M SJ 21/2 (Fall 2010) 179-191

SANCTIFICATION: THE WORK

OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SCRIPTURE
W illiam D. Barrick
Professor of Old Testament

Sanctification is inseparable from regeneration; where there is one, the

other must also exist. Sanctification is the process of making holy, whether in the OT
or the NT. God’s holiness is complete, comparable to no one else, and is incompati-
ble with sin. Man’s holiness is progressive as it seeks to match the holiness of God
in dedicating everything to Him. Both Testaments multiply references to God’s
holiness as the foundation for human holiness. The believer progresses in his own
sanctification through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and through attention to the
Scripture, but humans also have a role in sanctification. They must live out what they
possess by the grace of God.

*****

Introduction

James calls believers to be alert to the harm of being spiritually adulterous

or friends with the world (Jas 4:4). Instead, the believer should seek to be a friend of
Christ— he ought to submit to God, draw near to God, cleanse his hands, and purify
his heart (vv. 7–8). As the children of God, Christians must demonstrate a Christlike-
ness in their behavior— a behavior that avoids entanglement with the world. In his
“Forward” to the Shepherds’ Conference 2002 reprint edition of J. C. Ryle’s classic
book, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, & Roots, John MacArthur
writes,

More than a century has passed since Ryle’s Holiness was first published, and today the
book is more timely than ever. All the erroneous notions Ryle confronted still flourish
among evangelicals. Wrong notions about sanctification are still frustrating believers in
their quest for genuine practical holiness. And that is why this superb nineteenth-century
work is still a fitting antidote to much of what ails mainstream evangelicalism at the

179
180 The Master’s Seminary Journal

beginning of the twenty-first century.1

Ryle summarized the issue of sanctification by declaring, “He that is born

again and made a new creature receives a new nature and a new principle, and always
lives a new life. . . . In a word, where there is no sanctification there is no regenera-
tion, and where there is no holy life there is no new birth.”2 Positional sanctification
involves what is initial, inward, and permanent at salvation. Positional (or, initial)
sanctification demands progressive sanctification— the demonstration of an outward
and progressive holiness in the life of the saint. In regeneration (the new birth), both
the incorruptible seed of the W ord of God (1 Pet 1:23) and the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-
8; Titus 3:5) play a role. Accordingly, the same two agents involved in initial
sanctification bring about the progressive sanctification of the believer.

Defining Sanctification

Linguistically, conceptually, and theologically, holiness comprises the root

of sanctification. By definition, sanctification refers to the process of making holy.
Thus, a proper understanding of sanctification must start with the meaning of “holy”
(Hebrew: –ãÅ ÷È , qâ dç s¡ ; Greek: žãéïò, hagios). Potentially, two different Greek words
convey the concept of holiness. In the ancient Greek games, when judges found it
impossible to determine a victor, the presiding officials assigned the prize to one of
the gods, thus making that prize “holy” (Êåñüò, hieros), in other words, set apart to
a deity, because no one but a god could determine who had won. Thus, hieros could
refer to a “dead heat”— a tie without resolution.3 In the New Testament (NT), the
same Greek root occurs in words for “priest” (Êåñåýò, hiereus; Matt 12:4) and
“temple” (Êåñüí, hieron; Matt 4:5). Paul employs a form of the adjective in 1 Cor
9:13 to speak of “sacred service” and in 2 Tim 3:15 to identify the “writings”
(Scripture) as “sacred.” Scripture writers do not use hieros as the most common
Greek term for holiness, but the term is available to them.
Hagios occurs far more frequently (over 230 times in the NT). It forms the
foundational root for “holiness” (ãéùóýíç, hagiô sunç ; 2 Cor 7:1), “sanctification”
(ãéáóìüò, hagiasmos; 1 Thess 4:3-7), and “make holy” or “sanctify” (ãéÜæù,
hagiazô ; John 17:17). “Saint” translates hagios when it is used as a title for the
Christian believer.
First, holiness refers to that which is totally other, that which one dedicates
completely to God alone. The Scriptures identify holiness as an attribute fundamental

