Introduction
“Therefore,
if
anyone
is
in
Christ,
he
is
a
new
creation;
old
things
have
passed
away;
behold,
all
things
have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Sanctification is a biblical term that defines the spiritual transformational process that:
•
Makes us into a new creation.
•
Strengthens our faith.
•
Sets us apart from the world.
•
Transforms us from within to reflect the image of Jesus.
•
Equips us to produce the fruit of the spirit.
•
Enables us to manage the response of our sinful flesh when we encounter temptations.
•
Enhances our love towards (and our relationship with) God.
•
Teaches us to:
o
Trust God.
o
Obey the Holy Spirit.
o
Forgive and love others.
o
Be a humble servant.
•
Makes us more usable by God.
•
Enhances our patience and perseverance during trials and tribulations.
•
Causes us to prioritize what is truly important.
•
Creates an indescribable joy and peace that emanates from the depth of our soul.
•
Prepares us for eternity in Heaven.
“For this is the will of God, your
sanctification
.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3
“You
are
in
Christ
Jesus,
who
became
for
us
wisdom
from
God—and
righteousness
and
sanctification
and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30
“God
from
the
beginning
chose
you
for
salvation
through
sanctification
by
the
Spirit
and
belief
in
the
truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13
Jesus
instructed
Paul,
“To
open
their
eyes,
in
order
to
turn
them
from
darkness
to
light,
and
from
the
power
of
Satan
to
God,
that
they
may
receive
forgiveness
of
sins
and
an
inheritance
among
those
who
are
sanctified
by faith in Me.” Acts 26:18
Jesus
prayed
to
the
Father,
“I
have
given
them
Your
word;
and
the
world
has
hated
them
because
they
are
not
of
the
world,
just
as
I
am
not
of
the
world.
I
do
not
pray
that
You
should
take
them
out
of
the
world,
but
that
You
should
keep
them
from
the
evil
one.
They
are
not
of
the
world,
just
as
I
am
not
of
the
world.
Sanctify
them
by
Your
truth.
Your
word
is
truth.
As
You
sent
Me
into
the
world,
I
also
have
sent
them
into
the
world.
And
for
their
sakes
I
sanctify
Myself,
that
they
also
may
be
sanctified
by
the
truth.” John 17:14-19
The Process of Sanctification
Although
not
specifically
defined
in
the
Bible,
for
the
purpose
of
this
learning,
the
process
of
sanctification
is
segmented
into
three
stages:
Justification
,
Maturation
and
Glorification
—which
are
depicted below.
Starting from the left and moving to the right:
•
We are all born spiritually dead: controlled by our sinful nature and Satan’s influence upon earth.
•
Sanctification begins when we are justified (born again).
•
Maturation begins thereafter as we grow in Christ and are transformed into His image.
•
Glorification occurs after we die and complete our spiritual transformation.
Justification
The
first
stage
of
sanctification
is
justification.
Justification
means
that
we—who
recognize
we
are
sinners
and
believe
God’s
Son,
Jesus
Christ,
died
for
our
sins—are
viewed
by
God
as
having
the
righteousness
of
Jesus
because
of
our
faith
in
His
Son.
In
other
words,
we
are
“justified,”
or
“just-as-if-
I’d” never sinned.
“The
righteousness
of
God,
through
faith
in
Jesus
Christ,
to
all
and
on
all
who
believe.
For
there
is
no
difference;
for
all
have
sinned
and
fall
short
of
the
glory
of
God,
being
justified
freely
by
His
grace
through
the
redemption
that
is
in
Christ
Jesus,
whom
God
set
forth
as
a
propitiation
by
His
blood,
through
faith,
to
demonstrate
His
righteousness,
because
in
His
forbearance
God
had
passed
over
the
sins
that
were
previously
committed,
to
demonstrate
at
the
present
time
His
righteousness,
that
He
might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:22-26
“There
is
therefore
now
no
condemnation
to
those
who
are
in
Christ
Jesus,
who
do
not
walk
according
to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1
But what’s more, not only are we forgiven, God will also not remember our sins.
“As
far
as
the
east
is
from
the
west,
so
far
has
He
removed
our
transgressions
from
us.”
Psalms
103:12
“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12
As
we
realize
God’s
grace,
mercy
and
love
towards
us—even
though
we
are
unworthy—it
creates
a
deep
desire
within
our
hearts
to
turn
towards
Him,
stop
sinning,
and
do
those
things
that
please
Him.
For this foundational transformation reflects the beginning of sanctification when one is born again.
