The New Testament does not present sanctification as a gradual process of self-improvement, but as a finished reality—accomplished by God in Christ and made yours through union with Him. This is not a secondary issue. If you miss this, you forfeit the very ground of your sonship, your inheritance, and your assurance before God. The doctrine of “progressive sanctification” is not a harmless add-on; it is a subtle undermining of the Gospel itself.
The Altar Sanctifies the Gift—Not the Other Way Around
From the beginning, God has made it clear: it is not your offering that makes you holy. In the Old Testament, whatever touched the altar became “most holy” (Ex. 29:37). Jesus pressed this point with the Pharisees: “Which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?” (Matt. 23:19). They imagined their works could sanctify the altar, but God’s logic is the opposite. The altar sanctifies the gift.
Christ is both the true altar and the true offering. His blood sanctified the altar, and in Him, you are placed on that altar—set apart, made holy, and presented to God. You are not working to become holy; you are holy because you are in union with the One who is holy. This is not a fluctuating “position” that depends on your performance. This is a definitive act of God, accomplished in the death and resurrection of Christ, and realized in you through faith.
Union with Christ: The Only Ground of Holiness
“He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17). When you believed the Gospel, God sealed you with the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Christ Himself (Eph. 1:13). You became His dwelling place. It is His presence, not your striving, that makes you holy. The notion of “progressive sanctification” as a separate process—apart from union with Christ—is a fiction. There is no such thing in Scripture. Sanctification is not a thing; it is a Person. “Of God are you in Christ Jesus, who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Everything God desires for you is found in Christ. He is your wisdom, your righteousness, your sanctification, your life. The Christian life is not a project of self-improvement; it is Christ Himself living in you. “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
The Spirit Is Supplied by the Hearing of Faith—Not by Works
How is this life realized? Not by striving, not by mystical techniques, not by law-keeping or religious effort. Paul’s question to the Galatians is devastatingly simple: “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Gal. 3:2). The answer is clear: the Spirit is supplied through the hearing of faith. The Spirit is not a power to be manipulated by your obedience or piety. He is the life of Christ, freely given to those who believe the Gospel.
To seek the Spirit through your own effort—by giving, serving, or cultivating some inward posture—is to fall into error and spiritual exhaustion. This is not a minor mistake. It leads to frustration, condemnation, and spiritual dryness. It is a denial of the very means by which God supplies the Spirit: faith in the finished work of Christ.
What Is Lost If You Accept Progressive Sanctification?
If you accept the doctrine of progressive sanctification, you lose the ground of assurance. You trade the certainty of your acceptance in Christ for a treadmill of self-examination and striving. You undermine justification itself, because you make your standing before God contingent on your progress, not on Christ’s accomplishment. You forfeit the rest, peace, and fruit of the Spirit that come only from faith. You become vulnerable to condemnation, spiritual dryness, and the endless cycle of trying to “perfect yourself in the flesh.” This is not a theoretical danger—it is the lived reality of countless Christians trapped in a system that cannot deliver what it promises.
Walking in the Spirit: The True Christian Life
The Christian life is not about managing your behavior or climbing a ladder of improvement. It is about resting in Christ and letting His life flow through you. The Spirit produces fruit naturally as you trust God’s testimony concerning His Son. Your “reasonable service” is to agree with God—to acknowledge what is already true of you in Christ.
The Gospel is not just the forgiveness of sins. It is the announcement that everything God has for you is in Christ, and is yours by faith. The Spirit is supplied as you hear and believe this Gospel. The result is peace, assurance, and fruit—not by self-conscious striving, but by the effortless flow of Christ’s life.
The Futility of Self-Effort
Trying to subdue the flesh by fleshly effort is futile. Only the Spirit, received by faith, can put to death the deeds of the body (Rom. 8:13). The flesh does not improve; it must be crucified. The notion that you can progressively sanctify yourself is a trap. It sets you up for disappointment and failure, because the flesh will always surprise you. The only answer is to walk in the Spirit, which is to walk by faith in Christ’s finished work.
The Simplicity of Christ
We do not need endless teachings on how to walk in love, peace, or self-control. We do not need to buy what God has already given. The Gospel is the “shortcut”—the announcement that Christ is your life, your righteousness, your sanctification. As you look away from yourself and to Jesus, the Spirit flows, and the fruit appears. If you boast in your own progress, you are back in the flesh, and the result will be either self-righteousness or defeat.
This is what it means to be “crucified with Christ.” Your old efforts are finished. Your life is now Christ’s life in you. Everything that counts for God comes from the Spirit, not from your striving.
Pursue Christ, Not Sanctification
Hebrews says to “pursue sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). But the goal is not sanctification as a thing—it is seeing the Lord. Look to Him. Seek Him. Everything else follows. The Spirit testifies not of Himself, but of Christ. He gives you Christ every day as a free gift. This is your pursuit: to know Christ, to enjoy Him, and to rest in what He has done.
Reject the lie of progressive sanctification. Stand in the truth of your union with Christ. Rest in His finished work. Walk by the Spirit, and let Christ be magnified in you. This is the only way to peace, assurance, and fruitfulness. Anything else is a departure from the Gospel, and a forfeiture of your inheritance.
