What is salvation and santification all about?

[Christgirl67]

Hello all.I am a fairly new Christian.I have a few questions,I would really like some answers fron people who have been saved for a while.What does it mean to be saved and sanctified?Is santification a learning process?I am saved,but I have some questions because I am still a newbie.Any advice is welcome.Let me mention I am Pentecostal if that helps.

 

[HTacianas]

Hello all.I am a fairly new Christian.I have a few questions,I would really like some answers fron people who have been saved for a while.What does it mean to be saved and sanctified?Is santification a learning process?I am saved,but I have some questions because I am still a newbie.Any advice is welcome.

You're going to get conflicting answers to your question.

According to the oldest, original Apostolic Churches, what you describe as being "saved" means that you have entered into salvation by accepting the sacrifice of Christ for forgiveness of your previous sins. Sanctification, if I understand your question, is the process of becoming holy. Both salvation and sanctification are lifelong works. Sanctification can be described I suppose as a learning process.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Hello all.I am a fairly new Christian.I have a few questions,I would really like some answers fron people who have been saved for a while.What does it mean to be saved and sanctified?Is santification a learning process?I am saved,but I have some questions because I am still a newbie.Any advice is welcome.

Salvation happens when you are genuinely converted to Christ. This is more than just "getting religion". Receiving Christ is just the starting point. Jesus needs to receive you, and to get to that point, you need to pray and seek God that the Holy Spirit will transform you so that you will love God and hate sin, especially in your own life.

Sanctification is the developmental process in which your mind is transformed to think like Christ in every situation you find yourself in.

Conversion leading to salvation is a transformation of the heart. Sanctification is the transformation of the mind. You need to seek God with all your heart for the former, and trust the Holy Spirit to work in you to achieve the latter.

 

[Christgirl67]

You're going to get conflicting answers to your question.

According to the oldest, original Apostolic Churches, what you describe as being "saved" means that you have entered into salvation by accepting the sacrifice of Christ for forgiveness of your previous sins. Sanctification, if I understand your question, is the process of becoming holy. Both salvation and sanctification are lifelong works. Sanctification can be described I suppose as a learning process.

Thank you for your reply.

 

[Christgirl67]

Salvation happens when you are genuinely converted to Christ. This is more than just "getting religion". Receiving Christ is just the starting point. Jesus needs to receive you, and to get to that point, you need to pray and seek God that the Holy Spirit will transform you so that you will love God and hate sin, especially in your own life.

Sanctification is the developmental process in which your mind is transformed to think like Christ in every situation you find yourself in.

Conversion leading to salvation is a transformation of the heart. Sanctification is the transformation of the mind. You need to seek God with all your heart for the former, and trust the Holy Spirit to work in you to achieve the latter.

Thanks for the reply

 

[~Anastasia~]

As stated, you're going to get slightly different answers depending on folks' point of view.

When people speak of "getting saved" they usually mean what we would call "conversion" ... beginning to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and that He died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day, making a way for death to be defeated and man to be reconciled to God. Conversion is the first (and very necessary) step.

"Sanctification" is not a very precise term. To be sanctified is to be set apart for a holy purpose. We are actually set apart by our conversion. Most people when they use the term mean to be made (more) holy, particularly in the way they live.

We tend to call that "purification" - which is a stage and a process. It happens by degrees, and can only be accomplished with the help of the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, which we must cooperate with that grace in order to be purified. This happens in many different ways. Our experience of it is to sin less - not only overt sins which should (ideally) quickly disappear, but also we should no longer sin with the tongue, and our thoughts become more like Christ and our attitudes and desires are slowly healed as well. Like I said, it happens by degrees, and tends to take a long time. As a new Christian, we are often not even aware that some of our actions, words, or thoughts are sinful, but the more like Christ we become, the more sensitive we are to finer degrees of sin. If we cooperate with God, we continue to be transformed to slowly restore both the image and likeness to Christ which God intended for mankind.