Maturation
From
a
spiritual
perspective,
maturation
(growing
into
maturity)
is
defined
as
the
ongoing
process
of
our transformation that increasingly reflects the righteousness and holy attributes of Jesus.
Jesus
said
we
must
be
born
again
(
John
3:3-7
).
Our
spiritual
birth
is
somewhat
similar
to
our
physical
birth.
For
example,
consider
what
must
occur
for
an
infant
to
grow
into
a
child,
and
a
child
into
an
adult.
Likewise,
when
a
person
first
accepts
Jesus
Christ,
they
are
a
new
“baby”
Christian
who
must
go
through
a
maturation
process
as
they
transform
from
an
infant,
to
a
child,
and
into
a
spiritually
mature
adult.
And
as
one
matures
they
will
increasingly
become
a
reflection
of
Jesus—as
Jesus
reflected God.
“But
we
all,
with
unveiled
face,
beholding
as
in
a
mirror
the
glory
of
the
Lord,
are
being
transformed
into
the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
In
addition,
like
a
toddler
who
falls
down
and
a
teenager
who
makes
unwise
decisions,
we
will
make
mistakes.
However,
God
is
more
interested
in
the
attitude
of
our
heart
towards
Him
rather
than
our
shortcomings—for
this
is
why
Jesus
gave
His
body
as
a
sacrifice
and
propitiation
for
our
sins—so
that
we may be forgiven and continue the maturation process.
The Potter and the Clay
“The
Helper,
the
Holy
Spirit,
whom
the
Father
will
send
in
My
name,
He
will
teach
you
all
things,
and
bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26
The
process
of
maturation
is
similar
to
how
a
potter
artfully
transforms
clay
into
something
useful
and
beautiful—for,
“We
are
the
clay,
and
You
are
our
potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
As
the
potter
uses
tools
and
techniques
to
shape,
form
and
prepare
the
clay
for
use,
the
Holy
Spirit
uses
tools
and
techniques
to
transform
us
into
the
image
of
Jesus
for
the
glory
of
God.
Here
are
examples
of
the
tools
and
techniques used by the Holy Spirit.
•
Points us toward Jesus (
John 15:26
).
•
Teaches us by revealing biblical truths that relate to us spiritually (
1 Corinthians 2:12-13
).
•
Convicts and chastises us when we sin (
John 16:7-8
,
Hebrews 12:5-6
).
•
Washes us clean of our faults and shortcomings (
Titus 3:3-7
).
•
Assists us in overcoming our sinful fleshly desires (
Galatians 5:16-18
).
•
Bears witness we are children of God (
Romans 8:16-17
).
•
Helps us when we are weak during temptations, trials and tribulations (
Romans 8:26-27
).
•
Gives us spiritual gifts for the purpose of ministering to one another (
1 Peter 4:10-11
).
•
Opens
our
spiritual
eyes
to
assist
us
in
turning
away
from
Satan’s
lies
and
towards
God
(
Acts
26:18
).
When
you
fully
consider
what
spiritually
occurs
to
a
Christian
as
they
mature
in
Christ…each
of
us
are
being prepared for an eternity with Him. For each of us will worship and love Him as He loves us.
Glorification
Glorification
is
the
final
stage
of
sanctification—which
occurs
after
we
die
and
are
in
the
presence
of
Jesus.
This
is
when
our
soul
is
no
longer
encumbered
by
our
sinful
nature
and
we
are
transformed
into
a new and glorious spiritual body.
“For
our
citizenship
is
in
heaven,
from
which
we
also
eagerly
wait
for
the
Savior,
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
who
will
transform
our
lowly
body
that
it
may
be
conformed
to
His
glorious
body,
according
to
the
working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:20-21
“But
if
the
Spirit
of
Him
who
raised
Jesus
from
the
dead
dwells
in
you,
He
who
raised
Christ
from
the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11
“But
this
Man,
after
He
had
offered
one
sacrifice
for
sins
forever,
sat
down
at
the
right
hand
of
God,
from
that
time
waiting
till
His
enemies
are
made
His
footstool.
For
by
one
offering
He
has
perfected
forever those who are being
sanctified
.” Hebrews 10:12-14
“Now
may
the
God
of
peace
Himself
sanctify
you
completely;
and
may
your
whole
spirit,
soul,
and
body
be
preserved
blameless
at
the
coming
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ.
He
who
calls
you
is
faithful,
who
also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
All for His Glory for He Alone is Worthy!
Harold D. Thomas
Thought Provoking Questions
The
purpose
of
the
questions
is
to
facilitate
a
deeper
understanding
of
the
Bible,
this
Bible
study
topic,
and
ourselves.
