THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION, THE CHURCH, AND LAST THINGS Week Four: Sanctification Introduction and Review This is the fourth lesson in a study of the doctrine of salvation. Last week, we looked at the doctrine of justification. Christians are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone when they repent and believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation. When we are justified, Christ s perfect righteousness is credited to us in such a way that God treats us as though we are not sinners. Justification reconciles us to God, who adopts us into his family This week, we focus our attention upon the doctrine of sanctification. This topic is covered much more extensively in the twelve-week Sanctification BFL class. What s the Big Idea? Each of the doctrines we ve discussed thus far either occurred before the foundation of the world (election) or at the beginning of the Christian life (regeneration, conversion, justification). The doctrine of sanctification is different because it begins when we are converted, but continues throughout the duration of one s Christian life. According to Wayne Grudem, Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives. 1 J.I. Packer adds, The concept is not of sin being totally eradicated (that is to claim too much) or merely counteracted (that is to say too little), but of a divinely wrought character change freeing us from sinful habits and forming in us Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues. 2 Grudem also provides a helpful table that notes the differences between justification and sanctification: 3 Justification Legal Standing Once for all time Entirely God s work Perfect in this life The same in all Christian Sanctification Internal condition Continuous throughout life We cooperate Not perfect in this life Greater in some than in others There are two different aspects of sanctification: positional and progressive. In our positional sanctification, we are set apart as holy unto God on account of our justification through Christ s imputed righteousness. In our progressive sanctification, we become increasingly righteous as we mature in our faith and thus grow in personal godliness. In the Bible, progressive sanctification is an outworking of positional sanctification; the imperatives flow from the indicatives. The Doctrine of Salvation Page 1
What Do the Scriptures Say? Both positional and progressive sanctification are taught in the Old Testament. Sanctification is on account of God s unmerited grace toward Israel. Commands to be holy are rooted in Israel s status as God s holy people. Progressive sanctification flows from positional sanctification. 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (Deut. 7:6 8; cf. 14:2, 21). 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you (Lev. 20:7 8; cf. Num 15:39 41; Deut. 26:18 19). 31 So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD. 32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you (Lev. 22:31 32). The New Testament further develops this understanding of sanctification. In particular, the Holy Spirit is seen to play a key role in progressive sanctification, empowering believers to obey God s commands and grow in personal holiness. The fruit of sanctification is progressive mortification (putting to death) of one s sin. Progressive sanctification isn t optional, but is promised to all Christians; it s an important line of evidence that one is truly a believer. 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:9 11; cf. Acts 20:28; Heb. 10:10). 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it (1 Thess. 5:23; cf. Heb. 13:20 21). 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col. 3:5; cf. Rom. 8:13; 2 Cor. 7:1). 17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ! 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:17 24; cf. Rom. 7:7 25). The Doctrine of Salvation Page 2
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal. 5:16 24). 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Matt. 7:16 20). What Has the Church Said? Throughout church history, there have been four main views of sanctification, each of which is advocated today by various traditions. The Roman Catholic view collapses justification and sanctification into each other, normally under the former term. God actually pours holiness into the Christian s life through faith and faithful participation in the sacraments, which in turn causes him to grow in progressive holiness. In terms of what personal holiness actually looks like, Catholics tend to emphasize the cultivation of virtue rather than the mortification of sin; the latter is addressed through confession and penance. The Wesleyan view argue for Christian perfection or entire sanctification. In this view, some Christians experience a second baptism of the Holy Spirit that frees them from the desire to willfully sin. Though perfected Christians can fall into sin, they won t choose to sin. John Wesley briefly entertained this view, though it was popularized in the nineteenth century by Charles Finney, Hannah Whitall Smith, and Phoebe Palmer. This view is held by Nazarenes, Holiness groups, and some Pentecostal denominations. The Keswick view (also called Higher Life ) argues for ongoing