Board index ‹ Assorted Bible Questions

[Extreme Eater]

How do we become sanctified?

[jimwalton]

The process of sanctification is a joint project between God and us, but not in equal shares. God does the sanctifying; our part is to live in the Spirit, by faith, with obedience. God’s is the sovereign initiative, God is the sanctifier (the only qualified purveyor of holiness), and God is the sustainer who makes it possible for us to endure. But endure we must, as repeated over and over again in the book of Hebrews, as well as Rev. 2-3, and others. As Robertson says, “God began it, and God will consummate it, but not without our cooperation and partnership.”

There are many factors at work—spiritual, circumstantial, and personal—that are part of our spiritual growth, temptations, progress and regress. While we can read more, study more, serve more, worship more fervently, sanctification is the work of God, though I would say that He responds with favor to our acts of faith and obedience. At the same time, we know that an increase in our pursuit of God sometimes means an increase in suffering, persecution, and spiritual attack. All in all, I still think that I cannot control the growth of my own sanctification. It's the work of God in me in conjunction with my response to Him, and it's not a smooth path.

Often the path of progressive sanctification is trial by fire. We contribute by responding in a godly way, but the process of sanctification in us is God's. It's in that sense we can truly say, "In all things God works for the good of those who love him."

I don't see sanctification as a predictable input/output situation, where if I do X, Y, and Z, then I will be sanctified, or even that I can guarantee spiritual growth. The wind blows where it blows (Jn. 3), and there are no straight lines or predictable input/output situations. While spiritual disciplines can contribute to spiritual growth and spiritual formation, the only guarantee in this scenario is that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion."