Sanctification is Perpetual and Demands Perseverance

Some of you might be new to reading the Bible, while others may have been doing it for years. Still others may have drifted from the Word, but are grasping at footholds to find their way back to Christ. Regardless of where you are in your journey, you are bound to come across John 17:17, 19, which say, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” If any of you are like me, you probably pondered what is meant by the phrase ‘truly sanctified’. As defined by The Westminster Shorter Catechism, sanctification means: “The work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.” I prefer the definition offered by my NIV Life Application Study Bible, which defines sanctification as, “The change God makes in our lives as we grow in faith. Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.”

For some, this is a lot to fathom and digest. It is hard to imagine living like Christ because He was the only perfect being. We are not called to be perfect, though. We are called to live out Christ’s character to the best of our abilities. This does not mean that we won’t screw up because, believe me, you will. To serve as a reminder, refer to Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. On Earth, we are constantly at war internally against our sinful nature, and unfortunately, it occasionally wins.

I feel like I haven’t put much effort into defending myself against my sinful nature. Recently, I have drifted into a realm of self-righteousness where I feel I have become way too critical of others and am only concerned with my own wellbeing. This is definitely not a healthy place to be in. My wakeup call came when a close friend, and fellow Christian, rebuked me for my actions and felt it best I take some time to re-evaluate what is important to me before we speak in person again. As hurt as I was when this first came to light, I am now extremely thankful for her courage. I desperately needed to come to my senses and remember that it is necessary to always be on guard against sin, in spite of knowing I am saved through Christ. Another passage from Romans makes this clearer. Romans 6:1-2, states, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The essence of this scripture is that, even though we are saved by grace, does not mean we should abuse that privilege. If you find yourself slipping into this unfortunate pattern, though, be thankful for sanctification.

Sanctification is a continual growing process. Our faith does not become as strong as iron overnight. Instead, it is a lifelong process. To better understand the roots of sanctification, read Titus 3:4-6, which states, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior”. The beauty of this is that no matter how often we screw up and lose our footing in faith, God has mercy on those who truly believe in Jesus as their Savior and repent for their sins. Again, we don’t have a ‘license to sin’, but we have a Redeemer offering His saving grace when we humble ourselves before Him.

Since it is inevitable that you will stumble in the process of sanctification, it is vital to develop a strong desire to persevere. The following three verses are critical in understanding the need for perseverance:

Romans 5:3-5 ~ “Not only so, but we^[c^] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

James 1:2-4 ~ “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a^] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

1 Peter 1:6-7 ~ “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

These three verses are strikingly similar, yet inherently different. All of these verses mention that we will endure trials or suffering. The key is that none of the verses say ‘if’, but ‘when’. We should always remember this key concept when enduring tough times because God reiterated the fact that we will face hardship due to our alliance with Christ at least three different times in the New Testament. So instead of grumbling or throwing a pity-party while being dragged through the proverbial mud, remember that all Christians must endure such situations in order to develop perseverance.

The inherent differences that we must grasp from these verses are the specific reasons for perseverance.

Romans 5:3-5 ~ Hope doesn’t disappoint because of God’s love poured into the Holy Spirit within us.

James 1:2-4 ~ The work of perseverance makes one strong and complete.

1 Peter 1:6-7 ~ Trials are endured to prove our faith is genuine.

In essence, we endure trials and should persevere in our sufferings in order to mature in our faith to prove it is genuine, and to gain hope through God’s love, which is present in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, in the race of life, you are never alone while enduring trials and hardships. So clothe yourself with the Holy Spirit and consider the words in Philippians 3:13-14: “…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” See you at the finish line.