1
“Forward” in John Charles Ryle, H oliness: Its N ature, H indrances, D ifficulties, & Roots (1879;
reprint, M oscow, Idaho: Charles N olan Publishers, 2002) viii–ix.
2
Ibid., 21.
3
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, H enry Stuart Jones, Roderick M cKenzie, eds., A G reek-
English Lexicon, 9th ed. (N ew Y ork: O xford U niversity Press, 1996) 822.
 Sanctification: The W ork of the Holy Spirit and Scripture 181

to God’s character. According to James Montgomery Boice, “The Bible itself . . .

calls God holy more than anything else. Holy is the epithet most often affixed to his
name”4 (cf. Rev 15:4 and Matt 6:9). Indeed, the title “the Holy One” (Job 6:10, –|ã÷È,
qâ dôs¡ ) appears to be one of the oldest names for God. Occurring most often in the
title “the Holy One of Israel,” this name comprises the key divine title in the Book
of Isaiah (1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; etc.— a total of 30 times). Holiness sets God apart
from His creation; it distinguishes Him from everything. God’s holiness, therefore,
involves proclaiming Him as “W holly Other.” In other words, as D. A. Carson
declares, “not to revere God as holy is not to revere God as God.” 5
Secondly, holiness identifies God’s absolute moral perfection. He is without
sin. In short, the two aspects of God’s holiness identify Him as both incomparable
to others and incompatible with sin.6 As W illiam Shedd explains, God’s holiness
cannot be defined the same way as man’s holiness. Christians’ holiness, as believers
who have been sanctified and proceed to grow in holiness, relates to their conformity
to God’s own moral standards or, as Shedd puts it, “moral law.” “Holiness in God
must, consequently, be defined as conformity to his own perfect nature. . . . He is
righteous by nature and of necessity.”7 His sanctity consists of the purest and highest
form of holiness.

Biblical Demonstration of God’s Holiness

Until a person understands what the holiness of God involves, he will have
difficulty comprehending what his own holiness should involve. The OT depicts God
as unique and absolutely incomparable— He alone is God, the Exalted One, the Most
High, the Creator, the King, and the Redeemer (Isa 40:12-28; 41:1-29; 43:1-13; 44:6-
8; 45:1-7; 45:18–46:13). The Servant passages in Isaiah focus on the identification
of God as God alone, unique, the Only One, sovereign, Lord and Master of creation,
of history, of redemption, and of judgment. These passages in Isaiah provide comfort
for the people by majoring on this description of God. Only in that kind of God can
hope reside. Since He has perfect control over all things, His people can rely on Him
for peace, rest, comfort, and forgiveness.
Being completely righteous and holy, God loves righteousness (Ps 11:7; cp.
v. 6), but hates sin (Amos 5:21-23). Sin is an abomination to God. It is what He

4
Jam es M ontgom ery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Com prehensive & Readable
Theology, rev. ed. (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1986) 125.
5
D. A. Carson, “I Peter,” in Com mentary on the New Testam ent U se of the O ld Testam ent, ed. by
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007) 1018.
6
Cf. Eugene H . M errill, Everlasting D om inion: A Theology of the O ld Testam ent (N ashville: B &
H Publishing, 2006) 56: “By holy at least two things are m eant: (1) that God is separate from all else that
exists . . . and (2) that his holiness is translated into m oral and ethical perfection.”
7
W illiam G. T. Shedd, D ogm atic Theology, 3 vols., Classic Reprint (1888; reprint, Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1971) 1:362.
182 The Master’s Seminary Journal

