What is progressive sanctification?

So why, then, do others say progressive s anctification is Scriptural? Well, because they mean an entirely different thing. They speak about the fact that a Christian (hence a person sanctified once for all and having no reason whatsoever to engage in introspective analysis and doubts on the matter) should grow spiritually. As he does, his affection for Christ will increase, he will ‘follow … holiness’ (Heb. 12:14) and live in an increasing realisation that he is set apart for Christ.

This concept of progressive sanctification does not assume any eradication of the flesh, nor the idea that the flesh ever becomes less dangerous over time. And it certainly does not assume that the believer ever reaches a state of practical perfection and/or inability to fall into sin (so-called ‘sinless perfection’) while on earth. However, it may be wisest to avoid using the term ‘progressive sanctification’ unless it is made clear what is, and what is not, meant by it.

To some sanctification means just sanctimoniousness. It really means nothing of the sort; nor does it even mean becoming very holy, save in a secondary sense. The primary meaning of sanctify is to set apart - to separate from base uses to the service and pleasure of God. For example: "Thou shalt anoint the altar … and sanctify the altar … thou shalt anoint the laver … and sanctify it" (Ex. 40:10-11). "I [Jesus] sanctify Myself" (John 17:19). "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts" (1 Peter 3:15).

There are other scriptures that refer to practical sanctification, on which I must say a word next. One clear text of this description is in Hebrews 12, where the apostle says, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness" (or sanctification, if you please) "without which no man shall see the Lord." It is evident that this is practical holiness. He is addressing those whom he assumes to be Christians. There might be persons among them in danger of going back, as we know there had been. Some had already been apostates; but the apostle was "persuaded better things of them, and things that accompanied salvation, though he thus spoke." But here he says, "Follow peace with all men." They had already peace with God, but they were told to "follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." There is nothing really harsh in that, nor a word to cause the smallest difficulty to the most sensitive spirit; for surely, my brethren, there is no Christian who would affirm or allow that a man can live as he lists and yet go to heaven. Can a person sin habitually and be born of God? Surely the language of St. John is even stronger where it is laid down that "he that is born of God doth not commit sin." No doubt, as you justly plead, he means the person so characterised, not that a believer may not fail in this particular or in that, but that no man who is really born of God lives without exercised conscience and holy ways before God: no man so born goes on in sin, but walks according to the new nature. There are differences of measure, and various degrees of spiritual power as we know; but all saints have an uniform desire, and the Lord hearkens to that desire and answers it too, — meeting and helping the soul, sometimes by the comfort of the truth, sometimes by sharp discipline, but in one way and another strengthening it to please Himself. It is manifest from this that there is not the slightest ground for explaining away such an exhortation, no excuse for trying to make out that "holiness" here means what we are made in Christ. This is not the thought in the smallest degree. It is only deceiving ourselves if any think so.

Again, in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians it is clearly a question of practice. "This is the will of God, our sanctification." "For God hath not called us to uncleanness but in holiness" or sanctification. Here it is plain that he is speaking of walking in holiness every day. And then again he prays that the God of peace Himself sanctify them wholly, and that their spirit, soul, and body should be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In all he is looking at the practical work that goes on in the believer.

There is no real difference. The same Greek word is translated by both English words, and like sanctification holiness is spoken of (1) as positional and absolute, and (2) as practical and progressive. For instance, when we read, "Wherefore holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling …" (Heb. 3:1), we are not to understand this to mean that they were far advanced in practical holiness, but that they were a people set apart for God as partaking in the heavenly calling. Hebrews 5:11-14, indicate that they were not very far advanced, and presently we find that they are exhorted to "follow peace with all men, and holiness" (Heb. 12:14), which infers the same thing. The holy brethren are to follow holiness. In the first epistle of Peter we find just the same thing. He says, "Be ye holy," (1 Peter 1:15) to the very people to whom he says, "Ye are … an holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9).

If practical sanctification be in question it is another matter. That is progressive, and there should be increase in it to the end. We are to be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1), and Paul prayed for the Thessalonians to the end that they might be sanctified "to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Holiness is not, of course, apart from faith, but to speak of holiness by faith, as though faith alone produced it, is to shut out elements of Christian living which ought by no means to be excluded.

"'Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth' (John 17:17). And again — 'The very God of peace sanctify you wholly' (1 Thess. 5:23). In these passages we have the grand practical side of this question. Here we see sanctification presented, not merely as something absolutely and eternally true of us in Christ, but also as wrought out in us, daily and hourly by the Holy Ghost, through the Word. Looked at from this point of view, sanctification is obviously a progressive thing. I should be more advanced in personal holiness in the year 1861 than I was in the year 1860. I should, through grace, be advancing day by day in practical holiness. But what, let me ask, is this? What, but the working out in me, of that which was true of me in Christ, the very moment I believed? The basis on which the Holy Ghost carries on the subjective work in the believer is the objective truth of his eternal completeness in Christ."

