Being Conformed to Christ

I. Introduction: The Necessary Sequel

Justification is the act of God by which He declares us righteous. It happens once, outside of us, and is perfect and complete the moment we believe. Sanctification is the process of God by which He makes us righteous. It happens gradually, inside of us, and is never complete in this life. Justification gives us a new standing; sanctification gives us a new state. Justification changes our record; sanctification changes our character.

To confuse these two is to undermine the gospel. If we think our sanctification contributes to our justification, we fall into legalism. If we think justification makes sanctification optional, we fall into license. The New Testament holds them together: those who are declared righteous in Christ will inevitably be made righteous by the Spirit. The faith that justifies is a faith that works through love (Galatians 5:6).

The Greek word for sanctification is hagiasmos (ἁγιασμός), from the root hagios meaning "holy" or "set apart." To sanctify means "to make holy," "to consecrate," "to set apart for God's use." In the Old Testament, objects, places, and people were sanctified—set apart from common use for sacred purposes. In the New Testament, believers are sanctified—set apart by God, for God, to be like God.

II. The Call to Sanctification: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Paul makes it clear that sanctification is not an optional extra for advanced Christians; it is the will of God for every believer.

Scripture Breakdown: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (NASB 1995)

Verses 1-2: "Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus."

• Analysis: Paul acknowledges that the Thessalonians are already walking in a way that pleases God, but he urges them to "excel still more." Sanctification is not a destination but a journey. There is always room for growth. The Christian life is a continual pressing forward (Philippians 3:12-14).

Verse 3: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality."

• Analysis: Paul states the general principle and then gives a specific application.

  • The Will of God: Many people agonize over knowing God's will for their lives—who to marry, what job to take, where to live. Paul cuts through the confusion. The primary will of God for every believer is not about circumstances but about character. "This is the will of God, your sanctification." Before we know God's specific will for our decisions, we must be committed to His revealed will for our holiness.

  • Abstain from Sexual Immorality: In the Greco-Roman world, sexual immorality was rampant and accepted. The church was called to be counter-cultural. Holiness involves saying "no" to the desires of the flesh. This is the negative side of sanctification—putting to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13).

Verses 4-6: "that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you."

• Analysis: The positive side of sanctification is learning to control our bodies ("vessels") in holiness and honor. This stands in stark contrast to the "lustful passion" of those who do not know God. The knowledge of God is the foundation for holy living. Because we know Him, we live differently.

Verses 7-8: "For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

• Analysis: Our calling is not to impurity but to sanctification. To reject the call to holiness is not merely to reject human advice; it is to reject God Himself. Paul adds a powerful motivation: God has given us His Holy Spirit. The Spirit's presence in our lives is both the enablement for sanctification and the reason we must pursue it. To live in unrepentant sin is to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

III. The Foundation of Sanctification: Our Union with Christ (Romans 6:1-23)

Before Paul explains how to live the Christian life, he establishes the foundation upon which it is built: our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Sanctification is not about trying harder; it is about becoming what we already are in Christ.

Scripture Breakdown: Romans 6:1-14 (NASB 1995)

Verses 1-2: "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"

• Analysis: Paul anticipates an objection to his doctrine of justification by grace alone. If we are saved by grace, and where sin abounds grace abounds all the more (Romans 5:20), why not sin more to get more grace? Paul's answer is an emphatic "May it never be!" The objection misunderstands the nature of salvation. We are not only justified; we are united to Christ. And union with Christ makes continuing in sin unthinkable.

Verses 3-4: "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."

• Analysis: Baptism symbolizes our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. When we were united to Him by faith, His history became our history.

  • We Died with Him: Our old self, our old relationship to sin, our old identity as slaves to sin—all of that was crucified with Christ. The power of sin's dominion was broken.

  • We Were Buried with Him: This confirms the reality of the death.

  • We Were Raised with Him: We are not left in death. We are raised to "walk in newness of life." The resurrection life of Christ is now our life. Sanctification is the outworking of this new resurrection life.

Verses 5-7: "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin."

• Analysis: Paul explains the purpose and result of our union with Christ.

