“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified”
Sanctification should be understood as perpetual rather than progressive, meaning that we are already sanctified through the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ, and this sanctification continues to be effective in our lives. When we place our faith in Jesus, we are immediately made holy and set apart for God’s purposes. This state of holiness is not something we strive to increase or achieve through effort, but rather a gift we receive at salvation. However, sanctification is also a continuous process, in that the Holy Spirit perpetually applies the reality of our holiness to our daily walk. This means we are both already sanctified and continually being sanctified, as we live out the holiness we have received in Christ. Understanding sanctification this way highlights the completed work of Christ while acknowledging the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in conforming us to the image of Jesus.
In Hebrews 10:14, the phrase "those who are being sanctified" uses the Greek verb ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) in the present passive participle form. The Greek text for this phrase reads:
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14, NKJV)
The present passive participle in Greek indicates a continuous or ongoing action being performed upon the subject. In this case, it means that believers are continually being sanctified by an external source—God, through the Holy Spirit—based on the completed work of Christ.
Let’s break down how the tense impacts our understanding of sanctification:
1. Completed Action with Lasting Effects (Perfected by Christ’s Offering)
"He has perfected forever" refers to a completed action in the past with permanent results. The Greek verb for "perfected" (τετελείωκεν, teteleiōken) is in the perfect tense, which indicates that Jesus’ sacrificial offering happened in the past and its effects are ongoing and permanent.
This means that through Christ’s one-time offering, believers have already been perfected (made complete) in terms of their standing before God. This standing is forever secure and does not need to be repeated or supplemented by additional efforts.
2. Sanctification as an Ongoing Process (Being Sanctified)
The phrase "those who are being sanctified" uses the present passive participle. This verb form indicates that sanctification is an ongoing action that began when we put our faith in Christ and continues to be applied to us daily by the Holy Spirit.
Present tense: Suggests that sanctification is continual and ongoing.
Passive voice: Indicates that the action is being done to us, not something we do ourselves. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit, not our own efforts.
3. Past Sanctification with Ongoing Effectiveness
When we are sanctified by Christ's offering, we are sanctified in God’s sight. When we were justified, we were also set apart for God’s holy purposes. This happened at the moment of our salvation, and it was a one-time act.
Hebrews 10:10 – "And by that will, we have been made holy (sanctified) through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
This verse uses the perfect tense in Greek, indicating that the action of being made holy is complete but has ongoing results.
In other words, at the moment of salvation, we were sanctified, set apart as holy, and that sanctification continues to be effective every day of our lives. This is a perpetual state of holiness that we live in.
4. We Don’t "Become" More Sanctified; We Walk in Our Sanctified State
Because of this, sanctification is not something we must strive to achieve or increase through our own efforts. Instead, it is a completed work that was initiated in the past and continues to apply today.
We don’t "become more sanctified" through good works or behavior. Instead, our daily walk involves living in the reality of the sanctification that has already been accomplished in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:30 – "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness (sanctification), and redemption."
Christ is our sanctification, meaning that in Him, we have already been made holy. We simply walk out the holiness that He has given us through His Spirit.
5. The Ongoing Work of the Holy Spirit in Sanctification
The ongoing, perpetual sanctification is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, not by human effort. As believers, we are continually being conformed to the image of Christ through the Holy Spirit’s power, but this is the application of the holiness we have already received.
2 Corinthians 3:18 – "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
The transformation here speaks to the ongoing work of the Spirit making us live out our sanctified state, not us trying to become more sanctified.
Summary:
Hebrews 10:14 explains that by Christ’s one-time offering, we have been perfected forever, and we are now continually being sanctified. This sanctification is a past event that is continuously effective because of Christ’s work.
Our holiness is not something we achieve through effort; rather, it is a state that we are placed in by God. We live in the reality of our sanctified state by yielding to the Holy Spirit’s work within us.
We are sanctified (set apart as holy) at salvation, and this sanctification continues perpetually by the Spirit.
Therefore, believers don't strive to "become more sanctified." Instead, we are called to live out the holiness that we have already received in Christ, as the Holy Spirit applies this sanctification to our lives every day.
➡️ For free sermons on this topic, check out this series: Repent and Believe the Gospel
