The sanctifying work of the holy spirit

The New Testament word for sanc­tification is “hagiasmos,” and it denotes ethical purification, while in­cluding the idea of separation: “the separation of the spirit from all that is impure and polluting, and a renuncia­tion of the sins towards which the de­sires of the flesh and of the mind lead us.” (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 528) “The word, as used in Scripture, very probably came from a root which meant to be cut off, or to be separated.” (Herman Bavinck Our Reasonable Faith, 469).

Sanctification is the lifelong work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and lives of believers by which they are made holy, delivered from the filthiness and power of sin, and enabled to live in obedience to the Word of God.

In distinction from justification, sanctification is a work of Christ in us (justification is Christ’s work for us), a lifelong work (justification is once only), a work in which we become active (in justification w