Sanctification #12

Hagiasmos shares its root with hagios, “holy,” and describes the process or state of being set apart for God’s use and made holy in character. Where dikaiosis (justification) is a one-time legal verdict, hagiasmos is most often used in the New Testament for an ongoing process — the shaping of a believer’s actual character over time to match the holy status they have already been given.

Biblical Usage

Paul states plainly, “this is the will of God, your sanctification [hagiasmos]: that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3), tying the word directly to practical moral transformation. Yet he also addresses believers in 1 Corinthians 1:2 as those already “sanctified [hegiasmenois] in Christ Jesus,” showing the word’s range from a settled position (already holy in status) to an ongoing pursuit (Hebrews 12:14, “strive… for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord”).

Theological Significance

Christian theology has long distinguished “positional” sanctification — a believer’s status as set apart for God, granted at conversion — from “progressive” sanctification, the lifelong process of actually growing in holiness of character, and hagiasmos is the word underlying both halves of that distinction.