The Gift of Eternal Life and The Necessity of Sanctification

Without question, eternal is the free gift of God given to believers, as Paul states in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

At the same time, and in the same New Testament, we also read that the pursuit of sanctification is absolutely necessary for anyone to enter into eternal life. This is explicitly stated in places like Hebrews 12:14, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” Those who do not pursue sanctification will not “see the Lord,” that is he or she will not enter into eternal life.

Paul says it another way; those living according to the flesh, those who do not actively pursue sanctification, will die:

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13)

To put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit is to pursue sanctification, and those who do that will live; they will enter into eternal life.

Running the Race of Faith

And these are not isolated verses. Consider 2 Corinthians 7:1. For context, Paul first issues a clear command to the Corinthian Christians:

Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

(2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

And then Paul says, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Paul calls Christians to cleanse themselves to perfect holiness; that's done as we pursue sanctification.

We can see the same idea in 1 John 3:2-3. Talking about the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, John says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” And then John makes this astounding statement, “...everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” John says that we are now children of God, and because of that hope we are to purify ourselves just as Christ is pure. To purify oneself is to pursue sanctification.

Clearly eternal life is the free gift of God, and yet believers are just as clearly (as well as repeatedly and urgently) called to pursue sanctification in order to enter into eternal life. So how are we to reconcile these apparently contradictory ideas?

In what follows I will argue that there is no real conflict; eternal life is the free gift of God. And, at the same time, those who would enjoy eternal life must exercise diligence in the pursuit of sanctification. We will also see here that as the believer pursues sanctification, his or her salvation is not based on works, but only on the grace of God that comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ.

I think there has been a misunderstanding. To begin, I believe that much of the apparent contradiction between God's free gift of eternal life and calls for the pursuit of sanctification grows out of a misunderstanding of what God's “free gift” actually is.

Essentially all gifts come in two flavors. First there are gifts that are received passively, like gifts we get at Christmas or on a birthday. Someone gives us a gift, and once we receive the gift it's ours. A transaction has taken place between the giver and the recipient, and once the transaction is complete the recipient has the gift. The transaction has been completed. Gifts like this are exchanged between people all the time, and that's not a bad thing. The giving and receiving of passive gifts is pleasurable, and is part of what God has given us to enjoy in the world.

The problem arises, in part, because many people see the free gift of eternal life as a gift we passively receive from God. We believe in Jesus, and God gives us eternal life; the transaction has been completed and nothing more needs to be done. And because salvation is by grace through faith apart from works, many (understandably) think that any works done after receiving the gift of eternal life corrupt or pollute salvation by grace. What I will argue here is that salvation by grace through faith IS the pursuit of sanctification by grace through faith.

You see, there is another type of gift that is sometimes given among people, a gift that is not received passively. These are gifts of enablement, gifts that give the recipient the ability to do something he or she could or would not otherwise do. For example, a wealthy woman might offer to pay the tuition for a poor man so he can go to Harvard. That's clearly a gift, but it's not a gift that's passively received. The poor man who receives the gift must still go to classes and do the work necessary to graduate. He has been enabled to receive a degree from Harvard, but he must do the work to get it.

Is God's gift of eternal life a gift of enablement? What I will suggest below is that God's gift of eternal life is a gift of enablement. However, we have to be very very careful at this point. In my illustration above, the woman pays for the man to go to Harvard, but the man must work hard to graduate. Part of the illustration works; with God's enabling gift of eternal life the believer too must work hard. Scripture makes that abundantly clear. But my illustration breaks down because with the man going to Harvard, the woman pays the tuition and has nothing more to do with it. It's all the man's work; whether he graduates or not depends entirely on him.

God's gift of eternal life is an enabling gift, and it calls us to diligently effort in the exercise of that gift. The difference is that God's gift of enabling comes with real power, the Holy Spirit, Who resides in the heart of everyone who has been born again. And unlike the woman in my illustration, the Spirit is intimately involved in all of our efforts to pursue sanctification. He empowers every decision we make, and He does so in such a way that our work in sanctification is actually God's work in us.

I need to demonstrate this from scripture, so let's begin. I would ask you prayerfully to consider what follows. Please know that I am not looking for a fight, my purpose is not to create controversy. I simply want to show, from scripture, that there is no contradiction between the gift of eternal life and the required pursuit of sanctification. My goal is that everyone reading this would understand the need to pursue sanctification, and would engage in that pursuit with all diligence.