All of this is part of salvation. (But I'm not saying a person must be perfected before they die in order to "be saved".)

 

[longwait]

Salvation & Sanctification - Perfecting of the Saints

 

[Christgirl67]

As stated, you're going to get slightly different answers depending on folks' point of view.

When people speak of "getting saved" they usually mean what we would call "conversion" ... beginning to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and that He died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day, making a way for death to be defeated and man to be reconciled to God. Conversion is the first (and very necessary) step.

"Sanctification" is not a very precise term. To be sanctified is to be set apart for a holy purpose. We are actually set apart by our conversion. Most people when they use the term mean to be made (more) holy, particularly in the way they live.

We tend to call that "purification" - which is a stage and a process. It happens by degrees, and can only be accomplished with the help of the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, which we must cooperate with that grace in order to be purified. This happens in many different ways. Our experience of it is to sin less - not only overt sins which should (ideally) quickly disappear, but also we should no longer sin with the tongue, and our thoughts become more like Christ and our attitudes and desires are slowly healed as well. Like I said, it happens by degrees, and tends to take a long time. As a new Christian, we are often not even aware that some of our actions, words, or thoughts are sinful, but the more like Christ we become, the more sensitive we are to finer degrees of sin. If we cooperate with God, we continue to be transformed to slowly restore both the image and likeness to Christ which God intended for mankind.

All of this is part of salvation. (But I'm not saying a person must be perfected before they die in order to "be saved".)

Thank you,this clarified a lot

 

[Christgirl67]

Salvation & Sanctification - Perfecting of the Saints

Thank you

 

[eleos1954]

Hello all.I am a fairly new Christian.I have a few questions,I would really like some answers fron people who have been saved for a while.What does it mean to be saved and sanctified?Is santification a learning process?I am saved,but I have some questions because I am still a newbie.Any advice is welcome.Let me mention I am Pentecostal if that helps.

God’s plan for our salvation has three parts in this order: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.

Justification is God’s unconditional love for us through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Jesus paid our debts for us in full.

Sanctification is the reciprocation of our love toward Jesus. A life-long process.

Glorification is the ultimate reward we’ll receive when Jesus returns. We’ll be like Christ.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Justification: Each one of us have broken God’s Law. This is sin. The wages of sin is (eternal) death (cease to exist forever). This price is more than we can ever repay–it is impossible. Because of God the father’s unconditional love for the us, he gave his only begotten Son Jesus to pay for our debt of eternal death on the cross. This one time event is done by Jesus. Only Jesus is worthy to pay the price for each one of us because he never sinned. He has not broken God’s Law. Only Jesus can die a physical death and raise back to life; conquering eternal death.

Jesus, has a perfect record, and He stands in the court of divine judgement before God the Father in our stead, His righteousness is accepted in place of our unrighteousness. Hence we are justified before God, not because of our works but because of Jesus, whose righteousness becomes ours when we accept Him by faith.

There’s nothing we can add to our justification.
We are justified by Christ alone.

After justification is sanctification. It’s the reciprocation of our love toward God. We are sanctified with the help of the Holy Spirit (Comforter) that Jesus gives us. Sanctification means to set a part or to make holy. The Holy Spirit helps us in this process to become like Christ. This is not a one time event; it’s a life long process (we stumble here and there). The process of sanctifying and purifying us (the works Jesus does through the believer, not of ourselves). We are separated from the world. We are in the world but not of the world. We should think about heavenly things instead of worldly things.

The third stage in the plan of salvation is our glorification. We won’t be glorified until after Jesus returns. John writes of this in his first letter when he states that “when he shall appear we shall be like him (1 John 3:2). Paul refers to this stage frequently. For example: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). He also refers to a time when “we shall all be changed in a moment in do, twinkling of an eye at the last trump” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Paul speaks further of the doctrine of glorification when he says in Romans 8:18, “For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We get glorified bodies and a new name. Receiving eternal life and being with Him wherever he goes.

