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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he blessed us in the Beloved.¹

Although no one could attain the perfection that the moral law required,² by grace we were justified at the instance that we believed in the finish work of Jesus and repented;³ thus, we are positionally sanctified—set apart as holy,⁴ accepted by God, and adopted as his child.⁵ But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.⁶ 

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.⁷ Herein lies the tension; we are positionally sanctified but not fully; i.e., “already but not yet.” There is a progressive sanctification that we are going through. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.⁸

We need not fret for Jesus himself, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, intercedes for us;⁹ likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.¹⁰  We grow in sanctification by grace, through spiritual disciplines (particularly, the study of Scripture and prayer), and with other believers. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.¹¹ Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness, for . . . godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.¹² . . . and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.¹³

This sanctification process is a lifetime process; we will only attain perfect sanctification when we see Jesus face-to-face. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.¹⁴

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your while spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.¹⁵