--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In Christ every believer has a…" description: "\"“In Christ every believer has a once-for-all positional holiness, and from this new identity every Christian is commanded to grow in the ongoing-for-yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/kevin-deyoung-1086_believers_in-christ-every-believer-has-a-once-for_880794.png" --- # In Christ every believer has a once-for-all positional… ![“In Christ every believer has a once-for-all positional holiness, and from this new identity every Christian is commanded to grow in the ongoing-for-your-whole-life process of holiness (Phil. 2:12–13). As David Peterson puts it, “Believers are definitively consecrated to God in order to live…” quote by Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/kevin-deyoung-1086_believers_in-christ-every-believer-has-a-once-for_880794.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/kevin-deyoung-1086_believers_in-christ-every-believer-has-a-once-for_880794.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cc/kevin-deyoung-1086_believers_in-christ-every-believer-has-a-once-for_880794.png) > ““In Christ every believer has a once-for-all positional holiness, and from this new identity every Christian is commanded to grow in the ongoing-for-your-whole-life process of holiness (Phil. 2:12–13). As David Peterson puts it, “Believers are definitively consecrated to God in order to live dedicated and holy lives, to his glory.”4 In other words, sanctified is what we are and what we must become.”” [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Holiness is presented as a lifelong, God‑empowered process rooted in a believer’s new identity, urging continual growth toward spiritual maturity. **In simple terms:** Holiness is a lifelong growth from a new identity. Key Takeaway Pursue daily spiritual growth. Themes faith holiness identity spiritual growth Mood reverent encouraging Type theological practical When to use this quote - personal devotion - church teaching - small‑group study Key Concepts sanctification grace obedience Questions to Reflect On - How does your identity in Christ shape daily choices? - What practices help you experience ongoing sanctification? A Different Perspective Holiness can feel burdensome if misunderstood as legalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believers/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Holiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiness/) ## Related quotes > [One of the central motivations for holiness in the New Testament is to be who you are, to understand your identity and your union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/one-of-the-central-motivations-for-holiness-in-the-new-testament-is/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“Holiness is new affections, new desires, and new motivs that then lead to new behavior. If I don't see my sin as completely forgiven,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-braun/holiness-is-new-affections-new-desires-and-new-motivs-that-then-lead/) [Tyler Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-braun/) > [If we would be sanctified, our course is clear and plain—we must begin with Christ. We must go to him as sinners, with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/if-we-would-be-sanctified-our-course-is-clear-and-plain-we-must-begin/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Legalism is a problem in the church, but so is anti-nomianism. Granted, I don't hear anyone saying, 'Let's continue in sin that grace may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/legalism-is-a-problem-in-the-church-but-so-is-anti-nomianism-granted/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“Do you know why so many Christians are caving on the issue of homosexuality? Certainly cultural pressure plays a big role. But our failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/do-you-know-why-so-many-christians-are-caving-on-the-issue-of/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. No one succeeds at the highest level in sports without working out. No one makes it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/scripture-is-profitable-for-training-in-righteousness-no-one-succeeds/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Expecting perfection from ourselves or others is not what holiness is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/expecting-perfection-from-ourselves-or-others-is-not-what-holiness-is/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“There is a gap between our love for the gospel and our love for godliness. This must change. It’s not pietism, legalism, or fundamentalism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/there-is-a-gap-between-our-love-for-the-gospel-and-our-love-for/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“If the possibility of holiness is so plain in the Bible, why do we find it so hard to believe? Probably the biggest reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/if-the-possibility-of-holiness-is-so-plain-in-the-bible-why-do-we/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“We’ve been told there is a good person in all of us. We’ve been shown in a thousand movies that the purpose of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/we-ve-been-told-there-is-a-good-person-in-all-of-us-we-ve-been-shown/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“The pursuit of holiness is not a quixotic effort to do just what Jesus did. It’s the fight to live out the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-pursuit-of-holiness-is-not-a-quixotic-effort-to-do-just-what/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [The Holy Ghost has called me by the gospel and illuminated me with his gifts and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/the-holy-ghost-has-called-me-by-the-gospel-and-illuminated-me-with/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“The soul can only be sanctified with the Truth!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-soul-can-only-be-sanctified-with-the-truth/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [My grandmother has passed away, but she was sanctified. I would not want anyone in the church to judge her because of what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-brat/my-grandmother-has-passed-away-but-she-was-sanctified-i-would-not/) [Da Brat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-brat/) > [I knew what the sanctified life was not. Not a life filled with more rituals, more scrupulously observed. Not more praying. Not becoming a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-l-ochs/i-knew-what-the-sanctified-life-was-not-not-a-life-filled-with-more/) Vanessa L Ochs ## More by Kevin DeYoung > [“Worry about the future is not simply a character tic, it is the sin of unbelief, an indication that our hearts are not resting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/worry-about-the-future-is-not-simply-a-character-tic-it-is-the-sin-of/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/there-is-nothing-gray-about-whether-a-follower-of-christ-should-see/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [A catechism is simply a tool for teaching the fundamentals of the faith. Unlike a creed or confession, a catechism uses questions and answers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/a-catechism-is-simply-a-tool-for-teaching-the-fundamentals-of-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Live for