Theology 101: Justification & Sanctification

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace[a] with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1-2

I used to like formatting my papers with the “justify” setting in Word. I’ve always been a little obsessive compulsive when it comes to organization and neatness and the “justify” setting makes every line appear perfectly even. But if you look closer, the spacing in between words isn’t the same – you must choose to see the perfection of the whole paragraph instead of the imperfections inside it.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5 that we are justified by faith in God. The NLT puts it this way, “we have been made right in God’s sight.” When we accept by faith what Jesus did for us on the cross, we are justified. God pardons our sin, declares us “not guilty!” and accepts us as His children. He chooses to see us as righteous.

Why does God do this?

The Sunday School answer is because He loves us. And that answer isn’t wrong. God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8) The more complete answer is that God saw our helplessness and because He loves us, He made a way.

So, are we righteous when we are justified?

Yes! And no. Yes, justification means we are delivered from the penalty of sin. We are clean, forgiven, and free! The new creation has come: the old has gone the new is here! (1 Corinthians 5:17) But it isn’t long before temptations return, sins are committed, and our imperfections are back on full display. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41) That doesn’t mean God no longer sees us as righteous! But it does mean He wants more for us.

Enter sanctification. The process by which a follower of Christ becomes more and more like Jesus. Sanctification has both positive and negative elements. It removes the power of sin from the life of the believer and adds the ability to walk in joyful obedience to God. All of which is made possible by God’s grace through the working of the Holy Spirit.

How are we sanctified?

In some respects, we are sanctified the same way we are justified. By God’s grace. Just as we are powerless to close the gap sin creates between us and God, we are powerless to bring about change in our lives. Thankfully, God doesn’t “save” us and leave us. Just as the Father sent the Son, He sent the Holy Spirit as our Advocate and Helper. It is by the grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are sanctified.

So, do we just hang out and wait to be sanctified?

Nope! The nature of God’s grace is co-operant. It is prevailing, but it isn’t forceful. We are to work out our salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. (Philippians 2:12) A life of good works – act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly (Micah 6:8) – is a natural response to God’s saving grace.

There are also certain avenues or “means of grace” which open us up to the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. These include baptism, communion, reading and meditating on Scripture, and prayer. And, since we are designed to be in relationship, being an engaged member of a faith community is a vital part of the spiritual journey.

Wait a minute, if God sees us as righteous after we are justified why bother with the hard work of sanctification?

Justification and sanctification are two parts of salvation. Too many believers equate salvation with “going to heaven.” Yes, God wants us to spend eternity with Him. So much so that He sent His only Son to die in our place! But Jesus didn’t stay dead. His death freed us from the penalty of sin and His resurrection freed us from the power of sin. The Christian life need not be a continual struggle against sin and shame. By God’s grace we can be both justified and sanctified! And we should want to be both.