Is it possible to be SANCTIFIED in this life? (Read before you comment)

[Nalu]

I was Justified through Jesus Christ. Romans Chapter 3 verses 21 through 26.

Sanctification for me anyway, is an ongoing, progressive process. I sacrifice the flesh daily.

I do not believe in being perfected while living in a fleshly body, I grow stronger day by day, I live and learn. I am by no means perfect.

When I transition from the flesh body to a Spiritual body, I will be Glorified.

 

[Abiding]

Hey me too....Nalu ...see ya at the big table!

 

[Consumed]

It's pretty much like the parable of the sower my walk, started blind the seed been taken as soon as it was sown, then when I did I found self condemnation so I couldn't take root, then when I got my head round that one the cares of the world and everything else started to choke me, and now iv found fertile soil, His grace is what's sufficient and that alone to increase more of His fruit
Then we get pruned a few times in life cause there's always more. Keeping pruning Lord, I'll keep coming for my cut.

 

[Nalu]

Hey me too....Nalu ...see ya at the big table!

Yep, I will see ya there.

 

[Cobus]

FOA, no i have not read any of Charles Finney, in fact i am so busy with the Word of God, and the DEPTH and WIDTH of the Word has me fixed on Him! My friend i will love it... My e-mail adress is... [email protected]...
About the put myself under the law thing! Look the only way i can be washed clean even on the conscience, is by the sacrifice GOD MADE! And that means the blood of Jesus! So the law does not even exist for me. I know sin is trangressing the law, but I cannot transgres ANY law if God gives me HIS full grace. Grace of God is not only the forgiving part of sin, it is also writing the LAW on our hearts! That means the LOVE FOR GOD, and THE LOVE FOR SELF AND NEIGHBOR, is 100% the SAME AS THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR JESUS AND ME!
People think the grace of God stops at the forgiveness of sin, or that the grace of God is: THE FROGIVENESS OF SIN. That is only the start of God's grace! God gave us WAY more than the forgiveness of sin. He also gives us LIGHT! LIFE! and LOVE! Light to get rid of all darkness....Please get this... NO DARKNESS CAN ENTER INTO THAT LIGHT!! And He gives us LIFE (the LIFE AFTER REBIRTH!.... NO DEATH CAN ENTER!!! Everlasting life means ... EVERLASTING LIFE!!! The Soul and the spirit that makes up COBUS, CANNOT DIE EVER AGAIN!!I died off myself, LOOK Paul said I die daily, but some day when you die daily you have to come to DEATH! and Paul said... I DIED (That means he finally did die off his own self) ONLY JESUS LIVES IN ME!!! Listen if I am dead and ONLY Jesus lives in me, where am I? Where was Paul when he said ONLY JESUS lives in me...Look at this verse and SEE what is written... Galatians 2:20...I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
First of all if I am crucified (past tence) that means I DIED! I GAVE UP MY SPIRIT!!!! Totally! And I did it with Christ, so I died WITH HIM!!!Now!!! Nevertheless I LIVE... that means I laid down my life for Christ, but I did not LOOSE IT!!! And this life I did not LOOSE is HIDDEN IN GOD, God says...if any man be in Christ his life is hid with Christ IN GOD! See the life we did not loose is given to us, IN GOD, that is why Paul says I am crusified, nevertheless I LIVE!! but not in the flesh, IN GOD! And the Spirit that I am now, I live by the faith of the Son.... This is the SECOND Faith we got at rebirth.. That is why Paul said... One Faith will take us there and the other Faith is the faith of JESUS the FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD UNWAVERING AND UNFAILING!! It is in this FAITH that we are revealed as the REIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!! Romans 1:17... For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. To live unto God is to surpass the law!
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which 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 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. My righteousness, is my death with Christ! I died for the LAW, and the NEW ME IS MORE THAN THE LAW, becasue God RESURRECTED JESUS IN ME!!! The Faith JESUS SHOWED IN HIS BODY HE NOW LIVES IN MY BODY! I AM GONE. GONE TO GOD!!! I am on the other side of the cross...Passed through JESUS, and now are IN GOD WITH CHRSIT! AND HE IS IN ME! If HE IS NOT IN MY FLESH< THEN THE FLESH IS PUT AWAY!!! No human flesh lives without a spirit! My Soul in my blood is now ALSO IN CHRIST! And my SPIRIT IS WITH GOD ALREADY! I LIVE NOW IN GOD< and JESUS lives in me! That is the spiritual swop... My spirit is not only made pure, but HOLY as well... Jesus is my new Spirit! May God have His will done in all of us! AMEN!

