[Forest Keeper]

Hello Kolo. Great to see you again. I hope you and yours are well.

This is very odd theology, at least to me; "positionally...righteous in Christ"? Just what do you mean?

I happen to agree with this explanation in Positional Sanctification. Here is an excerpt:

...... “Sanctify,” means “set apart for God’s exclusive use.” Our sanctification is past, present and future. We have been sanctified, we are being sanctified and we shall be sanctified. These three aspects speak of our positional sanctification (1 Cor. 6:11; 1:2; Heb. 10:10), experiential or progressive sanctification (1 Pet. 1:6; 2 Cor. 7:1), and ultimate or perfect sanctification (1 John 3:1-3).

Positional sanctification is also called our standing with God or status sanctification. We are called “saints” and “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 1:7). It is status, position or relationship with God. All believers are classified as “the saints” (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 10:10, 14; Jude 1). Therefore, sainthood or sanctification, is not an attainment, it is the state into which God, in grace, calls sinful men, and in which they begin their course as Christians (Col. 3:12; Heb. 3:1).

Positional sanctification relates to the fact that the believer has been redeemed and cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We have been forgiven all of our sins and placed in a new relationship to God. “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10, NASB 1995).

Positional sanctification is true of every believer. We have once and for all been set apart for God. This is why we are called “saints” because that is what we are in God’s sight. We have been sanctified and are holy before God. We are accepted in the Beloved.

The greatest incentive for holy living is our position before God.

We are not now righteous in ourselves, but we are accepted in the righteousness of Christ. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB 1995).

Our positional sanctification is just as perfect as Christ is perfect. Just as much as He is set apart, we who are in Him are set apart. It is our vital union with Christ. Positional sanctification is as complete for the poorest and weakest believer as it is for the strong and mature. Our positional sanctification depends only on our union and standing in Christ. In this standing before the Father the believer is righteous and accepted before Him forever.

All believers are sanctified positionally. However, sinless perfection will not be achieved in this life. Glorification of the believer is when we stand complete before the Father in a resurrected glorified body. Then we shall be sinless and perfect.

The apostle Paul indicates the status or position of the believers in Christ at Corinth. He writes his letter “to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling” (1 Cor. 1:2). In 1 Corinthians 6:11 he writes to believers recalling their conversion saying, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:9-10 tell about their lives before they trusted in Christ.

The author of Hebrews sees the believer accepted, forgiven, sins expiated by the sacrifice of Christ and already sanctified. “We have been sanctified . . . are sanctified” by the once for all perfect sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:10, 29; 2:11; 9:13-14; 10:14; 13:12). This position never ever changes.

Our positional sanctification is true regardless of the degree of one’s spirituality. Our progressive sanctification is progressive during our whole earthly Christian life. Our future or ultimate sanctification will not be fulfilled until we see Jesus in His glory. The Corinthian believers were “sanctified” in the sense of being set apart and yet were “carnal.”

Our positional sanctification as stated in Hebrews 10:10 is an action completed in past time with present results. We are now permanently sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Christ has satisfied fully, freely, and forever every claim of the holy law of God against us. God has righteously judged all our sins through the death of Christ.

So, again to be clear the righteousness is not of ourselves at all. It is only Christ's righteousness that allows us to be saved and sealed in the Holy Spirit in the present time, even though we are yet still sinners in this world. This positional aspect of sanctification is what allows assurance of salvation and assurance that God's promises apply to us as believers, etc. As a status this would be comparable to the juridical aspect of what we call justification. Christ's action justified us and gave us the permanent status of being positionally sanctified IN Christ.

[kosta50]

I happen to agree with this explanation in Positional Sanctification

I find it interesting that in making a case for this concept, the author makes not a single reference to any of the four Gospels. Why is that FK? Could it be because Christ never taught such nonsense (and no, 1 John is not a Gospel).

Your source says

However, sinless perfection will not be achieved in this life. Glorification of the believer is when we stand complete before the Father in a resurrected glorified body. Then we shall be sinless and perfect.

This is not even Christian! What scriptural reference does he have for this? Also, how do you stand before the Father and not the Son and the Spirit, and, second, just when will the "saints" be perfected? At the instant of their death? Where does Jesus teach that?  Isn't perfection something we attribute only to God? Or does he suggest that believers will become God?

“Sanctify,” means “set apart for God’s exclusive use.” Our sanctification is past, present and future. We have been sanctified, we are being sanctified and we shall be sanctified. These three aspects speak of our positional sanctification (1 Cor. 6:11; 1:2; Heb. 10:10), experiential or progressive sanctification (1 Pet. 1:6; 2 Cor. 7:1), and ultimate or perfect sanctification (1 John 3:1-3).

To which is say Baloney! 1 Cor 6:11 presupposes that the "washed"  and the "sanctified" are not—to borrow Paul's own words—of those who will not inherit the kingdom, namely the fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, etc., all of which will many Protestants be until their last breath no matter how much they have convinced themselves they abide in Christ and are made "just" by the his blood. [1 Cor 6:9-10]

Reference to 1 Cor 6:11 presupposes the "washed" are none of the above, and then some, and frankly I don't believe there are many in this world who are not a little bit of everything Paul considers unfit for the kingdom of heaven, the feel-good kumbaya self-congratrualtory rituals the Protestants perform for themselves every Sunday notwithstanding.

As for "progressive sanctification" supposedly mentioned in 2 Cor 7:1, it all boils down to Paul calling on the "saints" to cleanse themselves "from all defilement of flesh and spirit".   To which I say: why bother, when every one "knows" for sure these "saved" will be made "perfect" at the end of their sinful life no matter what they do, think or say?!

And if they so hate sin (supposedly), now that they have been "regenerated," why do they need prodding by their idol Paul? Shouldn't that come to them "naturally"? I guess not.

And what about 1 Peter 1:6 your source uses as evidence of "experiential or progressive sanctification"? It speaks of trials (persecutions) which has nothing to do with sanctification, but calls on perseverance in faith, as hope for a better future promised them. Peter calls on the Christians to offer themsleves to God as sacrifice, imitaing Christ, that is to martyrdom.

Finally, your author also embellishes his worthless claims with 1 John 3:1-3 as scriptural backing for the assertion of the "ultimate perfect sanctification".

Verse 2 in particular says that we really don't know yet what we will be, but (somehow) we "know" [sic] that, when Christ appears, we will be [just] like him (!)—because we will see him just as he is (?).

It seems to me that if they are going to be like him, as pure as he is, they will be perfect (i.e. divine). It sure seems like he knows what they will be even if he says he doesn't! I am sure the Mormons delight in in these verses as much as your author does.

And then verse 3 says that everyone who has this hope (in the previous verse he says "know") purifies himself as Christ is pure. What happens, pray tell, with someone who is "born again" yesterday and dies today? How can he purify himself as pure as Jesus is pure in one day? Or is there some magic involved?

But then 1 John says that

"He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.  No one who abides in Him sins" (1 John 3:5-6)

Well, then, this tells me there is not a single person on this earth "who abides in him", not one. So much for progressive sanctification, let alone final purification!

That whole essay, which on its face looks impressive, given all the biblical verses used as references, falls apart when these references are examined, and reveals that much of the holiness some people convinced themselves of is nothing but a feel-good delusion.

The sad thing is that it makes decent people feel good about themselves, but it also does much more people like Andrea Yates. She is also "saved" and "holy" in God's eyes, pure as snow, and destined to heaven. If Protestantism is true Christianity, I am glad I don't qualify as a Christian. In fact, I am proud of it.