There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But we are also being saved. At the same moment that the Holy Spirit creates faith by the preaching of the Gospel the believer is truly changed and his sanctification has already begun. As living branches of the Savior's Vine, we immediately begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit, although others may be more aware of it than are we. Justification is instantaneous, objective and complete.
Sanctification is progressive, subjective and partial.
Nevertheless, they begin with serious purpose to conform not only to some, but to all the commandments of God. From the biblical point of view, sanctification is not a matter of holiness as an end in itself. It would be selfish for us to focus our whole lives on our own growth and improvement, so the Scriptures constantly point us outside of ourselves, to love and serve God and our neighbor. Instead, biblical piety is concerned with working out the implications of what God has already done in Christ. So, tonight, as our first in a series on sanctification and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, we want to take a look at the framework that the Bible itself gives us for understanding this vital link between Christ's life for us and his life in us.