Becoming Clean: The Doctrine of Sanctification

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Good morning family!

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Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Advent Reading: Joy (Phyllis Higgins)

Joy to the World!

The First Noel

Prayer of Confession (Craig Figgers)

Assurance of Pardon (Psalm 16:11)

What Child Is This?

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Scripture Reading (Hebrews 12:14)

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SERMON

START TIMER!!!

One of the Christmas movies our family watches every year is the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy, Jingle All the Way.

I’m about to spoil the entire film for you. If you haven’t seen it by now, you probably never will.

Schwarzenegger plays a workaholic father named Howard who is determined to make up for breaking promises and neglecting his son Jamie. Jamie’s favorite superhero is Turbo Man, and Howard promises to get him a Turbo Man action figure as a Christmas gift.

Unfortunately, Howard waits until Christmas Eve, only to discover the toy is sold out everywhere. In a frantic race against time Howard continues to disappoint his wife and son, and still is unable to purchase a Turbo Man action figure.

But in a bizarre series of events, he ends up dressing up as Turbo Man in the city’s Christmas parade and saving his son from near certain death.

Once Jamie sees his dad is the real Turbo Man, he no longer cares about having the Turbo Man action figure. And he no longer cares about all the ways his father has neglected him or all the lies he’s told.

In perfect Hollywood fashion, a family that mere moments before was on the verge of complete and total collapse is now smiling under the Christmas tree together as if nothing bad had ever happened.

But wearing a Turbo Man costume doesn’t change a person’s behavior.

If Jingle All the Way happened in real life, Howard would still need to do the hard work of rebuilding trust, keeping his promises, and rightly prioritizing his family over his work.

Dressing up as Turbo Man doesn’t mean you’re going to act like Turbo Man.

Last week we began PBC’s annual Christmas tradition of studying Christian doctrine by looking at the doctrine of justification.

In justification believers are declared clean because of the righteousness of Christ.

We are—as the hymn writer says—dressed in the righteousness of Jesus.

But just like being dressed as Turbo Man doesn’t mean you’re always going to act like Turbo Man, being dressed in Jesus’ righteousness doesn’t mean you’re always going to act like Jesus.

We have to do the hard work of growing and changing.

And that’s the doctrine of sanctification.

Turn in your Bibles to Hebrews 12:14.

As you’re turning there, I want you to remember the three crucial doctrines we are studying this Christmas.

SHOW SALVATION CHART

Last week we studied the doctrine of justification, which instantly frees us from sin’s penalty. When we are justified we are declared clean.

Next week we’ll study the doctrine of glorification, which permanently frees us from sin’s presence. When we are glorified we become forever clean.

Today we’re studying the doctrine of sanctification, which progressively frees us from sin’s power. Through the sanctification process we are becoming clean.

Although the word “sanctification” isn’t used in our text, the doctrine is clearly taught.

After challenging His readers to fight their sin and follow Jesus, even when it’s hard, the Holy Spirit says this...

Hebrews 12:14—Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

With God’s help I want to answer Three Questions About Sanctification:

What does it mean?

Why is it necessary?

How is it pursued?

1) What Does Sanctification MEAN?

The English language uses two distinct root words for holiness and sanctification.

The English word "holy" traces its roots to a German word meaning "whole, uninjured, or sacred."

The word “sanctification” has a similar meaning, but it originates from the Latin term sanctus.

These two root words make it appear that the Bible is only talking about sanctification when the term is used in our English Bibles.

But in both the Old and New Testaments, the same root word is used for both holiness and sanctification.

So when our text says we should “strive for. . . holiness” it is using the same root word that is elsewhere translated as “sanctification.”

Our English translators could have helped us out a bit if they coined the term “holyfication” instead of borrowing “sanctification” from the Latin, but 500 years after William Tyndale is a bit too late to fix that problem.

I share this because you won’t find everything you need to know about the doctrine of sanctification—or any other doctrine for that matter—by looking for a term in your concordance. You need to know the whole Bible!

If that seems like an impossible task, just keep reading your Bible little by little every day, and keep coming to church week after week and you’ll find over the course of five, ten, twenty years that you have grown more than you could have ever asked or imagined.

Which is a perfect segue to our definition of sanctification.

