Here is the question. When you become a Christian are you born holy or do you become holy as a process. The answer is, YES!!! Holiness is a gift received at your new birth, and that gift of holiness is a person. The moment you become a Christian you are in Christ, and therefore in union with his life. His whole life is the gift of holiness to all believers. Colossians 2:10, says that we have been made complete, or full, in Christ. As time goes by a believer does not get more of Christ, or therefore more holiness, because we already got Him, and therefore it all, at the beginning. Remember, the Christian life starts where He said “It is finished.” Christ begins with the goal (holiness), and places His disciples at once in a position to which all other teachers point as the end. Religion, and the law always begins by demanding; but life in Christ always begins by bestowing. Having said all that, sanctification is still a process, and to not understand that has historically lead to all kinds of deceptions, and personal spiritual destruction. Over 40 years of studying and teaching about our union in Christ I’ve tragically seen the destruction first hand. To think that holiness is something you can earn is a horrible error, but to think and teach that the unwrapping of the gift of holiness is not a growing, and maturing process is equally horrific. It’s a dangerous heresy that the evil one takes out for a spin every few decades, and the ones who spin it unfortunately don’t even know the questions, much less the answers.
You see the process of sanctification doesn’t get you anything more than you already have in Christ, but the more that you already have, overtime gets more of you. As we abide in Christ what we ACTUALLY have, and have had from the first moment of our Christian life, we increasingly, PRACTICALLY have, as we appropriate by faith all that He is in us. There is a difference between what you posses, and what you manifest, and the ever increasing manifestation of the holiness of Jesus is the process of sanctification. Again, you were sanctified at your new birth, and you are being experiential sanctified daily as you walk out your life in Christ. Holiness is a gift received, and a gift daily discovered, and enjoyed. If someone gives you a new iPhone 10 with all the apps already on it, then you got it all the moment you received the phone, but you’ll discover continuously all the cool things it can do; and as you discover all you got, then all you got gets more and more put to use, and is on display. Here are a couple of verses, and of course there are myriads of other, for you to ponder.
1Cor. 1:2, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
1Pet. 1: 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, BE HOLY YOURSELVES ALSO IN ALL YOUR BEHAVIOR; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
Notice, Holiness, bestowed, and holiness behaving. Daily, by faith becoming in your behavior, what’s been bestowed in you at the beginning.