Understanding True Sanctification: Living From Holiness Not Towards It

Liam and Dean tackle one of the most misunderstood concepts in Christianity: sanctification. Through careful examination of Hebrews 10:10-14, they reveal the crucial distinction between being sanctified (completed at salvation) and the ongoing process of understanding and living from that reality. The discussion addresses common misconceptions about "dying daily," "picking up your cross," and the notion that believers must gradually chip away at evil flesh to become more holy. Using practical examples and the marriage analogy, they demonstrate how true spiritual growth involves learning to live from your already-established holy nature rather than working towards holiness through religious performance. This episode provides both theological clarity and practical freedom for believers struggling with performance-based Christianity.

The episode reveals that sanctification represents a completed work at salvation rather than an ongoing process of becoming holy through human effort. The Greek distinction between haggios (being holy) and haggiosmos (living from holiness) demonstrates that believers must first possess holiness before they can express it practically.

The hosts demonstrate that the phrase "dying daily" refers to Paul's willingness to face persecution for the gospel rather than ongoing self-punishment or flesh crucifixion. True discipleship involves selfless living rather than religious self-flagellation or attempts to earn holiness through suffering.

The marriage analogy provides powerful understanding: just as married couples work out their marriedness rather than becoming more married, believers learn to live from their established holy nature rather than working towards holiness. This paradigm shift eliminates performance anxiety and provides genuine foundation for spiritual transformation.

The distinction between managing sin and being free from sin's appeal represents the difference between behaviour modification and heart transformation. True freedom involves renewed thinking that eliminates the desire for sin rather than simply controlling sinful actions through willpower.

Digging Deep Biblical Foundation

Primary Scriptures Referenced:

• Hebrews 10:10-14 - Sanctified once for all through Christ's offering and perfected for all time

• Hebrews 9:28 - Christ's complete work eliminating need for repeated sin sacrifice

• Romans 6:11 - Considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God

• 2 Peter 1:3-9 - Divine power granting all things for life and godliness, escaping corruption

• 2 Corinthians 3:18 - Beholding Christ in a mirror and being transformed

Supporting Biblical Connections:

• Luke 9:23 - Taking up the cross daily and following Christ

• 1 Corinthians 15:31 - Paul's daily dying for the gospel

• Hebrews 4:11 - Labouring to enter rest rather than works

• James 1:23-25 - Scripture as mirror revealing identity rather than inadequacy

• John 15:4-5 - Abiding in the vine for fruitful Christian living

• Ephesians 1:18 - Eyes of understanding being enlightened to know calling

Quotes

Dean (on completed sanctification): "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. You can't be a husband unless you're married. You have to be married, which is the sanctification process. I'm married, I'm born again, and now I'm working out my marriedness."

Liam (on identity revelation): "The shift for me practically was I shifted my mind off focusing on fixing sin to I prayed for three, four years. God, show me who you are and show me who I am clearly in a mirror. I went into the secret place with the Lord until my truth became a practical reality. It wasn't that in that process I was becoming more holy. I had a revelation of holiness."

Dean (on freedom from temptation): "I'm just never tempted to do drugs. That's not an issue. There's not even 1% of my mind that is full of that thought. I'm holy. I'm righteous. That's not even in my thought process. That's freedom."

Liam (on submission to God): "Submission to God is not punishing yourself into submission. Submission to God is a love relationship. Submission to God is I actually don't have a clue who I am and that's actually okay. I need you to show me in the scriptures who you say that I am that trumps everything."

Discussion Questions from the Episode

The hosts posed several direct questions for listener consideration:

• What does it mean practically to live from holiness rather than working towards it?

• How does understanding that you're already sanctified change your approach to spiritual growth?

• What is the difference between managing sin and being free from sin's appeal?

• Why do believers struggle with ongoing sin if they possess a holy nature?

Extended Reflection Questions

• How does the marriage analogy change your understanding of spiritual growth and relationship with God?

