The Lifelong Journey of Becoming Like Christ

Progressive Sanctification: The Lifelong Journey of Becoming Like Christ

Text: Philippians 2:12–13
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

1. Understanding Sanctification
The word sanctification comes from the Greek hagiasmos, meaning “to make holy” or “to set apart.” In salvation, there are three aspects of sanctification:

• Positional Sanctification: The moment we are born again, we are set apart for God. We are justified—declared righteous—through faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11).
• Progressive Sanctification: The ongoing process by which the Holy Spirit transforms believers into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• Ultimate Sanctification (Glorification): When Christ returns and believers are made perfect in holiness (1 John 3:2).

This blog focuses on progressive sanctification—the believer’s daily transformation into Christlikeness.

2. The Dual Role in Sanctification — God’s Power and Our Responsibility
Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12–13 reveal a divine partnership.
We are commanded to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling,” not to earn it, but to live out the reality of what God has already worked within us.

• Our Responsibility: “Work out” means to bring to completion or fullness. It’s an active command—discipline, obedience, and intentional pursuit of godliness.
  Hebrews 12:14 reminds us, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”
• God’s Role: The beautiful truth is that God Himself empowers this process. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” The Spirit gives us both the desire and the ability to grow.

This truth protects us from both legalism (trying to earn holiness) and laziness (doing nothing and calling it grace).

3. The Purpose of Progressive Sanctification
God’s purpose for every believer is crystal clear: to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”
Sanctification is not merely behavioral change—it’s the inner transformation of the heart. God doesn’t just want better behavior; He wants a renewed mind, a changed heart, and a new nature that reflects Christ.

4. How Progressive Sanctification Happens
God has provided means through which the Holy Spirit continually refines us:

1. The Word of God – “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
   The Bible renews the mind and exposes sin while teaching righteousness. Every time we read it with a humble heart, the Spirit chisels us a little more into Christ’s likeness.
2. Prayer – A lifestyle of prayer keeps our hearts tender and dependent. Prayer aligns our will with God’s and keeps our conscience sensitive to His correction (Philippians 4:6–7).
3. Obedience – Sanctification cannot progress without obedience. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
4. Christian Fellowship – God never designed sanctification to happen in isolation. Hebrews 10:24–25 calls us to encourage one another toward love and good works.
5. Trials and Discipline – God uses hardships to refine us. Hebrews 12:10–11 says discipline “yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

5. The Direction, Not Perfection, of Sanctification
It’s essential to understand that sanctification is not instant perfection, but constant direction.
Believers will stumble, struggle, and fail—but the true believer cannot remain comfortable in sin. The Spirit convicts, corrects, and restores. The Christian life is a progression from immaturity to maturity, from self to Christ, from sin to holiness.
Proverbs 4:18 beautifully illustrates this:
“The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”
Each step may seem small, but it’s always forward, always upward, always toward Christ.

6. Progressive Sanctification as Evidence of Genuine Salvation
The presence of ongoing transformation is the greatest assurance that salvation is real.
If the Holy Spirit has taken residence within us, He will not leave us unchanged.
Paul wrote in Romans 8:9,
“If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
And again in 2 Corinthians 5:17,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
A person truly born of the Spirit will demonstrate growth, not perfection—but direction.

• They will hunger for God’s Word (1 Peter 2:2).
• They will grieve over sin (Psalm 51:17).
• They will increasingly display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).
• They will persevere through trials (James 1:2–4).

Sanctification is the Spirit’s ongoing testimony that we belong to Christ. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6:
“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
If there is no change—no hunger for holiness, no conviction of sin, no fruit—it’s not that sanctification has stalled; it’s that regeneration likely never occurred (1 John 2:3–6).

7. Practical Application: Living Out Progressive Sanctification

1. Examine Your Growth:
   Ask yourself regularly, “Am I growing in grace? Do I love Jesus more today than last year?”
2. Submit Daily to the Spirit:
   Yield your heart each morning. Say, “Lord, shape me today to look more like You.”
3. Feed on the Word:
   Replace worldly noise with divine truth. What you feed will grow—feed the Spirit, not the flesh (Galatians 6:8).
4. Walk in Humility:
   Sanctification requires dependence. Pride halts progress; humility invites grace (James 4:6).
5. Keep Eternity in View:
   Remember that sanctification is preparing you for glory. Each trial, each pruning moment, is shaping you for heaven.

Conclusion
Progressive sanctification is the heartbeat of the Christian life—a beautiful, sometimes painful process in which the Spirit of God molds us into the likeness of Jesus. It’s a lifelong pursuit that demands effort but depends on grace.
We may stumble along the way, but true believers never turn back. The Spirit within us ensures that though we fall, we rise again—always moving forward, always growing, always shining brighter for the glory of God.