Teaching Students About Sanctification
It is easy for youth workers to drift into an overemphasis on “getting students saved” that we neglect understanding salvation as lifelong transformation. As a result, many are often discouraged at the lack of spiritual growth among teenagers after they make a decision for Christ. Studies continue to indicate an increase in teenagers who leave the church after high school, and those who stay have a deteriorating grasp of biblical convictions and lifestyle. I believe our hyper-emphasis on the beginning of salvation may actually be fueling some of these phenomena.
The continuing of salvation is called the doctrine of sanctification, where the outward life of a Christian begins to coincide with the change that has happened within. The idea is that Christians, the longer they live, begin to look more like Jesus. This is what Paul calls being “conformed to Christ’s image” (Rom. 8:29). This idea, however, is often neglected in our teaching on salvation. To see substantial growth among students, we need to reclaim the importance of continuing salvation.
Sanctification Begins in a Moment
In Romans chapter 8, Paul says Christians have been justified in God’s eyes, they are now free of the condemnation of their sin (Rom. 8:1). This is how salvation starts: in a moment. When a believer is declared righteous before God, it means that their attempts to earn God’s favor have been erased, and something more permanent has been introduced: the Holy Spirit. They are now forever right with God, united with Him through His Spirit within them.
This is where sanctification MUST start: with inward transformation. Without the Holy Spirit working within us, there is no way for us to become more like Christ. Just as He is the one who brings us to life in Christ, so He is essential for our transformation (John 6:63). We cannot merely adjust our behavior, change our desires, or submit our will to God on our own. We need Him to enable us to begin that process (Phil. 2:9). Being set free of our sin through the Spirit is where it begins; not just forgiveness, but a fundamental change in direction (and desires) has taken place.
Sanctification Continues for a Lifetime
Even though salvation begins in a moment, it continues for a lifetime. Christians are not merely forgiven of their sins and allowed to continue walking “according to the flesh” as they once did (Rom. 8:12-13). We have been rescued from who we were and given a new identity in Christ as members of His family (Rom. 8:14-16). As children of God, Christian begin to want to be like Him. Just like a child who desires to please their parents, so Christians desire to live faithful lives in the Spirit. We start to act like, talk like, and live like our heavenly Father.
Again, this is dependent on the Spirit at work in us, cleansing us of all unrighteousness. The Spirit becomes our guide, as we seek to put off our old ways and move forward in the new life God has given us. Like clay being pressed into a mold, we are being shaped to look like Christ, with anything that does not fit being cut away. This pursuit of holiness is the lifelong calling for all Christians. Because we have been changed inwardly, we have new desires, behaviors, and pursuits. However, we are still struggling against a sinful nature, which wages war in us (1 Pet. 2:11). We still succumb to sinful desires. The difference is that the Spirit will not allow us to be content in our sin. He reveals the error of our ways, points us to the truth of the Scripture, and teaches us to live faithful lives that bring glory to God.
Sanctification Moves Toward a Promise
Paul says we are children of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). What is our inheritance? That just as we share in His sufferings, we will also share in His glory (Rom. 8:18). Sanctification is not just changing our behavior. It is not just pointing others to Christ. It is not just putting to death our sin and being filled with the Spirit. It is tied to the promise of God for an eternal human reality. We are promised to be made new, to be perfected, free of sin, forever welcomed directly into God’s presence. Sanctification is leading somewhere: to perfected life in God for each and every believer.
Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension is the inheritance given to Christians, and the Spirit is the guarantee of our place with Christ, connecting us to the promised glory to come. Sanctification is a part of our eternal destiny! That means it is much more important than many gospel presentations and discipleship plans indicate. We need to understand the importance of the Spirit’s work in believers, not just to bring them to Christ, but to shape, guide, and ultimately perfect them.
How NOT to talk about Sanctification
There are several unhelpful ways to communicate the nature of sanctification that youth workers should probably avoid:
Sanctification is not merely behavior change. Although the process of becoming more like Christ does include changes in our actions and behaviors, that is not all it is. It begins with the transformation of our hearts brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit. That means on our own, we are incapable of “living like a Christian” as we are commanded. Right living requires a right relationship.
Sanctification is not negotiable. Every Christian is commanded to follow Christ, to deny themselves, to put off the old ways, and to walk His example. We cannot divorce placing our trust in Jesus from living for Him. The Bible does not distinguish Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is only because Jesus is Lord that we can be saved, and it is only by confessing Him as such that we are welcomed into God’s family. We should be careful not to make distinctions for our students that Scripture does not.
Sanctification is not the cause, it is the effect. We don’t want to misunderstand pursuing holiness as salvation by works. Right living is not what changes us; it is evidence that a change has occurred. When we conform our actions to what we believe inside, we start to look more like Christ. We should make sure students see the difference between these two ideas.
As we seek to reach students, we never want to short-change the gospel. By adjusting how we discuss salvation with our students, I believe we will see more fruit, even if it means fewer “professions of faith.” We must seek to preach the gospel faithfully, and in doing so, may God bless our ministries by seeing students take hold of the lifelong transformation that the Spirit brings.