  • The Old Self Crucified: Our "old self" (ho palaios anthrōpos)—the person we were in Adam, dominated by sin—was crucified with Christ. This is a past event, accomplished at the cross.

  • The Body of Sin Done Away With: This does not mean our physical body is destroyed, but that its power as an instrument of sin is broken. The tyranny of sin is overthrown.

  • Freed from Sin: A slave is under the master's authority. A freed slave is no longer under that authority. In Christ, we have been freed from sin's dominion. It no longer has the right to rule us.

Verses 8-11: "Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

• Analysis: Paul gives the practical key to sanctification: "Consider yourselves." The Greek word logizomai means "to reckon," "to count," "to calculate." It is a mathematical term. We are to base our lives not on our feelings or experiences but on the objective reality of our union with Christ. We are to reckon it as true: I am dead to sin's dominion; I am alive to God in Christ Jesus. This is not pretending; it is faith acting on the facts.

Verses 12-14: "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

• Analysis: Based on the indicative (what is true of us in Christ), Paul gives the imperative (what we must do).

  • Do Not Let Sin Reign: Sin still dwells in us, but it does not have to rule us. We have the power, through the Spirit, to refuse its demands.

  • Do Not Go On Presenting: We have the ability to choose what we do with our bodies. We can present them to sin as tools for evil, or to God as tools for righteousness.

  • Present Yourselves to God: This is the positive act of consecration. We yield ourselves to God, offering our whole being to Him for His service.

  • The Ground of Victory: "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." Being "under law" means relying on our own efforts to earn God's favor, which only stirs up sin (Romans 7:5). Being "under grace" means resting in God's unmerited favor, which liberates us from sin's dominion and empowers us to live for Him.

Scripture Breakdown: Romans 6:15-23

Verses 15-18: Paul continues the argument, contrasting slavery to sin with slavery to righteousness. Having been freed from sin, believers have become slaves to righteousness. The result is sanctification.

Verses 19-23: "For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

• Analysis: Paul concludes with a powerful contrast. The old life of sin produced shame and ended in death. The new life of slavery to God produces "sanctification" and ends in "eternal life." Sanctification is both the process and the result of presenting ourselves to God.

IV. The Role of the Spirit: Romans 8:1-17

If Romans 6 focuses on our union with Christ, Romans 8 focuses on the role of the Holy Spirit in sanctification. We cannot live the Christian life in our own strength; we need the power of the indwelling Spirit.

Scripture Breakdown: Romans 8:1-17 (NASB 1995)

Verses 1-4: "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

• Analysis: Paul grounds sanctification in the finished work of Christ. Because there is "no condemnation" (justification), we are free to walk by the Spirit. The Law could not make us holy because it was "weak through the flesh"—it had no power to enable obedience. But God did what the Law could not do: He sent His Son to deal with sin, so that the Law's righteous requirement might be fulfilled "in us" as we walk by the Spirit.

Verses 5-8: "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

• Analysis: Paul describes two opposing orientations: the flesh (our fallen human nature in its own strength) and the Spirit. Where we set our minds determines the course of our lives. The fleshly mind is not neutral toward God; it is "hostile." It cannot submit to God's law and cannot please Him. This underscores our absolute dependence on the Spirit for sanctification.

Verses 9-11: "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

• Analysis: Every believer has the indwelling Spirit. This is the mark of belonging to Christ. And the Spirit who dwells in us is the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. The power that conquered the grave is the power at work in us for sanctification.

Verses 12-13: "So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

• Analysis: Sanctification involves our active participation empowered by the Spirit. "By the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body." This is the great work of mortification—putting sin to death. It is not passive; we must "put to death." But it is not in our own strength; it is "by the Spirit." The Spirit provides the power; we wield the weapon.

Verses 14-17: "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."

• Analysis: Being led by the Spirit is the evidence of sonship. The Spirit does not drive us as slaves but leads us as beloved children. Sanctification is not a grim duty but a family relationship. We cry out to God as "Abba, Father," and the Spirit assures us of our identity and inheritance.

