Sanctification 04 05 25

Search Christians and Sanctification

Sanctification in Christian theology refers to the process of being set apart as holy and becoming more like Christ. It is understood as both a divine declaration of holiness through Christ and an ongoing process of spiritual growth[1][2]. This process involves the work of the triune God, particularly the Holy Spirit, in transforming believers inwardly and outwardly[3]. Sanctification is closely tied to the concept of holiness and is seen as distinct from justification, which relates to saving faith[2]. The process involves putting off sinful patterns of thought and action and replacing them with biblical alternatives[4]. It is facilitated by the Word of God, as Jesus prayed for believers to be sanctified in the truth[5]. Christian counseling is often viewed as an aspect of this sanctification process, helping believers grow and overcome obstacles to their spiritual development[4].

[1] Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith, Pocket Dictionary of Ethics, The IVP Pocket Reference Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 105–106.

[2] Doug Mangum, “Sanctification,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[3] Susanne Calhoun, “Sanctification,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

[4] Jay E. Adams, “Sanctification,” in The Practical Encyclopedia of Christian Counseling (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 164. [5] Aaron Menikoff, “Preach to the Non-Christian, Christian, and Church Member,” 9Marks Journal 4, no. 4 (2007): 29.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Sanctification

SANCTIFICATION Refers broadly to the concept of being set apart as sacred. In

Lexham Survey of Theology Sanctification

Sanctification

Sanctification is the ongoing supernatural work of God to rescue justified sinners from the disease of sin and to conform them to the image of his Son: holy, Christlike, and empowered to do good works.

The triune God not only declares his children righteous but also progressively makes them righteous, setting them apart for himself and freeing them from the entanglements of sin. This process, referred to as “sanctification,” does not happen in a moment but is the ongoing work of God throughout the life of a believer. In “justification,” Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers: it is reckoned to their account, judicially speaking. In sanctification, Christ’s righteousness is imparted: by the power of the Spirit, the converted sinner becomes more like Christ. The sinner is transformed in every area of his or her life: inward and outward, heart and action, relationships and purpose.

Sanctification is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (

Lexham Survey of Theology The Means of Sanctification

The Means of Sanctification

Means are the practices and sacramental gifts used by the Holy Spirit in order to progressively sanctify those who are in Christ.

In Reformed theology, a distinction is often made between “definitive” sanctification and “progressive” sanctification. Definitive sanctification refers to the holiness that believers are given concomitant to their union with Christ: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (

Hebrews 12:10 NLT

10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.

Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary Sanctification

SANCTIFICATION — the process of God’s grace by which the believer is separated from sin and becomes dedicated to God’s righteousness. Accomplished by the Word of God (