Praise the Lord. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much. Amen.

 

[Christgirl67]

God’s plan for our salvation has three parts in this order: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.

Justification is God’s unconditional love for us through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Jesus paid our debts for us in full.

Sanctification is the reciprocation of our love toward Jesus. A life-long process.

Glorification is the ultimate reward we’ll receive when Jesus returns. We’ll be like Christ.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Justification: Each one of us have broken God’s Law. This is sin. The wages of sin is (eternal) death (cease to exist forever). This price is more than we can ever repay–it is impossible. Because of God the father’s unconditional love for the us, he gave his only begotten Son Jesus to pay for our debt of eternal death on the cross. This one time event is done by Jesus. Only Jesus is worthy to pay the price for each one of us because he never sinned. He has not broken God’s Law. Only Jesus can die a physical death and raise back to life; conquering eternal death.

Jesus, has a perfect record, and He stands in the court of divine judgement before God the Father in our stead, His righteousness is accepted in place of our unrighteousness. Hence we are justified before God, not because of our works but because of Jesus, whose righteousness becomes ours when we accept Him by faith.

There’s nothing we can add to our justification.
We are justified by Christ alone.

After justification is sanctification. It’s the reciprocation of our love toward God. We are sanctified with the help of the Holy Spirit (Comforter) that Jesus gives us. Sanctification means to set a part or to make holy. The Holy Spirit helps us in this process to become like Christ. This is not a one time event; it’s a life long process (we stumble here and there). The process of sanctifying and purifying us (the works Jesus does through the believer, not of ourselves). We are separated from the world. We are in the world but not of the world. We should think about heavenly things instead of worldly things.

The third stage in the plan of salvation is our glorification. We won’t be glorified until after Jesus returns. John writes of this in his first letter when he states that “when he shall appear we shall be like him (1 John 3:2). Paul refers to this stage frequently. For example: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). He also refers to a time when “we shall all be changed in a moment in do, twinkling of an eye at the last trump” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Paul speaks further of the doctrine of glorification when he says in Romans 8:18, “For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We get glorified bodies and a new name. Receiving eternal life and being with Him wherever he goes.

Praise the Lord. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much. Amen.

Thank you for your reply

 

[~Anastasia~]

Thank you,this clarified a lot

You are most welcome. I'm glad if it could help.

 

[1watchman]

Hello all.I am a fairly new Christian.I have a few questions,I would really like some answers fron people who have been saved for a while.What does it mean to be saved and sanctified?Is santification a learning process?I am saved,but I have some questions because I am still a newbie.Any advice is welcome.Let me mention I am Pentecostal if that helps.

Hello friend. I have been a "born again" Christian for over 60 years, and heard many religious ideas from Bible readers (and non-readers). We need to hold "all the counsel of God", as He tells us. One needs to be clear about "salvation" and then our standing and state in the grace of God:

1: Salvation only happens as shown in such as John 3 and John 14, 1 Jn. 5:10-12, etc., which speaks of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Christ of God. Knowing about Him and His teachings is NOT a relationship, for we need Him in our heart and in communion with Him daily. The Father will then seal that one as a "child of God" by His indwelling Spirit (the new birth).
2: Sanctification (set apart for God) simply describes the STANDING of a true "born again" believer "in Christ". That means forever sealed and assured of Heaven; not by works of goodness, but possessing the Savior and transformed by the Holy Spirit within. Our spiritual STATE within our Standing speaks of whether one is faithful, obedient to God and in communion with Him always, or carnal and living like the world. A true believer with the new birth will lose rewards in Heaven for being carnal, but never lose salvation.

I hope this helps your understanding, and you may write me personally if you wish to talk about it. Look up always, for God cares always.