V. The Process of Transformation: 2 Corinthians 3:18

Paul gives a beautiful summary of the nature of sanctification as a process of beholding and being transformed.

Scripture Breakdown: 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB 1995)

Verse 18: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

• Analysis: This verse is a masterful description of sanctification.

  • With Unveiled Face: In contrast to Moses, who veiled his face because the glory was fading, we have open access to behold God's glory in Christ.

  • Beholding the Glory of the Lord: The means of transformation is contemplation. As we gaze upon Christ in the Scriptures, as we meditate on His character, His work, His beauty, something happens. We do not just learn about Him; we are changed by Him.

  • Are Being Transformed: The verb is passive. We are not transforming ourselves; we are being transformed. The change is something done to us as we behold Christ.

  • Into the Same Image: The goal of transformation is Christlikeness. We are being conformed to the very image we behold.

  • From Glory to Glory: This is a progressive transformation. It is not instantaneous but gradual. We move from one degree of glory to the next, growing step by step.

  • From the Lord, the Spirit: The agent of this transformation is the Holy Spirit. He is the one who takes the truth about Christ and etches it into our character.

VI. The Struggle with the Flesh: Galatians 5:16-25

Sanctification is not a smooth, upward trajectory without conflict. It involves a daily battle between the Spirit and the flesh.

Scripture Breakdown: Galatians 5:16-25 (NASB 1995)

Verse 16: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."

• Analysis: Paul gives the key to victory: walking by the Spirit. To "walk" means to conduct one's life, to make progress step by step. When we live in dependence on the Spirit, the flesh's desires are not carried out. The Spirit provides both the desire and the power to overcome the flesh.

Verse 17: "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."

• Analysis: This is the reality of the Christian life. The flesh and the Spirit are at war. This internal conflict is the experience of every believer. We have two opposing forces within us. The presence of the conflict is not a sign that we are not saved; it is evidence that we have the Spirit. Dead men do not fight. Only living men struggle.

Verses 19-21: Paul lists the "deeds of the flesh"—a catalog of sins that includes sexual immorality, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, drunkenness, and the like. He warns that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Verses 22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

• Analysis: In contrast to the deeds of the flesh, Paul lists the "fruit of the Spirit." Notice it is "fruit" (singular), not "fruits." This is a unified cluster of Christlike character produced by the Spirit as we abide in Christ (John 15:4-5). These qualities are not things we manufacture but fruit that grows as we walk in the Spirit.

Verses 24-25: "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

• Analysis: Paul returns to the foundation. When we were united to Christ, the flesh was crucified positionally. Its ultimate power was broken. Now, because we live by the Spirit (we have been given new life), we must also walk by the Spirit (conduct our lives in dependence on Him). The indicative (we live by the Spirit) grounds the imperative (let us walk by the Spirit).

VII. The Imperative of Effort: Philippians 2:12-13

Sanctification requires our active effort, but it is effort energized and enabled by God.

Scripture Breakdown: Philippians 2:12-13 (NASB 1995)

Verse 12: "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

• Analysis: Paul commands us to "work out" our salvation. He does not say "work for" your salvation (that is justification, which is a gift). He says "work out" what God has already worked in. Sanctification is the process of living out the implications of the salvation we have received. It requires effort, discipline, and intentionality. The phrase "with fear and trembling" indicates a sober, humble, dependent attitude, not a casual or complacent one.

Verse 13: "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

• Analysis: This is the ground of our working. God is at work in us. He is the source of both the desire ("to will") and the power ("to work"). Our working is not in competition with God's working; it is the result of it. We work because He is at work. This eliminates both passivity (God does it all, so I do nothing) and pride (I am doing this in my own strength).

VIII. The Discipline of Sanctification: Hebrews 12:1-14

The author of Hebrews presents sanctification as a process that often involves divine discipline.

Scripture Breakdown: Hebrews 12:1-14 (NASB 1995)

Verses 1-2: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith."

• Analysis: The Christian life is a race. It requires laying aside anything that hinders (encumbrances) and anything that disqualifies (sin). It requires endurance. And the key to running well is fixing our eyes on Jesus—the same beholding that transforms us (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Verses 3-11: The author explains that God disciplines His children as a father disciplines his sons. This discipline is painful for the moment but yields "the peaceful fruit of righteousness" to those who are trained by it. Suffering and trials are not random; they are tools in God's hand to produce holiness.