 

[Digital_Angel_316]

I agree that the word "sanctify" means to be set apart for God's personal use. However, there is one thing that weighs my mind.

God knows the heart. He knows whether are not we are submitted to the Holy Spirit or submitted to the flesh. How can He trust us with His work, which is basically saving lives from eternal damnation - the most important work anyone can ever do, how can he trust us unless we are fully submitted to the will of God and the voice of the Holy Spirit?

Everyday we witness on these boards people being dominated by the flesh and how it causes bitter feelings and deep division. This is why I feel that sanctification is not some trivial topic but rather it is one of the most important.

Are people ready for ministry just because they memorized a number of verses and the basics of their favorite doctrine? Or should they wait until they the fruits of the Holy Spirit are made manifest through sanctification.

This why we must get to God's heart concerning this matter and not some man made doctrine or tradition. Souls are on the line!

Definitive and Progressive Sanctification (A. Orendorff)

Definitive sanctification, as defined by John Frame, is "a once-for-all event, simultaneous
with effectual calling and regeneration, that transfers us from the sphere of sin to the
sphere of God’s holiness, from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God." Definitive
sanctification marks us out (or separates us) as God’s chosen people – His treasured and
covenantal possession (Acts 20:32; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11). So too, definitive
sanctification redeems (or frees) us from the dominion (or slavery) of sin by uniting us to
Christ, particularly in His death, resurrection and ascension. Sanctification, in this sense,
refers to a decisive and radical break with the power and pleasures of sin.

Progressive sanctification, as defined by Wayne Grudem, is "a progressive work of God
and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives."
According to John Frame, "We can think of sanctification as the outworking of the new life
given in regeneration." It involves the gradual, incremental and (S)piritual work of both
putting to death the remains of "indwelling sin" as well as putting on the likeness of
Christ.

SinClair Ferguson from Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification

Union with Christ in his death and resurrection is the element of union which Paul most
extensively expounds...if we are united to Christ, then we are united to him at all points of
his activity on our behalf. We share in his death (we were baptized into his death), in his
resurrection (we are resurrected with Christ), in his ascension (we have been raised with
him), in his heavenly session (we sit with him in heavenly places, so that our life is hidden
with Christ in God), and we will share in his promised return (when Christ, who is our life,
appears, we also will appear with him in glory) (Rom. 6:14; Col. 2:11-12; 3:1-3).

This, then, is the foundation of *(1) sanctification in Reformed theology. It is rooted, not
in humanity and their achievement of holiness or sanctification, but in what God has done
in Christ, and for us in union with him. Rather than view Christians first and foremost in
the microcosmic context of their own progress, the Reformed doctrine first of all sets
them in the macrocosm of God's activity in redemptive history. It is seeing oneself in this
context that enables the individual Christian to grow in true holiness.

Link -->> Monergism :: Sanctification

* (1) Sometimes confusion arises in some Reformed Theology circles from the
prerequisite concept of "Justification". Zone for example cites a Spurgeon or Sproul
approach to "Imputed Justification or Righteousness" wherein the thought is that Jesus
did it, it is finished, but it's not for me. The claim then becomes "Faith" in 'whatever', this
or that or it's all finished (and for many of them, indeed it is). Witchcraft, Talmudic,
Zoroastrian -- Transference, Projection, Rationalization, Scapegoating (Identification is
also involved. [Digital_Angel_316]

Sanctification

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, to sanctify is "to set apart or observe
[something] as holy" or "to purify or free from sin."1 These definitions reflect the fact
that the Bible uses the word "holy" in two main ways: 1) a special status, that is, set apart
for God’s use, and 2) moral behavior—thoughts and actions appropriate to a holy status,
thoughts and actions that are in keeping with the way God wants.2

God is the one who sanctifies his people. He is the one who sets them apart for his use,
and he is the one who enables holy behavior. There is little controversy about the first
point, that God sets people apart for his use. But there is controversy regarding the
divine-human interaction involved in behavioral sanctification.

