Editors Note: This is a new series on sanctification designed to help our readers understand what sanctification is and how to grow in Christ.
- Mike Boling wrote the first post in the sanctification series looking at spiritual warfare and the armor of God.
- Dave wrote the second post on Jesus encounter with Jesus and how Christians are to use Scripture in the midst of temptation.
- Dr. Thaddeus Williams wrote the third post about how to kill sin.
- Chris Poblete wrote the fourth post about seven ways to wage war against sin.
- Dave Jenkins wrote the fifth post in this series on battling discouragement and depression with the gospel.
- Chris Poblete wrote the sixth post about how to put off the flesh and put on the Lord Jesus.
- Dave wrote the seventh post about the role of spiritual warfare in spiritual growth.
- Chris Poblete wrote the eight post about the will of God.
- Dave wrote the ninth about the issue of assurance and perseverance in Hebrews 6:1-8.
- Dave wrote the tenth post about the solution to the difficulty in Hebrews 6:1-8.
- Chris wrote the eleventh post about the motivation for our obedience.
- Chris wrote the twelfth post in about the glorifying Christ in daily life.
- Mike wrote the thirteenth post on the need for the bride of Christ to grow to maturity in Christ.
- Chris Poblete wrote the fourteenth post about trusting God in trials.
- Dave wrote the fifteenth post about Sanctification and the Church.
- Brian Hedges wrote the sixteenth post in this series about how sin works.
- Today Dave looks at positional sanctification, indwelling sin and progressive sanctification.
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Indwelling Sin, Positional Sanctification, and Progressive Sanctification
If you were to talk to the average Christian about sanctification they would mention how they have been saved from sin but speak very little about what they have been saved to or for. I know this because over the years of working in ministry both inside and outside the local church, I know that many Christians are confused about this topic. In fact, I would say that positional (or definite) sanctification and progressive sanctification can be two of the most confusing topics to talk about with the average lay person.
Every believer is sanctified (set apart) unto God by justification and is therefore declared to be holy and is identified as a saint. This sanctification is positional and instantaneous and should not be confused with progressive sanctification. Positional sanctification has to do with the believer’s standing, not his present walk with God or spiritual condition (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 1:2). By the work of the Holy Spirit, progressive sanctification takes place in the life of the believer as they are brought closer to the likeness of Christ through obedience to the Word of God, enabling them to live a life of increasing holiness in conformity to the will of God (John 17:17, 19; Rom. 6:1-22). Every saved person is involved in a daily conflict, the battle of the new creation in Christ against the flesh, but adequate provision is made for victory through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The struggle nevertheless stays with the believer all through this earthly life and is not over until he/she reaches Heaven. All claims to the eradication of sin in this life are unscriptural. Complete eradication of sin is not possible on earth, but the Holy Spirit does provide for victory over sin (Gal. 5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24).
One of the reasons I’m tackling indwelling sin, positional and progressive sanctification in one article is because Paul deals with them in three successive chapters in Romans 6-8. In Romans 6 we learn that we have been saved from sin and to the Lord Jesus in order to be slaves of the Risen Christ. As a result of this, we are no longer to live for ourselves or in a manner we want but rather we are to live as unto the Lord (Romans 6:1-11). The believer, as I’ve pointed out at the beginning of this article, has a new identity, which is a positional standing with Christ. This means that his/her sins are removed as far as the east is to the west. They are in Christ which is why Paul can declare that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Theologians call this being united with Christ, which is a fancy way of explaining how the gospel has been applied to God’s people through the work of the Holy Spirit. The application of this work produces the new birth whereby a sinner is transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. This work of Christ also means that believers have a new standing or position as they are no longer as slaves but friends and servants of the Risen Christ.
While it’s important to note all of this, it’s also equally important to emphasize the truth of Romans 7 that the believer isn’t yet completely glorified. Some teach that the Christian is entirely glorified—namely that their sin nature has been fully removed. This teaching mocks the words of Romans 7 as well as other Scriptures that reference how believers are to put off sin and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. While any effort in the Christian life is to be motivated or energized by the Holy Spirit, the Christian is still called to work out his/her salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 1). The Apostle James says faith that doesn’t demonstrate itself in tangible ways, however small, is a faith that is dead. This means faith that is alive unto God is one that will express itself in good works because of the grace that one has received. This demonstrates that the believer is in a constant and daily battle against sin. This is what theologians call indwelling sin, which is the truth taught in Romans 7 for the purpose of progressive sanctification (becoming daily like Jesus through ongoing repentance). Put another way (and perhaps more succinctly), positional sanctification leads to progressive sanctification which culminates in glorification when the Christian is united with Jesus in Heaven.
One of the reasons that speaking about indwelling sin, positional sanctification, and progressive sanctification can be so confusing is because Christians talk about what we have been saved from, but hardly ever talk about what we have been saved to—namely the need to reflect the holiness of God in the world. While we often talk about how we are to engage culture, there is precious little talk about speaking clearly on who we are in Christ, followed by how we are to grow in Christ, and then moving to the discussion of how we are to engage a lost and dying world with the gospel. It is because of this lack of emphasis on these aforementioned issues that the Church within the United States lacks God-ordained power and is often a church that emphasizes programs over growth in holiness.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 6-8 sets the record straight; he clears away any confusion about the progression we just analyzed. Paul states that the believer has a new identity in Christ which he/she received because of the finished work of Christ noted in Romans 6. In Romans 7, Paul makes clear that the Christian will continue to wrestle with indwelling sin, something Paul notes he also struggles with. This struggle includes the believer seeing himself as he is in Christ, but also as he is due to sin, namely a wretch in need of a Savior. This reality check will compel the believer to daily desire to turn away from sin to Jesus. The truth of indwelling sin leads to progressive sanctification, daily becoming more like Jesus. When indwelling sin and progressive sanctification are divorced from each other, the result is the Christian will be overly introspective which will result in him/her feeling nothing but guilt and shame rather than hope, healing, and freedom in Christ.
Finally, as I’ve talked to Christians of varying stages of their growth in Christ, what I’ve found is that once we define the words being used, clarity typically ensues. In this article, I realize I’ve talked about some very deep truths from God’s Word. I encourage you to open your Bible and study these issues to gain further clarification. I also encourage you, dear brother or sister, to get plugged into a solid Bible-teaching church, where you can sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. There is a lot more that could be said about this topic, but in conclusion, I will say that not speaking precisely clearly, and simply are some of the reasons this issue is often so confusing in the first place. Let us open the Bible, and not just let it sit there but rather read it, then study it, meditate upon it, and obey it all to the glorious grace of our great God and King, Jesus Christ.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