abhors. Sin is violent, disobedient, immoral, crass, crude, and filthy. Sin produces
guilt and separates from God. Therefore, He judges sin and sinners in His wrath (Isa
5:16; Ezek 28:22— to execute judgment means to manifest holiness; Rev 6:10).
Divine wrath exhibits divine holiness; by it God shows that He is holy (Num
20:13— to judge means to prove holy; 1 Sam 6:20). Only One W ho is sinless has the
right, authority, or capacity to judge sin. Divine judgment originates in God’s total
otherness and His total uniqueness and control. W hen God spoke to Job out of the
whirlwind, He asked Job if he had been present when the Lord created the earth and
all things that are in it (Job 38:4). Then God asked Job whether he had ever
commanded the dawn (v. 12), bound the chains of the Pleiades (v. 31), led forth the
constellations in their seasons (v. 32), or fixed the ordinances of the constellations
over the Earth (v. 33). God confronted Job with his having spoken as though he
should be justified while God should be condemned (40:8). Coming to the end of His
revelation to Job, God suggests that Job clothe himself with majesty (v. 9), pour out
his anger on the proud (v. 11), and tread down the wicked (v. 12). Only the Creator
can judge the wicked. Unless Job had created and had control over creation, he
cannot judge the arrogant and wicked. Job can save himself only if he can both create
and judge as God has done and will do (v. 14). Hannah confessed such things of God
in her prayer: “There is no one holy like the L O RD , indeed, there is no one besides
You” (1 Sam 2:2). Only the Creator can judge; only the Judge can redeem.
A proper view of the saints’ sanctification must include an accurate
understanding of the holiness of God. His holiness is the foundation of believers’
holiness, as Peter’s admonition recalls: “but like the Holy One who called you, be
holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15). MacArthur concurs: “If we
don’t understand the holiness of God, we won’t understand our own sinfulness.” 8
Once the student of Scripture has identified the concept of holiness, he can
develop the meaning of sanctification by applying the biblical concept of holiness to
sanctification. M acArthur makes the connection by stating that “Sanctification does
not mean perfection. It means separation. It speaks of being set apart from sin and set
apart unto God.”9 Thus, John W alvoord writes that the “three main ideas of
consecration, separation, and purification combine in the central idea of holiness.” 10

Securing Sanctification

By what means does the believer progress in sanctification in this life? How

8
John M acA rthur, Jr., G od: Com ing Face to Face with H is M ajesty (W heaton, Ill.: Victor, 1993)
47.
9
John M acA rthur, Asham ed of the G ospel: When the Church Becom es Like the World (W heaton,
Ill.: Crossway, 1993) 167.
10
John F. W alvoord, The H oly Spirit: A Com prehensive Study of the Person and Work of the H oly
Spirit (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991) 210.
 Sanctification: The W ork of the Holy Spirit and Scripture 183

does he become more set apart to God and set apart from sin? Scripture speaks of
living a life of holiness as an obligation, not an option.

Substantiating Synergism in Sanctification

Three agents work together (i.e., synergize) to sanctify the believer: the
Spirit, the Scriptures, and the saint. The saint cannot attain sanctification without the
Spirit and the Scriptures. Those two agents are primary in the process of making the
believer more and more holy.

The Spirit’s Role. All three Persons of the Godhead act as agents of
sanctification: (1) The Father provides ultimate sanctification (1 Thess 5:23),1 1 (2) the
Son involves Himself in initial/positional sanctification (Eph 5:26), and (3) the Spirit
provides initial/positional sanctification (2 Thess 2:13).1 2 To examine progressive
(outward) sanctification, one needs to remember the continuity of sanctification
between the two testaments.
In the OT, God reveals that the Holy Spirit provides the solution to impurity
stemming from the sinful human spirit (Ps 51:10-12; cp. Isa 32:15-17).1 3 David’s
confession of his sin involves a plea that the Spirit of God would aid in his
forgiveness, restoration, and sanctification. Without the Spirit of God, David cannot
experience purification or sanctification. The NT merely expresses the Holy Spirit’s
role with greater clarity and specificity; it does not reveal a new or different agent for
sanctification. As with many doctrines, the NT expands upon that which God has
already revealed in the OT and clarifies the relationship of those doctrines to the
completed redemptive work of Jesus the Messiah. God does not change the means
of sanctification in the NT. Instead, He increases the visibility of the Holy Spirit’s
role and explains what necessitates the Spirit’s involvement. The Lord explains the
foundation of sanctification in Christ’s work that allows one to live a new life.
By reason of the frequency of mention in the NT, the Holy Spirit appears to
act as the primary divine agent for progressive sanctification.1 4 In the words of
Millard Erickson, progressive sanctification means “the continued transformation of
moral and spiritual character so that the life of the believer actually comes to mirror
the standing which he or she already has in God’s sight.”1 5 Association of the Holy
Spirit with sanctification occurs in Romans 8:1-16 though neither ãéÜæåéí