Here’s what the PBC Statement of Faith says about this crucial doctrine:

In sanctification, God progressively frees believers from the power of sin and grows them in practical holiness.

Now far more important than what PBC says we believe about a doctrine is what the Word of God says about a doctrine. So let’s break it down together and test it by the Scripture.

Consider with me three keys to understanding this crucial doctrine…

A) Sanctification is A GIFT OF GOD

In sanctification, GOD progressively frees believers from the power of sin and [GOD] grows them in practical holiness.

The very next sentence in our statement of faith says that “this growth is a gift of grace.”

This doesn’t mean we don’t have anything to do. We’ll talk about that later. But it does mean that it is God, not the Christian, who gets the glory when we grow in holiness.

This is clearly taught in passages like...

Philippians 1:6—And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

What’s the good work that God began in you?

It’s making you look like King Jesus!

That work began when God justified you and declared you righteous in His sight.

And it will be completed on the day that Jesus returns.

Everything in the middle—between the moment you became a Christian until the moment you see Jesus face-to-face—is what the Bible calls sanctification.

But notice Paul says GOD will bring that work to completion.

I could give you a number of other Scriptures that demonstrate this truth, but we don’t have time this morning.

Instead, I want you to consider why this is so important. IF sanctification is a gift of God than you WILL receive it if you’re a Christian. Every Christian WILL be sanctified. Every Christian WILL grow in holiness.

Which leads us to our second key to understanding this doctrine...

B) Sanctification is FOR CHRISTIANS

In sanctification, God progressively frees BELIEVERS from the power of sin and grows them in practical holiness.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time here, but this is incredibly important for anyone in this room that is NOT a Christian.

Before you can even begin the process of growing in holiness, your sin record needs to be dealt with.

Imagine a free throw competition. You stand at the free throw line, you’re given a basketball, and if you make ten out of ten shots you’ll win a million dollars.

Now once you’ve miss the first shot you’ve failed. It doesn’t matter how hard you try after that, even if you make the next nine you’re still not perfect. You don’t win.

In the same way, once you’ve sinned against God your record is tarnished. No matter how hard you try from here on out, it does not matter. Your sin record needs to be dealt with before you can begin the process of growing in holiness.

EXPLAIN THE GOSPEL

Once you turn from your sins and trust in Jesus, you CAN begin to grow in holiness.

Which leads us to our third key to understanding this doctrine...

C) Sanctification is PROGRESSIVE

In sanctification, God PROGRESSIVELY frees believers from the power of sin and grows them in practical holiness.

Growing in holiness is something that happens slowly and over time.

There are two pitfalls we can fall into here…

One pitfall is to believe we can achieve perfect sanctification in this life.

There are some who have taught that Christians can attain a state of sinless perfection.

But even the Apostle Paul, who was arguably the most sanctified man in his day, called himself the chief of sinners.

Similarly, the Apostle John writes…

1 John 1:8—If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

So even though we CAN make progress in holiness, we don’t arrive in this life.

A second pitfall is to believe we’re so bad we can’t make any progress at all.

PBC family, I think this is the pit that you all are more likely to fall into.

I tried to address this error a few weeks ago when we talked about pleasing God. I want you to know that you really CAN live in a way that pleases God. You really CAN grow.

Consider what Paul says to the Thessalonian Christians in...

1 Thessalonians 4:9–10—Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more.

Notice Paul says the Thessalonians ARE really loving each other. And yet, Paul URGES them to do it EVEN MORE!

It is possible to grow in holiness, and yet still have a lot more work to do to keep growing!

So what does sanctification mean?

It’s the work of God to progressively free believers from the power of sin and grow them in practical holiness.

Which leads us to our second question…

2) Why is Sanctification NECESSARY?

Let’s look at our verse again:

Hebrews 12:14—Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

The author of Hebrews is clear that we will NOT see the Lord—in other words, we will NOT go to heaven—if we don’t have holiness.

Some have replied, “Well this passage must be talking about our justification then. The holiness we need to see the Lord must be the imputed righteousness of Christ!”

But there’s two problems with that interpretation.

First, the context is clearly talking about practical holiness, not the DECLARED righteousness we receive at justification.

Verse 1 talks about running the race of the Christian life.

Verse 4 talks about our struggle against sin.

Verses 5-11 talk about the discipline that Christians receive from our heavenly Father when we disobey Him.

