Sanctification

1. Sanctification

2. 1. Biblical Perspectives

3. 2. History • Roman Catholic Theology • Sanctification confluent with justification • Sanctification as a life-long process • Protestant Reformation • Distinction between justification and sanctification • Were concerned with idea that justification could be “increased” by a successful pursuit of holiness • Post-Reformation • Puritans • Arminius • Pietism • Wesley

4. 3. Theological Conclusions

5. 3.1. Justification and Sanctification: A Challenge to Protestantism • a) The Protestant tendency of separating sharply justification and sanctification due to the fear that if justification and sanctification are too closely identified it would lead to a doctrine of justification by works, has often led to the lack of pursuit of holiness • The insistence on forensic justification has also resulted in the lack of effort in cultivating one’s spiritual life

6. 3.1. Justification and Sanctification… • b) The subsequent history of Protestantism is a testimony to the continuing struggle to find a balance between the forensic “safety” (Protestant Orthodoxy) and the need to cultivate holiness (Pietism and other similar movements)

7. 3.1. Justification and Sanctification… c) There is a need for a more “experiential” religion, in which, among other things, conversion was believed to be evidenced by certain signs of grace • What we see in both Pietism and Puritanism is basically an attempt to re-link justification and sanctification, and in so doing they found themselves returning to the medieval doctrine of grace as the divine infusion of power to enable the human being (soul, as tradition says) to do good works. • In the rise of Methodism this pursuit of “experiential” and holiness-focused spirituality has found its fullest expression

8. 3.1. Justification and Sanctification… • d) However, talk about “perfect holiness” is not necessarily helpful since nothing is hardly “perfect” at the human experiential level

9. 3.2. The Whole People of God • …is “holy,” not only some “saints” • Yet, there is nothing dangerous about having persons, such as the Roman Catholic religious, who pursue holiness in a more “full time” mode

10. 3.4. A Wider Concept of Holiness …is needed to rescue the concept of sanctification from an over-individualized and behavior-oriented mindset; in this outlook, sanctification is • a) Not only about the individual life but also about the life in community; relationality is thus a key feature

11. 3.4. A Wider Concept… b) Not only about behavior but also about the mindset and attitude as the comparison between the works of flesh and the fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5 indicates c) Not only about moral choices regarding certain deeds such as stealing or marital affairs but also about how to deal justly and live in peace d) Moltmann has called for linking sanctification with the idea of honoring the sanctity of all life

12. 3.5. “Integrity” • A term that may help us better discern the essence of sanctification is the term “integrity”