Sanctification
Becoming what you already are — the lifelong work of being shaped into the likeness of Christ
Sanctification is the ongoing process by which a believer is made holy and conformed to Christ. Paul urges the Thessalonians toward holiness (1 Thessalonians 4) and in Romans 6 ties it to dying and rising with Christ. Traditions differ on how it relates to justification and on whether perfection can be reached in this life: some, such as the Wesleyan tradition, teach a form of Christian perfection, while others deny it is attainable here.
How it traveled
- RomansCorinth · 67explains
- HebrewsRome · 67explains
- EphesiansRome · 67explains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on First CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the RomansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and ThessaloniansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the HebrewsConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and EphesiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Timothy, Titus, and PhilemonConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- A Commentary on the Acts of the ApostlesConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on Second CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. JohnConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Spirit and the LetterHippo Regius · 430explains
- City of GodHippo Regius · 430explains
- Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New TestamentHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in RighteousnessHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of InfantsHippo Regius · 430explains
- Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. JohnHippo Regius · 430explains
- The ConfessionsHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise Against Two Letters of the PelagiansHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on Nature and GraceHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the GreatRome · 604explains
- Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59)Paris · 1274explains
- Internal ConsolationZwolle · 1471explains
- Commentary on GalatiansWittenberg · 1546explains
- Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from ItGeneva · 1564explains
- Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the GospelGeneva · 1564explains
- A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three PartsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New EnglandNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvationNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Inquiry Concerning Qualification for CommunionNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Five Sermons. On Different OccasionsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Misrepresentations Corrected and Truth Vindicated, in Reply to the Rev. Solomon WilliamsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- The great christian doctrine of original sin defendedNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Fifteen Sermons. On Various SubjectsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
The Cost of Discipleship · Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Journal of a Soul · Pope St. John XXIII
Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
Reply to Objection 3: Although the Church of Rome does not celebrate the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, yet it tolerates the custom of certain churches that do keep that feast, wherefore this is no
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Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
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For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,
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May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
Affections that arc truly spiritual and gracious, arise from those influences and operations on the heart, which are spiritual, supernatural, and divine. I will explain what I mean by these terms, wh
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
“He that pretends to godliness, and turns aside to crooked ways, is an hypocrite: for those that are really godly, do live in a way of obedience; Psal. cxix. 1, 2, 3. “Blessed are the undefiled in the
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
And this point may be further illustrated and confirmed, if it be considered, that the Holy Scriptures abundantly place sincerity and soundness in religion, in making a full choice of God as our only
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
“What is the end of every grace, but to mollify the heart, and make it pliable to some command or other? Look, how many commandments, so many graces there are in virtue and efficacy, although not so m
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A Treatise on Nature and Grace · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 29 [XXVI.]—A Simile to Show that God’s Grace is Necessary for Doing Any Good Work Whatever. God Never Forsakes the Justified Man If He Be Not Himself Forsaken. See the treatise De Peccatorum
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
12. The third use of the Law (being also the principal use, and more closely connected with its proper end) has respect to believers in whose hearts the Spirit of God already flourishes and reigns. Fo
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
3. The better to arouse us, it exhibits God the Father, who, as he hath reconciled us to himself in his Anointed, has impressed his image upon us, to which he would have us to be conformed (Rom. 5:4).
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Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,
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For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
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For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
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I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servan
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But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
4th. The heart that is pure will be continually endeavouring to cleanse itself from all remaining filthiness. Though there be remains of impurity, yet the new nature is so contrary to it that it will
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Seventeen Occasional Sermons · Jonathan Edwards
2. Let the consideration of this subject put us all upon inquiring, whether we ourselves are pure in heart. Is our religion of that kind which has its seat chiefly in the heart, or doth it chiefly con
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Modern teachers who discuss this idea
Modern and living teachers whose books take up Sanctification. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.
- Dietrich BonhoefferThe Cost of Discipleship(1937)View on Amazon→
- Pope St. John XXIIIJournal of a Soul(1965)View on Amazon→