This is true practical sanctification. It is not any attempt at the improvement of our old nature. It is not a vain effort to reconstruct an irretrievable ruin. No; it is simply the Holy Ghost, by the powerful application of "the truth," enabling the new man to live, and move, and have his being in that sphere to which he belongs. Here there will, undoubtedly, be progress. There will be growth in the moral power of this precious truth — growth in spiritual ability to subdue and keep under all that pertains to nature — a growing power of separation from the evil around us — a growing meetness for that heaven to which we belong, and toward which we are journeying — a growing capacity for the enjoyment of its holy exercises. All this there will be, through the gracious ministry of the Holy Ghost, who uses the word of God to unfold to our souls the truth as to our standing in Christ, and as to the walk which comports with that standing. But let it be clearly understood that the work of the Holy Ghost in practical sanctification, day by day, is founded upon the fact that believers "are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once." (Heb. 10:10) The object of the Holy Ghost is to lead us into the knowledge, the experience, and the practical exhibition of that which was true of us in Christ the very moment we believed. As regards this, there is progress; but our standing in Christ is eternally complete.

"Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." (John 17:17) And again, "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly." (1 Thess. 5:23) In these passages, we have the grand practical side of this question. Here we see sanctification presented, not merely as something absolutely and eternally true of us in Christ, but also as wrought out in us, daily and hourly, by the Holy Ghost through the word. Looked at from this point of view, sanctification is, obviously, a progressive thing. I should be more advanced in personal holiness in the year 1861 than I was in the year 1860. I should, through grace, be advancing, day by day, in practical holiness. But what, let me ask, is this? What, but the working out in me of that which was true of me in Christ, the very moment I believed? The basis upon which the Holy Ghost carries on the subjective work in the believer, is the objective truth of his eternal completeness in Christ.

All believers are sanctified in Christ Jesus and by the Spirit of God. This work is perfect and complete by which they have been brought to God in all the perfection of the sacrifice of Christ and made partakers of His holy and divine nature. It has been likened to the cutting out of a stone from the quarry. A stone cut out from the quarry will never have to be cut out again, so believers are sanctified, set apart, separated unto God from the mass of sinners. But after the stone is taken out of the quarry there is much work that has to be done in chipping off rough angles and in polishing and smoothing it. So the believer has many angles that have to be rounded and much roughness that has to be smoothed off. This work of smoothing and polishing the stone after it has been taken from the quarry is what is meant by progressive sanctification. Or it can be likened to the gem dug out of the mine. It has been separated from its place in nature where it lay in the mire and darkness and brought out into the light. It is now the special treasure of the mine operator. This work is complete and will never have to be repeated. But now that it is brought into this new position in the light as the special treasure of the mine operator, it must go through a process of cutting and polishing whereby it reflects more and more perfectly the beautiful rays of light. So the believer by the sanctification of the Spirit has been made a partaker of the divine and holy nature of God, has been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son, and has been made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light (Col. 1:12). But now that this work is done, there is another and progressive work taken up by the Spirit through the Word and by the purifying furnace of affliction to deliver the believer, who is now a saint in the light, from everything in his thoughts, words, and ways that is inconsistent with that kingdom of God's dear Son, of which he is a part, so that he may reflect more and more perfectly the pure rays of its Sun—Christ Himself. Christ is in ever increasing measure reflected by him as this progressive work of sanctification is carried on by the Spirit in his heart. The believer, sanctified by the Spirit unto obedience, must yield himself unto God and his members servants to righteousness for practical holiness. There is much work that needs to be done within the soul, so we read in 2 Cor. 7:1, "Dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

This practical holiness is never perfect while we are in this body, but should be progressing more and more towards perfection. So we read "Follow after holiness" (or sanctification. It is the same word in the Greek that is translated sanctification in other places). We are to follow after—to grow in grace and knowledge—for there is ever a degree beyond that unto which we have attained.

Note the order here, sanctification comes before justification. What then does sanctification mean? In these passages it is the act of the Holy Spirit, and means the setting of the individual apart in the mind of the Spirit and by His work for Himself. It is often designated absolute sanctification as opposed to practical sanctification, in which latter the Spirit leads the believer to holiness of life in his practical ways as a Christian. This with all Christians is progressive as we learn ourselves and God, as we learn to distrust ourselves, and discover the incorrigible nature of the flesh, and learn God in all His holiness, who says to every Christian,

That is what the apostle says in Philippians: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." He is aiming to be made more and more in his walk like unto Christ. Hence there is progress. I do not say "progressive meetness," for all that would impeach the meetness of Col. 1. If in 1869 I become a believer in the Lord Jesus, there are many things that I may go on with; but, as I grow and learn, I give up this, that, and the other thing, which I see not to be such as the Lord approves of. You may find many believers meet for heaven going to concerts, etc., thinking nothing wrong about it. But as they see more and more what it is to be "set apart" from such things, and to walk with One who sanctified — separated Himself, in heavenly glory, from such things for their sakes, that they might be sanctified in truth (John 17:19) — they give them up. As far as standing in Christ is concerned, the believer is perfect; as to his moral state and condition, he has to grow in grace (not into grace) and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). As to the flesh; it is and always will be bad. But the believer seeks day by day to "grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head." In this sense the Scriptures teach progressive sanctification. Sanctification is both absolute and progressive. In the former I am set apart to God from the very first movement of the divine life in the soul, and that according to all the value of the person and work of Jesus ([Heb. 10:14, etc.); in this view there can be no improvement; but on the other hand there is abundant scope for daily practical sanctifying walk and ways. The point should be to bring up the walk to the position. — ED.] For it, the apostle prayed for the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 5:23); and the same burden lies upon the heart of every godly Christian. I will now give you a short extract from a tract on "Sanctification," by C. H. M.: —