Sinless perfection?

The Bible makes it clear we shall be like Christ only "when he appears" (1 John 3:2). Believers who have already gone to heaven have been "made perfect" (Heb. 12:23). In fact, any idea we can attain such a state here in this life amounts to self-deception (1 John 1:8). Yet some Christian groups and movements throughout church history have claimed that Christians may indeed attain a state of perfection in this life. But such claims invariably involve one or more of the following modifications:

  • a lowering of the standard of perfection
  • self-deception
  • misunderstanding the doctrine of sanctification

As to the first modification, God's standard is absolute perfection with no modifications at all, including the thoughts and intents of the heart (see James 2:10). For a person to attain perfection, they would have to model the state of perfection they one day will experience in the heavenly state. No one has or could come close to this in the present life. The second modification refers to a believer's analysis of his/her true state of holiness. Claiming perfection in this life invariably involves a loss of objectivity in seeing ourselves as we really are and comparing our lives with the standard of Scripture. The final modification fails to reckon with those passages that describe ongoing sin, struggle and even failure among eminent saints (see Gal. 5:16-17; Rom. 7:15-25; 1 John 1:7-10; and anecdotal evidences from the great saints of the Bible and church history).

Sanctification: Progressive Holiness and the Battle between Flesh and Spirit

definitive and progressive sanctification

Many Christians face severe struggles with the whole matter of trying to live for Christ. Some have been taught faulty schemes of sanctification that have led to frustration and deep discouragement. But the Bible provides rich encouragement and the path to holiness marked by God's powerful Spirit and His close guidance throughout our lives. In this article, we will look at (1) Definitive Sanctification and explain what that means, (2) Progressive Sanctification, and (3) the Means of Sanctification. Some Christians speak of a "positional sanctification," where God sees us as perfect. But in a way that's confusing sanctification with justification. When God sanctifies us, something actually happens to us; something quite real. Throughout life, God forms Christ within us (Gal. 4:19), making us increasingly Christ like, developing within us the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

Definitive Sanctification

While true Christians are not perfect in this life, God has made them holy (not simply "positional holiness," whatever that might mean). By holy we mean they have actually been sanctified and made holy, though not perfectly. Note the following verses:

"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" (1 Cor. 1:2).

"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 Cor. 6:11).

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).

So believers have actually "died to sin" (Rom. 6:2) and had their old man (the life we lived before our conversion) "crucified with him" (Rom. 6:2; 1 Pet. 2:24). And so by definitive sanctification we mean every true believer experiences a radical break with sin upon conversion to Christ. No longer can the child of God walk as they previously walked because they have actually and truly experienced a breach with sin. The reign of sin has ended in the Christian's life, and it occurred at their conversion.

Given the lives of many professing Christians today, this might not ring true with reality, but really we need to turn that around. Do the lives of professing Christians square with how the Bible describes the Christian life? The Bible describes Christians as "holy ones" (Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2), or those who have taken on a family resemblance to God their heavenly Father. As John Murray says:

There is a once-for-all definitive and irreversible breach with the realm in which sin reigns in and unto death. . .This means that there is a decisive and definitive breach with the power and service of sin in the case of everyone (emphasis ours) who has come under the control of the provisions of grace" ("Definitive Sanctification" in Collected Writings).

In summary, each Christian has experienced a radical break with sin, and this occurred at their conversion to Christ. They are not perfect and still struggle with sin. But they do not struggle alone. They have a controlling new nature that inclines their wills toward holiness and troubles them when they sin.

Progressive Sanctification

While regeneration occurs in a moment, sanctification takes place throughout this life and reflects God's ongoing activity in the life of the believer. While our lives do not always reflect this progress in a smooth line (we face setbacks along the way), true believers do make progress throughout their walk on this earth. Progressive sanctification consists of the following components:

  • growth in holiness
  • a struggle between the flesh and spirit
  • varying degrees of growth depending on a number of factors
  • greater victory over sin as God provides His grace and as we embrace the means of grace (see below)

We must not forget that God controls our sanctification (1 Thess. 5:23) and does not limit Himself to our timetables. In fact, God takes a lifetime to grow, mature, and fashion us to the image of His glorious Son.

The Means of Sanctification

Some Christians suppose they simply "yield" to the Holy Spirit quite passively, or simply "rest in Jesus," and envision a journey toward holiness that requires little or no efforts on their part. That does not at all reflect a biblical approach to holiness and will lead to disastrous results. The primary means God uses to make us holy include the Word of God and prayer, but also involve trials, confession of sin, fellowship and input from the body of Christ, and other means that God introduces into the life of the child of God.

Each Christian must embrace the means of grace with vigor and faithfulness. To the degree they do they may expect grace and blessing from God on their efforts. Christians who skip church, neglect Bible reading and prayer, and generally fail to use God's appointed means of growth, will not grow at an acceptable pace. Should this continue, they will face God's chastisement in their life. That could lead to many painful but helpful reflections that spur us on to new seasons of growth. God does all this by His wisdom and power working in our lives. But we must not become indifferent to His appointed means of grace.