LIFE Posts - Our Ongoing Sanctification
In last week’s LIFE Post, we discussed sin, which is anything outside of God’s Will. We also reinforced that we’re freed from sin and its consequences through the justification we receive from Jesus. This week we look one of the challenges that believers face after their justification - there is still the struggle with sin after salvation. This week we discuss the process of ongoing sanctification.
First, let us survey some scripture.
Believers are sanctified already
Hebrews 10:10 (NASB95) 10:10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [1]
Believers have need for further or ongoing sanctification
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB95) 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [2]
We see here at the start a tension between what is already accomplished vs. what remains to be achieved with regards to our sanctification. Let’s look at the English definition of sanctification. Webster’s defines it as: “1: an act of sanctifying; 2a: the state of being sanctified; 2b: the state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after baptism or conversion.”[3] Websters says to sanctify means “1: to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use: consecrate; 2: to free from sin: purify; 3a: to impart or impute sacredness, inviolability, or respect to.”[4]
Applying the English meaning of sanctify/sanctification to the two scriptures above, as well as our previous study of justification, we see that Jesus’ sacrifice is what set us apart and freed us from sin. Those who are justified are sanctified in Christ. They are made holy. The Amplified Bible’s version of 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 says this wonderfully:
1 Corinthians 1:30–31 (AMP (2015)) 30 But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin], 31 so then, as it is written [in Scripture], “He who boasts and glories, let him boast and glory in the Lord.” [Jer 9:24] [5]
So, there is an instantaneous, positional matter of sanctification that Christians are imputed upon their confession of Jesus as Savior. But what about the fact that there is still a struggle with sin in believers after salvation? This conundrum, that a sanctified person still can and does sin, causes a lot of confusion, which the enemy takes advantage of. The devil will bring charges of shame to the Christian who has sinned and will accuse them of not really being saved. Non-believers, who are ever observing professed Christians, will call out hypocrisy that they see. Internally, the believer will grapple with the fact that there is still a fight with sin, with the voices of shame, frustration, accusation, and doubt driving an emotional tsunami of thoughts. If this describes you, be of good cheer, because God knows all of this turmoil, and His Word speaks to us about it! Spoiler alert – He does not condemn you, but instead encourages and enables you to repent, be cleansed, and press forward in the fullness of His love!
The Bible clearly talks about the fact that believers have to be sanctified in an ongoing manner. Our positional sanctification is completed with our justification, and the ongoing transformation begins at that point. Let’s look at the below scripture to see how the Word establishes the fact that Christians have to deal with the challenge of sin even after their salvation (bolded emphasis mine):
Romans 13:12–14 (NASB95) 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13:13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. [6]
1 Peter 2:1 (NASB95) 2:1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, [7]
James 1:21 (NASB95) 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. [8]
Romans 6:12–13 (NASB95) 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 6:13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. [9]
Hebrews 12:1 (NASB95) 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [10]
Romans 12:1–2 (NASB95) 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. [11]
When the enemy comes with accusation and thoughts of shame because you’ve sinned, telling you that you’ve failed to be perfect and are rejected, you need to tell him to go! The enemy wants us to think that we’re like someone who has been released from jail but on parole, and that if we make any mistake, we’re going back to jail. The devil wants us to believe that if we sin after our salvation God rejects us and cancels our justification. Believing these lies causes Christians to be discouraged and hopeless and leads to failure because it purposely ignores what the Word of God says. Said differently – in light of our conversation about sin last week – believing the lies of the enemy is a sin to be repented of, because the lies are counter to God’s Will! In his book Victory Over the Darkness, Neil T. Anderson covers the struggle in a very easy to understand manner. (Bold emphasis mine.)
Paul says, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11). We don’t consider it so to make it so. We are to continuously believe we are alive in Christ and dead to sin because it is so. Believing anything doesn’t make it true. God said it is true; therefore we believe it. Death is the ending of a relationship, not an existence. Sin is still present, appealing and powerful; but when you are tempted to sin, you can say, “I don’t have to do that. By the grace of God I can live a righteous life.”
