Sanctification is a word heard in the church community often, but what exactly is sanctification? Growing in a Christian home I heard this word used repeatedly but have never understood its importance until recently during my college course on Christian Discipleship. My professor lectured one day on sanctification and really explained sanctification in a way that I finally understood what it is. I want to give every Christian the basics of this integral part of our faith.

First things first, what is sanctification? The definition of sanctification is to be set aside, to be made Holy and dedicated to God. An example of this in simple terms is becoming more Christ-like. Sanctification does not happen immediately, it happens over the course of your life, it begins with salvation. When we become a Christian and ask God into our hearts, we are changed, a new creation. As shown in 1 Corinthians 6:11 which says “And that is what some of you were. 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”. So, when we become saved, our sins are washed clean by Jesus Christ dying on the cross and sanctification begins.

Sanctification continues throughout life, you are not saved and immediately made Holy. Because Jesus died on the cross for us, Christians are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:11 says “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” because of Jesus saving us and sanctifying us, we no longer have to dwell in our sin but can rejoice in the freedom that Christ brings. Now, nobody is perfect and everyone will struggle with sin at some point in their walk with Christ but, like Romans 6:14 says, “For sin is no longer your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” we are no longer slaves to sin but free because of the grace Jesus has given us.

Sanctification is impossible for us to complete in our lifetime. It is not completed until death. As stated earlier, sanctification means to be made Holy, and we cannot become Holy until we enter God’s presence. When we enter God’s presence in Heaven, we will be made perfect.

Now, sanctification is the work of God and man, there must be effort on our part, a want to become more like Him. God uses something called “means of grace” which are tools to get us closer to sanctification. Some examples of means of grace are reading scripture, preaching, fellowship, and discipleship. Scripture is reading the Bible and having quiet time. Preaching is hearing from God, like attending church and hearing a message. Fellowship is accountability, small group bible study, and having community with other Christians. And lastly, discipleship is training each other in righteousness and becoming more like Christ. I encourage everyone to be intentional about growing their faith through using these means of grace to strive to become more Christ-like.

I hope after reading this article you’ve learned more about sanctification than you knew before and can apply this to your everyday walk with Christ!