Not Just Saved, Being Changed: The Beauty of Sanctification (WLC Q75)

If you belong to Christ, you have probably asked questions like, “Why do I still wrestle with the same sins?” or “If I’m really saved, why don’t I feel more holy by now?” We know the Bible promises that God not only saves us from the penalty of sin but also changes us from the inside out, yet the process can feel slow, messy, and discouraging. That’s why the Westminster Larger Catechism’s teaching on sanctification is such a gift. It doesn’t just give us a neat definition; it gives us a rich, comforting, and realistic picture of how God actually works in His people over time. After raising the question, “What is sanctification?” it answers like this:

“Sanctification is a work of God’s grace by which those whom God has chosen to be holy before the foundation of the world are, in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit, applying the death and resurrection of Christ to them, are renewed in their whole person after the image of God. The seeds of repentance that leads to life and all the other saving graces are put into their hearts, and those graces are stirred up, increased, and strengthened, so that they more and more die to sin, and rise to newness of life.”

From this one answer, we can trace the entire story of the Christian life: its source, its security, its power, its process, and its goal.

Sanctification: A Work of Grace, Not Self-Improvement

The first thing we learn is that sanctification is “a work of God’s grace.” That means it is not just you trying harder, setting stricter rules, or pushing yourself to become a “better Christian.” Sanctification is not spiritual self-improvement; it is God Himself actively working in you. The same grace that saved you is the grace that sanctifies you. That is not to say that we play no part in our sanctification. Paul writes in Philippians 2:12-13, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” God’s work in us does not cancel our effort; it creates and sustains it. When you see any real hatred for sin, any sincere desire to obey God, any flicker of love for Christ and His people, that is already God’s grace at work. This should be humbling, because there is no ground for boasting, but it should also comfort us, because our growth does not finally rest on our strength but on God’s faithful work in us.

Chosen for Holiness Before the Foundation of the World

The catechism also reminds us that this work of grace flows out of God’s eternal choice. It speaks of “those whom God has chosen to be holy before the foundation of the world.” This is not language that the Westminster divines came up with on their own. It is Paul’s language from Ephesians 1:4. When you feel discouraged by how slowly you seem to be growing, you can look past your current weakness and anchor your hope in God’s eternal purpose. He chose you in Christ not only to be forgiven but also to be transformed. Your sanctification is grounded not in your feelings, but in God’s unchanging will, and that reality gives deep stability to a very up-and-down experience.

The Spirit Applying Christ’s Death and Resurrection

What God planned in eternity, He carries out in time. The catechism says that this happens “through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ” to believers. Sanctification is not God shouting from heaven, “Do better!” It is the Holy Spirit taking the finished work of Jesus—His life, death, and resurrection—and applying it to every part of your life. Because Christ died, sin no longer has the right to rule over you. Because Christ rose, you now share in His new life. Every time you resist a temptation you used to bow to, every time you repent and confess instead of hiding and excusing, every time you choose obedience when it is costly, that is the Spirit applying the cross and the empty tomb to you personally. Sanctification is not about moving beyond the gospel; it is the gospel applied to every aspect of our lives.

Renewed in the Whole Person After the Image of God

The catechism goes on to say that believers “are renewed in their whole person after the image of God.” That means sanctification is not just about cleaning up a few obvious habits or avoiding a handful of “big sins.” God is not content with the surface-level. He is renewing your whole person: your thinking, your desires, your attitudes, your words, your choices, and even how you use your body. Sin has tarnished the image of God in us, but it has not destroyed it. In Christ, God is restoring that image, making us more like Himself in holiness, love, mercy, truth, and righteousness. This renewal touches everything: how you treat your spouse and children, how you handle money, how you respond in conflict, what you look at online, and how you speak when no one from church is around. Sanctification is God’s work of remaking you to look more like Jesus in the ordinary details of your life, and He calls you to actively “put off” the old self and “put on” the new (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Seeds of Grace Planted and Grown

The catechism then uses a beautiful image when it says, “The seeds of repentance that leads to life and all the other saving graces are put into their hearts.” When God saves you, He does not hand you a fully grown tree; He plants seeds. The seed of repentance is planted, so now you can truly turn from sin instead of just feeling bad and staying the same. The seed of faith is planted, so now, even when you struggle with doubt, there is a real trust in Christ at the core. Seeds of love, humility, patience, and hope are planted too. At first, these may feel small and fragile. Your repentance may be mixed with selfish motives. Your faith may feel weak. Your love may be feeble. But God is not finished. The catechism says those graces “are stirred up, increased, and strengthened.” Over time, through the Word, prayer, trials, and the fellowship of the church, God waters and grows what He has planted, and what begins barely visible slowly becomes more stable and more evident. And as Peter exhorts us, we are to “make every effort” to add to these graces (2 Peter 1:5-7), working diligently because God is already at work in us.

More and More Dying to Sin and Rising to Newness of Life

All of this growth is described in a very practical way: believers “more and more die to sin, and rise to newness of life.” This is the daily shape of sanctification. On one side, there is a real dying to sin, not just avoiding consequences but learning to hate the sin itself because it offends the God you love. On the other side, there is a rising to new life, choosing righteousness, joyfully obeying God, and learning to delight in what pleases Him. The phrase “more and more” is crucial. Sanctification is progressive. It does not happen all at once. It is often slow, like a tree growing, not fast like a firework exploding. You may feel like your growth is three steps forward and two steps back, but if you look over years rather than days, you may see that God has indeed been changing you. Hebrews 12:14 calls us to “strive for…holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” That striving is a real, earnest, costly effort—but it is an effort continually upheld and energized by the Spirit of God.

Living in the Hope of God’s Ongoing Work

So if you are in Christ and feel stuck, hear the good news of this catechism answer: you are not trapped in a story of self-improvement; you are held in a story of divine grace. The God who chose you before the foundation of the world, the Christ who died and rose for you, and the Spirit who dwells within you are all committed to your holiness. Because He works in you, you really can “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12-13). Sanctification may feel slow, but it is certain and never passive. Today, by that same grace, you can turn from sin again, trust Christ again, and actively take up the means of grace—Scripture, prayer, the gathered church, obedience in the small things—and take another step in newness of life. As you strive, you do so with the steady confidence that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of Christ Jesus, and that every Spirit-empowered effort toward holiness is a real part of that good work.

Soli Deo Gloria