Sanctification means “being made holy, or purified.” It describes how Christians become more like God throughout their lives. Most theologians prefer to use it in a narrow sense to distinguish it from related terms, such as “regeneration,” “justification,” and “glorification.”
What Is Sanctification?
The New Hampshire Baptist Confession (1833) explains sanctification this way:
"We believe that Sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of his holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means—especially the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and prayer." (Article X)
This definition helps us to distinguish sanctification from regeneration and glorification:
Regeneration is when someone first becomes a Christian. Regeneration refers to the beginning of salvation.
Sanctification is when God helps Christians become more like Jesus. Sanctification refers to the middle of salvation.
Glorification is when God completes his work in Christians. Glorification refers to the end of salvation.
Differences Between Sanctification and Justification
The difference between sanctification and justification is important but can be hard to understand. Here are the key differences:
"Justification,” like “regeneration,” refers mostly to the beginning of the Christian experience. Sanctification emphasizes the progress of the process of salvation.
Justification refers to God functioning as a judge. God removes all of the guilt of the believers at once and counts them as legally righteous. Sanctification, like regeneration and glorification, emphasizes the transforming power of the Holy Spirit upon the character of God’s children.
The difference between justification and sanctification became very important during the Reformation (a time of major change in the Christian church that began in AD 1517). The Roman Catholic Church, in the opinion of the Reformers, confused justification and sanctification. The Roman Catholic Church insisted that justification “is not remission [or forgiveness] of sins merely, but also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man” (Decrees of the Council of Trent, Sixth Session, 1547, ch. VII). In contrast, the Reformers emphasized that justification and sanctification could not be separated. But, they must be distinguished.
Calvin argued these two elements of God’s saving act cannot be torn into parts any more than Christ can be torn. Calvin said, “Whomever, therefore, God receives into grace, on them he at the same time bestows [gives] the spirit of adoption, by whose power he remakes them to his own image. But if the brightness of the sun cannot be separated from its heat, shall we therefore say that the earth is warmed by its light, or lighted by its heat?” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3:11.6). Justification is a one-time statement of God as Judge. Sanctification is a process of change in the character of the person justified.
The New Hampshire Baptist Confession says that in sanctification, "we are made partakers of his holiness." What does this mean? A detailed study of what the Bible has to say about sanctification is not possible here since practically the whole of Scripture addresses this issue in one way or another. One central theme in that teaching, however, must be emphasized: “Be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:16; compare Matthew 5:48).
According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, written in 1647, by sanctification, “we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God” (Question 34; see Colossians 3:10). Nothing can be more important to our view of sanctification than this truth. The standard of holiness is complete obedience to Christ’s image (Romans 8:29). Anything less than that is a lowering of the scriptural standard and, thus a weakening of the belief. The definition above hints that Christ is more than our pattern. He provides his holiness for those united with him—he is our sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Initial Sanctification
The Bible shows that sanctification happens gradually over time. The apostle Paul says that Christians who “reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18; see also Romans 12:1–2; Philippians 3:14; Hebrews 6:1; 2 Peter 3:18). Moreover, the many commands found in Scripture imply that the Christian experiences growth.
At the same time, a number of sayings in Scripture show that sanctification is given to the believer at the same time as regeneration. For example, Paul often refers to Christians as “saints” or “holy ones” such as in Romans 1:7 and Ephesians 1:1. This language suggests that sanctification is already something believers have. Paul specifically says that the Christians in the church at Corinth are “sanctified in Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2). He even connects sanctification with washing (which could represent regeneration) and with justification (6:11). It is as though all three elements take place at the same time. Paul says that Christians have died to sin (Romans 6:2). He uses death as a picture to explain that:
Death is final
Death cannot be reversed
When something dies, it is completely changed
By using this picture of death, Paul teaches that:
God breaks sin's power over Christians
This break with sin happens when someone becomes a Christian
This change is complete and permanent
These passages do not teach perfect obedience for every Christian upon conversion. Such an interpretation would bring us into conflict with the clear teaching of Scripture as a whole. Furthermore, one should note that the Corinthian “saints” were spiritually immature (1 Corinthians 3:1–3; 6:8; 11:17–22).
