Set apart for God
To sanctify means to set apart as holy. In the Bible, holiness is not mainly about looking more religious than other people. It is belonging to God and being shaped for his purposes. Paul calls believers God’s workmanship, created in Christ for a life that reflects his goodness (Ephesians 2:10).
The word entire means whole or complete. So entire sanctification describes a heart brought fully under God’s rule, where love for God and neighbour becomes the settled desire of a believer’s life. Paul prayed that God would sanctify the Thessalonian Christians wholly, including every part of their lives (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A gift of grace, not self-improvement
Christians who use this phrase usually mean that this work comes from God, not from sheer willpower. Jesus promised that those who remain in him bear fruit, while separated from him they can do nothing of lasting spiritual value (John 15:4-5). Holiness grows out of union with Christ.
That matters because nobody earns a clean heart by trying harder. David prayed for God to create a clean heart within him after his grave sin, and he asked God to renew a right spirit in him (Psalm 51:10). Entire sanctification is therefore received humbly, with trust, repentance and openness to the Holy Spirit.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Does it mean sinless perfection?
Faithful Christians answer this differently. Wesleyan churches often teach that God can so fill a believer with love that deliberate rebellion no longer rules the heart. They do not usually mean a person becomes all-knowing, incapable of mistakes, or beyond temptation.
Other Christians use sanctification to describe the lifelong process by which God steadily makes his people more like Christ. They point to Paul’s instruction to put off the old way of life and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24), and to his own confession that he had not already reached the final goal (Philippians 3:12). Both views agree that holiness is God’s work and that Christians must keep depending on him.
Love at the centre
The clearest mark of a sanctified life is love. Jesus joined wholehearted love for God with practical love for neighbour (Matthew 22:37-39). Paul says love fulfils the law, not because love ignores what is right, but because genuine love seeks another person’s good (Romans 13:10).
So this teaching should never make someone proud or anxious. If a person claims spiritual maturity while becoming harsh, dishonest or unkind, something is wrong. God’s Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness and self-control in ordinary life (Galatians 5:22-23).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Keep walking with God
Whether you call it entire sanctification, holiness, surrender or deep spiritual growth, the invitation is the same: offer your whole self to God. Paul urges believers to present themselves to God and allow their minds and lives to be renewed (Romans 12:1-2).
Ask God to show you where love is being resisted, then bring that honestly to him. Read the Gospels, pray plainly, make peace where you can, and stay connected to other believers. God is faithful, and the God who calls his people is able to continue his work in them (1 Thessalonians 5:24).