What Sanctification Actually Means
The Biblical Definition That Changes Everything
The word "sanctification" has been completely misunderstood.
This term is often misused, leaving many Christians unaware of its true meaning. What if understanding its genuine biblical significance could completely change your approach to spiritual growth?
Sanctification isn't a mysterious, indefinable spiritual experience that happens to some believers and not others. It's a clear biblical doctrine with a specific meaning and practical application that every follower of Christ should understand.
The word means "to be set apart" or "to be made holy." But here's where it gets interesting: holy doesn't mean weird, mystical, or otherworldly. It means reflecting God's character. And since God's character is revealed through His law, true sanctification must involve conformity to God's standards as revealed in Scripture.
Paul understood this perfectly when he prayed, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). He wasn't asking for some vague spiritual blessing. He was requesting that God would completely set apart these believers for His purposes by transforming their character to reflect His own.
But how does this actually happen? Jesus gave us the answer in His prayer for the disciples: "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17). Sanctification occurs through God's truth—His Word. And what is the heart of God's Word when it comes to revealing His character? "Your law is truth" (Psalm 119:142).
Do you see the connection? Sanctification happens as we're transformed by truth, and God's law is truth. This means you can't have genuine sanctification while ignoring or rejecting God's standards. They're not obstacles to holiness—they're the very definition of holiness.
This is why Paul could say that believers are sanctified "by the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:16). The Spirit's work isn't to bypass God's law but to write it on our hearts. The Spirit doesn't free us from God's standards; He empowers us to love and fulfill those standards.
Think about Jesus as our perfect example. What made His character holy? Was it some mystical quality unrelated to actual behavior? Not at all. He said, "I have kept My Father's commandments" (John 15:10) and "I always do the things that are pleasing to Him" (John 8:29). His holiness was demonstrated through perfect obedience to God's revealed will.
This is the pattern for all believers. We're called to become like Him by forming characters that harmonize with God's holy law through divine grace. This isn't about earning salvation—that's already been secured through Christ's sacrifice. This is about living out the salvation we've freely received.
But here's what makes this both challenging and encouraging: this transformation is possible. Not through human willpower or religious effort, but through faith in Christ and the power of God's indwelling Spirit. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to conform us to His image.
When you understand sanctification biblically, several things become clear. First, it's not optional for believers—it's God's will for every Christian. Second, it's not mysterious—it's clearly defined in Scripture. Third, it's not impossible—it's provided for through Christ's power. Fourth, it's not instant—it's progressive throughout the Christian life.
This understanding should both humble and encourage you. Humble you because it reveals how far short we all fall of God's perfect standard. Encourage you because it shows that transformation is not only possible but promised to all who seek it through faith in Christ.
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 5:23
I have seen a very popular approach to God's Law is to divide it up into civil, ceremonial and then the "moral code". This approach cannot however be backed up with chapter and verse references, but still remains a very popular way of dealing with God's Law. Now, we are no longer under a theocracy, for sure, we are governed by the Laws of the country we are citizens of (as sojourners), and yes some Laws do seem to be "ceremonial" in nature, but this man made division creates a problem and deceives many into dis-regarding specific instructions God gave around holiness by dumping these instructions into the "ceremonial" category.
Furthermore, when we try to follow a moral code, it can easily become subjective, either to my own limited understanding of right and wrong - which is heavily molded by my parental upbringing, my school and college learning years, and my peer group - be that in a secular setting or embracing denominationally defined boundaries. Since scripture does not present God's Law in these categories, we have to "lean to our own understanding" on what constitutes morality, and this is where the adversary can have his victory, by deceiving us just as he deceived Eve. "Surely you will not die". Eve reasoned through eating the fruit in her own mind instead of taking the Father's instruction as absolutely trustworthy, with disastrous results.