To illustrate, look at Romans 8:1, 2: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Is the law of sin and of death still operative? Yes, that is why Paul calls it a law. You can’t do away with a law, but you can overcome it by a greater law, which is the “law … of life in Christ Jesus.”
For instance, as mortals we can’t fly in our own strength, but we can fly in an airplane because an airplane has a power greater than the law of gravity. If you don’t think the law of gravity is still in effect, then flip the switch at 30,000 feet. You will crash and burn. If we walk by faith according to what God says is true in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will “not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). If we believe a lie and walk according to the flesh, we will crash and burn.[12]
Anderson goes on to emphasize that it is faith that both saves and sanctifies us.
Paul says in Romans 6:6, “Our old self was crucified” (past tense). We try and try to put the old man to death and we can’t do it. Why not? Because he is already dead. Because many Christians are not living the abundant life, they incorrectly reason, “What experience has to occur for this to be true?” The only thing that had to happen for that to be true happened nearly two thousand years ago, and the only way you can enter into that experience is by faith.
… We cannot do for ourselves what Christ has already accomplished for us. …
Too many Christians are trying to show that the Bible is true by the way they live. It will never work for them. We accept what God says is true and live accordingly by faith, and this abundant life works out in our experience. If we try to make it true by the way we live, we will never get there. Paul points out the futility of that thinking in Galatians 3:2 (NIV): “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?”
We are saved by faith and we walk or live by faith. We have been sanctified by faith and we are being sanctified by faith and by faith alone. We are neither saved nor sanctified by how we behave but by how we believe.
God’s work of atonement changes sinners to saints. The radical change, regeneration, is effected at the moment of salvation. The ongoing change in the believer’s daily walk continues throughout life. The progressive work of sanctification, however, is only fully effective when the radical, inner transformation by regeneration is realized and appropriated by faith.
As a new Christian you were like a lump of coal: unattractive, somewhat fragile and messy to work with. After time and pressure, however, coal becomes hardened and beautiful. Although the original lump of coal is not a diamond, it consists of the right substance to become a diamond. Right now, you are a diamond in the rough, but given enough time and pressure, you will be like a diamond, revealing the glory of God.[13]
The environment we’ve grown up and currently live in has great effect on our belief system. We have to take inventory of our thoughts and how they steer us, submitting them to what the Word and the Holy Spirit tell us. We will discuss many of the patterns of thinking that have to be conformed to God’s Way in future LIFE Post installments.
The key takeaway for this week is to understand that there wasn’t a “reset button” in our body, soul, and spirit that undid all of our learned ways upon our salvation. Salvation brought justification, which positionally cleanses us from sin. God chooses to remember our sins no more, which is the Freedom Jesus purchased for us! The remainder of our time on earth, however, is the process of ongoing sanctification. During this process we are more conformed into the image of Jesus as we pursue Him through His Holy Spirit. For our part, we simply need to submit to Him, in faith believing what He says and not any other voice. This submission and pursuit of Him only requires our – everything. God in His Mercy and Grace, however, supplies us with the ability to choose to do everything He requires from us.
Application/Questions/Journal your thoughts
- In last week’s message, we encouraged you to read Romans 7:14 through Romans 8:17. Paul’s discussion on the frustration of doing what he didn’t want to do (sin) and not doing what he desired to do (which was not to sin). This describes the struggle of our ongoing sanctification. How has your life echoed the frustration Paul described? Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation for how to apply Paul’s instruction in Romans 8 to walk by the Spirit. Journal what you get and share with another believer.
- How does the enemy come against you with discouragement in your process of ongoing sanctification? For some it is an expectation of perfection out of their relationships now or from their childhood environment. Performance was required for acceptance. For others, there is an issue of unforgiveness, where they’ve not been forgiven by another – or they’ve not forgiven someone else – trapping them into not being able to accept the grace and mercy from God. For others still, there is an unrealistic expectation of “instant results” which comes from the culture of today that demands instant (and easy) results. There are myriad other broken ways of thinking. Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation, and journal what He reveals to you. Then ask for His ongoing awareness so that when the devil brings those attacks you can recognize those thoughts and reject them with the Word of God. Share with another believer.