 

[Christgirl67]

Hello friend. I have been a "born again" Christian for over 60 years, and heard many religious ideas from Bible readers (and non-readers). We need to take "all the counsel of God", as He tells us. One needs to be clear about "salvation" and then our standing and state in the grace of God:

1: Salvation only happens as shown in such as John 3 and John 14, 1 Jn. 5:10-12, etc., which speaks of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Christ of God. Knowing about Him and His teachings is NOT a relationship, for we need Him in our heart and in communion with Him daily. The Father will then seal that one as a "child of God" by His indwelling Spirit (the new birth).
2: Sanctification (set apart for God) simply describes the STANDING of a true "born again" believer "in Christ". That means forever sealed and assured of Heaven; not by works of goodness, but possessing the Savior and transformed by the Holy Spirit within. Our spiritual STATE within our Standing speaks of whether one is faithful, obedient to God and in communion with Him always, or carnal and living like the world. A true believer with the new birth will lose rewards in Heaven for being carnal, but never lose salvation.

I hope this helps your understanding, and you may write me personally if you wish to talk about it. Look up always, for God cares always.

Thank you

 

[1watchman]

Thank you

You are welcome for that and to any counsel I might share, if you let me know. Be SURE to read the verses I stated to you, friend, for that is how God informs us of His mind and ways. You will hear many religious ideas from people, but God's immutable Word is a certainty. Read it daily, and "look up" always! I will pray for you.

 

[hedrick]

In message 2, you got an explanation from the Orthodox perspective. I'll give you a traditional Reformed perspective. It's actually not so different, in part because that posting used "sanctification" in a Protestant sense.

At least in Reformed theology, salvation is the whole process of God dealing with us. Salvation has two aspects: justification and sanctification. Justification is our standing before God. Anyone who has faith in Christ is justified, i.e. accepted by God. Unlike sanctification, which is progressive, justification just is. There's no lesser or greater acceptance by God. When we're incorporated into Christ, we're his, and there aren't degrees of being his. (There are, of course, degrees of how well our lives show it.)

Sanctification refers to the Christian life, which is our response to God's love and acceptance. It does grow, ideally, though in reality there can also be setbacks.

It's important to be clear about definitions, because different groups use different definitions of the same work. This can lead to the impression that there's more difference than there actually is. The Catholic tradition used justification for the whole process of developing as Christians. In some ways it's closer to the Protestant concept of sanctification. Traditional Catholic theology didn't have any exact equivalent of the Protestant justification, though in some ways being baptized played a similar role.

The Eastern churches tend not to have such precise definitions of the process. Neither does Scripture. However to talk about things, and particularly to deal with conflicts over understanding, theologians have adopted specific definitions of terms. Unfortunately different traditions developed somewhat different definitions...

 

[Christgirl67]

In message 2, you got an explanation from the Orthodox perspective. I'll give you a traditional Reformed perspective. It's actually not so different, in part because that posting used "sanctification" in a Protestant sense.

At least in Reformed theology, salvation is the whole process of God dealing with us. Salvation has two aspects: justification and sanctification. Justification is our standing before God. Anyone who has faith in Christ is justified, i.e. accepted by God. Unlike sanctification, which is progressive, justification just is. There's no lesser or greater acceptance by God. When we're incorporated into Christ, we're his, and there aren't degrees of being his. (There are, of course, degrees of how well our lives show it.)

Sanctification refers to the Christian life, which is our response to God's love and acceptance. It does grow, ideally, though in reality there can also be setbacks.

It's important to be clear about definitions, because different groups use different definitions of the same work. This can lead to the impression that there's more difference than there actually is. The Catholic tradition used justification for the whole process of developing as Christians. In some ways it's closer to the Protestant concept of sanctification. Traditional Catholic theology didn't have any exact equivalent of the Protestant justification, though in some ways being baptized played a similar role.

The Eastern churches tend not to have such precise definitions of the process. Neither does Scripture. However to talk about things, and particularly to deal with conflicts over understanding, theologians have adopted specific definitions of terms. Unfortunately different traditions developed somewhat different definitions...

Thank you for your reply.