What follows here applies to people who have been born again by God. These are people for whom God has taken out the heart of stone and to whom He has given a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26-27). God's Spirit dwells in them. For these people...

...salvation is the free gift of God. And God gives this free gift specifically “...to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28b). What follows in Romans 8 is the familiar “Golden Chain of Salvation” in which Paul says:

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30).

People who are foreknown and predestined by God will inevitably and invariably and irrevocably be called by God to salvation. They will be justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and ultimately they will be glorified; they will enter into eternal life. So the free gift of God guarantees eternal life for those whom God has foreknown, predestined, called, and justified; these will be glorified, that is they will be fully and finally saved.

The free gift of eternal life includes sanctification. Paul says in Romans 6:22-23:

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the context of Romans 6:15-23 those who are servants of God, walking in obedience to Him, enjoy the benefit (the “fruit”) of that obedience (6:22). The fruit of obedience over time results in sanctification, and sanctification has an outcome; the outcome, the end result of sanctification, is eternal life.

Why does sanctification lead to eternal life? Sanctification leads to eternal life because the free gift of God is eternal life. Paul says at the end of Romans 6:22 that the outcome of sanctification is eternal life, and then he says, “For (because) the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) These verses teach us that eternal life is both the outcome of the process of sanctification (6:22) and, at the same time, the free gift of God (6:23). Therefore the process of sanctification is included in the gift of eternal life. To be more specific, God's gift of eternal life includes the power for His people to walk in sanctification, and sanctification leads to eternal life.

The free gift of eternal life includes both positional and practical sanctification. Positionally everyone whom God has foreknown has already been sanctified in Christ. In Hebrews 10:10 the author says of believers, “By this (God's) will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

However, positional sanctification cannot be separated from practical sanctification. In Hebrews 10:14 (just 4 verses later) the author of Hebrews says of believers, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are (being) sanctified.” In practical terms, people who are currently engaged in the process of sanctification in the present are also those who have already been perfectly sanctified by Christ Jesus in the past. Put another way, participation in the pursuit of practical sanctification is the mark of one who has already been perfectly sanctified by God through faith in Christ.

It's not about perfection. This does not mean that Christians will or must achieve perfect sanctification in this life in order to enter into eternal life. Hebrews 10:14 (above) states that Christ has already perfected those who are being sanctified. We will realize the fullness of this perfection at glorification, when we die or when Christ returns.

What others have said is true; the cross of Christ frees us from the penalty of sin, the resurrection of Christ frees us from the power of sin, and in glorification we will finally and fully be freed from the presence of sin.

So what about the presence of sin? The presence of sin in those who have been born again is what is known as indwelling sin (Romans 7:17); it is the remnant of the sin nature left in us after we are born again. Indwelling sin is what we battle, with the Spirit's power, in the process of sanctification. We will never finally or fully defeat indwelling sin while we live in the flesh; none the less but we are commanded to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. The reason? Discipline for the purpose of godliness holds promise for this life and the life to come. It is for this, Paul says, that we “labor and strive” fixing our hope on the living God, Who saves those who believe. (see 1 Timothy 4:7-11).

Why is such a battle against sin necessary for believers to enter eternal life? The battle against sin in the Christian's life is absolutely necessary for one simple reason. God's purpose for His saved people, the purpose for which he predestined them, is that they become “...conformed to the image of His Son...” Practical obedience unto holiness, sanctification, is the process of becoming conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, and becoming conformed to the image of Christ is clearly part of the “Golden Chain of Salvation.”

We simply cannot ignore the fact that God's purpose from all eternity was that His saved people become like Jesus. Those who are not becoming becoming like Jesus are bearing no evidence that they are participants in the great salvation God provides. And so...

The command then is to “work out” your salvation. Paul says:

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

Notice that Paul does not say “work to earn” your salvation, or “work to keep” your salvation; his command is to “work out your salvation.” The working out of one's salvation is practical sanctification; it is the believer working, in the power that the Spirit supplies, to become like Jesus. In this work, little by little, we become more like Christ; we begin to manifest in word and deed, in attitude and in action, the holiness that was given to us when we were born again. And this is not a salvation by works, this is salvation by God's work of grace in us.

Our work is God's work. As a believer engages in this “working out” of his or her salvation, as Paul says, “...it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” We work out of our salvation, choosing to defeat sin in our lives in the power God provides. But this process is, at the same time, God's willing and doing His good pleasure in us. More specifically, as we work out our own salvation, at the same time God is working out our salvation in us by the power of His Spirit.

