The Journey of Sanctification: Becoming More Like Christ

In our spiritual walk, we often hear terms like "sanctification" without fully grasping their meaning or significance. At its core, sanctification is about being set apart for a particular purpose - God's purpose. It's a transformative process that shapes us to become more like Christ, moving us from our worldly ways to God's holy ways.

This journey of sanctification can be understood in three key stages: initial, progressive, and entire sanctification. Let's explore each of these to better understand how God works in our lives.

Initial Sanctification: The Beginning of Our Journey

When we first come to Christ, we experience what's known as initial sanctification. This is the moment of salvation, where God's prevenient grace - the grace that goes before - draws us to Him. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, shows us our need for a Savior, and sets us apart as children of God.

As the apostle Peter wrote, we are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:2). This initial sanctification is a work of the entire Trinity - the Father's will, the Son's sacrifice, and the Spirit's sanctifying power.

Progressive Sanctification: Growing in Christ-likeness

Once we're saved, our journey doesn't end - it's just beginning. Progressive sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming more like Jesus. As we walk with the Lord, the Holy Spirit continues to work in us, shaping our character and behavior to align more closely with Christ's.

The apostle Paul encourages us in this process: "We urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God" (1 Thessalonians 4:1). This is God's will for us - that we continually grow in holiness, abstaining from sin and pursuing righteousness.

Entire Sanctification: Full Surrender to God

As we progress in our spiritual journey, we may come to a point of realization - while we've accepted Jesus as our Savior, we haven't fully surrendered to Him as Lord. This is where the concept of entire sanctification comes in. It's not about achieving perfection, but about complete consecration and surrender to God.

Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 beautifully captures this idea: "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Entire sanctification is about allowing God to fill every part of our lives. It's like inviting God into our house (our life) and giving Him access to every room, not just the guest areas. It's a moment of full surrender where we stop fighting the Holy Spirit and agree to let Him have complete control.

The Power of Surrender

Throughout Scripture, we see the importance of sanctification and surrender. In the Old Testament, as the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, Joshua told them, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5). This wasn't about following a set of rules, but about surrendering to God's will and setting themselves apart for His purposes.

Similarly, when King Hezekiah called for the cleansing of the temple, he instructed the Levites, "Sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place" (2 Chronicles 29:5). This physical act of cleansing and consecration mirrors the spiritual process we undergo as we allow God to cleanse our hearts and remove the "rubbish" that hinders our relationship with Him.

Living in the Fullness of God

The beautiful truth is that God desires to fill us with His fullness. He doesn't give His Spirit in measure - when we're saved, we receive all of the Holy Spirit. The question is, does the Holy Spirit have all of us?

As we surrender more of ourselves to God, we open the door for Him to work powerfully in our lives. Paul reminds us that God "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20). This power is unleashed as we fully surrender to His will.

A Call to Sanctification

Today, we are the temple of the living God. Our bodies and our lives are meant to be set apart for His purposes. The call to sanctification is a call to surrender - to open every area of our lives to God's transforming power.

What areas of your life are still closed off to God? What "rubbish" needs to be cleared out to make room for His presence? The Holy Spirit is at work, gently nudging us towards full surrender. As we yield to Him, we'll find ourselves filled with His power, living victorious lives that bring glory to God.

Let's make this our prayer: "Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver. Purify my heart, let me be as gold, pure gold." May we choose to be holy, set apart for God, ready to do His will. As we do, we'll find ourselves transformed, filled with the fullness of God, and experiencing His power working mightily within us.

The journey of sanctification is ongoing, but it's a beautiful process of becoming more like Christ. As we surrender daily to the Holy Spirit's work in our lives, we'll find ourselves growing in love, holiness, and the knowledge of God. May we be diligent in sanctifying ourselves, opening every area of our lives to God's transforming power, and experiencing the abundant life He promises.