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quickly and completely, but it just takes us a while to figure that out. Some say we can actually reach full sanctification—or perfection in love—in this lifetime (this is a common belief in the Methodist tradition). But another perspective that comes from John Calvin, and is elaborated on by others, says that sanctification is a daily gift and a continuous process.
We are never free from sin— there is no notion of perfection here.
Our movement away from sin and toward holiness—or the res- toration of God’s image in us and the new life in Christ—is a slow evolution that takes daily doses of God’s grace.
In this sense, sanctification is countercultural. There is no instant gratification. There is no fast- track, high-speed Internet method of sanctification. There is no magic formula or a set of criteria that means we are sanctified.
Calvin teaches that, “We must move steadily forward, and though entangled by vices, daily fight against them” (Calvin, Insti- tutes, III.iii.14). We are able to do this because of the Holy Spirit, who always gives us the upper hand in the struggle.
We do see progress and growth in sanctification. I appreciate Cal- vin because he is a realist. He urges Christians not to set ridicu- lously high goals for themselves, such as the attainment of perfec- tion. He insists that it is better to set small goals and make small steps of progress unceasingly in the journey toward the sanctified life (Calvin, Institutes, III.vii.5).
The second question: Where can we see this sanctification happening?
The basic answer to that ques- tion is that sanctification is par- ticular—it happens in our lives. And it happens in the life of the church and within communities.
The 18th century German theo- logian Friedrich Schleiermacher had some thoughts on this sub- ject. According to Schleiermacher, the new life in Christ is particular to each individual because of each person’s “personal idiosyncra- sies” (Schleiermacher, CF, §121, p. 561). Sanctification involves the whole person and all the circum- stances that they face in life.
To illustrate this, Schleiermacher uses what he calls the “sphere of vocation” or “the sphere of sanc- tification.” For Schleiermacher, as well as Calvin and many other Reformed thinkers, vocation isn’t just about our occupation. Voca- tion is about our whole life. God may call us to specific work, but God also calls us to relationships, to the service of others, to an authentic, well-rounded, full life.
of social obligation” (Niebuhr, Nature and Destiny, 190). The character of sanctification is best described by Niebuhr as mutual love. This is true in the realm of culture and society as much as in the realm of the heart.
In being sanctified, we become increasingly aware of the world outside ourselves, of our obliga- tions in love toward that world and even of the obstacles to that love. This is not naive love, nor is it immature love. Indeed, it is the opposite. It is eyes-wide-open love and the striving toward love that extends beyond the self and the familiar. It is difficult love. It will not be perfect love, but it is God given and directed.
Through sanctification, Chris- tians live under this normative law of love. We who have been graced, then, must be intimately involved with the world through efforts of peace-making, the achievement of justice and through reconciling love.
Tillich adds another principle or mark of sanctification for us to consider—increasing relatedness. This sign of sanctification has to do with compassionate relatabil- ity and investment in others, as well as getting to know our own true self. There is a healing within ourselves that needs to go on in each of our relationships. And in this sense, sanctification includes a reunion with one’s own self who is made, created and gifted by God (Tillich, Systematic Theology, vol 3, 234). And at the same time, there needs to be an increasing connectedness with those around you and the ability to band together for God’s common purposes.
In trying to tie together these various signs of sanctification and the character of the new life in us, a metaphor or image may be helpful. Let’s think of friendship.
A friendship is both a gift and at the same time demands some- thing of us. Often, friends come into our lives in unexpected ways as a blessing when we most need it. Friendship may grow out of an immediate need (for exam- ple, meeting each other in a sup- por t group), a par ticular context (such as a university campus), or a particular time in life (maybe parents who all have children at a similar time).
Friendships are par ticular, unique to our time and place. In communities, also, friendships have distinct qualities. It is often because of these particularities that friendship become such a gift to one’s life. To maintain the gift of friendship, much is required. There is no set of rules to follow and no defined way of acting in each situation. But there are marks of good and healthy friendship.
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Our vocation includes all of those things. God is at work within our vocation, illuminating ways we can journey towards holiness, right at our fingertips.
We can use the sphere of voca- tion as a tool for ourselves or for our faith community. It can helps us figure out who we are, and what opportunities God is giving us right now to take a step closer to holiness.
The sphere of sanctification incorporates one’s individual situation in the world, one’s par- ticular challenges to activity, the powers or abilities at a person’s command, knowledge of sur- rounding conditions and how all these things interrelate (Schleier- macher, CF, §112, p. 522).
In other words, God doesn’t expect us to be someone we are not. God works with us, where we are, to bring us closer to God, to restore the image of God’s fullness in us, to help us act in mutual love. Our sphere of vocation can and will change sometimes. And change always brings different possibilities and new oppor tunities to become more Christ-like—as individuals and as the church.
The third question: How do we know that sanctification is happening?
Many theologians tell us that there are signs of sanctifica- tion that we can see. This is not to say that there is a measuring
scale of sanctification. Reformed theologians caution against trying to judge someone’s level of sanc- tification. This is another distinc- tion of the Reformed tradition with respect to other traditions of the wider catholic church—we can- not single out individuals and rate their level of holiness.
Twentieth century theologian Paul Tillich says that one of the principles that marks the pres- ence and progress of sanctifica- tion is “increasing awareness” (Tillich, Systematic Theology, vol 3). People and communities on a journey toward holiness are becoming increasingly aware, and there is a double-sidedness to this awareness. First, there is growing recognition of the hu- man predicament and the forces that work against human beings at every turn. At the same time, we become more aware that the answers to those great predica- ments are found in the One in whom we find both the Ground of our Being and our Ultimate Concern. What are the great obstacles and are we aware of them? And how is the Spiritual Presence of God constantly at work to affirm the power of life and its vital dynamics despite all of life’s ambiguities?
Another theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, adds to this. The life of grace and the process of sancti- fication, he says, always includes “a constantly increasing sense