What Does Sanctification Mean?
Are you ready to add another million-dollar word to your theological vocabulary?!
The Orchard Hill Blog “Christian Dictionary” term for the month of May is “Sanctification.” (Good luck to your kid if they are assigned this word in a Spelling Bee!)
Sanctification simply names the process by which followers of Jesus grow to become more like Him.
First things first: In order for a person to grow to become more like God (Sanctification), we must first be right with God relationally (Justification).
Check out the post on the topics of Atonement & Justification by Russ Brasher.
When it comes to being right with God relationally, THANK GOD:
The central message of the Christian faith is that while every person is lost in sin and separated from the Holy God of the universe as a result, any person who will simply confess their need for a Savior, repent of their sinfulness, and look in faith to what Jesus has done through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave can be forgiven and restored to right relationship with the God who made us. (Colossians 1:22)
This immeasurable and eternal gift – the right relationship with God - cannot be earned or merited, but only received as a gift of grace.
With that essential groundwork laid, when it comes to the process of sanctification and our human participation in the process of growing in Christ-likeness, we do well to recognize that this is something every believer ought to pursue. Transformation to become more like Christ and the expression of this renewed character in our lives is a central mark of the Christian life. It is a defining characteristic of the life of missional followers of Jesus who are invited to experience this transformation. (Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 2:10)
That said, while pursuing sanctification is vitally important, let us never be confused about how this process unfolds. Some followers of Jesus get off-track in their understanding or mindset and live as if justification is about grace, but sanctification is about human effort. Their attitude is, “Christians are saved by grace, but they grow through self-discipline and hard work.” This is a significant mistake.
Similar to justification, the New Testament consistently teaches that sanctification also depends on the grace of God.
In the process of sanctification, God graciously transforms those who have received His grace to become more like Jesus as we pursue godliness in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, who is powerfully at work within us.
Check out the Turning Houses Into Homes message series on Colossians 2:6-7 for more on this.
As followers of Jesus rely on God’s ongoing provision of grace through the Holy Spirit, we can commit ourselves to practices like prayer, bible study, worship, and life in community and wait to see how God will use these practices to bring transformation in our lives.
Through practicing these kinds of habits in reliance on the Holy Spirit, you and I can set ourselves up to be fertile soil for God to bring spiritual growth in our lives.
As we walk the path of sanctification, we will see God’s goodness in new and fresh ways as He makes His character and grace increasingly evident in our lives. However, the process of sanctification will not always feel pleasant! As God accomplishes his refining work inside of us, we will often feel exposed for our sinfulness as light is brought to the things we previously kept hidden in the dark. But for as painful as this process may be as “idols” in our lives are pried from our hands and struggles of sin in our lives are addressed, the fruit of Godliness will become more and more evident. As this unfolds, let’s not be discouraged by the passing views that we’ll see of our own brokenness, but focus our vision on the greatness of the victory Christ has won on the cross that the process of sanctification will allow us to see at an exponential level.
Thank God for the promise of the Christian life: From beginning to end, what God requires of us, He always provides according to the riches of his grace. (Phil. 4:19)
Recommended Resources:
For further reading on Spiritual Practices to pursue in seeking to become more like Christ, check out Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney and A Praying Life by Paul Miller.