How should these passages be interpreted? Some writers have suggested that Paul is speaking of “potential” sanctification. He is saying although our relationship with sin has not been actually destroyed, God has given us what we need for that to take place. This explanation has some truth in it. But it does not fully explain how strongly Paul talks about Christians being free from sin's power.
Another way to understand these passages is called “positional” sanctification. According to this view, Paul is speaking in judicial terms regarding our status before God. We can see this legal idea in Romans 6:7 where Paul uses the word “freed" in the sense of being "justified." If that is all that is said, then it suggests that Romans 6 simply restates the doctrine of justification. This is doubtful. A better view is that Paul’s teaching contains the judge relationship and an experience reference.
Progressive Sanctification
How Christians Have Understood Sanctification Through History
All Christian groups recognize the need to become changed by the mind being made new (Romans 12:2). But Christians disagree about how this change happens. The Protestant Reformers, generally speaking, held to what some call a “pessimistic” or "doubting" view of personal sanctification. This perspective is described in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647). It states that sanctification “is imperfect in this life; there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war” within the believer (XIII.ii). Although the statement makes the overcoming power of the Spirit important, some Christians believe that its basic idea confuses the need and possibility of a spiritual victory.
John Wesley, who lived from 1703 to 1791, is often seen as responding to traditional Calvinistic and Lutheran views on sanctification. Influenced by the Pietistic movement of his time, Wesley emphasized the experiential aspects of Christianity and developed the idea that “entire sanctification” can be achieved in this life, although he was not always consistent in his teachings.
In the 19th century, many Christians became interested in the idea of perfection, though not in an absolute sense. Some believed perfection came from completely removing sin, while others thought it was about achieving spiritual victory over the sin that still exists in a believer’s heart. This latter view is central to the Victorious Life movement (also called the High Life movement, or Keswickianism). This movement began in the early 1900s. Theologian Benjamin B. Warfield, who lived from 1851 to 1921, criticized these various perfectionist groups. While the debate has continued, it is not as intense as it once was.
The Balance of Divine Grace and Human Effort in Spiritual Growth
Much of the controversy surrounding sanctification centers on the human role in the process. While all Christians agree that holiness is impossible without God’s help, defining how that truth influences individual action is challenging. In the Roman Catholic tradition, there is significant emphasis on the cleansing power of baptism and the merit of good works, which raises questions about whether the importance of divine grace is overlooked. On the other end of the spectrum are some proponents of the Victorious Life Movement, who emphasize the idea of “let go and let God.” Although this slogan can be valuable when used appropriately, it can sometimes imply that believers should be completely passive in their sanctification.
Philippians 2:12–13 is the most important verse on this topic. Paul contrasts the command to work out one’s own salvation with the declaration that it is God who provides the spiritual strength needed for this task. It can be tempting to focus only on the first part of this statement, ignoring the importance of the second. Instead, one might focus on Paul’s emphasis on divine grace where personal responsibility is overlooked. However, the apostle seems to have intentionally maintained a careful balance between these two truths.
Sanctification requires discipline, concentration, and effort. This is clear by the many commands of Scripture. Some important commands are those where the Christian life is described with such ideas as running and fighting (1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Ephesians 6:10–17).
However, Christians must always resist the temptation to think they can sanctify themselves, believing that spiritual power comes from within and that they can rely only on their own strength. This creates a challenging tension, much like the paradox of prayer: “Why pray when God, who knows our needs and who is all-wise and powerful, will always do what is best anyway?”
Perhaps the true “secret” of holiness lies in learning to maintain this balance: fully relying on God as the true agent in sanctification while also faithfully fulfilling one’s personal responsibility.