What is sanctification?
Baptism of Christ. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Since sanctification is not optional, we examine it closely, noting three of its facets. We begin with positional holiness. In other words, to get holiness, we start with holiness: We must be declared to be holy at the outset of our Christian lives. This declaration by God is called positional holiness. It is another way of expressing the great doctrine of justification, or is at least simultaneous with it. Through the crowning work of the atonement, Christ has made it possible for a holy God to see us—not as we are in and of ourselves, but wrapped about with the robes of Christ’s righteousness (Phil. 3:9). This aspect of our sanctification occurs by faith in Christ instantaneously, at the moment of our conversion. In a very real sense, then, we are sanctified at the moment we are saved. For this reason Paul could address the Christians of the various churches to whom he wrote, some