Have you ever felt uneasy about today’s teachings on Christian holiness?
The teaching may sound spiritual and it may be widely accepted, but that inner discomfort might be your spiritual discernment protecting you from dangerous error.
Here's what I've discovered through careful biblical study: many of today's most popular theories about sanctification are built on a fundamental flaw—they either neglect or outright reject the role of God's law in the believer's life. This isn't a minor theological detail; it's a foundational error that produces both false doctrine and dangerous practical results.
Think about it this way. If someone told you they were teaching "advanced mathematics" but insisted that numbers were irrelevant, you'd immediately recognize the problem. You can't have real mathematics without numbers, and you can't have true sanctification without God's law, because God's law reveals His character—and sanctification is about becoming like God.
Yet this is exactly what's happening in many Christian circles today. Teachers promote "holiness" while dismissing the very standards that define holiness. They offer "spiritual growth" while rejecting the principles that show what spiritual maturity looks like. They promise "Christ-likeness" while ignoring the law that Christ perfectly exemplified.
Why does this happen? Often, it's a reaction against legalism—the false idea that we can earn salvation through law-keeping. But here's the tragic irony: in their effort to avoid legalism, these teachers have swung to the opposite extreme, creating what we might call "antinomianism"—the belief that law has no place in the Christian life.
Both errors are deadly. Legalism tries to use God's law to earn salvation, which is impossible. Antinomianism tries to pursue holiness while ignoring God's standards, which is nonsensical. True biblical sanctification avoids both ditches by understanding the law's proper role in the believer's life.
Consider how this plays out practically. When sanctification is divorced from God's law, it becomes purely subjective. People claim to be "walking in the Spirit" while living in ways that clearly contradict Scripture. They talk about "grace" while continuing in patterns of behavior that dishonor God. They seek "spiritual experiences" while showing little evidence of actual character transformation.
This isn't spiritual freedom—it's spiritual confusion. And it's spreading rapidly because it offers the promise of holiness without the challenge of actual change. It appeals to our fallen nature's desire to be spiritual without being sanctified, holy without being transformed.
But here's the hope: God's truth is still available to those willing to search for it. The same Scripture that warns about false teachers also provides the antidote to their deception. When we approach sanctification with biblical honesty rather than popular opinion, we discover that true holiness is both possible and practical.
The key is understanding that sanctification isn't about lowering God's standards to match our performance—it's about God raising our performance to match His standards through the power of His Spirit. It's not about eliminating the law from our lives—it's about the law being written on our hearts so that obedience becomes our delight rather than our duty.
Don't be fooled by teachings that promise easy holiness or cheap grace. True sanctification requires both God's power and our cooperation, both divine enabling and human effort, both spiritual transformation and practical obedience. It's challenging, but it's also gloriously possible through Christ.
The next time you encounter teaching about sanctification, ask yourself: Does this align with God's revealed standards, or does it find ways around them? Does it call me to higher ground, or does it accommodate my current level? The answers will reveal whether you're hearing biblical truth or popular deception.
"This is the will of God, your sanctification." - 1 Thessalonians 4:3
