Sanctification: A Person, Not a Process
Orientation
The common teaching of progressive sanctification can lead to frustration and spiritual dryness by making holiness a matter of human effort rather than Christ's finished work.
- It presents sanctification as a gradual process of self-improvement.
- It ties assurance and standing before God to personal progress.
- It creates a treadmill of self-examination and striving.
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:2)
— Galatians 3:2
Clarification
Sanctification is not a separate process or a thing to be achieved, but a Person—Christ Himself—given to us as a definitive reality.
- It is a positional reality accomplished by Christ's death and resurrection.
- It is received through union with Christ, not through incremental moral improvement.
- The Spirit is supplied through faith in the Gospel, not by law-keeping or religious effort.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)
— 1 Corinthians 1:30
Structure
Biblical sanctification follows the logic of the altar: Christ, sanctified by His own blood, makes holy all who are placed in union with Him.
- Christ is both the true altar and the true offering.
- Believers are made holy by being joined to Him, not by their own works.
- This union is realized by the Spirit, who is received through the hearing of faith.
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? (Matthew 23:19)
— Matthew 23:19
Weight-Bearing Prose
Sanctification is a definitive act of God, accomplished in the death and resurrection of Christ. Believers are set apart and made holy through union with Him. This is not a fluctuating position dependent on performance. Paul’s categories are clear: the Spirit is supplied through the hearing of faith (Galatians 3:2, 5), not by works of the law. Any system that seeks the Spirit or holiness through human effort—whether moral improvement, law-keeping, or mystical techniques—is a works-based system that contradicts the Gospel. The flesh remains present but is to be subjected by the Spirit through faith, not by fleshly effort. The Christian life is Christ Himself living in the believer (Galatians 2:20), with the fruit of the Spirit flowing naturally from this union, not from self-conscious striving.
Integration
Your holiness is secure because it is Christ Himself, given to you. You are holy because you are in union with the Holy One. Rest in this finished work. The Spirit testifies of Christ, not of your progress. Your assurance is anchored in God’s record concerning His Son, not in your performance. There is no pressure to advance, only the invitation to see the Lord and enjoy fellowship with Him. Christ is your sanctification. He is your life. Walk by faith in this reality, and let His peace ground you.