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Romans 6 (part 2): Progressive Sanctification
- Passage
- Romans 6 (part 2)
- Taught
- February 22, 2026
- Series
- Romans: Verse by Verse
- Length
- 46 minutes
Summary
Grace not only saves us; it changes us. A common misunderstanding of the Christian life is that because we are saved by grace, growth in holiness is optional. In Romans 6:15–23 Paul takes that issue head on. Justification is a finished work, but the life that flows from it is meant to be transformed over time.
Paul uses slavery as a metaphor: everyone is shaped by what they repeatedly obey. Before Christ, sin was our master and produced shame and death. Now we are set free and are learning, day by day, to live under a new Lord. This is progressive sanctification, a continual, Spirit-empowered movement away from sin and toward righteousness. Our obedience does not earn salvation, but it reveals a heart being reshaped by the gospel.
Sanctification is not instant perfection but steady transformation, marked by new desires, new habits, and a growing joy in obedience. The goal is to see the Christian life not as striving to be accepted, but as learning to live freely, faithfully, and obediently as people who now belong to God.
Questions to think about
- Where am I seeing new desires and habits? Where do I still need to grow?