{"id":8095,"date":"2017-05-13T21:06:32","date_gmt":"2017-05-13T15:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intelligent-torvalds.74-208-171-134.plesk.page\/?p=8095"},"modified":"2026-05-09T13:51:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T18:51:45","slug":"conclusion-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/?p=8095","title":{"rendered":"Conclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\u201cSatan deceives people with the Progressive Sanctification heresy, which means that sinners gradually become holy after they believe in Jesus…<\/em><\/p>\n

The crux of this theory is gradual sanctification. It sounds great that man can believe in Jesus and gradually become a holier Christian. This theory has deceived many Christians over the years, making them feel secure. It sounds almost like we work our way to heaven. That\u2019s one reason why there are so many Pharisaical, holier-than-thou Christians in Christendom.\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I stumbled across this quote<\/a> on \u201cDenny\u2019s Christian Writings<\/a>\u201d blog late into writing an essay partially about being deceived by a progressive sanctification heresy<\/a>.\u00a0 I believed progressive sanctification was entirely up to me\u2014with Jesus\u2019 help, of course.\u00a0 But it never made me feel secure because I sucked at it wholesale.\u00a0 I was definitely Pharisaical but holier-than-no-one.\u00a0 And I hungered and thirsted for righteousness.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t feel very blessed<\/a>.\u00a0 In fact, it reminded me of the pagan myth of the punishment of Tantalus<\/a>.\u00a0 I\u2019ve spent as much time, I suppose, as anyone trying to deny or anesthetize that hunger and thirst.\u00a0 I even wished it away with thoughts like \u201cDenny\u2019s\u201d abandon-hope-all-ye-who-enter-here<\/a> attitude toward 1 Peter 1:15, 16 (KJV):<\/p>\n

\u201cBut as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.\u201d<\/strong> We are told here to be holy, to be Christ-like, but is anyone really Christ-like? Not in this life in the flesh. We should endeavor to be holy as Christ is holy, but Romans 3:12-18<\/a> is still in the Bible\u2026<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cDenny\u2019s\u201d premise: \u201cIs it possible to have eternal salvation and not be sanctified? Of course not. \u00a0Eternal salvation and eternal sanctification go together, one mandates the other. If sanctification required any effort on [our] part, then salvation would not be of grace.\u201d\u00a0 But how should I \u201cendeavor to be holy as Christ is holy\u201d without hope of success and without doing it by my own efforts?\u00a0 \u201cWe should endeavor to be Christ-like and do good works. However, we are not sanctified by our good works or clean living. Jesus sanctified us.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Frankly, this sounds like we have moved from a created cosmos where it is hard<\/em>\u2026to enter the kingdom of God<\/em>[3]<\/sup><\/a> to one where it is grammatically impossible.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t lead me to faith in Jesus Christ or reliance on the power and presence of his Holy Spirit.\u00a0 \u201cDenny\u201d quoted Philippians 1:6 (KJV) and Ephesians 3:20 (KJV) and commented on each:<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ<\/strong>:\u201d This is a very good verse but it has nothing to do with Progressive Sanctification. This verse pertains to our salvation, and our glorious inheritance.<\/em><\/p>\n

This next verse pertains to the same thing: Ephesians 3:20, \u201cNow unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us<\/strong>.\u201d We have Holy Spirit power working in us, convicting us of sin, but Jesus has already sanctified us once for all.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But I didn\u2019t become holy in practice \u201conce for all\u201d the moment I believed in Jesus.\u00a0 I need something more than \u201cconvicting us of sin\u201d because I still hunger and thirst for righteousness.<\/p>\n

I believe wholeheartedly that the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other<\/em>.[4]<\/sup><\/a> \u00a0I also believe that\u2014so that you cannot do what you want<\/em>[5]<\/sup><\/a>\u2014cuts both ways, whether I want sin or righteousness.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t believe for a moment that a grudge-match between the Holy Spirit and my flesh is a fair fight.\u00a0 My flesh is going to lose.\u00a0 I can count on it.<\/p>\n

I am much less confident, however, in a \u201cchurch\u201d surrounded by people who don\u2019t believe that righteousness is a basic and urgent need<\/a>, a hunger and thirst.\u00a0 I am weak in faith.\u00a0 In that environment I find it much more difficult to hear the Holy Spirit and much easier to ignore Him. \u00a0In many ways traveling for a living and working many weekends has spared me from being overcome by that kind of groupthink<\/a>. \u00a0Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness<\/em>\u2026will be satisfied<\/em> (\u03c7\u03bf\u03c1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b8\u1f75\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9, a form of \u03c7\u03bf\u03c1\u03c4\u03ac\u03b6\u03c9<\/a>).[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

I may never be fully satisfied until I can leave this cursed flesh behind and see Him face to face, but that doesn\u2019t stop me from hungering and thirsting for every taste and scrap I can get here and now.\u00a0 And I really don\u2019t care whether we call that satisfaction progressive sanctification <\/em>(spiritual progress<\/em> in the Catholic catechism<\/a>) or not.\u00a0 I want that satisfaction.\u00a0 And as I\u2019ve written before,[7]<\/sup><\/a> I don\u2019t believe the hunger and thirst for righteousness originates with me.\u00a0 It is <\/em>the perseverance of the saints.<\/p>\n