Verses 15-17 talks about specific sins that can trip us up like bitterness or sexual immorality.

This entire chapter is about holiness in the Christian life, not the holiness of Jesus credited to our accounts at justification.

The second reason this is clearly talking about practical holiness is that word “strive” in verse 14.

It’s a word that means to pursue or to seek after. Striving is something that requires intense, sustained effort.

It would be completely out of line to use a term like that to refer to our justification.

We do not strive to receive the righteousness of Christ.

Our justification does not require intense, sustained effort.

We are declared righteous—not by trying really hard—but as a gift when we turn from our sins and trust in Jesus!

Here’s why this matters: IF Hebrews 12:14 is talking about our sanctification (and I am 100% convinced it is) than your growth in holiness could not be more important.

The text says you WILL NOT SEE THE LORD if you don’t grow in holiness.

If you do not grow in holiness you’ll go to hell!

This is not only the teaching of this verse, it’s all over the Scriptures...

Galatians 5:19–21 (CSB)—Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I appreciate the way the CSB uses the English word “practice” there.

Paul is NOT saying that a Christian never sins in these ways.

But he IS saying that if these things become your life’s continual, unrepentant practice, you are giving evidence that you’re not a Christian.

Christian, your personal holiness is essential.

Show me someone who claims to be a Christian who doesn’t give a rip about holiness and I’ll show you someone who may be a Christian in name only.

Jesus drives this point home in...

Matthew 7:18–19—“A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

If you claim to be a Christian, but you don’t have the good fruit of growing holiness in your life, you may be deceived.

But before we move on, just think about fruit for a moment.

A tree doesn’t BECOME an apple tree by stapling apples to its branches. It produces apples BECAUSE it’s an apple tree.

In the same way, you won’t BECOME a Christian by stapling good fruit to your life. But if you are a Christian you WILL produce good fruit!

Notice also that Jesus doesn’t say these trees must bear perfect fruit.

It is possible for us to do something that is truly good without being perfectly good.

And if you’re a Christian, you WILL bear good fruit. You WILL grow in holiness, because holiness is essential.

So why is sanctification necessary?

Because if we don’t grow in holiness, we don’t truly belong to Jesus.

Which leads us to our third question…

3) How is Sanctification PURSUED?

Perhaps you’re mired in confusion right now.

In the first point I said that sanctification is a gift from God.

But in the second point I said sanctification is something for which we must strive.

Hebrews 12:14—Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

How do you strive for a gift?!?

Imagine a talented young musician who dreams of playing the piano beautifully. For Christmas, her parents gift her a magnificent grand piano—a gift she could never afford on her own. It’s hers, freely given, and she didn’t have to earn it. But simply owning the piano doesn’t make her a great pianist.

If she wants to bring out the beauty of that gift, she must practice daily. Hours of repetition, learning scales, and wrestling with difficult pieces are necessary. Her fingers may ache, and she’ll likely get frustrated at times, but through her striving, the gift begins to show its true potential. Without effort, the piano would just sit there, unused and unappreciated.

Similarly, God gives us the gift of holiness through Jesus Christ. It’s entirely unearned—a gracious gift. But for that holiness to shine through our lives, we must strive. Striving doesn’t mean we earn it; it means we work in harmony with the gift we’ve already received. Just like the young musician, our effort allows the gift to fulfill its purpose.

Few passages better illustrate how this works practically than...

Philippians 2:12–13—Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Growing in holiness is kind of like the two pedals on a bicycle. Which one is more important, the left one or the right one? Both!

In the same way, there are two forces at work as you strive for holiness.

First, you and I must work.

God’s Word commands you to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

If you’re going to grow in holiness, it’s going to take a lot of hard work.

Once again the PBC Statement of Faith is helpful here:

While this growth [sanctification] is a gift of grace, it also requires the believer to actively, intentionally, and persistently fight sin through means such as prayer, Bible intake, and meaningful involvement in a local church.

If you want to grow in holiness, you can’t simply “let go and let God.” You’ve got work to do!

How is your prayer life? Weak prayer lives create weak Christians!

PBC members—one practical way to grow in your prayer life is to get a church directory and pray for one page a day. Look at the name on the directory, and if you know them you’ll probably know one or two things they could use prayer for. If you don’t know them, you’ll have a reason to get to know them better so you can pray for them!

