Whether you are a new believer or a seasoned Christian, these Life-Changing Bible Verses about Sanctification will help you grow in your faith and become more like Christ.
The goal of every Christian should be to become more and more like Jesus with every passing day. This is the meaning of sanctification and it’s a crucial aspect of our faith.
So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Holy Bible is filled with verses to help us on our journey toward becoming more Christ-like.
Each scripture will help you gain a deeper understanding of God’s plan for your life and show you how to live in a way that honors Him.
What is Sanctification in the Bible?
The generic meaning of sanctification is “the state of proper functioning.” Or to set apart someone or something for the use intended by their designer.
In the Word of God, sanctification is the process of becoming holy and set apart for God’s purpose. It’s a life-changing process of becoming more like Christ. And it’s a lifelong commitment that involves the transformative work of the Holy Spirit.
Every Christian is called to align with God’s will and cleanse our lives from sin by purifying our hearts and minds, repentance, and believing in Jesus Christ.
As you continue to seek God and follow His Word, you’ll experience the ongoing process of sanctification in your own life.
Here are some popular Sanctification scriptures to help you get started.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:21 ESV
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 ESV
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 ESV
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3:4-6 ESV
And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:10 ESV
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
1 Peter 1:2 ESV
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14 ESV
Three Aspects of Sanctification
There are three aspects of sanctification, positional sanctification, progressive sanctification, and ultimate sanctification.
Let’s read some scriptures that will shed light on each one.
Positional Sanctification
Positional sanctification refers to the fact that believers are set apart for God’s purposes when they are saved.
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews 9:13-14 ESV
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14 ESV
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:29 ESV
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
Hebrews 13:12 ESV
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
Progressive Sanctification
Progressive sanctification refers to the ongoing process of becoming more like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 ESV
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Romans 6:6 ESV
I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
Romans 6:19 ESV
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29 ESV
Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:49 ESV
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13 ESV
Ultimate Sanctification
Ultimate sanctification refers to the future glorification of believers when they are made completely holy and blameless in Christ.
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Romans 6:22 ESV
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6 ESV
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:2-3 ESV
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:1-4 NKJV
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Grace Black and White Bible Verse Art Print
Love Black and White Art Print
Faith Black and White Art Print
Old Testament Bible Verses about Sanctification
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3 ESV
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord. And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord.”
These Bible Verses about Holiness will help you deepen your faith!
New Testament Bible Verses about Sanctification
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14 ESV
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
John 17:15-19 ESV
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:2 ESV
But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV
Discover how God’s Hand is always working in your life with this Devotional!
Why is Sanctification Important?
As a believer, it is important to understand the importance of sanctification and to strive to grow in it every day.
Once you’re saved, you no longer live for yourself. Instead, you follow God’s plan for your life wherever He leads.
Benefits of Sanctification
Sanctification has many benefits for the believer. It is through sanctification that we are able to grow in our faith and become more like Christ. Here are some of the benefits of sanctification:
- It helps us to resist sin.
- It helps us to live a holy life.
- It helps us to grow in our faith.
- It equips us to face tough times God’s way.
How Sanctification Relates to Salvation
Sanctification is closely related to salvation. Because when we put our trust in Jesus and ask Him to save us, we’re immediately transformed into the image of Christ and made holy by faith in Him.
And sanctification is the evidence of our salvation. If we’re truly saved, we’ll be growing in sanctification. Because the Holy Spirit is at work in us, transforming us from the inside out.
Explore God’s Plan for your life in these Inspiring Bible Verses!
The Process of Sanctification
Let’s explore the process of sanctification a little closer.
Sanctification and the World
The world is full of sin and darkness. But as a believer, you are called to be in the world but not of it. That means separating yourself from the ways of the world, avoiding sexual immorality, greed, and other sins that are prevalent in the world. You must renew your mind and focus on the things that are pure, lovely, and of good report, so that you can live a life that is pleasing to God.
Sanctification and the Believer
You are called to put off the old self and put on the new self. To crucify the flesh with its desires and walk in the Spirit. This involves daily surrender to God and His will for your life. And to grow in the knowledge of God and His promises so that you can live a life that is pleasing to Him.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Sanctification
The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the process of sanctification. He is the one who convicts us of sin, leads us into all truth, and empowers us to live a holy life. It’s through the power of the Holy Spirit that we’re able to overcome sin and walk in righteousness.
You must yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in you and through you. Then, He will give you wisdom, understanding, and strength to live according to God’s will. Remember that you are not alone, the Holy Spirit is with you every step of the way.
Sanctification is a work of God through the Holy Spirit that is offered to anyone who accepts the free gift of grace. It’s a lifelong process that involves God’s work in us and requires us to submit ourselves to God’s will and continually seek his guidance. As we do, we can trust that God will continue to transform us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
I pray these Bible Verses have shown you the importance of sanctification in your life and how you can have this life-changing power for yourself.
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