Biblical Answer

Sanctification plays a crucial role in our understanding of Christian growth and maturity. It is the process by which our moral condition is brought into conformity with our legal status before God. Sanctification is a continuation of what was begun in regeneration, when a newness of life was conferred upon and instilled within us. It is a 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.

Sanctification is a process that continues throughout our Christian lives, and it is a corporate process in the New Testament. It is something that happens as we yield our members to righteousness, just as we previously yielded to impurity and greater and greater iniquity. Sanctification affects the whole person, and it is a subjective work that affects our inner person. As believers, we are actively involved in sanctification, but it is not a partnership with the Spirit in the sense that we each do our respective parts. Rather, God is the one who works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

The goal of sanctification is to make us more and more like Christ, and it is a lifelong process. Sanctification is not a one-time event, but rather a continuous process of growth in holiness. As we walk with God and yield to his Spirit, we will experience increasing closeness of fellowship in our walk with God, greater experiences of the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and ministries, and greater maturity in our Christian walk. Sanctification is not something that we can achieve on our own, but rather it is a work of God's free grace that we experience as we surrender to him and seek to live a life that reflects his character.