Progressive Sanctification?

2 Thessalonians 2 NASB95

1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

Sanctification is a supernatural work of God whereby He, by His Spirit, sets individuals apart, placing them into union with Christ and unites them to his perfect Holiness.

Paul uses sanctification as a work of the Holy Spirit in other texts:

Romans 15:16 “16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 6:11 “11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

- Exhortation against deception regarding the Day of Christ (verses 1-3)

- Description of the "man of sin" and "son of perdition" (verses 4-12)

- Contrast between those perishing and those saved (verses 13-17)

Paul gives thanks to God for what He has done in choosing these believers and the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification.

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament ἁγιάζω

In Paul the thought of justification overshadows sanctification (ἁγιάζειν) as a function of God. He applies the concept passively rather than actively, speaking of the sanctified. In him, too, the ἡγιασμένοι have their root ἐν Χριστῷ (1 C. 1:2); the Gentile Christians are a προσφορά, ἡγιασμένη ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ (R. 15:16), so that again the concept of sanctification is linked with that of reconciliation. Sanctification is not moral action on the part of man, but a divinely effected state (1 C. 6:11: ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε), the baptismal washing showing that in the baptismal fellowship of Christ (R. 6:4; Col. 2:12) lies the basis of sanctification and justification (cf. 1 Cor. 1:30). That sanctification is a state emerges with particular clarity in the fact that a Christian partner effects a character of holiness in the pagan partner and also the children (1 C. 7:14), who are not themselves Christians. In the later Pauline literature, e.g., Ephesians (5:26: ἁγιάσῃ καθαρίσας) and the Pastorals (1 Tm. 4:5; 2 Tm. 2:21) the concept of holiness approximates to that of purity in wholly Jewish style (cf. Eph. 1:14; Col. 1:22).

In Acts the expression ἡγιασμένοι is twice set on the lips of Paul (Ac. 20:32: κληρονομίαν ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις πᾶσιν; 26:18: κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις), and both times in allusion to Dt. 33:3: μάντες οἱ ἡγιασμένοι ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖράς σου. This corresponds to the Pauline thought of the share of the Christian in the κλῆρος τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί (Col. 1:12; cf. s.v. ἅγιος), except that the passive ἡγιασμένοι causes a heavier stress to fall on the setting up of the state of holiness. Finally, in 1 Pt. 3:15 Christians are summoned to the sanctification of Christ: Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις. The presupposition here is that they are ἅγιοι (1:16), so that Christ dwells in them as His temple, and will not suffer any impurity. Again, therefore, purity of heart is a condition of sanctification.