Introduction

Sanctification is one of those religious sounding words that people in the church use,
but may not understand what it means. In its most basic sense, to sanctify something
is to set it apart for God’s special use and purpose. Sanctification or in its verb form,
sanctify literally means to set apart for special use or purpose, that is, to make holy or
sacred compare Latin sanctus. Therefore, sanctification refers to the state or process
of being set apart, made holy, as a vessel, full of the Holy Spirit of God.

What is Sanctification in Christian life:

Sanctification is a theological term for basically Christian living, its called progressive
sanctification. But if you step back and look at how the Bible uses the term, its a little
different actually. The New Testament, when it talks about sanctification, it just
means being set apart. And that happens when a person becomes a Christian, God sets
that person apart. Now, throughout the Christian life, that think of it as that past event,
the Christian life, and the future. That past tense, I am saved, I am sanctified. Right
now I am being saved. And future tense, I will be saved, I will be sanctified, that’s
glorification. So usually the term sanctification is talking about that middle
progressive sanctification of gradual growth. And there are several major views on
this, different models of sanctification. So Paul’s view point that says basically a
Christian can live in a state of perfection, Christian perfection, not divine perfection,
not angelic perfection, Christian perfection, where basically they live free from
known sin.
Fundamental definition of Sanctification:
sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, by the sanctification we can renew
ourselves and die in sin and live righteousness but his concept is not about he mean to
say that sanctification is to free us from sin full habits and forming us in Christlike,
affection, dispositions, virtues. Sanctification is ongoing or transformation for real
righteousness within the frame of relational holiness. This relational sanctification is
state of being permanently set apart for God, flows from the cross where God
purchased by Christ and claim us for Himself, this statement has supported by (Act
20:28, 26:18, Heb 10:10). By the sanctification we can have moral renovation where
by increasingly changed from what we once where, flow from the agency of the
indwelling Holy Spirit (Heb 13:20-21, Eph 4:22-24, 1 Thesa 5:23, 2 Thesa 2:13) and
Paul also says in 1 Thesa 4:4, 5:23 God calls His children to sanctify and graciously

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what He promised, exactly J.I. Packer also addressing. J.I. Packer state that
regeneration is a birth sanctification is growth. In Philip 2:12-13 he says we are not
before the desire of God but we are in the desire of God to work for His salvation
which we received that God hallowing us or sanctifying us it is to pray, honor God,
Love, please, serve. God desire is to show Love and bring benefit to others. By
sanctification the Holy Spirit will works in us and to act according to God’s purpose,
what He dose is promote us to work out our salvation. We gets salvation and God
sanctifies us so that we as a children of God becoming Christlike as the moral
principles of Christ and have fruits of the spirit progressively formed in this fruits.
Paul’s use of glory in 2 Corine 3:18 shows that for him sanctification of disposition is
glorification begun. Then the physical transformation that gives us a body Christlike,
one that match our totally transformed character and be a perfect means of expressing
it will be glorification completed.

The Concept of Paul about Sanctification:

Sanctification is a supernatural work it is something done by God, no buddy can do in

the world. Paul says may the God of Himself sanctify you wholly and may your spirit
and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Christ
(1.Thess.5:23, Eph 5:26). This divine work is within believer is a progressive matter.
In Paul’s assurance that God will continue to work in the lives of the Philippians, and
im sure that He who begun the work with in us will bring to completion at the day of
Christ (Philip1:6). Paul records that the cross is the power of God to us who are being
saved (1Corint 1:18). The aim of this divine work is likeness to Christ Himself. This
was God’s intention from all eternity, for those whom He foreknew He also
predestine to be conformed to the image of His son in Order that He might be the first
born among a living beings (Rom 8:29). The word translated to be conformed to
indicates a likeness to Christ which is not just an external or superficial likeness, it
signifies the whole set of characteristic or qualities which makes something what it is.
It indicates the vital connection with the son. This is clear evidence that our image
made like Christ is not an arm’s length transaction.
Sanctification: Complete or incomplete
It is ongoing processes, On the basis of God’s holistic character and behavior and as a
consequence of the sanctific work of Christ, Paul insists that believers also are to be
holy or sanctified. For Paul’s holiness or sanctification include scatological status, and