11
Richard M ayhue, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Focus on the Bible (Geanies H ouse, U .K.: Christian
Focus, 1999) 150.
12
Ibid., 185; Lewis Sperry Chafer, System atic Theology, 8 vols. (D allas, Tex.: D allas Sem inary
Press, 1948) 7:277-78.
13
John N . O swalt, Called to Be H oly: A Biblical Perspective (N appanee, Ind.: Francis Asbury, 1999)
67-69.
14
Cf. W alvoord, The H oly Spirit 219.
15
M illard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995) 875.
184 The Master’s Seminary Journal

(hagiazein) nor ãéáóìüò (hagiasmos; see 6:19, 22) occurs in these verses.1 6 Related
passages include 1 Cor 6:11; 1 Thess 4:7-8; 2 Thess 2:13; and 1 Pet 1:2. Sanctifica-
tion is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit whereby He produces in the believer “a
positive likeness of Christ.” 1 7
According to Rom 15:16, the Holy Spirit sanctifies Paul’s gospel ministry
to the Gentiles. Thus, sanctification involves more than just the process of making the
believer holy— it also includes the attribution of holiness to the service and ministry
of the believer. In other words, the believer’s service for God depends for its
acceptability upon the sanctifying ministry of the Holy Spirit. Cranfield views this
text as a reference to an offering made by Christ with Paul assisting and that the gift
of the Holy Spirit sanctified the Gentile Christians.18 He also notes that

The verb ãéÜæåéí occurs in the Pauline corpus only here and in 1 Cor 1:2; 6:11; 7:14
(bis); Eph 5:26; 1 Th 5:23; 1 Tim 4:5; 2 Tim 2:21. All these occurrences are in the passive
except for those in Ephesians and 1 Thessalonians. It is God who sanctifies (makes
žãéïò).19

Positional sanctification (cf. 1 Cor 6:11) enables Christians to obtain

progressive sanctification. As John MacArthur explains, “To be sanctified is to be
made holy inwardly and to be able, in the Spirit’s power, to live a righteous life
outwardly. Before a person is saved, he has no holy nature and no capacity for holy
living.”2 0 Philippians 2:12-13 mentions this same process. It is God who energizes
the believer to desire and to perform God’s will. That work consists of “working out”
one’s salvation (v. 12). That outworking takes what has already been planted within
and makes it visible in how one lives.2 1 In other words, it is the salvation that is
already accomplished by Christ that must be made manifest in how the believer
lives— initial sanctification displays itself outwardly in progressive sanctification.
Elsewhere MacArthur also writes, “This is the Spirit’s work, to set us apart from sin,

16
C. E. B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Com m entary on the Epistle to the Rom ans, 2 vols.,
IC C (London: T& T Clark, 2004) 2:757. Schreiner counters Cranfield’s view that Paul assists Christ (“The
sacrifice offered to God by Christ,” 2:757) by presenting three reasons why the text presents Paul
perform ing the priestly duty (Thom as R. Schreiner, Rom ans, Baker Exegetical Com m entary on the N ew
Testam ent [Grand Rapids: Baker Academ ic, 1998] 766).
17
Erickson, Christian Theology 875, 967-68.
18
Cranfield, Epistle to the Rom ans 2:757.
19
Ibid.
20
John M acArthur, 1 Corinthians (Chicago: M oody, 1984) 143.
21
The Greek for “work out” in Phil 2:12 is êáôåñãÜæïìáé (katergazom ai). In Rom 1:27 the internal
unnatural desire is worked out in indecent acts of hom osexuality and in 7:8 the law causes the sinful
nature to display itself in covetousness. Likewise, the absence of good internally results in the absence
of an outworking of good in the life (7:18).
 Sanctification: The W ork of the Holy Spirit and Scripture 185

consecrate us, make us holy. He is conforming us to the image of Christ”2 2 (cf. 2 Cor.
3:18). Indeed, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) consists of the virtues inherent in
the Savior’s own character, His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, His kindness,
His goodness, His faithfulness, His gentleness, and His self-control.
However, the Holy Spirit is not the only agent for sanctification. The Triune
God employs union with Christ (1 Cor 1:2, 30), the W ord (John 17:17; Eph 5:26), the
death of Christ (1 John 1:7, Gal 6:14), and a believer’s choice (Heb 12:14; 2 Tim
2:21-22) to accomplish progressive sanctification.2 3

