The Apostles' Creed: The Holy SpiritSample

Sanctification by the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

When we speak of the Spirit’s work of sanctification, we are talking about the act of making people and things holy. This is the work the Spirit does to set people and things apart for God’s use, to purify them, and to make them fit to be near his unveiled glory.

The Bible often says that the church is holy or sanctified by the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit. We see this idea in places like Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Peter 1:1-2. Consider the way Paul talked about the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17:

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ... [T]he temple of God is holy, and that is what you are (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, NASB).

In the Old Testament, the Jewish temple was God’s earthly palace where his special presence used to dwell. It was his house on earth, as Solomon proclaimed in 2 Chronicles 6:1. But in the New Testament, God no longer dwelled in the temple. Instead, the Holy Spirit sanctified the church as the new temple. This same idea is mentioned explicitly in Ephesians 2:22, and is echoed in other parts of Scripture.

The Holy Spirit is also said to sanctify individual believers by indwelling them. This is the idea that the Holy Spirit actually lives within the hearts of believers. This indwelling is mentioned in many places in Scripture, such as Romans 8:9-16, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Timothy 1:14, and James 4:5. 

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is an essential reality for the believer. When God moves in and makes Christians new creatures in Christ, the Holy Spirit takes over in their lives. And it’s absolutely essential that we depend on him, rely on his indwelling power, or else we’re just living in the flesh. We’ve got to be able to tell the difference between living in the Spirit and living in the flesh because living in the Spirit is what enables us to glorify Christ in the way he wants us to. – Dr. K. Erik Thoennes

This indwelling has several results. To list just a few, it purifies us from sin, it sets us apart for God, and we enjoy and benefit from the Spirit’s influence in our hearts and minds. Consider the way Paul talked about these things in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

The wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God ... And that is what some of you were. 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 (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, believers have been purified and set apart for God, so that they are no longer counted among the wicked.