Sanctification - God's Work and Ours
A Sermon on the Synergism of Sanctification
Originally preached May 14, 1954
Scripture
Sermon Description
Does a Christian ever stop sinning? Is sanctification an experience over a lifetime? In this sermon titled “Sanctification: God’s Work and Ours,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles these issues and more in this sermon on the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a believer. Sanctification is the process by which Christians are changed to be more like Jesus Christ. This begins at the moment of salvation and though they are set apart from the world, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows from Scripture that sanctification is not a one-time experience or event. The New Testament authors frequently implore readers to fight sin and to avoid unrighteousness. This unmistakably shows that though Christians are saved from their sin, they are not saved out of it, and that becoming like Christ is a process that takes time. What about experiences of radical and sudden transformation that some believers claim to have had? Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that such transformations have nothing to do with Christianity alone. While such experiences can promote and aid sanctification, they are not sanctification themselves because they also are experienced by many others who adhere to different worldviews.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sanctification means being set apart for God and separated from sin. It is a vital part of salvation.
- God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the agents of sanctification. The Holy Spirit specifically works to sanctify us.
- There are three common views of sanctification:
- It is something to be received by faith
- It is an experience
- It happens suddenly
- Sanctification is not something to be received. The Scripture exhorts us to practical action, not just receiving something.
- Experiences are not sanctification itself. Sanctification is a condition, not an experience. Experiences help and stimulate sanctification but are not the same as sanctification.
- Sanctification does not happen suddenly. It is a gradual process of growth and development.
- Realization of truth may be sudden but is not sanctification itself. It aids sanctification but the two are not the same.
- God could make us perfectly sanctified instantly but has chosen not to. His method is gradual growth and development.
- The history of Israel illustrates this gradual process of sanctification. They were delivered from Egypt but still had struggles and needed to grow in the promised land.
- This gradual process of growth is God's method everywhere - in nature, in destroying Satan and death, and in sanctifying believers.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Sanctification According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What is the basic definition of sanctification according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, sanctification means "being set apart for God and his service, which means, obviously, that we must be separated from sin, from the world, which is opposed to God, and separated to God." He explains that we cannot function and be used in God's service unless we are clean and holy. Sanctification involves becoming "vessels meet for the master's use," as we are cleansed, purified, and delivered from sin.
Who is the primary agent in sanctification according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that "primarily the agent is God himself." He emphasizes that all three persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—take part in sanctification, though it is "specifically the work of the Holy Spirit." God's will is that we be sanctified, as the whole purpose of salvation is that we should be separated unto God and be made a people for God's possession. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones also stresses that believers have their part to play in the process.
Why does Lloyd-Jones reject the idea that sanctification is something to be "received" in one act?
Lloyd-Jones rejects this idea because:
- It contradicts the many scriptural exhortations for believers to actively participate in their sanctification
- It misinterprets key passages like Romans 8:2, which uses the aorist tense to indicate something that has already happened to all believers
- It would make the ethical instructions in the New Testament pointless
- Many honest Christians seek such an experience but never receive it
- If it worked for one sin, it should logically work for all sins, leading to instant perfection
As Lloyd-Jones states, "If sanctification is something that I can receive, if it is something to be received, I suggest to you that you wouldn't need all these epistles."
What is the relationship between experiences and sanctification according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that "sanctification is not an experience. It is a condition. It is my condition in my relationship to God." He uses the illustration of a field with growing crops. The crop (sanctification) is always growing, sometimes imperceptibly, while experiences like rain and sunshine stimulate that growth but are not the growth itself.
He explains: "Sanctification involves experiences. Sanctification is helped by experiences, but sanctification itself is not an experience." These spiritual experiences can be sudden and dramatic, and they help promote sanctification, but they should not be confused with sanctification itself, which is an ongoing process.
Is sanctification something that happens suddenly, according to Lloyd-Jones?
No, Dr. Lloyd-Jones firmly rejects the idea that sanctification happens suddenly. He argues that Scripture describes sanctification as a gradual process, using terms like being "born again," starting as "babes in Christ," and growing through stages like "children, young men, old men." He points to 2 Corinthians 3:18, which describes Christians as being "changed into the same image from glory to glory."
Lloyd-Jones states: "Sanctification is obviously and clearly not something that happens suddenly." Instead, it is a process that "starts from the moment of regeneration. And it goes on and on. Every experience we get stimulates it, and we are changed from glory into glory."
Great Biblical Doctrines
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.