23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
Q. 35. What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is a free gift of God by which our whole person is made new in the
image of God, and we are made more and more able to become dead to sin and alive to
righteousness.
Thoughts: "Sanctus" means "holy" in Latin. Sanctification is focused on how we are made holy in this life. It is the progression of holiness in our lives. Justification and adoption are the beginning of the Christian life here, and sanctification is the growth in the Christian life. The catechism reminds us that sanctification is not something we do apart from God. Rather- growth in the Christian life is a gift from God. We do not deserve to grow, growth is the gift of God. Sanctification is a gradual thing. Just as we cannot fully control our own physical growth- and it often happens when we sleep, so we cannot fully manipulate our spiritual growth. The Sanctus Spiritus (Holy Spirit) is the One who sanctifies us- leading us, convicting us, inspiring us, encouraging us. Since sanctification is gradual, it is not a one time act. There is always room to grow, room to improve. We never fully get to where we ought to be, but we can make progress.
Prayer: Help me Lord in my Christian life. Keep me in your care, and help me to grow ever closer to you and your will for me.
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