What Does It Mean to Be Holy?
I recently read a classic of Christian literature, one that has now entered my list of favorites: Holiness by J.C. Ryle. This massive collection of Ryle’s papers on the subject is not casual reading for a day at the beach. I don’t mean it is difficult to understand; far from it, but it is quite in-depth on the subject of holiness. More specifically, it focuses on our holiness, the call of God on the life of every believer to live a holy, sanctified life.
But what exactly is a sanctified life? And more to the point, what does the Bible mean when it refers to His children as sanctified people? What follows is a condensed adaptation of what Dr. Ryle wrote to answer that question.
What does the Bible mean when it speaks of a “sanctified” person?
Sanctification is that inward spiritual work which the Lord Jesus Christ works in a person by the Holy Spirit. Christ not only washes him from his sins in His own blood, but He also separates him from his natural love of sin and the world, puts a new principle in his heart, and grows him in godliness in all areas of life.
- Sanctification is the result of the believer’s union with Christ. As Jesus said, “The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit (John 15:5). The branch which bears no fruit is no living branch of the vine.
- Sanctification is the outcome and inseparable consequence of regeneration. When we come to Christ, we are born again and made new creatures. We receive a new nature and live a new life. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).
- Sanctification is the only certain evidence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, which is essential to salvation. “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him” (Rom. 8:9). The Spirit never lies dormant and idle within the soul: He always makes His presence known by the fruit He produces in heart, character, and life.
- Sanctification is a thing that will always be seen. Jesus said, “For each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:44).
- Sanctification is a thing for which every believer is responsible.
- Sanctification is a thing which comes through growth and degrees. A man may climb from one step to another in holiness and be far more sanctified at one period of his life than another. We will never be more pardoned or more justified than when we first believed, but we can become more and more sanctified because every grace in our new character may be strengthened, enlarged, and deepened.
- Sanctification is a thing which depends greatly on a diligent use of the means and tools God has given us, such as Bible reading, private prayer, regular attendance on public worship, and the regular hearing of God’s Word. No one who is careless about such things must ever expect to make much progress in sanctification.
- Sanctification is a thing which does not keep us from experiencing a great deal of inward spiritual conflict. By conflict I mean a struggle within the heart between the old nature and the new, the flesh and the spirit, which are to be found together in every believer. “For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want” (Gal. 5:17).
- Sanctification is a thing which cannot justify a man, and yet it pleases God. “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Rom. 3:20–28). No attempts on our apart to sanctify ourselves will bring us into a right relationship with God; only Christ can justify us. But once we are in Christ, seeking to grow in Christ greatly pleases God.
For a deeper explanation, see chapter 2 of J.C. Ryle’s Holiness.
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This post supports the study “Set Apart by Christ” in Bible Studies for Life and YOU.
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