Holiness and Sanctification


Introduction

Holiness is the believer’s calling and sanctification is the lifelong work of God’s Spirit in us. Richard Baxter defined holiness as the conformity of our hearts and lives to the will of God, and sanctification as the process of being renewed into the image of Christ. He reminded his hearers that justification and sanctification are inseparable: to be pardoned is to be called to live a holy life. Baxter was urgent here — without holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). He spoke often against a shallow Christianity that professes Christ without pursuing obedience. Yet he also warned against legalism, teaching that true holiness springs from the Spirit and from union with Christ, not from human strength.


Scripture Focus

“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16, KJV)
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3, KJV)
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, KJV)


List of Relevant Scriptures

  • Leviticus 20:7–8 – Consecrate yourselves and be holy.
  • Psalm 119:9 – A young man cleanses his way by taking heed to God’s Word.
  • John 17:17 – “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
  • Romans 6:19–22 – From slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness.
  • Galatians 5:22–23 – The fruit of the Spirit.
  • Ephesians 4:22–24 – Put off the old man, put on the new.
  • Philippians 2:12–13 – Work out salvation, for God works in you.
  • Hebrews 12:10–11 – Discipline yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.


Overview of the Biblical Teaching on This Issue

Holiness is God’s own character reflected in His people. From the Old Testament call to be a holy nation, to the New Testament command to walk as children of light, Scripture presents holiness as essential, not optional. Sanctification is both definitive and progressive: believers are set apart in Christ once for all, and yet are also being daily renewed by the Spirit. It involves putting off sin, putting on righteousness, and growing in the likeness of Christ. The Word of God is the chief instrument of sanctification, while trials and discipline are often God’s means to refine His children. Holiness is not perfection in this life, but the sincere pursuit of pleasing God in all things.


Pastoral Guidance

Baxter’s Counsel:

  • Pursue holiness earnestly: “Holiness is the image of God upon the soul; see therefore that you value it above all prosperity.” Baxter presses Christians not to rest content with a bare profession but to labour after true likeness to Christ.
  • Depend on the Spirit: He warns against self-reliance: “It is not by the strength of your resolutions alone, but by the Spirit, that you must be made holy.” We must daily pray for the Spirit’s sanctifying work.
  • Use the appointed means: Baxter stresses regular Scripture reading, prayer, meditation, the sacraments, and fellowship as the ordinary channels through which God sanctifies His people.
  • Guard against secret sins: “One unmortified sin will hinder the growth of all the rest of your graces.” Holiness requires diligence in rooting out sins of thought, desire, and affection.
  • Embrace trials as refining fires: Afflictions, though bitter, are tools in God’s hand to purify His people. Baxter points believers to patience under suffering as part of sanctification.
  • Remember the goal: The end of sanctification is communion with God, joy in Christ, and preparation for heaven. Baxter urges believers to keep their eyes on eternity, where holiness will be perfected in glory.


Further Reading

  • Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory, Part I, ch. iii (“Christian Ethics: Directions for a Holy Life”).
  • Richard Baxter, The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (on holiness as preparation for heaven).
  • John Owen, The Mortification of Sin.
  • Thomas Watson, The Godly Man’s Picture.
  • John Flavel, Keeping the Heart.
  • Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise on Religious Affections.