The relationship between justification and sanctification is delicate, complex and crucial in the understanding of our faith in Jesus Christ. The difference in being pronounced righteous the moment we believe and becoming righteous over a lifetime of following Jesus is often misunderstood and is easily confused at first glance. The tension between these two positions can be described as imputed righteousness versus infused righteousness.
When we compare justification with sanctification, we learn that justification is a legal standing and sanctification is an internal condition. While justification is entirely God’s work, sanctification is a collaborative effort between ourselves and God. Justification is the same for all Christians, however, sanctification is greater in some than in others.
When we sincerely believe that Jesus was the perfect atonement for our sins, that through Him our sins have been forgiven and that we stand justified before God, it is just the beginning of our journey. Sanctification is the journey of faith through which Christians become more like Jesus in both thought and action. It is the recalibration of their mind and heart that precipitates conformation into Christ-like behavior over time.
Spiritual growth is the maturation of faith and the transformation of our mindset from worldly values to spiritual values. When we answer God’s call to serve Him and share the love of Christ with others through various ministries, we live out our faith and experience growth.
2 Peter 1:3-11 teaches, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
GOD HAS PROVIDED US WITH EVERYTHING WE NEED
God has provided us with everything we need in order to live a godly life through His promises and example in the life of Jesus Christ. It is incumbent upon believers to apply the gifts God has provided in order to remain effective and productive in fulfilling His purpose in our lives. Every believer is called to live in submission to the indwelling Holy Spirit so that they will be empowered to overcome the desires of the flesh and produce godly fruit for His glory.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). This requires a reciprocal and collaborative effort to add to our faith (2 Peter 1:4-7). It also requires diligence to confirm our calling and election so that we do not stumble.
In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul advises, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” And in 2 Corinthians 13:5, He warns, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail the test!”
He compares this process to an athlete in training. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27).
Although God is at work in us, compelling us to imitate Christ, our role is not a passive one. Paul states in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”
God does not leave us stranded in our battle against sin and fleshly desires and calls us to join Him in the work of sanctification. Furthermore, we can be of assistance to other believers who may struggle by encouraging them, praying for them and edifying them. We can be gracious, knowing they may be at very different places in their sanctification journey.
The writer of Hebrews states, “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:12-13).
Grace has set us free from the law however it is not a license to flirt with sin. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that although all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial. A stagnant faith carries the risk of falling into temptation. While Christians have freedom in Christ, we are to use that freedom to serve others rather than seeking personal advantage or selfish freedom.
THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH
“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17). Not only does the gospel save us, it sanctifies us through a life of faith from the moment we believe to the moment we draw our last breath. It carries us through the storms of life and the moments we struggle with stubborn sinful desires.
In Romans 6:1-11, Paul emphasizes that Christians have died to sin and now live for Christ, therefore how can we continue to live in sin? And in 2 Corinthians 3:18, he states, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Focusing on Jesus compels inward change in the core of our being. Believing the gospel reconfigures our hearts and minds to the point of altering our behavior. In essence, the more we look at Jesus, the more He transforms us to look like Him.
When we truly come to terms with the depth of our own depravity, we quickly realize the magnitude of God’s grace. This recognition liberates us to live for God as we bask in His forgiveness rather than striving to satisfy religious constraints. Therefore, we find ourselves free to love and forgive others in light of the forgiveness we have freely received.
Loving others comes naturally once you fully appreciate Christ’s love for you by living the life He did and dying the death He endured. Jesus was despised by most people and hated by the people that were supposed to know God more than anyone. He died a horrible death in order to redeem mankind. He did all of this because of His love for us.
The process of sanctification is an incremental purification of a believer’s heart over time. There is an increasing awareness of how terrible sin is as we mature in faith and any lingering sin is perceived with more accuracy than it was when we first believed. Furthermore, sanctification is not only a more acute awareness of sin but an increasing desire to please God in everything we do.
The writer of Hebrews concisely sums up the relationship between justification and sanctification in Hebrews 10:14. “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” In other words, believers are declared “just” the moment they believe (justification). This is highlighted by the term “has” as in has made perfect – it’s a done deal.
The “who” is the same people who were declared “just” and are being made holy through sanctification. The relationship between justification and sanctification is paradoxical because we are declared perfect and then proceed to behave in a way to attain perfection, rather than striving to achieve perfection before we are declared perfect, which equates to salvation by works.
This is precisely what makes Christianity unique among all other religious enterprises. It involves working from a position of being saved not working for salvation. Sanctification is the result of justification rather than being a means to earn it.
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