We Believe that Justification and Sanctification are wrought by Jesus Christ

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Justification and Sanctification

Up next in our We Believe… Series we are looking at 2 very important words in the bible.
Justification and Sanctification are theological doctrines that fall under the broad heading of Soteriology, or the Doctrine of Salvation.
1 Corinthians 6:11 NASB95
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
They are not the same thing but they are related in our salvation. Althouigh sounding theological, they are both extreemly practical and should not be ignored.
Today we will first look at Justification and then Sanctification and we will see how they relate to each other.

Justification.

The bible has a lot to say about our justification.
Romans 5:1 NASB95
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
So what does Justification mean and how does it affect us?
Well there is a very simple explantion and a more complex one, the simple explanation of what it means to be Justfifies is that “Its Just-If-I’d never sinned”.
When a person is justified, it is just as if that person had never sinned, ever.
But lets look at the more detailed explanation:
Justification is the act whereby God declares the sinner righteous.
When you trust in Jesus Christ, he transferes HIS righteous onto you.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
On the cross, the perfect Jesus, took on himself all of the worlds sin, so that we might take on his perfection, like a trade.
But lets look closer at the defenition:
Justification is the ACT...
By act we mean single event. Justification is not a process. It is single event when God imputed onto you the full righteousness of Jesus Christ.
This imputed righteousness never goes up and never goes down, and it is the same for every single christian.
Every single christian is as righteousneas as the next because every single christian has been imparted with the same full righteousness of Jesus.
A christian who has been saved for 5 minutes is as righteous as the pastor who has been saved and preaching the gospel for 5 decades.
Where God BECLARES...
Justification does NOT MAKE the sinner righteous, God delares the sinner righteous.
This is very important and we will see how this relates to Sanctification a bit later.
If God MADE the sinner righteous, then the sinner would be perfect and live perfct from that day one, biut asd we know that is not the case. Even now for me, i still have unrighteous thoughts that pass through my head.
Anger, envy, lust - They still make the odd aperance. This is because God did not make me righteous, He declared me righteous.
Thus my daily struggle of carrying my cross, good days and bad days, does not in any way impact on my salvation.
Because when God deasls with me or you, He does so based on the imputed righteous of Christ and not our own.

Sanctification

Sanctification is a little more complex than justification.
Justification is an act of God.
Romans 8:33 NASB95
33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;
Sanctification is also an act of God, but there is also a cooperative aspect to it.
The best way to understand sanctification is to understand that there are 3 parts to it.
First of ll, what does sanctification mean?
It means set aside for God’s use. So when we talk about our sanctification we are speaking aboout our being set aside for God, our holiness.

1: Positional antification

Positional sanctification relates to our position is Jesus Christ.
At the moment of our convewrsion we recieve a new position.
John 1:12 NASB95
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Positionaly that is what we are - we are children of God, through Jesus Christ.
Very much like justification, when God see you he sees the righteousness of His Son, Your position before God is that of His Son.
Galatians 3:26 NASB95
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Farley straignt forward.
However, even though you are sons of God, you know, as well as i do, that we do NOT always behave or think like sons of God.
The sons of God dont hold grudges, they dont lust, they dont envy, they dont dont neglect prayer, they dont neglect bible study… Yet at times we do.
This brings us to our next part of sanctification:

Experientual Sanctification

This has to do with our personal experience of being sanctified to live holy.
You and I, as children of God have been giving a calling.
1 Peter 1:16 NASB95
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Our calling is to be holy.
From the moment of our conversion, we strive each day to fulfil that calling.
Ephesians 4:1 NASB95
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
Each day that goes by, as we learn to follow the Spirit, become obedient to the Word, our lifestyle comes more and more in line with our calling.
When we are born again, although we are declared sinless, our behavior does not instandly become sinless.
Rather each and every day after we sin less.
Lets o back to our previous illastration:
christian who has been saved for 5 minutes is just as righteous as a pastor who has been saved for 5 decades.
This is true.
However, the lifesytle of the seasoned pastor will be closer to the christian calling than the new convert because the pastor has learned obedience through the years.
The pasrtor is not sinless, but he should certanly sin less that the new convert who may have many habits still to be delt with.
This is what Paul said:
Philippians 3:12–14 NASB95
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Then finally we have:

Ultimate Sanctification/Glorification

This of course is attained when we go to heaven. At that moment we are fully rid of the World, the Flesh and the Devil. There are no more temptation, no more evil, no more sin.
Romans 8:30 NASB95
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
My friends one day you will be as you are called.
There will be no more pain, sin or sorrow.
Revelation 21:4 NASB95
4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Conclusion:

The absolute wonderful news about justification and sanctification that our position and our identity in Christ.
You, as a born again believer who is justified, you have been declared righteous by God. and you have been placed into the position of Sonship by his grace.
Justification and sanctification are our victory cries.
They give us reason to rejoyce and be thankful.
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