Verses 12-14: "Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."

• Analysis: Verse 14 is a stunning statement: "the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." Sanctification is not optional. It is the necessary evidence that we have been born again. Those who are truly saved will pursue holiness. This does not mean we are saved by sanctification, but that we cannot be saved without it. It is the inevitable fruit of saving faith.

IX. The Motivation for Sanctification: 1 Peter 1:13-25

Peter grounds the call to holiness in the character of God and the work of Christ.

Scripture Breakdown: 1 Peter 1:13-25 (NASB 1995)

Verses 13-16: "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.'"

• Analysis: The ultimate motivation for holiness is the character of God. We are to be holy because He is holy. This is not about abstract rule-keeping; it is about family resemblance. As children, we are to reflect our Father. Holiness is becoming like the One we love.

Verses 17-21: Peter reminds believers of the cost of their redemption. They were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold, but "with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." The cross is the ultimate motivation for holiness. How can we who have been purchased at such a cost live in sin?

Verses 22-25: "Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, through the living and enduring word of God."

• Analysis: The new birth produces a new life. Because we have been born again through the living Word, we are to live in obedience and love. The seed of God's Word is incorruptible; it produces eternal life and lasting holiness.

X. Understanding the Doctrine: The Nature of Sanctification

Based on the Scriptures, we can define sanctification as follows:

Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.

Key Aspects of Sanctification:

1. It is Positional (Definitive Sanctification): At the moment of conversion, every believer is set apart as holy in their position before God. They are "saints" (holy ones). This is their new identity in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11). This is a completed, once-for-all act.

2. It is Progressive (Experiential Sanctification): This is the lifelong process of becoming in practice what we already are in position. We grow in grace, become more Christlike, and make progress in putting sin to death and living for righteousness. It is "from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

3. It is Perfect (Future Sanctification): At glorification, when we see Christ, we will be made perfectly and finally like Him (1 John 3:2). Then the process will be complete.

The Three Agents of Sanctification:

1. God the Father: He is the one who calls us to holiness and disciplines us as sons (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 12:5-11).

2. God the Son: He is the model of our sanctification (we are being conformed to His image) and the means (our union with Him is the foundation) (Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 1:30).

3. God the Holy Spirit: He is the immediate agent who works in us, producing fruit, empowering our efforts, and transforming us as we behold Christ (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Human Role in Sanctification:
We are not passive in sanctification. We are called to:

• Put to death (mortify) the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13)

• Present our members as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:19)

• Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)

• Work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12)

• Lay aside every encumbrance and sin (Hebrews 12:1)

• Pursue holiness (Hebrews 12:14)

All of this is done in dependence on the Spirit, who works in us both to will and to work.

XI. Practical Application: Living a Sanctified Life

The doctrine of sanctification is meant to be lived, not just studied.

1. For Personal Reflection (The "Growth" Assessment):

   • Take an honest inventory of your life. In what areas have you seen growth in Christlikeness over the past year? Where do you still see the flesh asserting itself? Do not be discouraged by the presence of struggle; be encouraged that you are fighting.

   • Identify one specific "deed of the flesh" that you need, by the Spirit, to put to death. What practical steps can you take this week to "consider yourself dead to sin" and to "present your members to God as instruments of righteousness"?

   • Identify one specific "fruit of the Spirit" you long to see more of in your life. How can you position yourself to behold Christ in a way that the Spirit might produce that fruit?

2. For Further Discussion:

   • What is the difference between justification and sanctification? Why is it important to keep them distinct?

   • How does Romans 6's teaching that we are "dead to sin" and "alive to God" change the way you approach temptation?

   • How do you experience the tension described in Galatians 5:17 between the flesh and the Spirit? How does knowing this tension is normal encourage you?

   • What role do suffering and trials play in your sanctification (Hebrews 12; Romans 5:3-5)? Can you think of a time when God used difficulty to make you more like Christ?