Sanctification after the new birth is accomplished through which means?

• A. Faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word; and by the Holy Ghost
• B. Faith alone
• C. The Sacraments
• D. Works of righteousness

Answer: (A)

Sanctification after the new birth happens as God at work in the believer through a threefold channel: faith in the blood of Christ, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. The blood of Christ provides cleansing and reconciliation, making it possible for real change to occur in the life. The Word reveals God’s will and renews the mind, guiding thoughts and actions toward holiness. The Holy Ghost dwells within, applying Christ’s redemptive work, empowering growth in grace, and producing the fruit of the Spirit. When these three work together—trusting in Christ’s cleansing power, allowing the Word to shape thinking and behavior, and yielding to the Spirit’s transforming power—sanctification progresses.

Faith alone misses the ongoing, Spirit-enabled renewal that the Word brings. Relying on the sacraments alone or on works of righteousness apart from the Spirit’s work also falls short, because true sanctification is a Spirit-enabled, Word-directed process rooted in Christ’s atoning blood.