Sanctification vs. Justification

I just read and amazing blogpost on the difference bewteen sanctification and justification: http://carm.org/justification-and-sanctification
These are 2 important terms that’s every believer should know. Reading this really brought peace 2my spirit in knowing that I am saved and have eternal life because of Jesus did and not because of what I do after believing in Jesus.

If you are a believer please take time to know how you are saved. If you ate not a believer, become one! Even as a Christian myself for a long time I thought I was going to heaven simply because I did what God wanted me to do. I was obedient. Obedience doesn’t get us to heaven, salvation does. I’m not going because I am obedient, I am going because I have been saved by the grace of God through my faith in believing that Jesus lived and died as my substitute. He shed his blood specifically for me (and for you too).

The Bible teaches that salvation is a FREE gift. If it is a gift, then we can’t earn it. We simply receive it. Receive what’s already yours!

Back to sanctification and justification: Justification is an instant process that occurs when we believe on.Christ. He justifies us as now being worthy of heaven. It is a legal act that comes with being born again and totally handled by God. We don’t justify ourselves, God does. It makes me think of Justin Timberlake’s album JUSTIFIED. Sancitification, on the other hand, is a process. Sanctification is the act of being made holy or conformed to the image of Christ. So, not only does God want us to accept Jesus as our atoning.sacrifice, He also wants us to be like Jesus. This is a process that is worked from the inside out over a prior of time. Namely, our entire lifetime. The reason it is a process is because it involes and effort made by us and God (we’re the ones that determine the speed of the sanctification process). It involves us turning away from our sins, growing spiritually, spending time with God and renewing our mind by studying and believing Scripture.

Not everything happens when we get saved. When we get saved, we get saved. Some people’s mind and attitudes change instantly, for others, like myself, its a process. When I got saved I was still bossy, still mean to my brothers, still lied and gossiped. But over a period of time I began to have a change of heart: I didn’t want to lie anymore because I knew God didn’t like it. I stopped gossiping (by the power of the Holy Spirit- I thought it was impossible to not gossip), I realized (after many years) that it was not okay to try and rule.over my brothers and make them behave perfectly.

Don’t fear not being fully sanctified. Look at the disciples, they imperfectly followed Christ: James didn’t believe until Jesus was crucified (and Jesus was his own brother)! Peter loved the Lord, yet denied him. Even stopped following Christ once Christ was crucified! Yet he returned to the Lord and went on to preach to thousands.Thomas doubted, yet went on to spread the Gospel to India. I have been afraid of having an imperfect walk with the Lord, yet I find comfort in reading about the imperfect lives of the disciples and knowing that whoever comes to Jesus, he will in no way reject (John 6:37)

An awesome post on Jesus not rejecting us: http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2010/07/whoever-comes-to-me-i-will-never-cast-out.html

Where are you in your sanctification process? Have you noticed any changes since being born again?