The questions include:
* How active a role should Christians take in sanctification?
* To what extent should Christians expect to succeed in conforming their thoughts and
actions to the divine standard?
* How should the church exhort its members?


1) Sanctification is enabled by the grace of God.

2) Christians should try to bring their thoughts and actions into conformity with the will
of God as revealed in the Bible.

3) Sanctification is a progressive growth in responsiveness to God’s will.


Initial sanctification

Humans are morally corrupt and cannot of themselves choose God. Reconciliation must
be initiated by God. God’s gracious intervention is needed before a person can have faith
and turn toward God. Whether this grace is resistible is disputed, but orthodoxy agrees
that God is the one who does the choosing. He selects people for his use and thereby
sanctifies them or sets them apart from others. Anciently, God sanctified the people of
Israel, and within that nation he further sanctified the Levites (e.g., Leviticus 20:26; 21:6;
Deuteronomy 7:6). He set them apart for his use.3

Christians, however, are set apart in a different way: "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1
Corinthians 1:2). "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus
Christ" (Hebrews 10:10).4 Christians are made holy through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews
10:29; 12:12). They have been declared holy (1 Peter 2:5, 9) and throughout the NT are
called "saints"—"holy ones." That is their status. This initial sanctification is like
justification (1 Corinthians 6:11). "God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying
work of the Spirit" (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

But God’s purpose for his people goes beyond a simple declaration of a new status—it is a
setting apart for his use, and his use involves a moral transformation in his people. People
are "chosen…for obedience to Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:2). They are to be transformed
into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). They are not only declared to be holy
and righteous, they are also regenerated. A new life begins to develop, a life that is
exhorted to behave in a holy and righteous way. So the initial sanctification leads into
behavioral sanctification.

Behavioral sanctification

Even in the Old Testament, God told his people that their holy status implied a change in
behavior. The Israelites were to avoid ceremonial uncleanness because God had chosen
them (Deuteronomy 14:21). Their holy status depended on their obedience
(Deuteronomy 28:9). The priests were to avoid certain sins because they were holy
(Leviticus 21:6-7). Nazirites had to change their behavior while they were set apart
(Numbers 6:5).

Our election in Christ has ethical implications. Since the holy One has called us, Christians
are exhorted to "be holy in all you do" (1 Peter 1:15-16). As God’s chosen and holy people,
we are to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient (Colossians 3:12).

Sin and impurities "are improper for God’s holy people" (Ephesians 5:3; cf. 1 Thessalonians
4:3). If people cleanse themselves from ignoble purposes, they will be "made holy" (2
Timothy 2:21). We should control our bodies in a way that is holy (1 Thessalonians 4:4).
"Holy" is frequently linked to "blameless" (Ephesians 1:4; 5:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:10; 3:13;
5:23; cf. Titus 1:8).

Christians are "called to be holy" (1 Corinthians 1:2), "to live a holy life" (1 Thessalonians
4:7; 2 Timothy 1:9; 2 Peter 3:11). We are told to "make every effort…to be holy" (Hebrews
12:14). We are urged to be holy (Romans 12:1), told that we "are being made holy"
(Hebrews 2:11; 10:14), and encouraged to continue being holy (Revelation 22:11). We are
made holy by the work of Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. He changes us
from the inside out.

This brief word study shows that holiness and sanctification have something to do with
behavior. God sets people apart as "holy" for the purpose that they live holy lives in
following Jesus Christ. We are saved so that we might produce good works and good fruit
(Ephesians 2:8-10; Galatians 5:22-23). The good works are not a cause of salvation, but a
result of it. Good works are evidence that a person’s faith is genuine (James 2:18). Paul
speaks of the "obedience of faith" and says that faith expresses itself in love (Romans
1:5; Galatians 5:6).