fillings of the Holy Spirit that grant Christians victory over particular sins and empowers them for seasons of heightened fruitfulness in evangelism and other ministries. This view, which was an intentional modification of the Wesleyan view, was popularized by D.L. Moody, R.A. Torrey, and F.B. Meyer. Many revivalistic and/or Dispensational evangelicals hold to the Keswick view, including some Southern Baptists. The Reformed/Evangelical view argues that progressive sanctification is a process that begins with conversion and continues throughout the Christian life, though perfect holiness is impossible in this life. According to this view, which has its roots in the Reformation, gradual growth in Christian maturity is the norm for Christians and, humanly speaking, validates one s justification (think James 2:14 26). This view was dominant in both the Puritan and Pietist The Doctrine of Salvation Page 3
streams that flowed into the modern evangelical movement during the eighteenth century. Reformed evangelicals who have written noteworthy defenses of this view of sanctification include John Owen, J.C. Ryle, J.I. Packer, and Jerry Bridges. What Should We Believe? The Reformed/evangelical understanding of progressive sanctification seems most persuasive. Christian maturity is a long obedience in the same direction that flows out of our justification. Gradually, Christians grow in personal holiness, both mortifying sin and cultivating godly virtues. Perfection is never achieved in this life (see Romans 7), though over time we become more and more what God declares us to be in our justification; righteous, holy, set apart, and consecrated for his purposes. The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) provides a brief summary of the traditional doctrine of progressive sanctification. The Confessional Statement of The Gospel Coalition briefly addresses sanctification in its section on justification, noting that the former flows from the latter. Baptist Faith and Message Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person s life. 4 The Gospel Coalition Confessional Statement We believe that Christ, by his obedience and death, fully discharged the debt of all those who are justified. By his sacrifice, he bore in our stead the punishment due us for our sins, making a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God s justice on our behalf. By his perfect obedience he satisfied the just demands of God on our behalf, since by faith alone that perfect obedience is credited to all who trust in Christ alone for their acceptance with God. Inasmuch as Christ was given by the Father for us, and his obedience and punishment were accepted in place of our own, freely and not for anything in us, this justification is solely of free grace, in order that both the exact justice and the rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners. We believe that a zeal for personal and public obedience flows from this free justification. 5 How Should We Then Live? Meditating on God s Commands: God s law (his moral commands) aids Christians in our ongoing sanctification. The better we know God s expectations, the better we know how our lives ought to look. Begin with the Ten Commandments and then move to the Sermon on the Mount. The Divine and the Human in the Pursuit of Holiness: The Lord is at work in us to make us more like Christ, but we respond to his divine initiative through the mortification of sin and the cultivation of virtue. On the one hand, we will never drift into holiness sanctification is hard The Doctrine of Salvation Page 4
work. On the other hand, we must be careful that we don t base our standing with God on our pursuit of holiness our obedience flows from God s promise. Spiritual Disciplines and Sanctification: Scripture meditation and memorization, prayer, one-onone accountability, regular church participation, and edifying reading are all key means the Lord uses to help us in our ongoing battle against sin. Spiritual disciples, when grounded in grace rather than legalism, are both evidence of and a means unto our sanctification. Recommended Resources Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan, 1994), pp. 746 62. J.C. Ryle, Holiness (1879; many editions available) John Owen, Mortification of Sin (1656; many editions available) Joel R. Beeke, Holiness: God s Call to Sanctification (Banner of Truth, 1994). Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace: God s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness (NavPress, 2006). J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit (Baker, 1984). Andy Davis teaches a twelve-week BFL class on Sanctification. In that class, he goes into much greater detail teasing out the themes we discussed today. Notes: 1 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan, 1994), p. 746. 2 J.I. Packer, Concise Theology (Tyndale, 2001), p. 169. 3 Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 746. 4 The Baptist Faith and Message (2000), IV.B. Salvation, available online at http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp. 5 Confessional Statement, The Gospel Coalition, available online at http://thegospelcoalition.org/about/ foundation-documents/confessional/. Emphasis added. The Doctrine of Salvation Page 5