Welcome back to week 14. Today we will be considering an aspect of soteriology; sanctification. At the same time, sanctification is said to be past, present, and future in nature and union with Christ. What does this mean? How are we to think about this?

Sanctification is when one is in a state of being set apart from sin unto God. When one is sanctified, he is made holy unto God, he is made positionally righteous (i.e., justified). The process of sanctification (i.e., progressive sanctification), begins at the moment of salvation and continues until death or Rapture.

One could think of those three biblically essential doctrines (justification, salvation, and sanctification) as three legs on a stool which comprise the balance of a functional stool. If one leg is taken away the others do not make for a functional stool. Scripture tells us that when someone is sanctified, at the moment of salvation, they are, by the Spirit’s work in their heart, dead to enslaving sin and made alive to Christ (Rom. 6:17-18). Because of a supernaturally recreated heart, and the Spirit’s ongoing work in that heart, the believer is empowered and encouraged to live out that which he or she has already been declared by God. The believer begins manifesting the righteousness which God has placed in him or her and which God has declared him or her.

To put the thought into modern technological terms: God graciously reformats and reprograms the sinner’s hard heart from sinful rebellion to sanctified righteousness and loving obedience (Rom. 7:4). Reformatting, or recreating, which is the past aspect of sanctification, happens immediately and is complete, a one-time occurrence, and unilateral (2 Cor. 5:17). God does it all. He changes the sinner’s heart from wicked to righteous. When the Lord reformats, or recreates our heart (i.e., the inner person, the soul), it is supernatural and permanent.  

Reprogramming the sinner’s heart (the present, progressive aspect of sanctification) begins at the time of reformatting and progresses in an ongoing and increasing nature throughout one’s life (Rom. 6:22; 1 Thess. 4:1). This aspect of sanctification happens progressively, is incomplete until heaven, and is bilateral. There are two at work here. The believer works out of him or herself that which God has placed in them; the new person, the new nature, as God empowers, enables, and encourages them to that working out (Phil. 2:12-13). God’s great and gracious purpose of ongoing reprogramming of the rebel’s heart is to make him more like His Savior; Jesus (Rom. 8:29). Sanctification is only possible when one is united with Christ in salvation (1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 10:10). 

The future aspect of sanctification is after physical death. During life the believer had a starting point of sanctification, had an ongoing journey, or progress, of sanctification, and in death he will be supremely sanctified when God glorifies him in heaven (Rom.8:17, 30). The future of every believer’s sanctification ends in glorification. This is worth repeating. The future, or end point of every believer’s sanctification is glorification (Rom. 8:28-30). Brothers and sisters, God always finishes what He starts. If He started a good work in you (i.e., salvation), then He will finish it in your glorification with Him in heaven (Phil. 1:6). Rejoice in that! When our Lord finishes His work in the believer, we will be face to face with Him in heaven, finally free from sin’s presence, more like Christ, and be able to worship God like never before (Col. 3:4; 2 Thess. 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:2). Praise God for the everlasting union with Christ we have through His sanctifying work in us!

We hope our short time considering soteriology this week was helpful. Lord willing next week we will be considering another aspect of soteriology; Christian perseverance. Do Christians persevere? What does that mean and what relationship, if any, does this have with biblical counseling? Until then may our Lord bless you and keep you.