If you've spent any time in church, you've probably heard the word sanctification. It sounds heavy, but the idea behind it is one of the most encouraging truths in the Christian life: God isn't finished with you yet.
What does sanctification mean?
To sanctify means to set apart or to make holy. In the Bible, sanctification describes how God sets believers apart for Himself and then shapes them, day by day, to look more like Jesus.
It isn't a self-improvement plan. It's God's work in us. And according to Scripture, it's His will for every believer:
"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification." (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
Three ways the Bible talks about sanctification
1. Set apart: it's already done
When someone puts their faith in Christ, they're set apart as God's own. That part isn't earned and doesn't depend on a good week or a bad one. It rests on what Jesus already did:
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
2. Growing: it's happening now
This is the "in progress" part. Believers are being changed over time: patience where there used to be anger, forgiveness where there used to be grudges, peace where there used to be worry.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Notice the words from glory to glory. It's a process, not a single moment. And we take part in it, while God does the real work:
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13)
3. Complete: it will be finished
One day the work will be complete. Every believer will be fully made new:
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)
Why "in progress" is good news
A lot of Christians feel like failures because they still struggle. They still lose their temper, still worry, still fall short. Sanctification reframes that. Struggling doesn't mean God has given up on you. It means He's still working.
Even the apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, said he hadn't arrived:
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after." (Philippians 3:12)
And he gave this promise to every believer:
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
God finishes what He starts.
What sanctification looks like day to day
Sanctification isn't usually dramatic. It looks like small, steady change. The Bible calls it the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).
Some everyday ways believers grow:
- Time in the Word. Reading Scripture renews how we think.
- Prayer. Honest conversation with God, including about the areas where we still struggle.
- Community. Church, small groups and friends who encourage and hold us accountable.
- Repentance. Turning back to God quickly when we fall, instead of hiding.
- Grace for others. Remembering they're in progress too.
Wear the reminder
We created the Sanctification in Progress collection as an honest, everyday reminder that the walk of faith is a journey. Not perfect. Not finished. But held by a God who doesn't quit.
- Sanctification in Progress Cross T-Shirt
- Sanctification in Progress Embroidered Crewneck
- Sanctification in Progress Canvas Tote Bag
- Sanctification in Progress Sticker
Wear it to Bible study, to church or just to remind yourself on a hard day: He's still working.