Sanctification
Growing in holiness — becoming more like Jesus through the Holy Spirit over a lifetime.
A little more
Sanctification means growing in holiness — becoming more like Jesus in character, love and obedience, through the Holy Spirit. For most Christians it is a lifelong process. Traditions describe its relationship to justification in slightly different ways, but share the hope of real change.
Christians agree it’s neither automatic nor entirely down to willpower alone; it involves real personal effort alongside God’s ongoing work. Traditions differ somewhat on how much change to expect in this life, but agree the direction of travel matters more than achieving perfection now.
Read it for yourself
- Philippians 1:6Paul’s confidence that God who began a good work will carry it on to completion.