The process of becoming more like Christ through the Holy Spirit.
1. The Biblical Definition of Sanctification
In Scripture, sanctification is not a vague religious word; it has a clear, powerful meaning rooted in God’s own holiness.
Key Biblical Terms
Hebrew (OT):
qādash (קָדַשׁ) – to be set apart, consecrated, made holy, dedicated to God (e.g. Exod 19:10, Lev 20:7–8).
qōdesh (קֹדֶשׁ) – holiness, sacredness, that which belongs to God.
Greek (NT):
hagiazō (ἁγιάζω) – to make holy, to consecrate, to set apart for God’s use (John 17:17; 1 Thess 5:23).
hagios (ἅγιος) – holy, set apart, used of God, His Spirit, His people.
hagiasmos (ἁγιασμός) – sanctification, holiness as both a state and a process (1 Thess 4:3; Heb 12:14).
Biblically, sanctification means:
To be set apart unto God – separated from common use and dedicated to Him (2 Tim 2:21).
To be made holy in character – increasingly reflecting God’s nature in thoughts, desires, and actions (1 Pet 1:15–16).
To be transformed into Christ’s likeness – “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18).
The New Testament speaks of sanctification in three tenses:
Past (positional) – What God has already done in Christ.
“You were sanctified… in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11).
This is your status: you are set apart as God’s holy people.
Present (progressive) – What God is doing in you now.
“This is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3).
This is your growth: becoming more like Jesus in daily life.
Future (perfected) – What God will complete at Christ’s return.
“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Phil 1:6).
This is your destiny: full Christlikeness, spirit, soul, and body (1 Thess 5:23).
Sanctification is therefore both a gift and a process: God sets you apart in Christ, and then by the Spirit He works that holiness into every area of your life.
2. Old Testament Foundation
Sanctification is not a New Testament afterthought; it is woven into the entire story of Israel.
1. God’s Holy Nature and Call
God reveals Himself as uniquely holy:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:3).
“For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy” (Lev 11:44).
Israel was called to be a holy nation:
“You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod 19:6).
Being holy meant belonging to God and reflecting His character among the nations.
2. Holy People, Places, and Things
Sanctification in the OT often meant consecration:
Priests were sanctified by blood, oil, and specific rituals (Exod 29:1, 21).
The Tabernacle and its vessels were sanctified to be used only for God (Exod 40:9–10).
The Sabbath was sanctified as a holy day (Gen 2:3).
These were outward pictures of an inward reality: God desires a people wholly His.
3. The Law and Moral Holiness
The Law defined what it meant to live as a holy people:
“Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God” (Lev 20:7–8).
Holiness touched every area: worship, sexuality, justice, speech, business, and relationships.
Yet Israel’s repeated failure revealed something crucial: external commands alone cannot produce internal holiness (Jer 31:31–34; Ezek 36:26–27). The Law exposed sin but could not change the heart (Rom 3:20).
4. Prophetic Promise of Inner Sanctification
The prophets foresaw a deeper work of God’s Spirit:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezek 36:26–27).
“I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jer 31:33).
The Old Testament thus sets the stage: God is holy, His people must be holy, but true holiness requires a new heart and the indwelling Spirit.
3. The Fulfillment in Christ
Jesus is the center and fulfillment of sanctification.
1. Jesus, Our Sanctifier
“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30).
Jesus Himself is our sanctification. Holiness is not merely a standard; it is a Person we are joined to.
“For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one” (Heb 2:11).
Jesus is the One who sanctifies; we are the ones being sanctified.
2. Sanctified by His Blood
The cross is central to sanctification:
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10).
“Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate” (Heb 13:12).
His blood cleanses us from guilt and sets us apart as God’s possession. The same blood that justifies also sanctifies.
3. Jesus’ Holy Life as Our Pattern
Jesus lived a life of perfect holiness:
He always did the Father’s will (John 8:29).
He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb 7:26).
He is both our example and our source. We are called to “walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6), but we do so by His life in us (Gal 2:20).
4. Jesus’ Prayer for Our Sanctification
In John 17, Jesus prays:
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
“For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:19).
Sanctification is rooted in the Word of God and the finished work of Christ. He set Himself apart to the cross so that we could be set apart to God.
4. The Power for Today: The Holy Spirit and Sanctification
This is where sanctification moves from theory to living reality. The Holy Spirit is the active agent of sanctification in the believer’s life today.
1. The Spirit as the Spirit of Holiness
Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness” (Rom 1:4).
The Holy Spirit is not merely the Spirit of power; He is the Spirit of holiness. Where He is welcomed, holiness increases.
Sanctification is not achieved by human effort alone but by yielding to the Spirit’s power:
“If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom 8:13).
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16).
2. A New Nature and a New Power
At new birth, the Spirit imparts a new nature:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17).
“Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:24).
This new man wants holiness. The Holy Spirit empowers you to live out what God has already worked in you (Phil 2:12–13).
