Biblical Theology Research Paper
John Whitley
CLED 300-D01
5/3/2014
Biblical Theology Research Paper
Introduction:
God has a plan for all of mankind shaping them into his very image over a lifelong
process called sanctification. God’s goal is to make us holy and allow his glory to be a constant
reflection of our daily lives. The Holy Spirit plays a vital part cleansing the believer from the
inside out. Once the unbeliever receives God’s gift of salvation this process begins to take shape
slowly over time. The character and attitude of the believer begin to change as does the believers
daily lifestyle. The believer no longer repeats sinful patterns even though they may struggle at
times with certain issues. This sanctification process is defined by Elwell like this, “To make
holy.” [Wal01] This in no way means that the believer will magically be made perfect as some
would lead you to think. This just means that the process of making the believer holy has now
begun. This process of sanctification is intended to form and inform Christian leadership by
changing the conduct and character of the believer.
“Sanctification is a continual process of God, based on the finality of justification, where
as a result of daily faith the Holy Spirit is operative in the believer’s life, which purifies and
frees the believer for good works, operating within the community of believers-the church,
where the Word and sacraments are present.” [Elm69] Martin Luther is describing a continual
process by which the believer is made holy. This process begins the moment a non-believer
confesses Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior. The new believer will still continue to
struggle with sin at times even though he/she is becoming a new creation. The new believer must
now learn Godly morals and values and practice living a holy lifestyle. For instance, if the new
believer is 28 years old upon conversion, it will take some time before they can fully shed the
