If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, chances are you’ve probably noticed that you still do things that you hoped you’d stop doing. Like, y’know, sinning. So why is that? 

Salvation is probably best understood as a process. There are elements of it that are in fact instantaneous, such as being justified by faith. When we are justified, we are declared to be in right standing with God through the righteousness of Christ. 

But that’s not the end of our salvation. 

After justification we undergo a lifetime of what is called sanctification, where we are continually made more like Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26; 2 Thess. 2:13). 

Sanctification as a present position and as a continuing process. So we are holy right now because God says we are holy, but we are also becoming holy day by day as every aspect of our lives is transformed to reflect the heart, mind, and character of Jesus.