What Is Salvation and Sanctification?

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WHAT IS SALVATION AND SANCTIFICATION?

Did you know there are three distinct views as to what constitutes salvation and sanctification?

Let’s find out what each one is about.

#1 SALVATION

Entrance into heaven begins with belief in the Trinity: one God who reveals Himself in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the person of the Godhead who provided redemption for mankind, i.e., deliverance from the debt (barrier) of sin owed by mankind and the cancellation of it (forgiveness) to satisfy the justice of God by His atonement on the cross.

Becoming a child of God occurs when an adult repents of their sins and is baptized in water, or a baby is sprinkled with water, and a parent or guardian repents of their sins for them. At this time, they receive forgiveness for their sins and the Holy Spirit.



SANCTIFICATION – BEING CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST

●Sanctification is the lifelong process of being made holy by obedience. This constitutes partaking of the Lord’s supper, confessing sin, and adhering to the tenets of the faith.

●Salvation, however, is conditional in that if certain egregious sins are committed and not repented, or if particular religious requirements are not obeyed, the Holy Spirit will be removed.

●In this sense, salvation/sanctification are not mutually exclusive.



2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. NASB

The concept of the Trinity is delineated. It’s implied that the word God means God the Father.

John 20:31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. NASB

Belief in Christ as to who He is and what was accomplished at the cross is emphasized here.

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. NASB

Repentance from sins for an adult or a baby is mentioned, along with the interpretation that someone becomes a child of God by being baptized in water, which provides forgiveness of sins and the indwelling Spirit.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. NASB

The basis for someone becoming a child of God and entering His kingdom is by water (water baptism) and the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, NASB

Maintaining one’s salvation is by obedience.

Hebrews 6:4-6 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. NASB

Those who fall away (abandon their faith; return to an evil life) would signify disobedience to Christ, and thus would lose their salvation.

Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? NASB

Christ tells us how we can know (distinguish) those who are true believers, i.e., by their fruits (works of any kind; moral conduct; confession of sin; perseverance in faith). If these fruits are not consistently adhered to, the believer will lose their salvation.

These are some of the verses used to support this perspective.

Are you ready to take a look ata different way of describing salvation and sanctification and their relationship to one another?

#2 SALVATION

Repentance of sins to God the Father and believing in who Christ is and what He accomplished on the cross for consenting persons, which is the basis for receiving another member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to come into their body, providing them with a new nature and many other blessings.

For clarification, consenting persons means they have an understanding of grasping the gospel of Christ. If this is not the case, no one else can repent of their sins for them.

The message that describes who Christ is and what He accomplished on the cross is called the gospel.The gospel is the good news that Christ, who is the God-man, born of a virgin with no sin nature and deity (possessing divine attributes), lived a sinless life. He came to proclaim [His] mission to mankind: to become an atoning sacrifice to God the Father, thus paying and cancelling the debt owed to Him by humanity. He died on a cross and rose again after three days, witnessing such in His glorified body over a period of 40 days to over 500 people, and ascended into heaven.



SANCTIFICATION – BEING CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST

●Obeying the fruits of the teachings of the church that prove salvation.

●Water baptism is considered one of the many fruits (e.g., good works, tithing, moral conduct, abstinence from alcohol, speaking in tongues, etc.) that must be evidenced not only to prove that the person is saved but also to secure their salvation.

●Salvation is conditional based on evidencing fruit.

●As for the forgiveness of sins, this took place on the cross for all mankind, and not at water baptism.

●Salvation/sanctification are not mutually exclusive.

Acts 17:30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, NASB

Repentance of sins is one of the conditions of salvation.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. NASB

Another condition for salvation is belief in Christ as to who [He is and what He] accomplished on the cross.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. NASB

The basis for someone becoming a child of God and entering His kingdom is by water (water baptism) and the Holy Spirit.

Mark 16:16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. NASB

Being baptized in water is another requirement for salvation.