The Scripture’s Role. The W ord of God acts as the co-agent of sanctifica-
tion both initially and progressively. W hat is the exact role of the W ord of God in the
process of present, progressive sanctification? Sometimes the disagreement comes
down to whether or not Mosaic Law possesses a role in personal sanctification. Does
Mosaic Law possess a role in personal sanctification?
The Lutheran tradition seeks to avoid confusing law and gospel, since such
confusion can result in an increase of legalism.2 4 As Moisés Silva points out,

Even the Lutheran standards recognize the so-called “third use of the Law,” namely, that
although believers have been “set free from the curse and constraint of the Law, they are
not, nevertheless, in that account without Law, inasmuch as the Son of God redeemed
them for the very reason that they might meditate on the Law of God day and night, and
continually exercise themselves in the keeping thereof” (The Formula of Concord, 1576,
Article VI).25

W hile Mosaic Law does not provide the Christian’s primary authority for
living a godly life (cp. Gal 3:13, 23-25), God has assigned a role for all Scripture,
including Mosaic Law (2 Tim 3:15-17; cp. Matt 7:21; Mark 3:35).2 6 The profitability
of the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16-17) results from the fact that the W ord of God rebukes,

22
M acArthur, Asham ed of the G ospel 167.
23
Chafer, Systematic Theology 7:278.
24
M oisés Silva, “Sanctification,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. by W alter A. Elwell and
Barry J. Beitzel, 2:1898-1902 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988) 2:1900.
25
Ibid. See, also, Anthony A. H oekem a, “The Reform ed Perspective,” in Five Views of
Sanctification, by M elvin E. D ieter et al., Counterpoints (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987) 85-86. “The
Christian life, we conclude, m ust be a law-form ed life. . . . The law, therefore, is one of the m ost
im portant m eans whereby God sanctifies us” (ibid., 88).
26
John F. W alvoord, “Response to H oekem a,” in Five Views of Sanctification, by M elvin E. D ieter
et al., Counterpoints (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987) 101: “[I]n general all can agree that Christians are
under m oral law, as indicated clearly in the N ew Testam ent. W hile m oral law condem ns, it also
dem onstrates the holiness of God and provides a standard for the Christian life.” O n the fallacy of
dividing the Law into m oral, civil, and cerem onial, see W illiam D . B arrick, “The M osaic Covenant,” The
M aster’s Sem inary Journal 10/2 (Fall 1999): 230-32.
186 The Master’s Seminary Journal

reproves, corrects, and instructs in righteousness. Those Scriptures consist primarily

of the OT. Therefore, they include the law. The law is profitable and of use in
equipping the man (or woman) of God for every good work. Iain Murray concludes
that “the law, ended for our justification, is far from ended in sanctification.” 2 7
Psalm 19:7-13 (Hebrews 8–14) presents the OT’s own revelation concerning
the role of special revelation (especially the torah of the OT) in the saint’s
sanctification. The psalmist declares that special (written) revelation converts the soul
(v. 7a), thus making the naïve wise (v. 7b; cp. 2 Tim 3:15, “the sacred writings,
which are able to make you wise for salvation”). This produces joy of heart (v. 8a;
cp. 1 Thess 1:6) and illumination (v. 8b; cp. Eph 1:18). Verse 9a then describes the
W ord of Yahweh as enduring— attributing to special revelation a quality rather than
continuing the identification of the work performed by the Word (vv. 7-8). Verse 9b
unexpectedly alters the verb to a perfect, in contrast to the preceding five participles.
Most translations treat the verb as a stative (“are righteous”). The same Hebrew verb
root (÷ãö, zdq) occurs once in the Niphal (Dan 8:14) where it has the meaning “made
right” or “justified.”2 8 Therefore, if the same factitive sense carries over to a context
like Psalm 19:9 (Hebrews 10), the final clause might be translated as “made right
completely.” The following context (vv. 10-13) focuses on how the W ord warns
Yahweh’s servant (v. 11), so that he does not commit sins of ignorance (v. 12) or
arrogance (v. 13). Instead, the servant can become blameless (v. 13)—the same
quality attributed to Yahweh’s instruction (v. 7). “Make righteous completely” falls
within the realm of progressive sanctification. Shedd says that “holiness is a general
term denoting that quality in God whereby God is right (rectus) in himself, and in all
his actions.” 2 9
The clearest text occurs in the high priestly prayer of Christ in John 17:17,
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” Thus, the W ord of God sanctifies.
Both in the OT and in the NT, the Word of God produces holiness. OT law demands
sanctification, a life of holiness.3 0 Interestingly, the text in Ps 19:9, like John 17:17,
describes the W ord as “truth” just before specifying that it “makes righteous
completely.”