3. The Word and the Spirit Working Together
Jesus said we are sanctified by the truth (John 17:17). Paul speaks of:
“the washing of water by the word” (Eph 5:26).
The Spirit uses the Word as His instrument to renew your mind (Rom 12:2) and transform your character (2 Cor 3:18).
When you receive the Word in faith, the Spirit writes it on your heart and enables obedience.
4. The Spirit’s Gifts and Sanctification
In a continuationist, Spirit-filled life, gifts and holiness are meant to go together:
The same Spirit who gives tongues, prophecy, and healing (1 Cor 12:7–11) also produces the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22–23).
Gifts are power for ministry; fruit is power for character. Both are supernatural. We must not settle for power without purity, nor for morality without the manifest presence and power of God.
5. Sanctification and Spiritual Warfare
Sanctification is also warfare:
“The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (Gal 5:17).
We are to “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:5).
The Holy Spirit empowers you to:
Break with habitual sin and demonic strongholds (Rom 6:14; Luke 10:19).
Renounce unclean spirits and patterns (2 Cor 7:1).
Stand in your authority in Christ to resist the devil (James 4:7; Eph 6:10–18).
You can expect the Spirit to move powerfully in your sanctification—convicting, delivering, healing, and strengthening you.
6. Faith and Expectation
Sanctification is received and walked out by faith:
“That they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18).
You are not a slave to your past, your family line, or your flesh. Believe that:
The power of the cross has broken sin’s dominion (Rom 6:6–7, 14).
The Spirit in you is greater than the power of temptation (1 John 4:4).
God is actively at work to will and to do His good pleasure in you (Phil 2:13).
Expect the Holy Spirit to speak, convict, correct, and empower you daily. Yield quickly and cooperate boldly.
5. Practical Application: Walking in Sanctification
Here are concrete, Spirit-empowered steps to walk in this truth.
Step 1: Present Yourself to God Daily
Sanctification begins with surrender:
“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1).
“Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead” (Rom 6:13).
Practically:
Each day, consciously yield your mind, body, emotions, and will to the Lord.
Pray: “Lord Jesus, I belong to You. Holy Spirit, possess every part of me today.”
Step 2: Feed on the Word and Obey Promptly
The Word is the primary tool of sanctification (John 17:17).
Practically:
Set a regular time to read, meditate, and pray through Scripture.
When the Spirit highlights a verse, respond with obedience, not delay.
Use the Word to renew your thinking about identity, purity, relationships, and purpose.
Step 3: Walk in the Spirit and Cultivate His Presence
Sanctification is not achieved by willpower alone but by fellowship with the Spirit.
Practically:
Pray in the Spirit (in tongues) regularly (1 Cor 14:4; Jude 20). This builds you up and sensitizes you to His leading.
Invite the Holy Spirit to search you (Ps 139:23–24) and to fill you afresh (Eph 5:18).
When He convicts you, repent quickly; when He prompts you, obey quickly.
Step 4: Break Agreement with Sin and the Enemy
Sanctification involves cleansing from defilement (2 Cor 7:1).
Practically:
Confess specific sins to God (1 John 1:9) and, where needed, to a trusted mature believer (James 5:16).
Renounce any known occult involvement, unforgiveness, sexual immorality, or habitual sin.
Verbally declare your freedom in Christ and resist the devil (James 4:7; Rev 12:11).
If necessary, seek Spirit-filled ministry for deliverance and inner healing.
Step 5: Pursue Holiness in Community
Sanctification is not a solo project.
Practically:
Commit to a local, Spirit-filled church where the Word is preached and the Spirit is honored.
Build relationships with believers who challenge you toward holiness and faith.
Serve others; holiness grows as we walk in love (Gal 5:13–14; John 13:34–35).
6. Key Scriptures on Sanctification (With Brief Commentary)
1 Thessalonians 4:3–4
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”
God’s will is not vague: He wants you set apart from impurity, honoring Him with your body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23–24
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
Sanctification is comprehensive—spirit, soul, and body—and God Himself is committed to completing it.
Hebrews 10:10, 14
“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all… For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
In Christ, you are already sanctified (positionally), yet you are also being sanctified (progressively). Both are true.
2 Corinthians 3:18
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Transformation comes as you behold Jesus. The Spirit changes you from one degree of glory to another.
Romans 6:11–14
“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord… For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
You must reckon (count) yourself dead to sin and alive to God. Grace, rightly understood, breaks sin’s dominion.
Galatians 5:16, 22–23
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
The key to overcoming the flesh is not focusing on the flesh but walking in the Spirit, allowing Him to produce His fruit in you.
John 17:17
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
The Word is God’s appointed means of sanctification. To neglect the Word is to hinder the Spirit’s sanctifying work.
Sanctification is God’s holy work in you, rooted in Christ’s finished work and empowered by the Holy Spirit. You are already set apart in Christ; now, by the Spirit, you are called to walk out that holiness in every area of life—with faith, expectation, and joyful surrender.