Lifelong growth

When people come to faith in Christ, they are not perfect in faith, love, good works, or
behavior. Paul calls the Corinthians saints and brothers, but they have many sins in their
lives. The numerous exhortations in the New Testament indicate that the readers need
not only doctrinal instruction but also exhortations about behavior. The Holy Spirit
changes us, but does not suppress the human will; holy living does not automatically flow
from faith. Each Christian must make decisions whether to do right or wrong, even as
Christ is working in us to change our desires.

The "old self" may be dead, but Christians must also put it off (Romans 6:6-7; Ephesians
4:22). We must continue to kill the deeds of the flesh, the remnants of the old self
(Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5). Though we have died to sin, sin continues to be in us, and
we should not let it reign (Romans 6:11-13). Thoughts and emotions and decisions must
be consciously shaped after the divine pattern. Holiness is something that must be
striven for (Hebrews 12:14).

We are commanded to be perfect and to love God with all of our being (Matthew 5:48;
22:37). Due to the limitations of the flesh and the remnants of the old self, we are unable
to do this perfectly. Even Wesley, who boldly talked about "perfection," explained that he
did not mean complete absence of imperfections.5 Growth is always possible and
commanded. If a person has Christian love, he or she will strive to learn how to express it
in better ways, with fewer mistakes.

The apostle Paul was bold enough to say that his behavior was "holy, righteous and
blameless" (1 Thessalonians 2:10). But he did not claim to be perfect. Rather, he pressed
on toward his goal, and he admonished others to not think that they had attained their
goal (Philippians 3:12-15). All Christians need forgiveness (Matthew 6:12; 1 John 1:8-9)
and grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). Sanctification should increase
throughout life.

But our sanctification will not be completed in this life. Grudem explains: "When we
appreciate that sanctification involves the whole person, including our bodies (see 2
Corinthians 7:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23), then we realize that sanctification will not be
entirely completed until the Lord returns and we receive new resurrection bodies."6 It is
then that we will freed from all sin and be given a glorified body like Christ’s (Philippians
3:21; 1 John 3:2). Because of this hope, we grow in sanctification by purifying ourselves (v.
3).

Biblical exhortation to holiness

Wesley saw a pastoral need to exhort believers to practical obedience resulting from
love. The New Testament contains many such exhortations, and it is right to preach these
exhortations. It is right to anchor behavior in the motive of love, and more ultimately, in
our union with Christ and the Holy Spirit, which is the source of love. Although we give all
glory to God and recognize that grace must initiate all holy behavior, we also conclude
that such grace is present in the heart of all believers, and we exhort them to respond to
that grace.

McQuilken offers a practical rather than a dogmatic approach.7 He does not insist that all
believers must have similar experiences in sanctification. He advocates high ideals, but
without implying perfection. His exhortation to service as the end result of sanctification
is good. He emphasizes the scriptural warnings about apostasy rather than get boxed in
by theological conclusions about perseverance. His emphasis on faith is helpful, since faith
is the basis of all Christianity, and faith has practical consequences in our lives. The means
of growth are practical: prayer, Scripture, fellowship, and a confident approach to trials.
Robertson exhorts Christians to greater growth and witness without overstating the
demands and expectations.

Christians are exhorted to become what they have been declared to be; the imperative
follows the indicative. Christians are to live holy lives because God has declared them to
be holy, designated for his use.

Endnotes

[1] R.E. Allen, ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, 8th ed. (Oxford: Oxford, 1990), 1067.

[2] In the Old Testament, God is holy, his name is holy, and he is the Holy One (about 100
occurrences altogether). In the New Testament, “holy” is applied to Jesus more often
than to the Father (about 14 times versus three times), but much more often to the Spirit
(90 verses). The Old Testament refers to holy people (Nazirites, priests, and the nation)
about 36 times, usually in reference to status; the New Testament refers to holy people
about 50 times.

The Old Testament refers to holy places about 110 times; the New Testament only 17
times. The Old Testament refers to holy things about 70 times; the New Testament only
three times, as metaphors for holy people. The Old Testament refers to holy times in 19
verses; the New Testament never calls time holy. In reference to places, things and time,
holiness refers to a designated status, not a moral behavior. In both Testaments, God is
holy, and holiness comes from him, but the way his holiness affects people is different.
The New Testament emphasis on holiness concerns people and their behavior, not a
special status for things and places and times.