The
questions
may
be
answered
by
each
reader,
or
used
by
a
Bible
study
group
leader,
or
church
pastor.
The
questions
should
be
answered
or
discussed
after
reading
“Sanctification.”
In
addition,
the
questions
are
designed
to
enhance
learning
via
the
determination
of
personal
opinions
and/or
discovering
how
the
lesson
content
relates
to
our
personal
lives.
As
such,
no
answers are provided.
Questions
Reference the bulleted list under the lesson’s introduction.
•
Identify at least 7 reasons why one must be sanctified.
•
Identify at least 3 spiritual benefits of sanctification.
How would you explain justification to someone who has never heard of the term?
What must one do to experience justification?
An
analogy
of
the
potter
and
clay
was
used
to
explain
the
process
of
maturation.
Can
you
think
of
a
different
analogy?
For
example,
consider
what
is
required
to
grow
a
bonsai
tree
(in
the
title
graphic).
Plus, consider
John 15:1-2
.
Identify at least 3 attributes of a mature Christian.
What visual image do you see in your mind when you think of glorification?
1
Corinthians
2:9
states:
“Eye
has
not
seen,
nor
ear
heard,
nor
have
entered
into
the
heart
of
man
the
things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
•
Why do you think God has kept this hidden from us?
•
Have
you
ever
purchased
a
gift
for
a
loved
one
and
waited
with
great
anticipation
for
them
to
receive it? When revealed, did you and your loved one experience joy and overwhelming love?
•
Do you think God waits with great anticipation to give what He has prepared for us?
Have you learned anything new?
You may do
wnload a PDF version of the questions by clicking this button.
The words of Jesus Christ are in
red text.
The words of Jesus
are in red text.
Introduction
“Therefore,
if
anyone
is
in
Christ,
he
is
a
new
creation;
old
things
have
passed
away;
behold,
all
things
have
become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Sanctification
is
a
biblical
term
that
defines
the
spiritual
transformational process that:
•
Makes us into a new creation.
•
Strengthens our faith.
•
Sets us apart from the world.
•
Transforms
us
from
within
to
reflect
the
image
of
Jesus.
•
Equips us to produce the fruit of the spirit.
•
Enables
us
to
manage
the
response
of
our
sinful
flesh
when we encounter temptations.
•
Enhances
our
love
towards
(and
our
relationship
with)
God.
•
Teaches us to:
o
Trust God.
o
Obey the Holy Spirit.
o
Forgive and love others.
o
Be a humble servant.
•
Makes us more usable by God.
•
Enhances
our
patience
and
perseverance
during
trials
and tribulations.
•
Causes us to prioritize what is truly important.
•
Creates
an
indescribable
joy
and
peace
that
emanates from the depth of our soul.
•
Prepares us for eternity in Heaven.
“For this is the will of God, your
sanctification
.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3
“You
are
in
Christ
Jesus,
who
became
for
us
wisdom
from
God—and
righteousness
and
sanctification
and
redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30
“God
from
the
beginning
chose
you
for
salvation
through
sanctification
by
the
Spirit
and
belief
in
the
truth.”
2
Thessalonians 2:13
Jesus
instructed
Paul,
“To
open
their
eyes,
in
order
to
turn
them
from
darkness
to
light,
and
from
the
power
of
Satan
to
God,
that
they
may
receive
forgiveness
of
sins
and
an
inheritance
among
those
who
are
sanctified
by
faith in Me.” Acts 26:18
Jesus
prayed
to
the
Father,
“I
have
given
them
Your
word;
and
the
world
has
hated
them
because
they
are
not
of
the
world,
just
as
I
am
not
of
the
world.
I
do
not
pray
that
You
should
take
them
out
of
the
world,
but
that
You
should
keep
them
from
the
evil
one.
They
are
not
of
the
world,
just
as
I
am
not
of
the
world.
Sanctify
them
by
Your
truth.
Your
word
is
truth.
As
You
sent
Me
into
the
world,
I
also
have
sent
them
into
the
world.
And
for
their
sakes
I
sanctify
Myself,
that
they
also
may
be
sanctified
by the truth.” John 17:14-19
The Process of Sanctification
Although
not
specifically
defined
in
the
Bible,
for
the
purpose
of
this
learning,
the
process
of
sanctification
is
segmented
into
three
stages:
Justification
,
Maturation
and
Glorification
—which are depicted below.
Starting from the left and moving to the right:
•
We
are
all
born
spiritually
dead:
controlled
by
our
sinful nature and Satan’s influence upon earth.
•
Sanctification
begins
when
we
are
justified
(born
again).