Scripture of the week
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (NLT) 4:16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 4:18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT) 6:17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
Romans 12:1–2 (NLT) 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) 1:4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Weekly prayer
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for saving me, and for filling me with Your Holy Spirit! Thank You that in Your Mercy and Grace, You’ve set me on the path where I can be completely sanctified, laying aside everything that is out of Your Will. Thank You for Your patient empowerment, that in Your plan and way You reveal to me the things to lay aside so that I can be more like You. Thank You for the process – and that unlike the world, You don’t write me off when I fail. Lord re-fill and refresh me each day as I pursue after You. Amen!
Freedom Facet
The world expects many things, and worldly thinking is how we were shaped prior to our accepting Jesus. Recognizing how our worldly ways are out of alignment with God’s requires time and submission. It requires spending time with God, through prayer, worship, and time in His Word. Our transformation of ongoing sanctification is a marathon, and our Father knows this. The world’s ways and expectations are not compliant to God’s Ways. As we stay connected with Him, developing our relationship with Him, we will find ourselves growing more like Him. Being connected with other brothers and sisters in Christ, in the church and especially in small group family, is a critically important facet of our ongoing sanctification. We’re progressively more free from sin with each step of our ongoing sanctification.
Jesus's Freedom is for those who call Him Lord - those who believe in Him. If you’ve not yet accepted Christ Jesus as Your Lord, and would like to, say the following prayer aloud.
Lord Jesus, I confess and realize that I am a sinner, and without You, I am lost and separated from God. Thank You for going to the cross and dying for my sins – I ask for Your forgiveness for my sins, and I thank you and receive the forgiveness of my sins Your Word says is now mine! Holy Spirit, I thank You that You now reside within me. I lay down my will for Yours and ask for Your daily guidance and direction to make me more and more like You. Amen!
The Bible tells us that if we confess Jesus as Lord with our mouth and believe in our hearts that God resurrected Jesus from the dead, we are saved for eternity. If you’ve just accepted Jesus as Lord, know that heaven is celebrating right now (Luke 15:10)! Rejoice because you are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and now have begun the process of sanctification becoming like Him. Keep coming back, as we explore Freedom facets and what our Identity in Christ truly is. Share this joyous news with a brother or sister in Christ and get connected in your local church! LIFE is yours!
Small Group Invitations - Week of May 3, 2026
Below are invitations to just a couple of Men's Small Groups that are happening this week, both a part of Celebration Church, Georgetown, Texas. If these don't work for you, or if you're not a Celebration Church, TX attendee - regardless of the church you attend - being a part of small group is immensely important! If you're not involved in one, I pray that you find one that works for your schedule and you get plugged in. Being connected in the local church will bless you immeasurably!
Tuesday Morning Men's Fellowship Group: 6am - 7am at Rudy's BBQ in Round Rock, Texas. Join us for a time of fellowship where we'll discuss the message from the Pastors on Sunday, the newsletter contents, or whatever is going on in the lives of the brothers meeting.
Friday Morning Celebration Men: We're in between on-campus semesters, so we'll be meeting at Rudy's BBQ in Round Rock, Texas from 6:30am - 8:am. Join us for fellowship and a discussion of God's Word. We conclude at 8am so people can get to work.
[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3] Merriam-Webster, Inc. 2003. In Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary., Eleventh ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
[4] Merriam-Webster, Inc. 2003. In Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary., Eleventh ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
[5] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12] Anderson, Neil T. 2000. Victory over the Darkness. Edited by Virginia Woodard. Second Edition. Ventura, CA: Regal.
[13] Anderson, Neil T. 2000. Victory over the Darkness. Edited by Virginia Woodard. Second Edition. Ventura, CA: Regal.