[3] Especially in the Old Testament, sanctification does not imply salvation. This is
obvious for the things and places and times that were sanctified, and applies to the nation
of Israel, too. A non-salvific use of “sanctification” may also be seen in 1 Corinthians
7:14—an unbeliever is in some way placed in a special category for God’s use. Hebrews
9:13 uses the term “sanctify” to refer to a ceremonial status under the old covenant.

[4] Grudem notes that “sanctified” in several passages in Hebrews “is roughly
equivalent to ‘justified’ in Paul’s vocabulary” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
[Zondervan, 1994], 748, note 3).

[5] John Wesley, “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection,” in Millard J. Erickson, ed.
Readings in Christian Theology, Volume 3: The New Life (Baker, 1979), 159.

[6] Grudem, 749.

[7] J. Robertson McQuilken, “The Keswick Perspective,” Five Views of Sanctification
(Zondervan, 1987), 149-183.

Wayne Grudem - Systematic Theology - Doctrine of Sanctification:

Wayne Grudem - Systematic Theology -- Doctrine of Sanctification (Pt. 1 of 3) (MP3)
[mp3]scottsdalebible.com/assets/audio/christian-essentials/20080330WGrudem.mp3[/mp3]


Wayne Grudem - Systematic Theology -- Doctrine of Sanctification (Pt. 2 of 3) (MP3)
[mp3]scottsdalebible.com/assets/audio/christian-essentials/20080406WGrudem.mp3[/mp3]


Wayne Grudem - Systematic Theology -- Doctrine of Sanctification (Pt. 3 of 3) (MP3)
[mp3]scottsdalebible.com/assets/audio/christian-essentials/20080413WGrudem.mp3[/mp3]

 

[Lifelike]

Let me start by saying that by no means does this thread advocate sinless perfection. It is entirely possible that a believer may sin and not realize it until much later. However, I wanted to see what the bible says about sanctification. I have found many verses on the subject, several which use the word "sanctified" in the past tense, alluding to the idea that it's conceivable by bthe grace of God that at least some measure of sanctification can be obtained in this life.



Romans 15:15-17

15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.

1 Corinthians 1:2-3

2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

2 Timothy 2:20-22

20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Hebrews 10:9-10

9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:28-30

28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”

Jude 1:1-3

1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, 2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

It is clear that, according to these verses, that at least some measure of sanctification can be obtained in this life. It is also clear that this is not something that ,man can accomplish but rather a work of God in us. While this idea may contradict what many on this site have been taught to believe, seeing as so many verses of scripture seem to allude to this, then we should at least research this for ourselves.

Yes its possible. When we repent and receive Christ we have His righteousness imputed to us, and receive His Holy Spirit by which we are set apart (Sanctified) for good works and for use in the kingdom of God. Which doesn't mean we don't have issues, and there are areas that still remain unsubmitted to Christ. God chastises those He loves, and purging is required to bring about the purity that God requires in our lives. Its a continual process of confession of sin as we become aware of it by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and by the word of God, and cleansing takes place as we repent and God forgives and remembers no more. We need to be Holy as He is Holy, but this takes time, and thank God that He is gracious because we can resist Him a hold on to things that we need to let go of. Holiness is freedom from idolatry/ harlotry/ sin etc and our right standing (righteousness) with God is secured in Christ, by grace, through faith, but as we find areas in our life were we are in opposition to God we need to repent and turn away from it.

Its interesting the subject of "I" in all of this, because as Paul explains in Romans we have a struggle within us because identify with both the flesh, and the Spirit, but in Christ there is no condemnation because the "I" that sins is not who God identifies us with, but the "I" who desires to do good, the spirit man, who is renewed.

The world identifies with the flesh (and has no satisfactory sacrifice that has been made on their behalf that they have acknowledged), but we are to identify with Christ, and its a process of dying to self and no longer identifying with our flesh and therefore fulfilling its lusts, but beginning to identify with Him, by believing His word and living a life of obedience to God, with good works as a fruit or evidence of our faith.