Sanctification

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean... And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you... And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.

Ezekiel 36:25–27, ESV

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, ESV

At the core of the Christian life is sanctification. From the beginning, God has desired a people set apart for Himself to reflect His character and fulfil His purposes. As David testified after the Lord had restored his soul, He leads him in the path of righteousness. This is the very path He draws us into through Christ Jesus.

The journey of sanctification begins when we respond to the Spirit’s conviction, receive the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, and surrender to His leading. This sets us on a progressive path of surrender, as we grow in obedience and alignment with God’s will.

The Hebrew word qāḍaš (sanctify) means to be holy, set apart, or consecrated. It is both an act of God and a process involving our cooperation. God initiates it, but He also requires our participation through faith and sacrifice.

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him (Ephesians 1:4, ESV).

When we believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit regenerates our spirit. This new birth is just the beginning. God’s aim is for sanctification to reach our entire being, spirit, soul, and body.

The key agents of sanctification are the Word, the blood of Christ, and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals truth, exposes sin, and convicts us. The blood of Jesus cleanses our conscience from dead works (Hebrews 9:14). The Word of God continues to wash us, removing impure motives and attitudes as we remain in fellowship.

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

John 17:17, ESV

The soul consisting of our mind, will, and emotions, undergoes renewal through intentional effort.

Paul urges us to renew our minds and present our bodies as living sacrifices in light of God’s mercy. As we meditate on God’s Word and delight in Him, our desires align with His. We put off the old self and put on the new, created in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22–24). Our thinking, emotions, and will are sanctified, and our bodily conduct reflects this inward work.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit...? Glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20, ESV

Sanctification is not a solo effort. God is deeply committed to our transformation. He has given His Spirit to empower us, and His Word assures us that He is faithful to complete what He started.

For every believer sanctification is unique. Our callings, gifts, and assignments differ. We must avoid the temptation to compare our sanctification journey with others. Jesus' response to Peter in John 21 is a reminder: "What is that to you? You follow me!" (v 23).

Sanctification continues throughout our lives. We grow from glory to glory as we behold the Lord. Complacency can hinder our progress, but God calls us to press on.

And we all... are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV

Let us yield daily to the sanctifying work of the Spirit, assured that the One who began this good work will bring it to completion. Let sanctification not just be a doctrine we affirm, but a reality we live.