Sancta-wha?

Sanctification

Growing up in a Holiness denomination one might think that I grew up hearing the term sanctification, and that I could define and explain it by the age of ten. However, this was not the case for me. I had not, knowingly, heard the term until I was a senior in high school and I did not have a grasp on what the word truly meant until I was a senior in college.

The top two definitions of sanctification are “to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.” And “to purify, or free from sin” (dictionary.com). There are some who have come to believe that sanctification is a onetime event and once one has been entirely sanctified they have then “made it” this is false. In Doctor Diane Leclerc’s book Discovering Christian Holiness: the heart of Wesleyan-Holiness theology she states: “Holiness should never be limited to one instantaneous event. Also holiness is a way of being” (178). This is to say that holiness is a life style. To constantly choose God.

In our Christian termology we often throw the words “reborn” and “sanctification” around and do not always explain them in a way that some who have not grown up in the church, and for some who have, understand.

The “first step” in becoming a Christian is often called being “reborn” or initial sanctification. This is a point in ones life where we believe that there is a God, and that Jesus is God. We accept Christ into our life and begin to learn more about God and grow in our faith. Walking in relationship with God is a journey. As we grow there will be a time where we find ourselves making an even deeper commitment to God. We not only acknowledge Christ as Lord, but we go all in. There is no turning back, where God calls us we choose to go.  The moment we make this deeper commitment is called entire sanctification. We still have the ability to sin, God will never take away our freewill; therefore, the ability to sin will always be there. This is why it is just as important to emphasize grace after entire sanctification as it is before (Leclerc 179). God’s grace is still sufficient. One does not go back to square one if they sin after they are entirely sanctified. We continue to journey with Christ and grow in our relationship and as we develop a deeper relationship it does become possible to sin less often. What once seemed like an impossible temptation may not seem so impossible to say no to because you have experienced how it hinders your relationship with God and choose that closeness to whatever that temptation may have been, at the same time there may be something new that seems just as impossible to say no to.

After entire sanctification the term progressive sanctification is used to describe the journey from entire sanctification to final sanctification, or glorification, which happens only when we die. Progressive sanctification is simply the process in being made more holy. We ourselves cannot do this, but only God can. As we walk with Christ, live into our covenant with God, say no to sin and live into the life God has created us to live we are made holy. As stated before, God does not take away our ability to choose, we constantly have the choice to live holy lives and to submit to God, or to not.

Through Christ it is possible to live a holy life. It is not difficult to be entirely sanctified, all one has to do is pray. My own prayer was not eloquent, but was simply “God, you’re it. I am all in where you want me to go I will go, where you want me to stay I will stay. There is no going back. I simply ask that you continue to fill me with your Spirit so that I will have the strength and wisdom to continue to choose you.” It is that simple, then live into the prayer you just prayed. I encourage you to continue to choose Christ, to live into the holiness that is offered to us. God has given us life, Christ has provided a way for us to not only survive but to thrive and to live an amazing epic life that can only come when we choose to live a life of holiness that is only possible with God.