27
Iain H . M urray, The O ld Evangelicalism (Carlisle, Penn.: Banner of Truth Trust, 2005) 91.
28
Ludwig Koehler and W alter Baum gartner, eds., The H ebrew and Aram aic Lexicon of the O ld
Testam ent, 2 vols., rev. by W alter Baum gartner and Johann Jakob Stam m , trans. and ed. by M . E. J.
Richardson (Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 2000) 2:1003. Biblical Hebrew possesses a num ber of
stative verbs with causative im plications in Q al: –áì, “clothed” or “put on clothing” (Ps 93:1); ÷æç,
“strong” or “gave strength” (2 Chron 28:20); –áé, “dry up” (H os 13:15). Even fientives in Qal can be
causative: ãáò, “destroy”; áöò, “cause pain, hurt”).
29
Shedd, D ogm atic Theology 1:364.
30
B ruce K. W altke with Charles Y u, An O ld Testam ent Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and
Them atic Approach (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007) 382. W altke cites Paul A. W right, “Exodus 1–24
(A Canonical Study)” (unpublished Ph.D . dissertation, U niversity of Vienna, Austria, 1993) 199.
 Sanctification: The W ork of the Holy Spirit and Scripture 187

A similar function of the W ord of God appears in Paul’s first epistle to

Timothy when he writes concerning food, “[F]or it is sanctified by means of the word
of God and prayer” (1 Tim 4:5). The W ord of God can and does make something, or
someone, holy.

The Saint’s Role. Silva identifies the basic issue involving agency in
sanctification as a matter of the human role in sanctification.3 1 What role can people
play? Obviously, they cannot sanctify themselves. W ithout the Holy Spirit and the
Scriptures, no one can be holy. Roman Catholicism stresses the cleansing power of
baptism and good works. Meanwhile, advocates of the Victorious Life Movement
focus on the believer’s passivity in sanctification.3 2 Philippians 2:12-13, while stating
that God does work in the believer, also indicates that God empowers the believer to
work at the task of manifesting inward godliness or holiness outwardly. In fact, an
imperative governs the entire statement: êáôåñãÜæåóèå (katergazesthe), “work out”
(v. 12). The force of this verb appears in Rom 4:15 where Paul explains how the
Mosaic Law produces (works out) wrath. In Rom 7:8 the apostle uses the same verb
to express how sin works itself out in covetousness. In verses 17 and 20 indwelling
sin works out its effects in the apostle’s life. Again in Rom 15:18 the indwelling
Christ accomplishes the proclamation of the Gospel to the Gentiles through the
apostle Paul. 3 3
Silva admits that

Sanctification requires discipline, concentration, and effort, as is clear by the many

exhortations of Scripture, especially those where the Christian life is described with such
figures as running and fighting (1 Cor 9:24-27; Eph 6:10-17). On the other hand, men
must always resist the temptation to assume that they in effect sanctify themselves, that
spiritual power comes from within them and that they may therefore rely on their own
strength. This is a difficult tension, though no more puzzling than the paradox of prayer
(“Why pray when God, who knows our needs and who is all-wise and sovereign, will
always do what is best anyway?”). Yet perhaps the real “secret” of holiness consists
precisely in learning to keep that balance: relying thoroughly on God as the true agent in
sanctification while faithfully discharging one’s personal responsibility.34

How can a believer be holy?