We can see this dynamic very clearly in Paul. As Paul compared his work to that of the other apostles he says:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

(1 Corinthians 15:10)

Grace is power. Paul engaged his will and worked hard to do what God commanded Him, and yet is was not Paul doing the work (“yet not I”); Paul's work was the power of God's grace working through him. Our work in sanctification is our work, but it is at the same time God's work in us. That's why salvation, realized through sanctification, is still salvation by grace through faith.

And friends, please, please note...

Paul was deadly serious about pursuing sanctification. The Apostle Paul practiced what he preached, and he did so earnestly and passionately:

Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

Paul says “I buffet my body,” (more literally “I bruise my body”) and make it my slave. In his battle against the remnants of his sin nature, Paul practiced rigorous discipline for the purpose of godliness. He dealt ruthlessly with his indwelling sin (what Paul elsewhere calls “the flesh”). There was absolutely nothing casual about Paul's pursuit of sanctification; he engaged in that activity with deadly earnest, and ran in such a way as to “win the prize” (See 1 Corinthians 9:24-25). One might say, “Well, that was Paul, the super apostle. We would expect him to be that dedicated.” Yes, but Paul also expected every Christian to be just as dedicated.

After describing for the Corinthian Christians his own passionate pursuit of holiness in 9:26-27 (see above), Paul issues this command to them in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” Paul was serious about obedience unto holiness and he commands us to follow him as he followed Jesus Christ. How can we do otherwise?

The free gift of eternal life that God gives is not a gift received passively that, once received, secures eternal life without the involvement of the Christian. Rather, the free gift of eternal life is the power to pursue sanctification, and we must exercise that power.

We will not be perfect in our pursuit; we will falter and fail. It's really not about perfection.

However a person should be concerned if he or she has no desire to become conformed to the image of God's Son. Being engaged in the process of sanctification is God's specific purpose for His people.

We pursue sanctification in order to become more like Jesus Christ, and God's gift to us is the power we need to do that. As Peter says, “...His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3)

How does this work out in real life? What I have described here is not just a theological talking point. Thanks be to God, I see His grace expressed through my own efforts in sanctification in my life today.

When I'm tempted to sin, by faith I turn to God and I find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). In that moment the Spirit empowers me to stand against temptation and to defeat it. Or when I find a sinful attitude rising in my heart, I turn to God. By faith I consider myself to be dead to that sinful attitude and alive to God (Romans 6:11). When I do that the Spirit intervenes with grace, and I am empowered to send my bad attitude packing.

These are examples of the way in which I am actively putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. And as I engage in this process, little by little, in my attitudes and in my actions, in what I say and in what I do, I am becoming conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. I am pursuing sanctification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and progress is being made.

Do I do this perfectly? Nope. But what's interesting is that the only time I fail is when I fail to turn to God in my time of need. Every time I do turn to Him I find grace to help, I find real power to defeat temptation and to prevent sin. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 is certainly true:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

The way of escape Paul describes is the power of the grace that God provides when we turn in faith to Him for help.

And once again, just for clarity, this is not a works salvation; I am not saving myself and I am certainly not earning my salvation. I have already been saved; that happened when I was born again. Rather, my pursuit of sanctification is the confirmation of my salvation, and this process will continue until the day I die.

Today, as Paul commands, I too am working out my salvation with fear and trembling and I see God at work in me. So if at the end of the day I am a little more like Christ than I was at the beginning, I have no room to boast. I'm not being changed by my own power, but by His. I am not earning merit with God, I am actively walking in the powerful salvation He provides. And so whatever little tiny baby step I take in holiness today is 100% His grace and 0% me. All the progress I make, I make in absolute begging dependence on the grace of God, and so all glory goes to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I have one last thing. If you've stuck with me thus far, thank you. One question remains. In all of this, what about the assurance of salvation? John says:

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

As John makes clear, knowing that you have eternal life (assurance) depends on knowing that you “have the Son.” Those who are pursuing sanctification, those who are walking in obedience unto holiness will see the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Christ, actively working in them. And as He works in us day to day, as we grow into the image of Christ, the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are in fact children of God. Rather than diminishing assurance, the pursuit of sanctification reassures us again and again of our participation in the great salvation God provides.

Please feel free to sent your questions, comments, or concerns.

Blessings!

Ken