Colossians 2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, NASB

However, water baptism does not forgive sins. The forgiveness of sins took place on the cross for mankind (believers and unbelievers). The words having forgiven are rendered in Koine Greek as an Aorist Middle Participle. When a verb is designated in the Aorist Tense with the description of being a Participle, this indicates that the action of the minor verb, i.e., having forgiven, precedes the action of the main verb, i.e., quickened. As you can see, translating any verse according to the English structure wouldn’t yield this unique relationship.

So, what this tells us is that all the sins of the Corinthian believers were forgiven before they repented and believed. The only place before salvation where all of their sins were forgiven was at the cross. Therefore, the perspective that not all sins were forgiven at the cross isn’t accurate.

Ephesians 1:12-13 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, NASB

Neither does water baptism cause the initiated to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is received when the person repents of their sins and believes in Christ.

Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, NASB

Maintaining one’s salvation is by obedience to Christ and those in church leadership.

Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? NASB

Christ tells us how we can know (distinguish) those who are true believers, i.e., by their fruits (water baptism, moral behavior, tithing, abstinence from alcohol, speaking in tongues, perseverance in faith). These fruits prove whether the person is saved. If these are not evidenced, either they were only a professed believer, or they lost their salvation.

Hebrews 6:4-6 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. NASB

Those who fall away (abandon their faith; return to an evil life) would signify disobedience to Christ, and thus would lose their salvation.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. NASB

Christians are to obey (follow their orders; do what they tell you to do) their leaders (the overseers of Christian churches) and submit to them (yield themselves trustfully to their teaching149; submit to their authority in all matters of doctrine and discipline150).

Are you ready to look at the final perspective on salvation/sanctification?

#3 SALVATION

Repentance of sins to God the Father and believing in who Christ is and what He accomplished on the cross for consenting persons for the forgiveness of sins for all mankind, and receiving the Holy Spirit, along with additional blessings that secure salvation.The message that describes who Christ is and what He accomplished on the cross is called the gospel.



SANCTIFICATION – BEING CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST

●Being taught by others or personal study, about who the believer is in Christ, and memorizing and reflecting upon them causes the believer to be filled with the Spirit, who enables them to be able to experience His presence (power).

●Developing the fruit (elements/qualities of character: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance) of the Holy Spirit by applying their spiritual responses in different situations allows each believer to be under the Spirit’s guidance, impulses, and energy.

●As the fruits are developed, the believer will be motivated to be baptized in water, perform godly works, volunteer to participate in church functions, give financially, etc. However, while these expressions might evidence the actions associated with godliness, they are not the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is Godly character that is first developed inwardly. Evidence of actions that might be associated with a particular fruit does not prove that someone is saved. Likewise, lack of evidence does not indicate that someone is not saved or has lost their salvation.

●Salvation is based on a person’s response to the gospel, which cannot be proven by evidencing certain actions or likewise be undone or lost by lack of obedience to the tenets of the Christian faith.

●Salvation is irrevocable; sanctification is conditional

By the way, the salvation message that is often presented to those who don’t have a personal relationship with God might be constituted by the words that follow, with the unbeliever repeating them silently or out loud.

I acknowledge I am a sinner. I believe in Jesus who died on the cross, paying the debt of my sin and forgiving (cancelling) the record of it.

God the Father, I acknowledge that I’ve sinned in many areas such as: not telling the truth; slandering others; having sexual relations outside of marriage; being jealous; having participated in alcohol or drug abuse; having sex with others of the same gender; having committed adultery; taking money from others in a deceitful manner; having committed rape; having engaged in pedophilia; etc.

I don’t want to continue in these mental, verbal, and overt sins anymore. I need a new nature, a spiritual nature.

