Sanctification

We teach that every believer is “set apart” (sanctified) unto God by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer therefore is declared to be holy and identified as a saint. This is not a progressive sanctification. This sanctification has to do with the believer’s positional standing in the eyes of God: he is “in Christ” (Acts 20:32; I Cor. 1:2; 6:11; II Thess. 2:13; Heb. 2:11; 3:1; 10:10, 14; 13:12; I Peter 1:2).

We teach that there is, by the work of the Holy Spirit, also an experiential sanctification by which the ongoing earthly state of the believer progressively is brought closer to the positional standing the believer enjoys through justification. Through obedience to the Word of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit the believer is able to live a life of increasing holiness in conformity to the will of God, becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:17, 19; Acts 20:32; Romans 6:1-22; II Cor. 3:18; Eph. 5:26; I Thess. 4:3-4; 5:23).

In this respect we teach that every saved person is involved in a conflict (Romans 7:22-23; Eph. 6:10-12).  The new creation in Christ is set against the flesh. Nevertheless, adequate provision is made for victory through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (I Cor. 10:13; 15:56-57). This struggle stays with the believer all through his earthly life and is never completely ended. All claims to the eradication of sin in this life are unscriptural. Eradication of sin is not possible, but the Holy Spirit does provide victory over sin (Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9-10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9).