Discipleship is one of the core tenets of the Christian life. At its simplest, it means to follow Jesus and to become more like Him. This process is essential for every believer. A true disciple of Jesus will necessarily engage in a lifelong journey of discipleship. Our church is committed to walking alongside every member, supporting each one in their pursuit of this calling. It is my privilege to begin our new series on discipleship with a sermon titled The Holy Church.
In this article we will examine the doctrine of sanctification. Perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the term—that's okay for now. Maybe you have a general idea of what it means, and our study will help fill in some gaps. Even if you already understand sanctification well, this will serve as a meaningful reminder. Often, we don’t consider the "why" behind a process—the purpose it serves—and we can become lost in the details of the process itself. Discipleship is necessary and good for the Christian life, and sanctification is the driving force behind it.
You might be tempted to think of sanctification as a lofty theological concept best left to scholars and pastors. But that can’t be the case for us, and in truth, it shouldn’t be the case for any believer. The reason is simple: God uses this word. Scripture is filled with references to sanctification, and if we fail to understand what it means, we risk misunderstanding God's Word. That misunderstanding can lead to a dangerous disconnect between knowledge and obedience—because if we don’t know what God wants, we likely won’t do what He desires.
Understanding sanctification is essential because it defines who we are—the church.
So what is the church? Is it a building? An institution? No, the church is a people. If you believe—if God has saved you from your sins and eternal punishment, and if He has clothed you in the righteousness of Christ—then you are part of the church, the universal body of all believers. We are gathered here today in a local church, and everyone here who believes is also part of the universal church. Last week, we joined with another local church for a combined service. In that moment, two local churches met together, and every believer in the room was part of the same universal church. The word "church," whether local or universal, always describes a people. Yet we often forget this. We sometimes treat the church as if it were a place or a structure, but it is not tethered to any location or symbolized by any building. One day, God will gather His entire church—His people—into His kingdom, and I guarantee that Saint Peter’s Basilica will not be there.
The word "church" comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which literally means “called-out ones.” God calls His people out—out of the world, out of sin, and out of darkness. But what does He call us to? We’ll get to that shortly.
Some people think that once someone is saved, there is little more to do in relation to God. They imagine that salvation is the end of the journey rather than the beginning. According to this view, once someone has attained salvation, they may feel free to live apart from God—or even worse than before. Some evangelists promote this mindset by going from place to place proclaiming, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” which is a beautiful and true message. But as soon as someone professes belief, the evangelist moves on, leaving the new believer without any guidance. What’s missing is a clear explanation of what it really means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Because true belief always produces action. If you genuinely believe something, you will live accordingly. The Christian life involves far more than salvation alone.
To think otherwise is to misunderstand the very nature of God.
So lets go back to the beginning today and start building our argument for who God is and what Sanctification entails.
If you had to describe God in just one word, what would you choose? Many good answers might come to mind—like "love" or "glorious." But if you asked someone from the Old Testament, they might choose the word "holy." To be holy means to be sacred, pure, and separate from anything sinful or impure. In Isaiah chapter 6, the prophet Isaiah has a vision of heaven, where angels are calling out, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" In Hebrew, repeating a word three times shows something is the highest or most important. So when the Bible says God is “holy, holy, holy,” it means He is perfectly and supremely holy—completely unlike anything else.
The angels also say that the whole earth is full of God’s glory. This means all of creation was made to show how amazing and holy God is. From the very beginning, that was God’s plan. In Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth, and everything was good. It was so good that Job 38 describes angels shouting for joy as God made the world. Then God created people in His image. Adam and Eve were meant to represent God on earth by ruling over creation the way God rules—righteously and wisely. They were supposed to live holy lives by obeying God, trusting Him, and walking closely with Him. God gave them jobs to do, and they did them. He gave them many good things to enjoy, and they received them with thankfulness. He also gave them commands to follow, and they obeyed. God even walked with them like a loving Father. From the start, it was clear that people were meant to live holy lives, just like God.
But things didn’t stay that way. Adam and Eve disobeyed God because they wanted to be like Him in the wrong way. Their sin brought serious consequences—spiritual, physical, and eternal death. Their close relationship with God was broken. They didn’t just lose their place with God; they lost the desire and ability to represent Him at all.
But God had a plan to fix what was broken. He promised to send a Savior—Jesus. And Jesus didn’t just solve the problem of sin and punishment. He also came to restore people so they could once again reflect God’s holiness, just as they were meant to from the beginning. Being saved doesn’t only mean being forgiven; it also means being changed. Some might ask, “If we believe in Jesus and are covered by His blood, doesn’t that make us right with God forever?” Yes, it does. Jesus’ death and resurrection fully paid for the sins of His people. But salvation isn’t the end of the story. God wants His people to grow in holiness because He is holy. This is a major theme throughout the Bible. God’s people aren’t just saved to be safe—they’re saved to be like Him. Holiness is one of God’s top priorities for those who follow Him.
We’ll see how this theme is developed in the Old Testament and carried into the New Testament in the next article. For now, it’s enough to ask you to stop and pray and ask God to grant you increasing understanding regarding His nature, and the active obedience required by genuine faith. This obedience will inevitably lead to increasing personal holiness in your life as a priority of Godward living.