God’s saving work in an individual does not end at conversion. Conversion is only the beginning of a life-long process of transformation as Jesus’ saving work is applied in a Christian’s practical daily behavior and character.
Sanctification
The ongoing process by which believers become increasingly free from sin and more like Christ is called sanctification. Also known as “holiness”, sanctification has a definite beginning at conversion. We contribute nothing to our salvation. This is entirely a work of God, received by faith. But God’s work to progressively transform a Christian’s life requires our cooperation with the Holy Spirit, using the means God provides, to live out the new life and new identity that are ours through conversion.
Positional Holiness
Sanctification or holiness has two aspects. Positional holiness refers to the standing of Christ-followers as being set apart to belong to God. In the Old Testament, certain objects (Leviticus 27:14-17), animals (Deuteronomy 15:19), persons (Exodus 28:41) or places (Exodus 3:5; Deuteronomy 23:14) were regarded as holy because they were set apart for God’s use alone and unavailable for common use. In the same way, followers of Christ have been set apart or consecrated to belong to God (1 Corinthians 1:2; Hebrews 10:10). Because positional sanctification occurs at the moment of conversion, the New Testament addresses all believers as “saints” or “God’s holy people” (2 Corinthians 2:1; Ephesians 1:1), not because of their exemplary lifestyle, but as a declaration of their standing as those who belong to the Lord.
Practical Holiness
By contrast, practical holiness refers to the development of Christians to be set apart increasingly from sin in their experience, as they grow into the character and conduct appropriate to God’s people (Hebrews 10:14). In this process, we become more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29) and more holy in our lifestyle (Romans 6:22). The New Testament offers three analogies to describe this growth. First is the growth of a plant (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). Second is the growth of a building (1 Corinthians 3:9-12; Acts 20:32). Third is the growth of a child (Ephesians 4:13-14). Growth in holiness is not an option for Christians, but a mandate that reflects the holiness of God himself (1 Peter 2:13-16).
Sanctification is never completed in this life. A Christian never reaches a point of sinless perfection in this world. The sanctifying process is only completed when this life is over, whether at our death or when the Lord returns. At that point, the believer is glorified – the final stage of our salvation and of our sanctification (see Topic 10).
God’s Part and Our Part
Sanctification is God’s work (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Growth in holiness is impossible apart from the Holy Spirit at work within the believer. The Spirit empowers believers to put to death the deeds of the sinful nature and to perform good deeds (Romans 8:12-13; Romans 7:4). He illuminates and empowers the Word of God in the believer’s life (Ephesians 6:17; John 17:17). The Spirit produces the fruit of a changed life (Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 1:11).
Sanctification is also the believer’s work. Growth in holiness involves an exercise of our will as we choose to participate (Romans 14:17), in fact, to diligently apply ourselves (2 Peter 1:5-11; Hebrews 12:14) to holiness – always in dependence on the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:3) and in response to God’s grace (Titus 2:11-14). The choices that advance sanctification might involve:
- Allegiance to God ahead of the world (1 John 2:15-17)
- Surrender to God’s will (Romans 12:1-2)
- Obedience (John 14:21-24)
- Following the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25)
- Trusting God (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
- Dying to self (Mark 8:34-35)
The Means of Christian Growth
While the Holy Spirit does work sanctification directly in Christ-followers, he also uses external means to transform our lives. Consider three such means:
- The church (see Topic 11). God uses the offices of the church to make us mature (Ephesians 4:11-13). He also uses the ministry of all God’s people to one another to help us resist, overcome, and recover from sin (Hebrews 3;13; Galatians 6:1-2).
- Spiritual disciplines. These are practices that place us in the pathway of God’s inner working, open us up to the influence of the Spirit, and stretch our dependence on God’s power. Such practices include prayer, Bible study, worship, serving, giving, and discipling others.
- Suffering. God uses hardships and adversity to purify our hearts and make us complete in Christ (Hebrews 12:10-11; James 1:2-4).
Purpose of the Christian Life
The goal of the Christian life is not just to develop an exemplary personal character. In fact, sanctification is not primarily inwardly focused. One purpose of the Christian life is to glorify God (Ephesians 1:13-14). Our worship, allegiance and obedience to him (Revelation 5:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Philippians 1:20) demonstrate his worthiness and point toward his honor and greatness. Another purpose of the Christian life is to represent God to the world (Matthew 5:14-16). Christians are witnesses and ambassadors of Jesus (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20), called to make disciples who follow him (Matthew 28:18-20).
Perseverance
Will a Christian, once saved, persevere in faith until the end of his or her life, or can a believer fall away from faith?
One position argues that a Christian cannot lose his or her salvation, either by conscious or unconscious decisions or actions. This perspective, called eternal security, is often rooted in the Calvinistic view of salvation. Because salvation is based on God’s unconditional choosing, those chosen will never be deselected by God. If a person can choose to reject Jesus after following him, salvation is not ultimately dependent on God but on the human will. In fact, God promises his people that they will be kept by his faithfulness until the end (John 6:37-39; John 10:27-29; Romans 8:38-39; Philippians 1:6). It follows that professing Christians who do fall away were never actually converted in the first place, even though they may have looked like genuine believers (see Matthew 13:18-23, Matthew 13:24-30).
The opposite position, sometimes called conditional security, is associated with the Arminian view of salvation. This view argues that salvation can be lost through apostate actions and choices, because God gave human beings (including Christians) freedom to choose or reject him. The Bible urges believers to stay faithful (1 Corinthians 15:2; Colossians 1:23; 1 Timothy 6:20-21), and warns against falling away (Hebrews 3:12-14; Hebrews 6:4-6; 1 Corinthians 9:27). A believer can never fall away, but one who stops believing no longer has the assurance of salvation.
It is possible to embrace eternal security apart from the Calvinistic view of salvation. The Bible describes foundational changes that occur to and in a person at conversion. For example, a person becomes a child of God (1 John 3:1) and a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The seed of God is planted within (1 John 3:19) and the Holy Spirit comes to live within (Ephesians 1:13-14). The believer receives a new nature (Ephesians 4) and is made alive from spiritual death (Ephesians 2:4-5). This means that salvation is never just a matter of a person choosing (or unchoosing) to follow Jesus. By treating these changes as reversible, the conditional security position minimizes their magnitude and force. A regenerated Christian can no more go back to being unregenerate than a butterfly can go back to being a caterpillar, because God’s work has fundamentally changed his or her nature and identity.
Regardless of what view of perseverance one holds, we can trust the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and we should strive to grow more like Jesus for as long as we live. When this life is over, both salvation and sanctification reach their completion. The next topic explores what happens after death – both for Christians and non-Christians.
