In my short but rigorous study of sanctification in Sanctification as Set Apart and Growing in Christ, I trace the theme of sanctification in Scripture through a biblical-theological lens. I show how this theme develops and gradually unfolds in the course of biblical revelation. It is an enlivening study for those who aim to live a life that is pleasing to God.
I conclude that holiness is the goal for each person, yet achieved as part of the community of believers. It is by connecting with others in the believing community that each person experiences iron sharpening iron, encouragement, and growth along with life together in Christ. In what follows, I will therefore argue that sanctification is communal, missional, and familial.
Sanctification Is Communal
Sanctification is, first of all, communal. In Ephesians, Paul calls on the community of believers to be filled with the Spirit, not just individuals (Eph. 5:18). While this community consists of individual Spirit-filled believers, it is significant that Paul’s primary reference is to a Spirit-indwelt community. The Ephesians passage goes on to say that this Spirit-filled community sings God’s praises together and engages in God-honoring relationships together:
And do not get drunk with wine . . . but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:18–21)
When sanctification is conceived only as an individual pursuit, spiritual disciplines become solo endeavors: Bible reading, prayer, fasting, journaling, and so forth. Sanctification, however, is not presented in Scripture as a mere individual effort. Rather, the primary arena for sanctification is the community of faith, where sharing of scriptural learning takes place and believers are growing together in God-honoring relationships and engaging in mutually beneficial service.
Sanctification Is Missional
Second, sanctification is not an end in itself, whether individually or corporately. We don’t engage in sanctification merely so we become more mature or our church grows more spiritual. At the core, sanctification is missional. Who you are matters in the plan of God. In this way, you might say you are the ministry. It’s not just what you do but who you are, as sanctification takes place ultimately to spread God’s glory, which is our primary goal in mission.
We can see this mission unfold in John’s gospel, and there foremost in Jesus’ final prayer. The Father consecrated Jesus and set Him apart for His mission in this world (John 17:19). Similarly, once Jesus accomplished His redemptive mission, He consecrated and commissioned His new messianic community and sent His followers into the world to proclaim the gospel with these words: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
While mutual love and unity are indispensable prerequisites for mission (John 17:20–26), they were never meant to be ends in themselves. Sanctification takes place at God’s initiative, continues by God’s power, and brings God glory.
Sanctification Is Familial
Not only is sanctification communal and missional; it also has an important familial dimension in marriage and the family.
In Ephesians, as mentioned, Paul calls on believers to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Only three verses later, we see how this Spirit-filling impacts the marriage relationship. Wives are to submit to their husbands as the church submits to Christ, and husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:21–29). This command presupposes that both wife and husband are Spirit-filled.
In Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, Paul depicts the church as God’s household. As believers, we have not only been adopted individually by God; we have been inducted into God’s spiritual family. This further implies that, as in the natural household, there will be spiritual fathers and mothers as well as brothers and sisters. In the family of God, mentoring should intentionally take place as mature and experienced believers help younger believers grow in their faith.
In Ephesians 6, family relationships are set in the context of spiritual warfare. As part of our spiritual growth, we must put on the full armor of God. This command is addressed not to people generically but given in the context of family relationships: wives and husbands, fathers and mothers, and children and parents. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the devil and his minions who are out to destroy God’s creation and subvert His design for man and woman.
Sanctification: Set Apart for God and Growing in Christ
Sanctification, then, is communal, missional, and familial. Yet there is an even bigger picture. Sanctification is embedded and necessitated by the holiness of our eternal God.
David asked:
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place? (Ps. 24:3)
The God of eternal holiness, set apart in the excellence of His being, demands heartfelt obedience and moral excellence from His called-out people. God’s fallen image bearers have failed to uphold His holy standards and reflect His perfection.
In Christ, however, we have been given access to perfect holiness and the power of God’s grace.
In Christ, we partake of holy blessings and receive redemption and forgiveness of sins.
In Christ, we are positionally sanctified through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit and empowered to work out our salvation in progressive sanctification, propelled toward moral excellence, missional community, and meaningful relationships.
In Christ, we are assured of future perfect sanctification when glorified in His presence.
In Christ, we refrain from dead works and start living a new life—life in the Spirit.
Conclusion
As sanctified and Spirit-filled believers, we have become part of God’s mission to bring Christ’s name and saving message to the ends of the earth as we witness boldly to the One who lives inside us.
Holiness is inherent to God’s nature and therefore central to our witness as we boldly identify with Him. While set apart for Him and granted great power through Him in the Spirit, we are still on a journey of growth and renewal until He comes again and completes our sanctification.
As John wrote:
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are . . . Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)