• In what areas of life do you find yourself trying to earn holiness rather than living from your established righteous nature?

• What would change in your daily spiritual practices if you truly believed you are already holy and righteous in God's sight?

• How does understanding that temptation is external deception rather than internal corruption affect your response to spiritual challenges?

• Consider your thought patterns about yourself - do they align with Scripture's declaration of your holy nature, or do they reflect performance-based anxiety?

• What would it look like to have your mind so full of God's thoughts that sinful desires simply do not arise?

  
  

Implementation Steps

Begin each day by acknowledging your completed sanctification and holy nature before God. When facing spiritual challenges, focus on understanding your identity in Christ rather than attempting behaviour modification through willpower or religious activity.

Practice

Beholding Christ in Scripture as a mirror that reveals your true nature rather than your inadequacies. When sin occurs, respond from understanding of your righteous identity rather than guilt-based self-condemnation or attempts to earn back God's favour.

Weekly Challenge

Approach spiritual growth from the perspective that you are already holy and are learning to live from that reality. Notice the difference between trying to become holy through religious performance versus living from the holiness Christ has already established in you.

Heavenly Father, thank You that through Christ's one offering I have been sanctified once for all and perfected for all time.

Trinity, Help me to understand the holiness You have already established in my heart. Father help me to live from that reality rather than working towards it. Lord, Give me revelation of who I am in Christ so that my behaviour flows naturally from my renewed identity. May I have eyes to see Your truths upon this day - Help me to Live in You Alone Jesus Christ! Lord May I experience the healing that comes from knowing I am already holy in Your sight.

Amen.

Episode Timestamps

Continue growing in understanding of your completed sanctification by studying the biblical passages discussed in this episode.

Apply the marriage analogy to your spiritual life by focusing on living from your established holy nature rather than working towards holiness. Share this content with others struggling with performance-based Christianity or religious anxiety. Engage with upcoming episodes exploring covenant distinctions and additional practical applications of righteousness doctrine.

Addressing Sanctification Misconceptions

Liam and Dean open by acknowledging common confusion surrounding sanctification doctrine, particularly the widespread belief that Christians are "positional saints" who must gradually work towards practical holiness through religious performance. They address phrases like "pick up your cross daily," "die daily," and "chip away at evil flesh" that create anxiety and undermine believers' confidence in Christ's completed work.

The hosts establish their commitment to examining what Scripture actually teaches rather than accepting traditional interpretations that may contradict biblical truth. They acknowledge the sincere motives behind much Christian teaching while recognising that good intentions do not guarantee accurate doctrine.

Hebrews 10 and Completed Sanctification

Dean provides detailed exposition of Hebrews 10:10-14, highlighting the crucial distinction between being sanctified (completed at salvation) and living from that established reality. The passage declares that believers "have been sanctified" (past tense) through Christ's offering "once for all" and have been "perfected for all time."

The discussion addresses translation variations between different Bible versions, with some rendering verse 14 as "being sanctified" rather than "are sanctified." The hosts demonstrate that context demands understanding this as referring to those who are already sanctified learning to live from that reality rather than working towards sanctification through human effort.

The contrast with Old Testament priesthood emphasises the completeness of Christ's work compared to repeated sacrifices that could never perfect worshippers. Christ's singular offering accomplished what centuries of religious activity could not achieve.

Greek Language and Marriage Analogy

Dean explains the Greek distinction between haggios (holy/sanctified state) and haggiosmos (the process of living from holiness), using the marriage analogy to illustrate this crucial concept. Just as one cannot work out marriedness without first being married, believers cannot engage in holy living without first possessing a holy nature.

The analogy demonstrates that married couples do not become "more married" through time and effort but rather learn to express their established marital union more effectively. Similarly, believers do not become more holy through religious performance but learn to live from their completed sanctification in Christ.

This paradigm shift eliminates the anxiety-producing cycle of attempting to earn divine favour through behaviour modification while providing solid foundation for genuine spiritual transformation rooted in identity rather than performance.

