Justification and Sanctification

Last Thursday, I sat down in a room of 5 boys, and, during our chapel time, discussed two basic Christian Doctrines that most adults don’t even understand. I’m not sure how much was retained, but what I do know is that it is something we will discuss again, and again, and again. Why? Because so many of us surround ourselves with the things of Jesus, but don’t know or understand Him at all. So, 5 boys (ages 9-15) and I discussed Justification and Sanctification.

For those who don’t know: Justification is what happens when you’re born again: it’s instantaneous. To be justified by Christ means you’re covered by His blood: His sacrifice paid your sin-debt to God. It is no longer the Law that judges you, you are instead under Christ’s righteousness, not because of anything you have done, but because Jesus died on the cross for your sins, He as buried and rose on the third day conquering death. And to receive this gift, you surrender to Christ, die to your flesh, and be raised up a new creation in Him (that is what baptism is: more than a symbol, you’re being crucified, buried and raised again a new creation in Christ, putting on Christ! Galatians 2:20; Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 3:21). Sanctification, however, is not performed by three miracles or a martyr’s death; it is the process by which God, through the Holy Spirit and His word purifies and makes you Holy unto Himself. This is a life long process, one in which God moves to make the believer Holy as He is Holy, by His power and His Spirit and His Word alone. As with justification, we cannot achieve it on our own, and this is the way God writes His word on our hearts that we might be a Holy people unto Himself (2 Timothy 2:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:3. 5:23; John 17:17; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 2:20).

Why should we know this? What’s the purpose of it? Simply put: we cannot save ourselves. We cannot stand before the righteous Law of God and be justified. Compared to God’s complete and perfect law, and He demands perfection, we will fail every time. So we can only be justified by the blood of Christ. But we’re not made perfect in this world, so where is our hope? By the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, throughout our lives, God is sanctifying us, making us like Himself, a Holy People pleasing to Him. If you have not, surrender to Christ! Be a people unto Himself! Seek His glory! Die, be buried and be born again, a new Creation in Him!

Galatians 2:15-3:14

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.