“You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cor 6:11).
Salvation is an event, a process, and a promise. How can it be all three? Whenever you see the word “salvation” in the Bible, ask “saved from what?”
We are saved in a moment from the penalty of our sins (ie, justification). We are saved over time from the power of sin (ie, sanctification). We will be saved from the presence of sin after this life ends (ie, glorification), and our salvation (ie, justification) will be made complete when we stand before the judgement seat of God. Here we will focus on sanctification.
The other meaning though, is to be morally pure, holy — “bearing an actual likeness to God.”1 That is a process.
The process begins when we are saved. We are saved by faith, but saving faith yields repentance. The saved do not want to live like they did before; they want to be like Jesus. A lack of that in a life is a warning sign that should be investigated. Boice says, “One of the early signs of the saving work of God is the life of an individual is dissatisfaction with sin and a striving for holiness. But neither dissatisfaction on the one hand nor striving on the other is the same as holiness itself. Holiness is a goal toward which we move.”2
The process will continue your whole life. Like so many aspects of the Christian Faith, it consists of two truths that must be held in tension.
On the one hand, sanctification is the work of God the Holy Spirit: “We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2Cor 3:18).
On the other hand, sanctification requires effort on our part: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self ... and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:22-24).
These verses do not contradict each other but supplement each other. Sanctification is the work of the human through the power of God in cooperation with the Spirit. “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed ... continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil 2:12-13).
Over time, we should become more and more like Jesus. But that process is never going to be complete in this life. And “sanctification does not progress in a steady line from the starting point of conversion until we are home in glory. For the most part, there is steady growth in the Christian life, but there are peaks and valleys.”3 We will still sin. But “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness'' (1John 1:9).
But we cannot just say, “I’m always going to sin, so why bother” because “if we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1John 1:6). Struggling with sin is expected. Not struggling against their sin is a sign that a person has not been regenerated.
Some will object to this, saying that we’re “free from the law” (Rom 8:2), and we are, but that does not excuse us to live any way we please. There is no book of the NT that does not teach that we need to try to live up to God’s expectations. That’s part of our adoption:
“[W]hile it is certainly true that justification frees one forever from the need to keep the law, or try to, as the means of earning life, it is equally true that adoption lays on one the abiding obligation to keep the law, as the means of pleasing one’s newfound Father. Law-keeping is the family likeness of God’s children; Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, and God calls us to do likewise.”4
We are saved from our sins; we are saved for good works: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10). His desire is that you go “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16).
The scriptures frequently compare the Christian life to a race — and it’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s long, hard work. “Here is a principle that may encourage you as you work out your salvation and seek to live as the sanctified person you already are. The principle is that rate multiplied by time equals distance. ... You can [increase the rate] by devoting the time and energy and commitment it takes to obey Christ and walk with him in holiness.”5
The scriptures promise the true believer “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6). He is not content to leave us as he found us. He will make us like Jesus. It will be a more pleasant process, however, if you get on board with the program.
“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Cor 7:1).
This just barely scratches the surface of this topic. I recommend The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.
1 Millard Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine
2 James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith
3 RC Sproul, Everyone’s a Theologian
4 JI Packer, Knowing God, emphasis in original
5 Tony Evans, Theology You Can Count On
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Part of Christianity 101
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