Teaching Outline On Sanctification

Teaching Outline On Sanctification

Martin Luther's "Sinul Justus et Peccator" - simultaneously justified  and sinner.

Sanctification - a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.

Justification: legal standing, once for all time, entirely God's work, perfect in this life, the same in all Christians.

Sanctification: internal condition, continuous throughout life, we cooperate, not perfect in this life, greater in some than in others.

Four Stages of Sanctification:

1. Sanctification Has a Definite Beginning at Regeneration. "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9). "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).

2. Sanctification Increases throughout life. The New Testament shows sanctification as beginning at regeneration,but also as a process through our lives. "Be holy yourselves in all your conduct" (1 Peter 1:15).

3. Sanctification is Completed at Death (for our souls) and When the Lord Returns (for our bodies). Our sanctification will never be completed in this life because there is still sin that remains in our hearts even though we are followers of Christ. So when we die, then our sanctification is completed in one sense, because now our souls are finally free from the indwelling sin and are made perfect, but also when the Lord returns and gives us our resurrection bodies, that is also a part of our sanctification.

4. Sanctification is Never Completed in This Life. Caution against false teachers; there are false teachers out there that say that once you come to Christ, that you are perfect, that you should no longer sin at any time from the point in which you came to Christ. This is called perfectionism. They look at passages such as Matthew 5:48 or 2 Corinthians 7:1. "You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). The Old Testament and New Testament both teach that we CANNOT be morally perfect in this life. "If they sin against you - For there is no man who does not sin" (1 Kings 8:46). "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins" (Ecc. 7:20). "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).

God's and Man's Role in Sanctification - God's role: It's important to understand that sanctification is PRIMARILY a work of God. 1 Thess. 5:23 - "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly". "God is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). The role of God the Son, Jesus Christ, in sanctification is first that Jesus Himself earned our sanctification for us. Jesus is our wisdom, our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Also Jesus is our example to follow. The role of God the Holy Spirit works within us to change us and sanctify us, giving us greater holiness of life. Paul tells us to "walk by the Spirit," "led by the Spirit." The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit and we are more responsive to the desires and promptings of the Holy Spirit in our life and character.

Man's Role: Our role is both passive and active in sanctification. The passive role is we depend on God to sanctify us and the active role is that we strive to obey God and take steps that will increase our sanctification. Romans 6:13; 12:1; Romans 8:13; Phil. 2:12-13. So what are the ways in which we grow in holiness, maturity and obedience? Read and meditate on the Word of God, prayer, corporate worship, witnessing, Christian fellowship, witness, self-discipline or self-control.

What Sanctification Affects: our intellect, our emotions, our will, our spirit, and our physical bodies.

Motives for Obedience: desire for a deeper walk with God. Desire to do what God commands, simply because His commands are right, and we delight in doing what is right. Desire to avoid God's displeasure and discipline on our lives.

(The End)