If you’ll commit to do this, you may find yourself far more actively engaged in prayer!

How is your Bible intake?

We deliberately word it that way—rather than saying “Bible reading” because many Christians throughout church history couldn’t read! They received Bible intake by listening to other people read the Bible to them.

Today we have incredible technologies that allow us to listen to God’s Word.

Christian, if you’re not able to carve out 5-10 minutes to open your Bible and read it every morning, at least use one of those technologies to listen to the Bible at some point throughout the day.

Just like babies need milk, Christians need God’s Word!

How is your church involvement?

God designed the local church to be the greenhouse where Christians grow. Our growth will be stunted if we withdraw from God’s people.

Let me challenge you to do two really simple things if this is a struggle for you:

First, show up early and stay late. You’ll be amazed at just how much you can grow in relationships with God’s people if you make an effort to be hear early enough to talk with people before the service and if you stay afterwards for a bit to fellowship some more.

Second, add one thing. Maybe you’re a Sunday morning only Christian. We love you and praise God for you, but I believe you could grow in your walk with Jesus if you added one thing to your life as a part of this church. Maybe it’s Sunday School. Or maybe it’s a Fellowship Group. Or a discipleship group. Or a men’s or women’s event when they’re offered. Or a meaningful service opportunity.

Perhaps you hear all this and you just feel overwhelmed. “I thought salvation was supposed to be by grace! This sounds like a lot of works!”

I love what Dallas Willard says about this: “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”

But where is the energy for all this effort going to come from?

The second force at work in your holiness is God Himself. If we’re going to grow in holiness than God must work.

God’s Word promises that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Unlike our piano illustration, the parents can buy their daughter a piano as a Christmas present. But they cannot give their daughter the desire and the power to play.

I took piano lessons for years as a young man, but I had zero desire to learn.

My parents and my piano teacher even bribed my with baseball cards to encourage me to practice and truly learn how to play piano.

But they could only influence me from the outside. And much to my regret now, those external threats and appeals could not change me internally.

But God is not like a powerless parent or piano teacher. He has the power to infuse in our hearts both a desire and the energy to grow in holiness.

So if you’re struggling in your own quest for holiness, let me suggest three steps:

Step One: Examine yourself.

Sometimes there is no desire for holiness because an individual hasn’t been born again.

It could be that you’re not pursuing holiness because you’re not really a Christian.

Here’s a simple way to examine yourself. Ask yourself, do I want to please Jesus? Or, perhaps, do I want to want to please Jesus? If the answer to both questions is no, you might need to become a Christian.

But if you DO want to please Jesus—or want to want to please Him—that’s evidence of a new heart!

What you need to do then is...

Step Two: Pray for help.

If God wants us to please Him, and God is the One who enables us to please Him, then God will gladly help us to grow in holiness if we ask Him.

And then, after you ask God for help, don’t wait for God to magically zap you with holiness.

What you need to do finally is...

Step Three: Just do it.

Don’t wait until you feel like obeying. Obey as if you felt like it, and then watch as your feelings slowly catch up.

Read your Bible, pray, lean into the local church, fight your sin. And as you faithfully do those things God will use His Word and His people to change your heart so that you want to do those things even more.

So how is sanctification pursued?

We work and God work in us.

In the final scene of Jingle All the Way, Howard and his wife, Liz, are peacefully decorating the Christmas tree. Liz reflects on everything that happened that day and says, “Howard, I’ve been thinking. Everything that you went through today for Jamie, really shows how much you love him. And if you’re willing to go through all that for him just for a present. Well, that makes me wonder… what did you get me?”

The camera then zooms in on Howard’s wide-eyed look of dread as he realizes he completely forgot to get his wife a Christmas gift.

Don’t let that look of dread creep into your heart as you think about the doctrine of sanctification.

God is more committed to your holiness than you are.

Jesus died so you and I could be holy.

The Spirit lives in us to help us be holy.

God gave us His Word so we know how to be holy.

God gave us His people so we can grow in holiness together.

And God is so committed that He promises to complete the work He began in you.

So don’t despair, even if sometimes you feel like a filthy animal. Just keep striving—one day at a time—to grow in holiness.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

He Will Hold Me Fast

Benediction (Jude 24-25)