•
Maturation
begins
thereafter
as
we
grow
in
Christ
and
are transformed into His image.
•
Glorification
occurs
after
we
die
and
complete
our
spiritual transformation.
Justification
The
first
stage
of
sanctification
is
justification.
Justification
means
that
we—who
recognize
we
are
sinners
and
believe
God’s
Son,
Jesus
Christ,
died
for
our
sins—are
viewed
by
God
as
having
the
righteousness
of
Jesus
because
of
our
faith
in
His
Son.
In
other
words,
we
are “justified,” or “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.
“The
righteousness
of
God,
through
faith
in
Jesus
Christ,
to
all
and
on
all
who
believe.
For
there
is
no
difference;
for
all
have
sinned
and
fall
short
of
the
glory
of
God,
being
justified
freely
by
His
grace
through
the
redemption
that
is
in
Christ
Jesus,
whom
God
set
forth
as
a
propitiation
by
His
blood,
through
faith,
to
demonstrate
His
righteousness,
because
in
His
forbearance
God
had
passed
over
the
sins
that
were
previously
committed,
to
demonstrate
at
the
present
time
His
righteousness,
that
He
might
be
just
and
the
justifier
of
the
one
who
has
faith
in Jesus.” Romans 3:22-26
“There
is
therefore
now
no
condemnation
to
those
who
are
in
Christ
Jesus,
who
do
not
walk
according
to
the
flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1
But
what’s
more,
not
only
are
we
forgiven,
God
will
also
not remember our sins.
“As
far
as
the
east
is
from
the
west,
so
far
has
He
removed our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:12
“Their
sins
and
their
lawless
deeds
I
will
remember
no
more.” Hebrews 8:12
As
we
realize
God’s
grace,
mercy
and
love
towards
us—even
though
we
are
unworthy—it
creates
a
deep
desire
within
our
hearts
to
turn
towards
Him,
stop
sinning,
and
do
those
things
that
please
Him.
For
this
foundational
transformation
reflects
the
beginning
of
sanctification when one is born again.
Maturation
From
a
spiritual
perspective,
maturation
(growing
into
maturity)
is
defined
as
the
ongoing
process
of
our
transformation
that
increasingly
reflects
the
righteousness and holy attributes of Jesus.
Jesus
said
we
must
be
born
again
(
John
3:3-7
).
Our
spiritual
birth
is
somewhat
similar
to
our
physical
birth.
For
example,
consider
what
must
occur
for
an
infant
to
grow
into
a
child,
and
a
child
into
an
adult.
Likewise,
when
a
person
first
accepts
Jesus
Christ,
they
are
a
new
“baby”
Christian
who
must
go
through
a
maturation
process
as
they
transform
from
an
infant,
to
a
child,
and
into
a
spiritually
mature
adult.
And
as
one
matures
they
will
increasingly
become
a
reflection
of
Jesus—as
Jesus
reflected God.
“But
we
all,
with
unveiled
face,
beholding
as
in
a
mirror
the
glory
of
the
Lord,
are
being
transformed
into
the
same
image
from
glory
to
glory,
just
as
by
the
Spirit
of
the
Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
In
addition,
like
a
toddler
who
falls
down
and
a
teenager
who
makes
unwise
decisions,
we
will
make
mistakes.
However,
God
is
more
interested
in
the
attitude
of
our
heart
towards
Him
rather
than
our
shortcomings—for
this
is
why
Jesus
gave
His
body
as
a
sacrifice
and
propitiation
for
our
sins—so
that
we
may
be
forgiven
and
continue
the maturation process.
The Potter and the Clay
“The
Helper,
the
Holy
Spirit,
whom
the
Father
will
send
in
My
name,
He
will
teach
you
all
things,
and
bring
to
your
remembrance all things that I said
to you.” John 14:26
The
process
of
maturation
is
similar
to
how
a
potter
artfully
transforms
clay
into
something
useful
and
beautiful—for,
“We
are
the
clay,
and
You
are
our
potter;
and
all
we
are
the
work
of
Your
hand.” Isaiah 64:8
As
the
potter
uses
tools
and
techniques
to
shape,
form
and
prepare
the
clay
for
use,
the
Holy
Spirit
uses
tools
and
techniques
to
transform
us
into
the
image
of
Jesus
for
the
glory
of
God.
Here
are
examples
of
the
tools
and
techniques used by the Holy Spirit.
•
Points us toward Jesus (
John 15:26
).
•
Teaches
us
by
revealing
biblical
truths
that
relate
to
us spiritually (
1 Corinthians 2:12-13
).
