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Progressive sanctification

Many of us are familiar with the following distinction (from the New City Catechism): 

Q: What Do Justification and Sanctification Mean?
A: Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us.

Sanctification, or, more precisely, progressive sanctification is the gradual process of change by which we actually become more holy. 

Whereabouts in Scripture is this taught? 

There are certainly plenty of instances of the command, "Be holy." (e.g. 1 Cor 7:34) 

But where does the Word speak of the gradual process of progressive sanctification?

I have found what appear to be two clear references which use the language of holy/sanctify to describe this ongoing process. 

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

"Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." (2 Cor 7:1)

See also: 1 Peter 1:22; Hebrews 12:14. 

There are also other passages which speak about the same process, but using different paradigms: 
  • levels of glory (2 Corinthians 3), 
  • increased conformity to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29), 
  • a good work begun and to be completed (Php 1:9), 
  • ongoing renewal (Col 3:9-10, 2 Cor 4:16), 
  • being transformed (Romans 12:2). 
  • ongoing growth (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:1) 
  • striving towards the finishing line in a race (Philippians 3)

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