The Believer's Three Sanctifications

1st Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

There are preachers and believers who don't understand (or recognize) the three different kinds of sanctification for the born-again child of God. But thankfully, according to our final authority in the inspired authorized 1611 King James Bible, they are as follows:

1. Positional Instantaneous Sanctification (This happened the moment we believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 1st Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” This known also as the: "Salvation of our soul" from the penalty of sin in Hell to Heaven
2. Progressive, Experiential Sanctification (This happens daily in a saint's life. This sanctification includes "spirituality and edification or growth." This is also known as the: “Salvation of the our testimony” by which we are being sanctify, or being delivered, from the power of sin. The Holy Spirit fills us with His power as believers. Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
3. Final, Ultimate Sanctification will take place at the Rapture - Romans 8:9-11, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
   
   1st Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
   
   Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
   
   Philippians 3:21, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
   
   Jude 1:24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,"
   
   This known also as the: “Salvation of our body” from the presence of sin to presence of God. 

Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965) wrote these helpful words:

"There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness." —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, “Hebrews”; Zondervan Publishing House; 1959 (p. 117)

Amen and amen! Pastor DeHaan is absolutely correct! We must always keep discipleship separate from justification. I am going to Heaven when I die, and I 100% know it, because my redemption is not dependent upon my faithfulness or performance; but rather, it is 100% dependent upon God's faithfulness to keep His promise “TO SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE” (1st Corinthians 1:21b). Titus 1:2 says that God keeps His promises, because God cannot lie. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

With the three different kinds of sanctification in mind that I have taught you in this blog, the following brilliant quote by Pilgrim's Progress author, John Bunyan, makes perfect sense:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

The sanctification of which Pastor John Bunyan is speaking is the Progressive, Experiential Sanctification (a believer's growth in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ). Bunyan is NOT speaking about the Positional Instantaneous Sanctification which every saint receives at the time of the new birth.

That is, our POSITION in Christ is forever settled at the time of the new birth, which is solely through faith alone in Christ. Salvation is NOT a process. The LAW demands perfect righteousness from man to get to Heaven; but GRACE imparts God's righteousness to man through faith in Jesus Christ. Please never mix discipleship with salvation, lest you corrupt the Gospel. Our sonship as God's redeemed children is one thing (John 1:13-14); Our service for Christ is another thing entirely (Romans 12:1-2).

Our CONDITION in Christ as saints is an ongoing process, by which the Holy Spirit conforms us into the very image of Jesus. Romans 8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Carefully notice that God the Father doesn't predestinate anybody to salvation; but rather, we are being conformed into the image of His only begotten Son, Jesus. What an awesome God and Savior! Jesus is precious!!!