What is sanctifying grace?

Answer

The term grace signifies God’s unearned love and favor toward human beings. It can be broadly defined as kindness or blessings from God that we do not merit. The term sanctify, concerning the life of a Christian, means “to set a person apart for holiness” or “to make holy.”

So, what is sanctifying grace?

In Roman Catholic doctrine, sanctifying grace refers to a specific supernatural infusion of God’s grace that renders a person holy and pleasing to God. Deifying grace and perfecting grace are alternative expressions for sanctifying grace, which is believed to be conferred through the Catholic sacrament of baptism. The Roman Church teaches that during baptism, the moment when sanctifying grace is received, a person becomes part of the body of Christ and is able to receive further graces to lead a holy life.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sanctifying grace is also known as the “grace of justification” because it is the grace that renders a soul acceptable or justified before God. This grace transforms a sinner into a holy child of God. The Catholic Church states that sanctifying grace is a permanent essence that clings to the soul unless one rejects God by committing a mortal sin. Nevertheless, due to God’s immense mercy, sanctifying grace can be reinstated through repentance and the sacrament of penance.

Wesleyan and Methodist churches also espouse a concept of sanctifying grace. John Wesley perceived God’s grace as threefold; he expounded prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace as distinct facets of God’s grace. In essence, prevenient grace is God’s grace that reaches sinners before they acknowledge God, aiding them in realizing their need for Him. Justifying grace grants believers forgiveness from sin. And sanctifying grace bestows the refining process that enables Christians to become more like Christ. This process is known as sanctification. Methodists sometimesTimes associate sanctifying grace with God’s unconditional love that empowers the loved one to do what God desires. Justifying grace changes our relationship to God; sanctifying grace changes us internally.

In Protestant Christian theology, Christians enter sanctification, or a state of holiness, at the moment they are born of the Spirit of God: “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24).

The Bible states that, from the beginning of the Christian life, believers are set apart for God’s holy purpose. God performs this work of sanctification once for all time: “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” «By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. », (Hebrews 10:10). This aspect of sanctification, known as “positional” sanctification, is the same as justification. Positional sanctification is God’s work, His gift. We don’t do anything to earn or deserve it, nor can we do anything to lose it: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” «For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: », (Ephesians 2:8).

A second aspect of sanctification expressed in Scripture is sometimes called “progressive” or “experiential” sanctification. Although believers are made holy in Christ at salvation, they still sin. Progressive sanctification occurs as they grow in knowledge, discipline,

And obedience to God’s Word. Hebrews 10:14 describes both positional and progressive sanctification: “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Finally, the third aspect of sanctification expressed in Scripture is “complete” sanctification when believers obtain ultimate and total separation from sin through glorification: “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” «to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: », (Colossians 1:27).

While the doctrine of sanctification in Protestant theology holds significantly different implications from Catholic teaching, there are points of agreement: God’s children do indeed receive His divine grace, His undeserved favor that results in salvation, and their lives are set apart for holiness.