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more importantly ethical and eschatological perfection. Not only are the significant
passages found in contexts addressed to believers, the most important sustain Pauline
passages occurs after Paul has turned from from his scatological categories to focus
on the ethical consequences of salvation. Paul insists upon holy and pure behavior and
conduct in the lives of believers in anticipation of the return of Christ even though
attainment of complete perfection in this life is not envisioned by him.
The concept of sanctification is widespread among religions, including Judaism and
especially Christianity. The term can be used to refer to objects which are set apart for
special purposes, but the most common use within Christian theology is in reference
to the change brought about by God in a believer, begun at the point of salvation and
continuing throughout the life of the believer. In sanctification, both God and the
Believers have specific responsibilities. Paul commands believers to work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will
and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). God is the one who does the
work of making us more like Christ, and we participate in that work by a life of
continually turning away from sin and demonstrating our faith in Christ by obeying
God’s commands. The Holy Spirit plays a key role in this process as we walk in the
power of the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Sanctification is needed and important also, since from the Old Testament God says
my people should be holy (Duet 7:6) without being holy no one can approach God,
people of God must be holy because God is holy. Sanctification is one of those
religious sounding words that people in the church use, but may not understand what
it means. In its most basic sense, to sanctify something is to set it apart for God’s
special use and purpose. Therefore God’s people are sometimes said to be sanctified
because they are set apart for God’s special purposes in the world Consecrate
yourselves, therefore, and be holy for I am the Lord your God. Keep my statutes, and
do them I am the Lord who sanctifies you (Leviticus 20:7-8). As this verse helps us
see, the word sanctification is closely related to holiness. The word sanctification can
be used similarly in the New Testament. Thus in one sense, believers are already
sanctified because of what Jesus has done for them. Hebrews 10:10 tells us that as
followers of Christ we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. But most of the time when Christians use the word sanctification,
they are referring to the progressive work of God to make a believer more like Jesus
Christ. As such Paul can write, For this is the will of God, your sanctification. He

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commands Christians to present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to
sanctification. Because believers have been set free from their slavery to sin, the fruit
you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. In addition to empowering us
by his Spirit, God has given us other tools to grow when asking what is sanctification.
Reading, studying, and being taught the Bible enables us to better understand who
God is, what he has done for us, and how he calls us to live. Praying expresses our
faith in the sovereign power of God to accomplish what only he can do. Fellowship
with other believers encourages us to put our faith into practice by loving and bearing
with one another. Giving weans our hearts off putting our trust in the fleeting things
of this world and shows that we value the work of God even more than our own
comfort. Sharing the gospel with others brings us the joy of participating in God’s
work of extending his kingdom. All of these are different tools that God uses to make
us more like Jesus. As believers, our hope is fixed on the day when Jesus returns. But
in the meantime, we are called to pursue our sanctification in anticipation of that day.
John explains how these two realities relate to each other See what kind of love the
Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God band so we are. The
reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are
God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared but we know that when
he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who
thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Because of what God has done for us
in Jesus, we have already been set apart for his special purposes. What is
sanctification is, it is by the power of God’s Spirit we pursue growing in godliness so
that we more clearly reflect Jesus Christ in our lives.

We do so in anticipation of the day when Christ will return and complete the process
of sanctification by making us perfect reflections of Christ. Where Christians tend to
split on progressive sanctification comes when holiness occurs. Most assert it happens
when a believer dies and goes to heaven, as nothing impure can enter heaven
(Revelation 21:27). However, some Christians believe one can attain this holiness in
life. One could easily swap out the words positional sanctification with the singular
word justification. This refers to the one time event the Holy Spirit brings sinners out
of darkness into wonderful light (Ephesians 2:5). Every Christian agrees with the
biblical stance on positional sanctification. Most Christians agree that once a person is
saved, they will always be saved. After a Christian receives saving grace, he or she

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seeks to lead a life that looks more and more like the one of Jesus example. Although
some Christians do push back against this journey model of holiness arguing
sanctification is more about a position of holiness rather than a process many do agree
that we cannot stop our Christian walk from the moment we say the sinners prayer.
Sanctification matters because we need to strive to live more like Christ every day.
Also, when discussing positional sanctification, that matters more than anything else
in one’s life. 

Conclusion

Sanctification in this sense is something that occurs at the very beginning of the
christian life, at the point of conversion, along with regeneration and justification. It is
in this in this sense that the New Testament so frequently refers to christian as saints,
even when they are far from perfect. Paul, for example addresses the persons in the
church at Corinth in this way (1Cor. 1:2), even though it was probably the most
imperfect of the churches to which he ministered. To have sanctification or to grow in
sanctification, In addition to empowering us by his Spirit, God has given us other
tools, that tools is Reading, studying, and being taught the Bible enables us to better
understand who God is, what he has done for us, and how he calls us to live.

Bibliography

Packer, J.I. Concise Theology Wheaton: Tyndal house publisher, 1993.

Reid, Daniel G. Dictionary, Paul and his letters England: Intervisity press, 1993.

John Miley, Systematic Theology, Volume 2 U.S.A: Handrickson Publication, 1989.

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, an introduction to bible doctrine U.S.A:

zondervan publication, 1994.

Rodman Williams, J. Renewal Theology Michigan: Zondervan publishing house,

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