31
Silva, “Sanctification” 2:1900.
32
Ibid.
33
Cf. Bruce D em arest, The Cross and Salvation, Foundations of Evangelical Theology (W heaton,
Ill.: Crossway, 1997) 424-29. D em arest sum m arizes the saint’s involvem ent in the following fashion:
“Sanctification is a cooperative venture; the Spirit blesses believers with sanctifying grace, but the latter
m ust faithfully cooperate therewith. Faith alone justifies; but faith joined with our concerted efforts
sanctifies” (425).
34
Silva, “Sanctification” 2:1900.
188 The Master’s Seminary Journal

First, the believer possesses initial sanctification (1 Cor 6:11). Initial

sanctification provides a basis for the believer’s participation in the process of
progressive sanctification. Being sanctified and justified, the believer must live out
what he or she now possesses by the grace of God. Secondly, the Scripture exhorts
the believer to complete his holiness (2 Cor 7:1). This completion involves more than
mere cleansing or purification. Charles Hodge interprets 2 Cor 7:1 so as to identify
the saint’s role in his or her own progressive sanctification. He explains that, although
the Scriptures often ascribe to God the role of purification, such references do not
exclude the agency of God’s people. Indeed, “If God’s agency in sanctification does
not arouse and direct ours; if it does not create the desire for holiness, and strenuous
efforts to attain it, we may be sure that we are not its subjects.” 3 5
Paul refers to the sanctification process itself in 2 Cor 3:18 by referring to
the Holy Spirit’s transformation of believers into Christlikeness from the time they
have been justified until they are glorified. Such Christlikeness comes by degrees,
“from glory to glory.” Unlike initial sanctification, it is not instantaneous. This is
progressive sanctification— it develops over time. “Holiness, in a word,” observes
Bruce Demarest, “is Christlikeness daily manifested in the midst of a godless
world.”3 6 Additional NT texts that relate progressive sanctification to Christlikeness
include Rom 8:29; Gal 4:19; and Eph 4:13, 15.
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews utilizes an imperative to convey
instruction for sanctifying oneself— believers must pursue sanctification: “Pursue
peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord”
(12:14). Thus, as MacArthur explains, “W e dare not view sanctification as something
optional.”3 7 Note the kind of holiness about which the author of Hebrews writes,
“without which no one will see the Lord.” All too commonly, believers pursue a
public display of holiness that says more about what they think of themselves rather
than how they view God. Ostentatious devotional exercises might include public
praying and giving merely for the purpose of gaining the approval of men, rather than
providing evidence of holiness.38
As Iain Murray declares, “The regenerate man loves God, loves holiness,
loves the Bible, loves the godly, because it is his nature to do so.” 3 9 However, pursuit
involves more than just loving and desiring holiness or attempting to display
outwardly what one already has inwardly through justification and initial sanctifica-

35
C harles H odge, An Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians (reprint, Grand Rapids:
Eerdm ans, 1973) 174.
36
D em arest, The Cross and Salvation 407.
37
M acArthur, Asham ed of the G ospel 168.
38
See Philip Edgcum be H ughes, A Com m entary on the Epistle to the H ebrews (Grand Rapids:
Eerdm ans, 1977) 536-37.
39
M urray, The O ld Evangelicalism 23.
 Sanctification: The W ork of the Holy Spirit and Scripture 189

tion. The believer must pour his energy, his efforts, his minds, and his being into
being holy. Human agency can never accomplish self-sanctification, since only
divine power can sanctify.4 0 In summary,

a. The Spirit of God makes us holy (sanctified) as we behold (fix our attention
on) God’s holiness in Jesus Christ.
b. W hen we fix our attention on our Savior’s holiness, we become like
Him— we begin to delight in imitating His holy example (cf. 1 Thess 4:1-3).
c. Our sanctification is gradual and increasing in this life.4 1
d. Total holiness becomes our character only when we at last see Jesus (1 John
3:2).

How should believers manifest the incom parable aspect of holiness?

Christians belong irrevocably to God. They are His people. Therefore, they should
live in a fashion that demonstrates a difference from the lives of unbelievers. The OT
and levitical law propagate such teaching. God’s covenanted people must behave
differently than unbelievers. Such behavior involves every area of life, whether in the
toilet or at the dinner table. Old Testament believers must eat differently, dress
differently, talk differently, think differently, and live differently in every area of life.
However, rebellious Israel insisted on trying to be more and more like the unbeliev-
ing nations around them. New Testament believers possess a similar mandate to live
in a way that will cause the unbeliever to ask the reason for the hope by which
believers live (1 Pet 3:15). No other people should live life the way they do.