I believe in you, Jesus Christ, as one of the members of the Trinity who as God pre-existed time; came to the earth and took on the form of a man, being born of a virgin (no sin nature); lived a sinless life; listened to and obeyed the directives of His Father; went to the cross and paid the penalty for and forgave the sins of the whole world; rose from the dead after three days, never to die again; walked the earth in His resurrection body for forty days, witnessing to over 500 people; and ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father.

Salvation occurs when a person responds to the gospel of Christ (repentance and belief) and receives the Holy Spirit.

2 Thessalonians 2:13

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth NASB

Salvation is through responding to faith in the truth (the gospel of Christ) and receiving the Holy Spirit.

John 3:5

Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. NASB

Whosoever is born of water (the gospel), and the Spirit shall enter the kingdom of God.

Salvation is irrevocable and sanctification is conditional.

Ephesians 1:12

to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, NASB

In this scenario, salvation and sanctification take on new meanings. Salvation is based on who Christ is and what He accomplished at the cross. When a person repents and believes, they receive the Holy Spirit by whom they are sealed. The verb sealed in Koine Greek is in the aorist passive indicative.

Aorist refers to the tense, i.e., the kind of action expressed by the verb. So, the sealing occurred at a point in time, at salvation. Passive tells us how the subject is related to the verb. At salvation, when the unbeliever repents of their sins and believes in Christ, they receive the sealing. The indicative is the mood that tells us whether the action of the verb is certain or factual. In this instance, it is certain that when someone repents and believes, they are sealed.

And what this seal refers to is the Holy Spirit Himself. “In the symbolism of [Scripture, a seal signifies (1) A finished transaction (Jeremiah 32:9,10; John 17:4; 19:30), (2) Ownership (Jeremiah 32:11,12; 2 Timothy 2:19), and (3) Security (Ester 8:8; Daniel 6:17; Ephesians 4:30)].” Thus, God places the Holy Spirit in us permanently…indicating that the great transaction by which God the Son paid for sin, thus satisfying the just demand of God’s holy law, is finished; that we saints belong to Him as His heritage and that [we’re] eternally secure.151 Just think about what beautiful truths are associated with the sealing of the Holy Spirit. He comes to indwell you permanently; He’s the mark that signifies that God owns you; that you’re eternally secure, and your salvation and future ascension to heaven is guaranteed.

You might ask: What evidence proves this?

The initial evidence is the person’s response to the gospel. How do we know they did? Simply ask them. Another indication could be the exercise of the gift of the Spirit that they received at salvation. Hopefully, as they grow spiritually, their character will align with the fruit of the Spirit.

As for the additional blessings received at salvation, please go to the book of Romans.

Romans 8:17

and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. NASB

We are God’s children and heirs—heirs (recipients of all spiritual blessing now152) both of God and joint-heirs with Christ (in the future [you’ll] share with the Lord Jesus in all the riches of God’s kingdom153).

As for the importance of developing the fruit of the Spirit that can replace unholy thinking and form new habits, turn to a later chapter in Romans.

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. NASB

Believers are instructed to be transformed by the renewing of [their] mind. The word transformed means to appear as a new person with new habits. How is this accomplished? This is accomplished by renewing your mind.

The words renewing of your mind mean a complete change for the better of the believer’s mental process. Another meaning is that God transforms our minds and makes us spiritually minded by using His Word. As you spend time meditating on [His Word,] memorizing it, and making it a part of your inner man, God will gradually make your mind more spiritual.154

When we focus on the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, and temperance), we will form new habits that will evidence Christlikeness to others.

Regarding the permanence of salvation, turn to Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; NASB

By grace (the source of salvation proceeding from that particular gracious act of God the Son in dying upon the cross to pay man’s penalty incurred by him through sin155), you have been saved (deliverance from a present spiritual death156) through faith (accepting grace; believing the gospel).