And, yes, of course, perseverance of the saints<\/em> is a terribly misleading phrase.\u00a0 It\u2019s all an illusion.\u00a0 Saints don\u2019t persevere in their own strength.\u00a0 They get sidetracked, confused, give up and quit as often as anyone else, but the Holy Spirit of Almighty God picks them up fills them again with a hunger and thirst for his righteousness and leads them onward.<\/p>\n

The word gradual <\/em>has always bothered me in the context of sanctification.\u00a0 My experiences of being in the Spirit or in the flesh have seemed more like instantaneous leaps<\/a> back and forth with truly dizzying effect.\u00a0 But my desire has been to spend more time in the Spirit than in the flesh, and any success at that over time might be considered gradual <\/em>or progressive<\/em>.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the issue as I see it.<\/p>\n

The Greek words translated sanctified<\/em>, sanctify<\/em>, or sanctifieth <\/em>nine times in the King James translation of the New Testament are forms of \u1f01\u03b3\u03b9\u03ac\u03b6\u03c9<\/a>, to make holy<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Reference<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Greek<\/td>\nNET<\/td>\n\n

KJV<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Hebrews 10:10<\/td>\n\u1f21\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1\u03c3\u03bc\u1f73\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9<\/td>\nmade holy<\/em><\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hebrews 13:12<\/td>\n\u1f01\u03b3\u03b9\u1f71\u03c3\u1fc3<\/td>\nsanctify<\/em><\/td>\nsanctify <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hebrews 2:11<\/td>\n\u1f01\u03b3\u03b9\u1f71\u03b6\u03c9\u03bd<\/td>\nmakes holy<\/em><\/td>\nsanctifieth <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u1f01\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1\u03b6\u1f79\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9<\/td>\nbeing made holy<\/em><\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hebrews 10:14<\/td>\n\u1f01\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1\u03b6\u03bf\u03bc\u1f73\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2<\/td>\nare made holy<\/em><\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hebrews 10:29<\/td>\n\u1f21\u03b3\u03b9\u1f71\u03c3\u03b8\u03b7<\/td>\nmade<\/em>\u2026holy<\/em><\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Romans 15:16<\/td>\n\u1f21\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1\u03c3\u03bc\u1f73\u03bd\u03b7<\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 Corinthians 1:2<\/td>\n\u1f21\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1\u03c3\u03bc\u1f73\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2<\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 Corinthians 6:11<\/td>\n\u1f21\u03b3\u03b9\u1f71\u03c3\u03b8\u03b7\u03c4\u03b5<\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\nsanctified<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>If I were to graph the change over time, God\u2019s holiness would not change. \u00a0It\u2019s my resistance to his holiness that changes.\u00a0 Here I\u2019m picturing the Holy Spirit\u2014that fountain of water springing up to eternal life<\/a><\/em>\u2014more like a water cannon<\/a> used in surface mining operations, except that this water canon erodes away my ungodliness (\u1f00\u03c3\u03ad\u03b2\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1<\/a>) from the inside out.\u00a0 But I think we might choke on calling this satisfaction progressive godliness<\/em>.\u00a0 Besides, the process feels more like progressive un<\/em>-ungodliness to me.<\/p>\n

My plan was to use \u201cDenny\u2019s\u201d Scripture references as an outline for one brief essay and move on.\u00a0 As I began to study the words translated sanctified<\/em>, sanctify <\/em>and sanctifieth <\/em>I decided to slow down and get real pedantic again. \u00a0I\u2019ll start with \u1f01\u03b3\u03b9\u1f71\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 (a form of \u1f01\u03b3\u03b9\u03ac\u03b6\u03c9) in another essay<\/a> for no other reason than it is first in alphabetical order.<\/p>\n

\n
To Make Holy, Part 1<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n
Back to Sowing to the Flesh, Part 2<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n
Back to To Make Holy, Part 2<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n
Back to Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 5<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

<\/a>[1]<\/sup> The Progressive Sanctification Heresy<\/a>, Denny’s Christian Writings<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>[2]<\/sup> ibid.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a>[3]<\/sup> Mark 10:24b (NET)<\/p>\n

<\/a>[4]<\/sup> Galatians 5:17a (NET)<\/p>\n

<\/a>[5]<\/sup> Galatians 5:17 (NET)<\/p>\n

<\/a>[6]<\/sup> Matthew 5:6 (NET)<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>[7]<\/sup> Fear \u2013 Deuteronomy, Part 6<\/a><\/em>; Saul and Barnabas, Part 3<\/a><\/em>; Jedidiah, Part 5<\/a><\/em>; Paul in Corinth<\/a><\/em>; Son of God \u2013 1 John, Part 3<\/a><\/em>; Fear \u2013 Exodus, Part 8<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSatan deceives people with the Progressive Sanctification heresy, which means that sinners gradually become holy after they believe in Jesus… The crux of this theory is gradual sanctification. It sounds great that man can believe in Jesus and gradually become … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2719,3826],"tags":[3829,3832,774,3830,2095,3831],"class_list":["post-8095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-section-three","category-sowing-to-the-flesh","tag-1-peter-115-16","tag-ephesians-320","tag-galatians-517","tag-mark-1024","tag-matthew-56","tag-philippians-16"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8095"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29750,"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8095\/revisions\/29750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religiousmind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}