Group Sanctification

One mistake made by Catholic apologists and Protestant groups like Wesleyan branches is they seem to see sanctification in a personal sense to make us righteous enough for heaven; in most cases it is referring to sanctification of a group.

Sanctification is often the building up of the body of Christ.

Consider

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Each individual can be built up in truth, but this is speaking of the Church, specifically the truth that would be taught by Christ and the Apostles.

Catholics and Wesleyans tend to make it building the person to be acceptable by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:23-27 is also speaking of the Church.

Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Christ is the one who sanctifies us in baptism, and makes us acceptable, having died for us so that baptism would consummate our sanctification.

It is individual but covers the entire church. To be sanctified as the church one must be baptized. It is a group experience. Jesus redeemed rights through his death and then collectively cleansed it through water.

Thus, Christ sanctifies us, we do not sanctify ourselves of our own righteousness without Christ.

We also see this in I Corinthians,

.1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.