The verb saved in Koine Greek is in the perfect passive participle. Passive is the voice, i.e., how the subject relates to the verb. It means that these believers received the reality of being saved when they responded to the gospel of Christ. A participle denotes the reason why someone is doing something or why something is being done. Grace is offered to every person so that through faith they might become saved and receive eternal life—life with God forever. Perfect is the tense, i.e., what kind of action is expressed by the verb. Saved or the state of salvation occurred at a point of time in the past with present continual results, i.e., they remain in a perpetual saved state. Another way to say this is that these believers were saved and continue [to be] saved.157



As for sanctification being conditional, please turn to Galatians.

Galatians 5:25

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. NASB

If we live (wherein we are continually alive though sometimes inactive158; the new divine life resident in their beings159) in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (conduct themselves under the guidance, impulses, and energy of that life160). The word walk in Koine Greek is a present active subjunctive. The present tense denotes continuous action in the present. The active voice indicates that the subject produces the action. The subjunctive mood denotes the possible action of the verb if certain existing facts take place. Putting these together, here’s what we could deduce.

Whether these believers continually walk in the Spirit is a decision they’ll have to make. Exercising spiritual judgment to grow to maturity is a choice each of us must make daily. Therefore, progressive sanctification is conditional. This confirms that salvation is once and for all and isn’t affected by a believer’s choices over time.

Forgiveness of sins and receiving the indwelling Spirit do not occur at water baptism.

Colossians 2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, NASB

Ephesians 1:12-13 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, NASB

Obedience to Christ as evidenced by water baptism, moral behavior, tithing, abstinence from alcohol, speaking in tongues, etc., does not prove that someone is saved, and likewise, the omission of any of these does not indicate that the person has lost their salvation.

Hebrews 5:9

And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, NASB

2 Thessalonians 1:8

dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. NASB

The Apostle Paul was talking about a future judgment on those who do not know God(unbelievers). He says what it was that caused them to remain in their unsaved condition, which was that they did not obey (trust) the gospel; i.e., they refused to accept the good news when it was presented to them.

With that said, it can be deduced that Christ is the source of eternal salvation to those (unbelievers) who respond to the gospel message.

We should obey church leaders who watch over our souls.

Hebrews 13:17

Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. NASB

The word watch means to exercise constant vigilance over. Over what? Obedience to the Mosaic Law? No. Obedience to rules and commands? No. But rather over continuous concern for your souls. The word souls can mean the salvation of the [people, and] all the arrangements should be with that end.161 It also characterizes a person in the comprehensive [thorough understanding of vitality (the power to live or grow;162 mental vigor] through which he really is himself.163 Did you get what was just said? The following verses will clarify.

Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him NASB

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; NASB

That is what all of the doctrines of the Christian faith should be, i.e., to this end, to know who we are in Christ as the new man and be conformed to the image of God’s Son. This should be the main reason why we obey those in church leadership. And the rest will take care of itself.

Have you considered what this study says about the relationship between salvation and sanctification?

It can be enlightening and yet confusing. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Besides this, most of the foundational doctrines of the faith (e.g., the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the gospel, the atonement, the resurrection of Christ, etc.) are not agreed upon, along with what some call secondary doctrines (e.g., alcohol consumption, tithing, water baptism, good works, etc.). This brings us to the following question:

Have you ever wondered why there are so many Christian denominations?

Many articles address this question. I’ll leave you with one of them that provides an answer in a simple, matter-of-fact way. Enjoy.

WHY ARE THERE [SO] MANY DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY?

Christianity has evolved significantly in its [two millennia of existence, and Christians can sometimes be naïve or uninformed as it relates to issues of Christology] and theology; too often assuming that to be a “Christian” means to be “united” in views or theological beliefs. However, such is simply not the case. The Bible makes it quite clear that, from very early in its history, Christians struggled with [Christological] and theological issues. Indeed, in his two-volume history, The Story of Christianity (1:158), Justo González noted, “From its very beginnings, Christianity had been involved in theological controversies.” There has been a great deal of gray area over the centuries with [regard] to certain core doctrines, in addition to the rites or sacraments of the Church.

