Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Sanctification: Key Questions and Answers

What is sanctification according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, sanctification is "the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness." He also describes it as "the process whereby we are set apart for God from the world in Christ by the Spirit, and are being prepared for our eternal salvation in the glory everlasting with God." It's the process that follows justification, where God progressively makes us holy.

How is sanctification different from justification?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that while sanctification follows justification, they "must always be taken together as being fundamentally one in the eyes of God." Justification is God's declaration that we are righteous based on Christ's work, while sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming holy. He stresses that "sanctification is implicit in justification" - the moment God justifies a person, the process of sanctification has already begun. God doesn't merely declare us just without having "already decided that this man is going to be made perfect."

Does sanctification happen automatically or instantly?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones clearly rejects both notions. He states that sanctification "doesn't happen automatically" and is not "some process that takes place without our being involved." He also refutes the idea that it's "some sudden kind of experience" where "a man's heart is suddenly cleansed from all sin" making him "perfect and entirely sinless." The presence of exhortations and appeals in the New Testament epistles demonstrates that sanctification is an ongoing process requiring our participation.

What does it mean to be "dead to sin" as a Christian?

This is one of the most misunderstood concepts that Dr. Lloyd-Jones clarifies. Being "dead to sin" doesn't mean we're sinless or have no sin nature. Rather, it means we've been "taken out of the dominion of sin" - we've changed kingdoms. Using an illustration of changing citizenship, he explains that just as someone who changes nationality might still carry characteristics of their former country, Christians still struggle with sin but are no longer under its authority or jurisdiction. Sin "may influence you, but it has no power over you."

How does being "under grace" rather than "under law" affect sanctification?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that every person is either "under law" or "under grace" - there's no middle ground. The Christian has been transferred from being under God's law (which actually stimulates sin in our fallen nature) to being under grace. He states, "You are under the reign of grace. You were under the reign of sin. But the Christian is no longer under the reign of sin." This new position empowers sanctification because we're now under a new government, new authority, and new influences that promote holiness.

What is the most liberating truth about sanctification according to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that "the most liberating discovery" he ever made was understanding Romans 5-7, "particularly chapter 6." The liberating truth is that Christians are in "an entirely new position" and "relationship to God." We are "in Christ" rather than "in Adam," meaning we've been fundamentally transferred from one realm to another. Understanding this positional truth frees us from endless defeat and the sense that we can never overcome sin.

How does Lloyd-Jones describe our relationship to the law in sanctification?

The Christian is "dead to the law" - not because the law is bad, but because we've been freed from its jurisdiction. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the law actually stimulates sin in fallen humanity: "Tell a man not to do a thing. He wants to do it all the more." Rather than being under law, which energizes sin, Christians are under grace, which empowers righteousness. This is why "present day moral teaching, without the power of the gospel" only makes society worse rather than better.