How should believers manifest the incom patible aspect of holiness? They
should avoid and hate sin. Their behavior should display the character of God rather
than of fallen mankind. Demarest recommends four means of overcoming sin and
growing in Christlikeness: (1) Identify God’s part and a Christian’s part in
sanctification, (2) be filled with the Spirit, (3) cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, and
(4) imitate Christ.4 2 Eugene Merrill speaks of the effects of the believer’s sanctifica-
tion as follows, “W hen God’s holiness is recognized and displayed, it has the effect
of silencing the prideful claims of arrogant and rebellious men.” 4 3 That is what
happens when believers live a holy life.

40
Chafer, Systematic Theology 7:278.
41
Ryle, H oliness 24-25.
42
D em arest, The Cross and Salvation 424-29.
43
M errill, Everlasting D om inion 58.
190 The Master’s Seminary Journal

Sorting the Strata of Sanctification

Believers must beware of making biblical references to initial sanctification

appear as though they are texts referring to progressive sanctification. At first blush,
Eph 5:26 (“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of
water with the word”) might speak of the W ord of God as the sanctifying agent for
the church. A careful examination of the text, however, demonstrates that the W ord
of God cleanses the church in salvation and prepares her for positional sanctification.
This Ephesians text contains within it the debates that plague the issue regarding the
differentiation of justification and sanctification. Three purpose clauses (each
introduced by Ëíá, hina) follow on the declaration that Christ loved and gave Himself
on behalf of the church (v. 25). The text identifies the three purposes as (1) to cleanse
the church by the W ord (v. 26), (2) to present the church to Himself (v. 27a), and
(3) in order that the church might be holy and blameless (v. 27b). Grammatically,
“the word” relates to the “washing,” which, in turn, relates to “cleansed.” 44 Hoehner
observes that “[c]leansing deals with the negative aspect, that of being cleansed from
defilement of sin, whereas sanctification is the positive aspect, that of being set apart
to God. They are two sides of the same coin.”4 5 Thus, Eph 5:26 refers to positional
sanctification, “which serves as the basis for” progressive sanctification.4 6
To what does “the word” refer in this text? Only once in Paul’s eight uses
does Õ­ìá (hrç ma) mean something other than words from either God or Christ.47
Hoehner argues that here it refers to “the preached word of Christ’s love for the
church.”4 8 Although the apostle obviously speaks about an ultimate holiness in the
future for the church, “application to the present church is no less appropriate.
Although in the future, sanctification will be complete, but the process is ongoing.
Holiness of life for believers is enjoined (4:17 32).” 4 9
First Peter 1:2 (“according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the
sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:
May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure,” NAU) contains direct
reference to initial sanctification. In the following context, however, Peter makes it
clear that this sanctification must be expressed or displayed outwardly: “but like the

44
For the various gram m atical relationships and argum entation pro and con, see John Eadie,
Com m entary on the Epistle to the Ephesians (1883; reprint, M inneapolis: Jam es and Klock, 1977) 417-
20.
45
H arold W . H oehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Comm entary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002) 752.
46
Ibid., 757.
47
Ibid., 755.
48
Ibid., 756.
49
Ibid., 761.
 Sanctification: The W ork of the Holy Spirit and Scripture 191

Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is
written, ‘Y O U SH ALL BE HO LY , FO R I AM H O LY ’” (vv. 15-16; cp. Phil 2:12-13).

Conclusion

W hen invited to participate in a manner of living that belonged to pre-

salvation days, believers need to respond, “I regret that I cannot attend, because I died
recently.” They died in Christ. Their life now is His, not theirs.
W here one stands depends on where one sits. W e are seated with Christ in
the heavenlies (Eph 2:6). In the U. S. President’s State of the Union speech,
Republicans sit on one side and Democrats on the other. They sit where they stand
politically. The believer’s position consists of Christ’s holiness; therefore, he ought
to walk in that holiness and be transformed by degrees into His glorious image.
Sanctification is the work of the Triune God (especially the Holy Spirit), the W ord
of God, and the believer. Believers must manifest God’s holiness in every area of life
and must grow in that holiness from the time of salvation to the day of departure from
this world.