The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study is now studying the Christian doctrine of sanctification. Sanctification is a continuing change worked by the Holy Spirit in us, freeing us from sinful habits and developing in us Christ-like desires, attitudes, and virtues.
Romans 8:28-30 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Regeneration at salvation is birth; sanctification is growth. Sanctification is an ongoing process, dependent on the Holy Spirit’s continuing action in the believer.
Three aspects to sanctification
1. Positional sanctification received at salvation
2. Progressive sanctification, the daily growth, becoming more and more set apart for God's use
3. Ultimate sanctification, attained only when we are fully and completely set apart to God as we become just like Christ.
These are the notes to the introduction to the study. Audio of the study can be heard by clicking the YouTube link at the end of the notes.
Grace - unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification,
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Faith - complete trust or confidence in someone or something; strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
Hebrews 11:1-2 (NKJV)1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
Justification - to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit.
Romans 3:21-30 (NKJV)21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
UNDERSTANDING SANCTIFICATION
“We are saved and sanctified for God, not to be specimens in his showroom, but for God to do with us as he did with Jesus—make us broken bread and poured out wine as he chooses.”
OSWALD CHAMBERS (1874–1917)
“When in his mercy God leads a soul in the higher path of sanctification, he begins by stripping it of all self-confidence, and to this end he allows our own schemes to fail, our judgment to mislead us. We grope and totter and make countless mistakes until we learn wholly to mistrust ourselves and to put all our confidence in him.” JEAN NICOLAS GROU (1731–1803)
Definitions
sanc·ti·fy - verb - set apart as or declare holy; consecrate; set apart for sacred use: to make free from sin: purify
"Sanctity" is an ancient concept widespread among religions. ... To sanctify is to literally "set apart for particular use in a special purpose or work and to make holy or sacred."
This work of the Holy Spirit in believers is known as sanctification.
Sanctification is a continuing change worked by the Holy Spirit in us, freeing us from sinful habits and developing in us Christ-like desires, attitudes, and virtues.
Romans 8:28-30 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Philippians 4:4-9 ESV Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Regeneration at salvation is birth; sanctification is growth.
Regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit. It is a momentary act, bringing a person from spiritual death to life. It is exclusively the Holy Spirit’s work.
The Bible uses the word sanctification in two different ways. It speaks of sanctification in a wide sense and in a narrow sense. Sanctification in the wide sense refers to all God does for the salvation of sinners. In eternity God chose us to be saved and in time he sent his Son to atone for our sins.
Ephesians 1:3-10 ESV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
God brings us to faith in Jesus, clothes us through faith in Christ’s righteousness, and preserves us in faith to eternal life.
Sanctification in the Narrow Sense
Sanctification in the narrow sense, which is what our study is about, refers to the new life God enables the Christian to to lead in response to his grace. God brings us to faith, gives us spiritual life, and enables us to live godly lives. Sanctification in the narrow sense, referring to the new life the Christian leads through faith in Jesus, is what is most often meant when referring to sanctification.
Sanctification is an ongoing process, dependent on the Holy Spirit’s continuing action in the believer.
In sanctification, believers are set apart for the Lord to be continually washed from sin and transformed into the image of Christ.
Christians will enjoy and grow in the gracious ministry of sanctification by the Holy Spirit as they believe God’s Word and yield to His Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-25 ESV But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
People’s lives would forever remain as unholy if it weren't for the work of God. The Holy Spirit creates faith through the gospel. He makes people new, with new hearts, new minds, and a new sense of direction. He enables Christiansto lead new lives. This work, by which the Holy Spirit enables Christians to live new lives through faith in Jesus, the Bible calls sanctification.
Because of God’s work in them, Christians no longer conform to the ways of the world. Instead, they are transformed.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Christians gladly serve God as they remember God’s mercy in Christ. God saved us so that we might serve him with a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 ESV For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
So in sanctification we put off the deeds of the sinful flesh and put on the deeds of the new self as being led by the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
(Ephesians 4 and 5)
Put Off the Old Life Put On the New Life
Speaking lies (4:25) Speaking the truth (4:25)
Stealing from others (4:28) Doing honest work and sharing goods with others (4:28)
Using unwholesome talk to tear
others down (4:29) Using speech to edify others (4:29)
Exhibiting bitterness, rage, anger,
brawling, slander, malice (4:31) Being kind, compassionate; forgiving others as God for Jesus’ sake forgave you (4:32) Jesus sake forgave you (4:32)
Being sexually immoral, impure,
greedy, obscene; using foolish talk
and coarse joking (5:3,4) Living holy lives with thanks- giving (5:3,4)
Showing the darkness of sin and
doing deeds of darkness (5:8,11) Living in light and doing deeds that invite others to learn
of Jesus (5:8,9)
Being filled with wine (5:18) Being filled with the Spirit (5:18)
Acting out of debauchery (5:18) Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, spiritual
songs; singing and making music in your hearts to the
Lord; giving thanks to God the Father for everything
(5:19,20)
Sanctification - the act or process of acquiring sanctity, of being made or becoming holy.
Sanctification can be generally defined as being separate or set apart. In the case of the Christian, we are set apart for God and we are separate from the world.
Sanctification is the process of being set apart for God's work and being conformed to the image of Christ. Remember God’s purpose for us;
Romans 8:28 (NKJV)28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
This conformance to Christ’s image also includes us and the things we do. God is working those things because He justified or declared us right with Him through the blood of Jesus, us when He saved us.
Romans 10:8-10 (NKJV)8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 8:29-30 (NKJV)29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Philippians 2:13 (NKJV)13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Salvation is the work of God alone. We don’t have anything to do with it and we can’t earn it. Sanctification is a process. Where salvation comes from outside of us, from God, sanctification comes from God within us by the work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we contribute to sanctification through our efforts. The saved person is actively involved in submitting to God's will, resisting sin, seeking holiness, and working to be more godly or developing growing in the fruit of the Spirit. Sanctification is the divine process by which Christians become more and more like Christ. It is a divine process because the changes in the life of the Christian are produced by the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
The “fruit” of the Spirit, on the other hand, is the expression of our renewed nature as it is seen by others. Iin order to live your life in a way that is pleasing to God, you must bear fruit.
1 Peter 1:1-2 (NKJV)1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
Those changes are not the result of self-improvement efforts or reimaging. They are the result of the power of God renewing the heart and mind of the Christian. In the Christian’s sanctification, God’s resurrection power is at work on a renewal project.
The Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Christ and will preserve us in faith to everlasting life (sanctification in the wide sense). He enables us to lead new lives in Christ (sanctification in the narrow sense).
Three aspects to sanctification
1. Positional sanctification received at salvation
Acts 20:32 (NKJV) So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
1 Corinthians 1:2 (NKJV)2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
2. Progressive sanctification, the daily growth, becoming more and more set apart for God's use
John 17:16-19 (NKJV)16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
3. Ultimate sanctification, attained only when we are fully and completely set apart to God as we become just like Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:1-3 (NKJV)1 Behold what manner of lIove the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
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