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According to Titus 2:14, sanctification is one of the central purposes of our Lord’s death on the cross:

who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (NASB)

It was, and is, also a central purpose of Christ intercession for His Church (John 17:15-19). Yet sanctification in Scripture is spoken of in more than one sense. We can see sanctification in Scripture in two ways:

  1. Definitive
  2. Ethical or moral

When we speak of ‘definitive’ sanctification, we are referring to the act of being ‘set apart’.

In definitive sanctification we are speaking of a once for all, never again repeated act of God. Other examples of definitive acts of God would include election or predestination, regeneration, justification and adoption. These things never need repeating again. They are completed, or definite, one-time acts of God.

In fact, the first reference to sanctification is found in Genesis 2:3 where God ‘sanctified’, made holy, or set apart the seventh day. The same idea is found in Exodus 3:5 where Moses is instructed to take off his sandals because he is standing on ‘holy ground’. Holy meaning set apart for God.

A person, place, object, an amount of time – all these can be ‘sanctified’ in that sense. Most of the references to being sanctified in the Old Testament are used in this way, to be set apart for the divine purpose of God.

In contrast, the New Testament rarely uses the term in that way. There, the word is mostly used to mean ethical, or moral sanctification.

By definition, ethical sanctification refers to the process of, not setting apart positionally, but actually making or conforming the regenerated sinner into the image of God – perfection! See Ephesians 4:22-24.

In ethical sanctification, the Holy Spirit works within us to give us the desire towards righteous living (living in conformity with God’s Law).  He is bringing justified sinners into conformity with their justification. It is hard, painful, and cannot be accomplished by our own strength. God works within us, through the Holy Spirit, to will and to work. And we are expected to fully co-operate. See Philippians.

One of the biggest problems and challenges in understanding this aspect of sanctification in our day is this: confusing sanctification with justification. Here’s one example. In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul addresses a local church that is clearly involved in serious sins, and yet, he makes this statement:

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Now, in what sense is Paul saying they are ‘sanctified’? He says it in the past tense, doesn’t he? Yes he does, however, it is not in the sense of ethical sanctification, but definitive. The Corinthians are yet sinful, not having reached sinless perfection. They are in grave error in doctrine and life, so they have not been ethically or morally made perfect.

Paul is saying here they have been sanctified in the sense that they have been set apart at regeneration….definitive sanctification.

It is a grave mistake, and a dangerous teaching, to view this passage of sanctification as meaning ethical, that is to say that since we have been sanctified in the past tense, we have no duties to cooperate fully with the Holy Spirit in order to progress in ethical sanctification.

Ethical sanctification means to make a person righteous, that is, fully in conformity with the law of God. To view I Corinthians 1:2, the past tense of being sanctified, as meaning that we as Christians have been made righteous as opposed to being declared righteous(which is justification only) is a grave mistake.

It is in the end, to confuse justification with sanctification.

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