The words justification and sanctification have ceased to be used to a large extent in Western culture; unfortunately, they also disappear from perspective in the Christian church. One of the reasons this decline is agonizing is that the Bible uses the words justification and sanctification to express Christ’s salvation. work for sinners. In other words, both terms are at the heart of the biblical gospel. So what does the Bible teach about justification and sanctification?How do they help us better understand the believer’s relationship with Jesus Christ?
The reason is as simple as ABC. Justification is an act of God, it does not describe how God regenerates and changes a person internally, but is a legal statement in which God forgives the sinner for all his sins, accepts and considers the sinner just before himself. sinner just when the sinner places his trust in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-26; 5. 16; 2 Corinthians 5. 21).
- What is the basis of this legal verdict? God justifies the sinner solely on the basis of the obedience and death of His Son.
- Our representative.
- Jesus Christ.
- Christ’s perfect obedience and full satisfaction with sin are the only foundation upon which God declares the righteous sinner (Romans 5:18-19; Galatians 3.
- 13; Ephesians 1.
- 7; Philippians 2.
- 8).
- We are not justified by our own works; we are justified solely on the basis of Christ’s work in our name.
- This justice is imputed to the sinner.
- In other words.
- In justification.
- God places the righteousness of His Son upon the sinner.
- Just as my sins were transferred to Christ or placed upon him on the cross.
- His righteousness is considered mine (2 Corinthians 5:21).
By what means is the sinner justified? Sinners are justified only by faith when they confess their trust in Christ. We are not justified by any good we have done, done or will do. Faith is the only instrument of justification. Faith adds nothing to what Christ has done for us in justification. Faith simply receives the righteousness of Jesus Christ offered in the gospel (Romans 4. 4-5).
Finally, the saving faith must be authentic in the production of good works. It is possible to profess saving faith, but not to have saving faith (James 2:14-25). What distinguishes true faith from a simple affirmation of faith is the presence of good works (Galatians 5. 6). In no way are we justified by our good deeds. But no one can be considered justified if he does not see in his life the fruit and evidence of justified faith; that is, good deeds.
Justification and sanctification are both through the gospel; they are still together; and both deal with the sin of the sinner. But they differ in several important respects. First, while justification refers to the guilt of our sin, sanctification refers to the dominion and corruption of sin in our lives. Justification is God’s statement that the sinner is just; Is sanctification god’s renewal and transformation in all our being?our minds, desires, affections and behaviors. United with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection, and inhabited by the Spirit of Christ, we are dead in the kingdom of sin and alive for righteousness (Romans 6. 1-23; 8. 1-11). Therefore, are we obliged to mortify sin and present our members to God as instruments of righteousness?(6. 13; see 8. 13).
Secondly, our justification is a complete and fulfilled act. The justification indicates that every believer is totally and definitively free from the condemnation and wrath of God (Romans 8. 1, 33-34; Colossses 2. 13b-14) . Sanctification, however, is a continuous and progressive work in our lives. Although every believer has come out of the bondage of sin once and for all, we are not immediately perfected. We will not be completely free from sin until we receive our resurrected bodies on the last day.
Christ bought both justification and sanctification for His people; both graces refer to faith in Jesus Christ, but in a different way; In justification, our faith results in us being forgiven, accepted, and considered righteous before God; in sanctification, this same faith actively and zealously accepts all the commandments that Christ has given to the believer. We dare not separate or merge justification and sanctification. We distinguished them. And in both thanks, we share the richness and joy of communion with Christ through faith in him.