Redefining "Die Daily" and Cross-Bearing

The conversation addresses common misinterpretations of "dying daily" and "picking up your cross," revealing that these phrases refer to selfless living and willingness to face persecution for the gospel rather than ongoing self-punishment or flesh crucifixion.

Paul's statement about dying daily emerges from his context of facing shipwrecks, beatings, snake bites, and constant persecution for the sake of gospel advancement. His willingness to lay down his life daily for Christ's sake demonstrates sacrificial love rather than religious self-flagellation.

Jesus' instruction to take up crosses daily refers to selfless living that prioritises others' welfare over personal comfort, following Christ's example of sacrificial love. This represents character transformation flowing from renewed identity rather than penance-based spirituality attempting to earn divine acceptance.

Personal Testimony of Practical Freedom

Liam shares his transformative experience with pornography addiction, demonstrating how shifting focus from behaviour modification to identity revelation produced genuine freedom. Rather than attempting to manage sin through willpower and accountability systems, understanding his holy nature eliminated the appeal of sinful behaviour.

The breakthrough came through intentional time in God's presence asking to see clearly who God is and who he had become in Christ. This revelation process involved reading Scripture as a mirror revealing his true identity rather than highlighting his failures and inadequacies.

The practical result involved automatic responses flowing from renewed thinking rather than constant warfare between desire and discipline. The computer screen no longer held appeal because his understanding of his nature as God's son eliminated the attraction to behaviour contradicting his identity.

2 Peter 1 and Escaping Corruption

The hosts examine 2 Peter 1:3-9, which declares that God's divine power has granted believers all things necessary for life and godliness, enabling them to escape the corruption in the world through sinful desire. This passage emphasises completed provision rather than gradual accumulation of spiritual resources.

The instruction to "make every effort" to add qualities like virtue, knowledge, and self-control represents living from divine nature rather than working towards it. These qualities flow from understanding and applying the "precious and very great promises" that establish believers' participation in divine nature.

Peter's warning about being "nearsighted" and "having forgotten" cleansing from former sins addresses believers who struggle with ongoing sin patterns. The solution involves remembering and applying the reality of transformation rather than questioning whether it occurred.

Practical Examples of Mental Freedom

Dean provides concrete illustrations of genuine freedom using his complete lack of temptation toward drug use. This example demonstrates that true liberty involves absence of desire rather than successful resistance to ongoing temptation.

The principle applies broadly: believers can experience such complete mental transformation that sinful thoughts simply do not arise rather than requiring constant warfare against persistent desires. This represents the higher level of freedom available through understanding identity in Christ.

The conversation distinguishes between managing sin through behaviour modification and experiencing genuine freedom where sinful behaviour becomes unthinkable due to renewed mind and heart transformation.

Submission as Love Relationship

Liam concludes by redefining submission to God as love-based relationship rather than punishment-based performance. True submission involves acknowledging need for divine revelation about identity and character rather than attempting to earn favour through religious activity.

The process begins with submitting to God's truth about believers' nature and standing, allowing faith in divine declarations to override feelings, circumstances, and past experiences. This foundation enables genuine resistance to temptation from position of strength rather than weakness.

The devil flees when believers operate from understanding of their authority and identity in Christ, but this resistance must flow from love-based submission rather than works-based striving.

Encouragement for Struggling Believers

The episode closes with specific encouragement for those trapped in addiction or ongoing sin patterns, emphasising that God sees them as sons and daughters rather than condemned sinners. The Holy Spirit's conviction points toward righteousness rather than condemnation, revealing true identity rather than highlighting failure.

The hosts stress that freedom is possible and available through understanding identity rather than behaviour management. This represents hope for those who have experienced repeated failure through traditional approaches emphasising willpower and accountability rather than heart transformation.

The prayer specifically targets revelation of grace and sonship for those struggling with persistent sin issues, recognising that identity understanding provides the foundation for practical freedom in areas where religious performance has proven inadequate.