New Testament Diversity

Not long after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, you had a number of early divisions and disputes between congregations and practitioners (See, for example, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13). Additionally, early in Christianity’s history, there were divergences of opinions between Jewish and Gentile converts to the faith. (As an example, see Acts 13:45-46 & 15:23-30; Galatians 5:6 & 6:15) You also had diverse [Christological] “schools,” which thought very differently about Jesus’ nature, the ways in which He was human, and the degree to which He was divine. Each of these disagreements about theology and praxis led to the likelihood that Christianity would splinter into a variety of denominations.

Additional Divisions

By the 5th century, Christianity was still technically a singular “denomination,” per se, but it unquestionably had divisions or strains which had developed within the tradition—like the Nestorians, the Copts, and the Donatists—which began to function in very denominational ways. During the “Great Schism” of the 11th century, Christianity “officially” broke into two [strains,] which would become known as Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. [And] finally, by the 1500s, the Protestant Reformation was well underway, and Christianity was very, very fractured indeed.

When the Reformation began, there were tons of theological disagreements. Indeed, one of the major impetuses of the Reformation was the theological differences that certain individuals had with the then mainstream Church. The various reform movements would have [a significant influence on the look and feel of Christianity,] some breaking ranks with the Catholic Church, and others as spin-off movements from the Church of England. In many cases—particularly as it relates to denominations which severed ties with Anglicanism—breakoff begat breakoff, and literally thousands of splinter groups exist today as a result.

As human beings, we’re all hardwired differently. We resonate with certain doctrines and question others. We’re attracted to certain forms of liturgy and repelled by others. As the various concerns above suggested, Christianity has so many denominations because people think differently, interpret [Scripture differently, feel the Spirit of God differently,] and, as people found that one form of worship or doctrine didn’t meet their personal needs, they looked for one which did or, in some cases, started their own. For [these] and related reasons, there are currently an estimated 45 thousand denominations of Christianity.164

I’m sorry to say that this concludes our study. It has been my honor and privilege to be used by the Lord to write this book. My goal is to EDUCATE believers in the Christian faith by helping them:

●Understand that what constitutes salvation can vary from church to church.

●Become aware of the relationship between salvation and sanctification.

●Determine whether the evidence of outward fruit, such as water baptism, moral behavior, tithing, abstinence from alcohol consumption, speaking in tongues, performing good works, etc., proves that a person is saved.

This, however, doesn’t lessen the importance of a believer whose actions are good, because the Holy Spirit works in and through them.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

●Realize that there are two different kinds of fruits that are emphasized depending on the church you are attending. The first kind is outward fruit, and the second is inward fruit.

Outward fruit refers to obeying certain conditions that prove/evidence salvation.

Inward fruit pertains to the fruit of the Holy Spirit (e.g., love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance).

●Figure out whether exhibiting outward fruit should be based on being obedient to the declarations constituted by the theology of the church or by an inward renewal of the mind whereby the believer spends time learning about who they are in Christ, the many blessings received at salvation, and emulating Chist-like thoughts and behavior in response to the circumstances of life so that outward fruit is manifested in the filling of the Holy Spirit, i.e., with spiritual motivation.

And to note, this study was not written to criticize, repudiate, or debate a church’s theology on salvation and sanctification but simply to compare and contrast the different theological doctrinal platforms on these topics.



With that said, I would like to leave you with some closing thoughts.

Endnotes

149Weust’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament.

150Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

151Weust’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament.

152Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament.

153Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament.

154The Bible Exposition Commentary.

155Weust’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament.

156The Pulpit Commentary.

157UBS New Testament Handbook Series.

158Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary.

159Weust’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament.

160Weust’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament.

161Barnes’ Notes.

162Dictionary.

163Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005. BIBLESOFT.

WEB. 19 March 2026

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

164Alonzo L. Gaskill. “Why Are There [So] Many Different Denominations of Christianity?” 12 January 2026

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