•
Convicts
and
chastises
us
when
we
sin
(
John
16:7-8
,
Hebrews 12:5-6
).
•
Washes
us
clean
of
our
faults
and
shortcomings
(
Titus 3:3-7
).
•
Assists
us
in
overcoming
our
sinful
fleshly
desires
(
Galatians 5:16-18
).
•
Bears
witness
we
are
children
of
God
(
Romans
8:16-
17
).
•
Helps
us
when
we
are
weak
during
temptations,
trials
and tribulations (
Romans 8:26-27
).
•
Gives
us
spiritual
gifts
for
the
purpose
of
ministering
to one another (
1 Peter 4:10-11
).
•
Opens
our
spiritual
eyes
to
assist
us
in
turning
away
from Satan’s lies and towards God (
Acts 26:18
).
When
you
fully
consider
what
spiritually
occurs
to
a
Christian
as
they
mature
in
Christ…each
of
us
are
being
prepared
for
an
eternity
with
Him.
For
each
of
us
will
worship and love Him as He loves us.
Glorification
Glorification
is
the
final
stage
of
sanctification—which
occurs
after
we
die
and
are
in
the
presence
of
Jesus.
This
is
when
our
soul
is
no
longer
encumbered
by
our
sinful
nature
and
we
are
transformed
into
a
new
and
glorious spiritual body.
“For
our
citizenship
is
in
heaven,
from
which
we
also
eagerly
wait
for
the
Savior,
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
who
will
transform
our
lowly
body
that
it
may
be
conformed
to
His
glorious
body,
according
to
the
working
by
which
He
is
able
even
to
subdue
all
things
to
Himself.”
Philippians
3:20-21
“But
if
the
Spirit
of
Him
who
raised
Jesus
from
the
dead
dwells
in
you,
He
who
raised
Christ
from
the
dead
will
also
give
life
to
your
mortal
bodies
through
His
Spirit
who
dwells in
you.” Romans 8:11
“But
this
Man,
after
He
had
offered
one
sacrifice
for
sins
forever,
sat
down
at
the
right
hand
of
God,
from
that
time
waiting
till
His
enemies
are
made
His
footstool.
For
by
one
offering
He
has
perfected
forever
those
who
are
being
sanctified
.” Hebrews 10:12-14
“Now
may
the
God
of
peace
Himself
sanctify
you
completely;
and
may
your
whole
spirit,
soul,
and
body
be
preserved
blameless
at
the
coming
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ.
He
who
calls
you
is
faithful,
who
also
will
do
it.”
1
Thessalonians 5:23-24
All for His Glory for He Alone is Worthy!
Harold D. Thomas
Thought Provoking Questions
The
purpose
of
the
questions
is
to
facilitate
a
deeper
understanding
of
the
Bible,
this
Bible
study
topic,
and
ourselves.
The
questions
may
be
answered
by
each
reader,
or
used
by
a
Bible
study
group
leader,
or
church
pastor.
The
questions
should
be
answered
or
discussed
after
reading
“Sanctification.”
In
addition,
the
questions
are
designed
to
enhance
learning
via
the
determination
of
personal
opinions
and/or
discovering
how
the
lesson
content
relates
to
our
personal
lives.
As
such,
no
answers are provided.
Questions
Reference
the
bulleted
list
under
the
lesson’s
introduction.
•
Identify at least 7 reasons why one must be sanctified.
•
Identify at least 3 spiritual benefits of sanctification.
How
would
you
explain
justification
to
someone
who
has
never heard of the term?
What must one do to experience justification?
An
analogy
of
the
potter
and
clay
was
used
to
explain
the
process
of
maturation.
Can
you
think
of
a
different
analogy?
For
example,
consider
what
is
required
to
grow
a
bonsai
tree
(in
the
title
graphic).
Plus,
consider
John
15:1-2
.
Identify at least 3 attributes of a mature Christian.
What
visual
image
do
you
see
in
your
mind
when
you
think of glorification?
1
Corinthians
2:9
states:
“Eye
has
not
seen,
nor
ear
heard,
nor
have
entered
into
the
heart
of
man
the
things
which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
•
Why do you think God has kept this hidden from us?
•
Have
you
ever
purchased
a
gift
for
a
loved
one
and
waited
with
great
anticipation
for
them
to
receive
it?
When
revealed,
did
you
and
your
loved
one
experience joy and overwhelming love?
•
Do
you
think
God
waits
with
great
anticipation
to
give
what He has prepared for us?
Have you learned anything new?
You
may
download
a
P
DF
version
of
the
questions
by
clicking on this button.
