Theological Tuesdays: Justification vs. Sanctification, Is there a Difference?

Today I’m gonna talk some about the difference between justification and sanctification and the importance of this difference. Sometimes you here these words a lot in church and they begin to loose meaning or they begin to be used interchangeably. Understanding this difference is really important and can be the dividing line between what is Christian and what is not, and what saves and what doesn’t save.

Justification can be defined as the work of God in the life of the sinner, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law. Justification occurs instantly and is based completely on Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). It is a free gift (Rom. 6:23) and is received by faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). No works are necessary whatsoever to obtain justification (Romans 5:1). This is what makes Christianity unique, and what makes it so loved and so hated.

“1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand… 6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:1-2, 6-8)

No other religion has this. Take Islam for example. Ask a muslim what allah has done for them. They can reply that he loves them or gave them the Koran or food and water, or safety. They can’t say for sure they are found guiltless and justified before allah, because they don’t know until they die and meet him. They believe in a work salvation. We have a God who claimed that the greatest act of love is laying down your life for your friend (John 15:13). He not only said this but he demonstrated this on the Cross. Jesus (a mere man and prophet to the muslims) performed an even greater act of love then their god. The muslim god is relaxing up in heaven never sacrificing a thing for his people, just sending food or rain when needed. I can’t serve a God like that. We have a God that loves us and proves that by making himself nothing and becoming like us (Philippians 2:5-11), and dying for us even when we were still sinners. He went through what we go through. He was hot and cold, hungry, tired, he wept, he was tempted, and he died. No other religion has this.

We are justified by Christ alone through faith and anything more undermines the sacrifice that He paid for our sins.

Sanctification, on the other hand involves the work of the person. It is still God working in the believer (Philippians 2:13) but requires effort on the part of the justified person to produce a more godly character and life. Sanctification is not instantaneous because it is not the work of God alone. It is a process where the justified person is resisting sin, seeking holiness, working to be godlier, and submitting to God's will. (Gal. 5:22-23). Justification does not depend on sanctification. This means even if we don’t live a perfect life, we are still justified.

Justification comes from God outside of us; sanctification comes from God within us by the work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we contribute to sanctification through our efforts but we cannot contribute to justification.

Does this mean that those justified by grace can sin as much as they want?

Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in it?" The Scriptures continually teach us that we are to live holy lives and avoid sin. Just because we are saved and eternally justified before God (John 10:28), is no excuse to continue in the sin from which we were saved. But we all sin and none of us are perfect, and there is a constant battle between the spirit and the flesh (Romans 7:14-20) and it won't be until the return of Jesus that we will be delivered from this body of death (Rom. 7:24). To use this free gift of grace as an excuse to keep sinning, is to reduce the blood and sacrifice of Christ to almost nothing (Heb. 10:29 and Heb. 12:15) and reveal the person's true sinful nature (1 John 2:4).

The importance of this difference:

Some religions mix these two together and form what is called works righteousness or works salvation. This is not what is taught in scriptures and cannot result in salvation. (Gal. 2:16). Paul says in Galatians 5:1-6 that when we try to be justified by the law we have been alienated from Christ and have fallen from grace. I mean think about it, even our best deeds are still stained and filthy before God (Isaiah 64:6). What makes us think that we can contribute to something that God alone can only do? (Galatians 2:20-21).

If it is having a works salvation such as in Roman Catholicism (not all Roman Catholics but a good many), Islam, Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses, or Mormonism. Or denying any of the main Christian doctrines (the deity of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and Salvation by grace alone) is to miss salvation.

Anything other than accepting God’s free gift of grace through our faith is not Christian and does not save you.

Well I hope you learned something today. It is easy to forget the meaning or mix the meaning of words we use commonly. I think learning this can have a great impact on your life and how you interpret what the Bible says. Anyway, respond with some thoughts and ideas, what you think, or whether you agree or disagree.