The word sanctify means to “set apart as holy” for righteous purposes. Much like expensive china is reserved for special occasions and not bologna sandwiches at midnight, God has set believers apart as belonging to Him, to be made holy and glorify Jesus.
Sanctification is a process that begins at salvation and continues until believers are taken up to heaven. Although believers are positionally sanctified or righteous before God, they are still being made holy and righteous on practical levels. A helpful analogy of the sanctification process is a weight loss journey. When individuals become born-again, they are “obese with sin.” Over time, as the Holy Spirit conforms them to Jesus’ image and likeness, many lose “20-40 pounds” of sin. Some believers shed between “40-50 pounds” of sin, while others drop a staggering “100 pounds!” However, some precious believers still struggle to lose their first five pounds for various reasons. Regardless, every believer is a work in progress heading toward the same Christlike goal. The indwelling Holy Spirit works to conform them to the image and likeness of Jesus as they submit themselves to God in obedience. This process can also be described as growing in the Lord or maturing spiritually.
The process of “being made holy” is the essence of sanctification. Therefore, sanctification can describe the state of believers before God and the process by which He continually conforms them to His image.
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
