May 12, 2019
For many of us, the doctrine of sanctification is all about movement or progress. We tend to think of it as a process that requires us to move from spiritual infancy to adulthood. We even refer to it as growing in “Christlikeness” or “spiritual maturity.” And it’s not that those designations are wrong. It’s that they are incomplete or insufficient. Sanctification is a much deeper, richer doctrine than most of us realize and, whether we recognize it or not, it is faith-based just like salvation. We have been set apart by God as His own and while we are expected to live in that reality, God does not demand or expect us to achieve holiness on our own. In fact, He tells us to be holy, not become holy. Why? Because He already sees us as holy.