, our part is to offer to God our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) - in fact to consciously offer our whole spirit, soul and body completely to God so that we devote ourselves to forever do His will and not our own. Our sanctification cannot be complete than the sincerity and the understanding with which we make this dedication to God.

God’s part in our sanctification is to actually change us by the operation of His blood, His Word and His Spirit. We are sanctified by God’s grace - his unmerited favour working in our hearts and lives. We have to trust God to work in us. He is the One who produces godly character in us, the fruit of the Spirit and the ability to overcome sin consistently.

Sanctification can also be defined as: “possessing the mind of Christ, and all the mind of Christ.” God wants us to allow our minds to be renewed (Romans 12:2). Our thinking and attitudes must change if we are to grow in God (Ephesians 4:23). Many of our thinking patterns, values and priorities have been shaped by the world system and not by God. We must relearn many things. “We have the mind of Christ” legally (1 Corinthians 2:16). But to actually think Christ’s thoughts and allow Him to rule our behaviour we will need to submit to the work of the Holy Spirit so as to appropriate our inheritance in this area.

Sanctification also relates to emotional healing, or a changed heart. God wants remove all negative attitudes of despair, fear and rejection from us and give us a hopeful, joyful, faith-filled attitude. He wants to remove all bitterness and resentment from us. A person who is hurt or bitter needs to receive God’s grace so he or she can truly forgive those who have caused the hurt, and get free of every root of bitterness. Wrong heart attitudes such as pride, envy, impatience, resentment, rejection, selfishness, rebellion, independence and so on are the fruit of an unsanctified heart. A full sanctification in God will remove these wrong heart attitudes from us. Sometimes the term “inner healing” is used in relation to the sanctification of the emotions and memories in our soul.

Santification and holiness also means the development of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and other qualities of godly character. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:23,24). The most important of all here is love. In fact, growth in God means growth in love, for God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is the greatest and most important quality that a Christian can have (1 Corinthians 13:13). A definition of Christian love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

Comparing our lives with this description of love can give us an idea of how far we have really progressed in sanctification as God defines it.

It is worth mentioning that the truly sanctified or holy person has the fruit of joy. To think that gloominess and sadness is a mark of holiness is to be deceived. The Bible calls us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16).

Sanctification produces other qualities of godly character such as courage, endurance, truthfulness, honesty and many others. Sanctification is rooted in humilty - the correct view of God and oneself which leads one to hear correction from God and others, to put down selfish desires, and to obey God from the heart. The more truly humble a person is, the more God’s grace will work in his or her life to produce all the other elements of godly character.

Sanctification means overcoming sin. As God comes in and fills the life, darkness and deception and evil desire is rooted out and cast out. The process of sanctification will change our motives, our thinking, our speaking, our behaviour and our actions. The old nature will be crucified (Galatians 5:24) and what it produces will be stopped. But most of all God will manifest Himself through a sanctified life.

A sanctified person will be like God in His character and personality.

Sanctification is an ongoing work in the life of the Christian. There may be moments of special consecration and powerful change worked by God, but a Christian could easily deceive himself if he considers he has “arrived” already as far as sanctification is concerned. We should always be diligent to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). The salvation of the soul - the mind, will and emotions, is usually never quite completely wrought in any Christian before he or she dies. But it is important that we receive as much of this work of sanctification in this life as possible. To oppose or resist this process is to choose sin and rebellion against God.

We strongly recommend the following book. It is the finest introduction to the important doctrine of Christian Holiness (entire sanctification) that we know of.

Keith Drury, Holiness for Ordinary People
     The New Testament calls every Christian to live in Christlike holiness. But how is this possible? With the pressures of deadlines, appointments and obligations, how do we develop the character and motives of Christ in our own lives?
     "Holiness must not be reserved for a select few of God's people who live above the ordinary..." Mr. Drury writes. "Holiness is for all of us. It is for ordinary people living an ordinary existence...This work of God is for all who desire a life of complete obedience to Christ." The truth of personal holiness "is a message of hope, encouragement and possibility. It marches into your life, saying, 'You can do it. You can be Christlike, with God's help.'"
     Mr. Drury explains how every Christian can live in spiritual victory. He presents clear biblical insights and deals with the obstacles that confront Christians in their everyday spiritual lives.
     Holiness for Ordinary People illustrates personal holiness with practical truths from the Bible to inspire readers to experience the lifechange that holiness brings. --From the Back Cover

Alma Temple, 1302 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 USA 303-839-1500

If you have just discovered God's Sanctifying Power, let us know, so we can send some free Bible study helps. For a fuller discussion of this topic, we have on line Rev. James McRobbie's article, "What the Bible Teaches About Sanctification."

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E-mail us [Sanctification Q&A]

[Scriptural Basis for the Doctrine of Entire Sanctification]
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