Like Jesus: Being Sanctified Is a Glorious ProcessSample

Like Jesus: Being Sanctified is a Glorious process - It comes through the ministry of the Word of God.

Examples of Sanctification in Scripture -

In the Old and New Testaments, saints experienced Sanctification as they grew closer to God. Moses, in Exodus 3-4, transformed from fear to faith when God called him to lead the Israelites. Paul, in Acts 9, turned from persecutor to follower of Christ after encountering Him. King David repented and found favor with God despite his sins. John 17:16-19 emphasizes progressive sanctification through God's truth, setting believers apart. Jesus prayed for their sanctification, separating them from the world by God's truth. Old Testament saints demonstrate God's transformative power and His desire to set apart those who seek Him. Paul, in Acts 9, turned from persecutor to follower of Christ after encountering Him.

Traditionally, sanctification is categorized into three aspects.

1. Positional sanctification: is that state of holiness imputed to the Christian at the moment of their conversion to Christ.

It denotes not so much one’s spiritual condition as his spiritual position. The Corinthian believers in I Corinthians 1:2 could thus be called ‘Saints’ even though they were in a carnal state.

2. Progressive sanctification: refers to the process in our daily lives by which we are being conformed to the image of Christ.

It is the process of becoming what we are in Christ. In Colossians 3:1-10 it is the putting off of the old habits of lying, stealing, backbiting, etc., and putting on the Christ-like qualities of honesty, mercy, and love.

3. Ultimate sanctification: is that state of holiness that we will not attain in this life, but we will realize when we are finally in the presence of God:

In I John 3:2 it says “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.”

Sanctification is the process of putting off of the old man, and the putting on of the righteousness of Christ which is three dimensional: positional, progressive, and ultimate. The argument of the apostle Paul in Romans 6 is that we are obligated to experience progressive sanctification, because of our positional sanctification accomplished on the cross of Calvary.

True daily sanctification in this life comes through the ministry of the Word of God. Jesus told His disciples, “Now are you clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” In John 15:3. God set us apart to Himself when He saved us.

Interactive Questions:

● How would you differentiate between positional sanctification and progressive sanctification?

● What is the significance of the ministry of the Word of God in the process of daily sanctification?

● Why is it important to understand and strive for progressive sanctification despite already having positional sanctification through Christ?