God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/live-for-god-obey-the-scriptures-think-of-others-before-yourself-be/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Busyness kills more Christians than bullets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/busyness-kills-more-christians-than-bullets/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Grace is free, but it's not cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/grace-is-free-but-it-s-not-cheap/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [If there really is a perfect will of God we are meant to discover, in which we will find tremendous freedom and fulfillment, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/if-there-really-is-a-perfect-will-of-god-we-are-meant-to-discover-in/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/seek-first-the-kingdom-of-god-and-then-trust-that-he-will-take-care/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [There is no sin so prevalent, so insidious, and so deep as the sin of fearing people more than we fear God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/there-is-no-sin-so-prevalent-so-insidious-and-so-deep-as-the-sin-of/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“The pursuit of holiness is not a quixotic effort to do just what Jesus did. It’s the fight to live out the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-pursuit-of-holiness-is-not-a-quixotic-effort-to-do-just-what/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Offendedness is just about the last shared moral currency in our country. And, I'm sorry, but it's really annoying. We don't discuss ideas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/offendedness-is-just-about-the-last-shared-moral-currency-in-our/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [The finality of Christs redemption for us is intimately tied to the finality of his revelation to us. . . . If we say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-finality-of-christs-redemption-for-us-is-intimately-tied-to-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Everything before Jesus is preface. Everything after Jesus is appendix. Jesus is the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/everything-before-jesus-is-preface-everything-after-jesus-is-appendix/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Sometimes feeling overwhelmed is part of what it means to be a Christian. You can't bear somebody else's burden unless you are taking something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/sometimes-feeling-overwhelmed-is-part-of-what-it-means-to-be-a/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“Faith and good works are both necessary. But one is the root and the other the fruit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/faith-and-good-works-are-both-necessary-but-one-is-the-root-and-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) [Explore all 295 Kevin DeYoung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) ## More Believers quotes > [“the believers in China exhibited a constant joyfulness in the midst of harsh circumstances. I never heard them deny or down-play the danger. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nik-ripken/the-believers-in-china-exhibited-a-constant-joyfulness-in-the-midst/) [Nik Ripken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nik-ripken/) > [“If our leaders are not passionately driven by the right beliefs, we are headed for disaster. At the same time, if believers cannot lead,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-mohler/if-our-leaders-are-not-passionately-driven-by-the-right-beliefs-we/) [Albert Mohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-mohler/) > [There are believers who by God's grace, have climbed the mountains of full assurance and near communion, their place is with the eagle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-are-believers-who-by-god-s-grace-have-climbed-the-mountains-of/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Believers in political faith-healing enjoy a supreme immunity from doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/believers-in-political-faith-healing-enjoy-a-supreme-immunity-from/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [“Worship of God is not restricted to believers alone”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/worship-of-god-is-not-restricted-to-believers-alone/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [I don't think the problem that we have today is overzealous believers. I think the problem we have is underzealous believers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-laurie/i-don-t-think-the-problem-that-we-have-today-is-overzealous-believers/) [Greg Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-laurie/) > [Scripture is not inerrant; believers are called to interpret biblical texts in light of tradition and reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/scripture-is-not-inerrant-believers-are-called-to-interpret-biblical/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“The evangelical wing of the Church spends a lot of energy on being "born again" but little time on "growing up" again. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stockman/the-evangelical-wing-of-the-church-spends-a-lot-of-energy-on-being/) [Steve Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stockman/) > [“We as believers cannot be effective in offering others hope and forgiveness when we're not living in the light of that hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-courtney/we-as-believers-cannot-be-effective-in-offering-others-hope-and/) [Vicki Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-courtney/) > [It takes practice to use one's eyes, even when God has opened them. And there are some believers who never get beyond confounding a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-clay-trumbull/it-takes-practice-to-use-one-s-eyes-even-when-god-has-opened-them-and/) [Henry Clay Trumbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-clay-trumbull/) > [... if we are ashamed to imitate our Lord's sufferings, which He endured for us, and to suffer as He suffered, it is obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/symeon-the-new-theologian/if-we-are-ashamed-to-imitate-our-lord-s-sufferings-which-he-endured/) [Symeon the New Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/symeon-the-new-theologian/) > [A dominant misconception among believers is that their atheist brethren are a slavering pack of hell-bound debauchees, gleefully wining and wenching their way through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/a-dominant-misconception-among-believers-is-that-their-atheist/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [God expects believers to improve their attitude in giving as well as their giving itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/god-expects-believers-to-improve-their-attitude-in-giving-as-well-as/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [We have become dangerously comfortable- believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/we-have-become-dangerously-comfortable-believers-ooze-with-wealth-and/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) [Browse all 470 Believers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In Christ every believer has a once-for-all positional holiness, and from this new identity every Christian is commanded to grow in the ongoing-for-your-whole-life process of holiness (Phil. 2:12–13). 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