Believers are ‘reconciled’ to God “by the death His Son” to stand ‘justified’ before God by faith in Christ’s cross-work as the full payment for our sins. We then are declared ‘righteous.’

“For he [God the Father] hath made him [The Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin (experienced no sinning); [so] that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

Our sanctification flows to us from the love and grace of God, expressed in us as it is being made possible by the cross of Christ. Most believers would be thrilled if they understood the Bible doctrine of ‘sanctification’! Sanctification is not a negative matter. Rather, sanctification is the positive truth that God has set us apart unto Himself as His sacred possession, such as a husband and a wife belong to each other as their very own… in a special, sacred, way. (See Israel’s ‘Song of Songs 2:16.)

“My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.” (Song of Songs 2:16 (KJV)

Sanctification is a Two-Fold truth:

1. Our Sanctification is our fixed, Secure, Separated Standing before God, “in Christ.”

This is our positional sanctification… being set apart unto Him alone. So, in one sense and in fact every true believer in Christ has already been sanctified, or consecrated to God, by the operation of the Holy Spirit in the very moment they were saved.  “…God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit…” (2Thes. 2: 13) The believers of all ages “… are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ Once for All.” (Hebrews 10:10).

God has already sanctified us, separating us unto Himself, and that settles it. Just as much as is our being forgiven of ALL our sins was once and for all time.

Our Sanctification began with His Crosswork on our behalf. Thus, Paul could even write to the careless sometimes sinful immature Corinthian believers and say: “Ye ARE sanctified” (1 Cor. 6:11; cf. Acts 20:32; 26:18), in other words, ‘God has set you apart for Himself.’

The love and grace of God is seen in the ‘redemptive’ and ‘sanctifying’ work of Christ at the Cross… buying us one-time slaves of the Devil and taking us unto Himself, setting us apart to be His ‘free-willing slaves of righteousness’ (cf. Rom. 6:16-22).

This has been done and He will never leave us as we once were. So, this brings us to the 2^nd point.

2) Then also Sanctification speaks of the ongoing current state of our soul ... that is, the condition of our soul’s disposition toward God’s will at any given moment in time. The word “servant(s)” in these verses below actually should have been translated “slaves(s).”

Sanctification is actually a term that designates ‘ownership’ of persons, places, or things that are separated from a prior owner to become the possession of its new owner. In the case of believers, we’ve been separated from the usurper of mankind, the “god of the world,” Satan. unto the Lord God Almighty.

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV)

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants [slaves] to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were [in the past] the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine [truth] which was delivered you.

¹⁸ Being then made free from sin [Sin’s dominion], ye became the servants of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have [in past times] yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your [body] members servants to righteousness unto holiness. ²⁰ For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. ²¹ What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

²² But NOW being [already] made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end [the] everlasting life.” (Romans 6:16-22 (KJV)

Now that we are saved and “we are sanctified” in our fixed Positional Standing before the Lord, God would have us appreciate this gift and now conduct ourselves according to our new identity in union with Christ. We’ve been made as a “new creature in Christ” (2Cor 5:17).

As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of who we really are by His grace… we ought to consecrate ourselves ever more completely to Him… as we mature in the Christians faith.

This then speaks of the practical, progressive, sanctification of a believer in his daily living.

“For this is the will of God, even [that is] your sanctification” (1 Thes. 4:3).  

Hence, we have Paul’s benediction in 1Thess 5:23;

“The very God of peace SANCTIFY you wholly [completely], your whole spirit, soul and body.” Paul exhorted Timothy to be “a vessel unto honor, ‘sanctified,’ and meet [fit] for the Master’s use” (2 Tim. 2:21).

How can believers become more sanctified to God in their practical daily living?

1. First, this comes by studying and meditating on His Word of truth. David wrote in

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psa 119:105).

Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17).

2. Then we ‘know the truth’ of ‘the word’ that reveals our New Identify “In Christ” we have a basis for walking in our new identity as a Christ person.’ Paul declares that

“Christ… loved the Church and gave Himself for it, (so) that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word” (Eph. 5:25-26).

“Therefore if any man be IN CHRIST, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

3. Then also, the Lord’s “Spirit of life” is at work in our daily life sanctifying us in practicality, ‘teaching us’ to walk in accord with His “Spirit of life.”

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; [so] that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost Teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (KJV)

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philip. 2:13).

“…Walk in (union with) the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust [strong desires] of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16)

4. Then also, our most potent learning comes to us by His hand in permitting us to suffer the normal circumstances and situations of life, as well as the natural consequences of our wrong choices in living contrary to who we now know we are “in Christ.”

By these things we then come to this effectual knowledge as we endure the storms of life, and by them… we learn to TRUST Him.