Justification the work of a lifetime, Sanctification the work of a moment January 20, 2008
Posted by faith in religion.trackback
The word for justification in the greek is dikaioma. It has been defined as “declaring righteous in a legal sense” (ISBE).
Sanctification is commonly thought of as a life-long process by which one becomes more and more Christlike.
They have been portrayed as being in opposition. In reality they are the words used to describe salvation in different contexts — legal and ceremonial. They overlap in meaning and you cannot have one without the other.
For me it works to look at it this way (though this might not be accurate):
Justification is “being in Christ.”
Sanctification is “Christ in us.”
Justification gives you PEACE. It promises you can leave your old life.
Sanctification gives you POWER. It proves you can live a new life.
We need to remember every day, in faith, that we have been justified. This allows us to rest in the assurance that God will see us through. And at that very moment, we can be everything God wants us to be. In that way, Justification can be the work of a lifetime and Sanctification the work of a moment.
—
Work is to faith as heat is to fire.
