Right With God Right Now (Romans Commentary)
Sanctification
is the fruit of justification. So you could call sanctification a reflected
brightness or color. Sanctification is a derivative of justification. God gives
his gifts with both hands. He does not justify anyone he does not sanctify. You
cannot accept the death of Christ without accepting his risen life. The first
look at the cross is, "He died for me." The second look is, "I
died with him." "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer
live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20 NIV). Romans p. 15 [.pdf pagination]
Never
think of justification as something that happens solely at the beginning of the
Christian life, as though,
once you are justified, you then roll up your sleeves and say, "We'd
better get on with this business
of
sanctification or we will lose our justification." No! No! Justification
is over you all the time, like the sun.
Like the pillar of cloud in the desert that sheltered Israel from the
heat.
Justification
and sanctification are like two railroad lines that run side by side all the
way, all the days of your
life. They may look as though they merge and join on the horizon. The fact is
they run parallel, side by
side, all the way. In other words, every minute of your standing before God
does not depend on how you are doing, but on how Christ has done. That is the
good news of the gospel. Romans p.19
So,
it is very important to distinguish but not separate these two things:
justification and sanctification. One adheres
on the outside, the other inheres on the inside. One is based on what Christ
did for me. The other is based
on what Christ does in me. The first is perfect, complete and one hundred
percent. The second is not, because God is doing it in me, and that is
miserable terrain to work in. Ibid. p.20
In
Paul's discussion on acceptance and in his discussion on justification,
"righteousness" and "faith," "just" and
"faith," are linked together thirteen times in thirteen verses. They
are never so linked in his discussion on
sanctification. It is so important to understand that sanctification, or being
made righteous, is the fruit of the
gospel. It is not the gospel. It is the result of the gospel. Ibid. p.29
Distinguish
but do not separate, otherwise, you will not be able to see the glory of Christ
in his finished work
on the cross. This work was for us, and gives us a perfect standing with God in
a moment. That is justification.
The fruit of justification, of being declared righteous in Christ, is the
coming of the Holy Spirit
into your life. This is sanctification, which always follows justification.
Ibid. p.29
Sanctification
only begins our being made like our Lord Jesus Christ. It is never complete in
this life. There is no
perfect Christian, even if he or she has been a Christian for a hundred years
and trying to be just like the
Master. The nearer we come to Christ, the more we confess our unlikeness to
Christ. Inherent perfection
is fully accomplished only by the change of glorification when Christ returns.
"The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Thevery
best people on earth can only offer litanies of guilt continuously. At the same
time, because of the gospel,
they can shout, "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ
Jesus" (see Romans 8:1). Ibid. p. 29
Sanctification
is always the fruit of the gospel. It is not part of righteousness by faith. It
is the result of it. The
"righteousness of faith" (which, according to Martin Luther, is the
article of a standing or failing church) is justification by faith. Ibid. p.31
Come
with me now, please, to chapter 4 of Romans. This chapter is an expansion on
how we are restored to God.
Christ has done the necessary work, but we must believe. You see, there is
"Christ for us" and there is "Christ in us." We appropriate
Christ for us by faith alone. When we do that, the Holy Spirit comes
into our heart. Then sanctification begins.
The
moment you believe, the Spirit comes in. That is because you are declared
righteous enough—in Christ —to
receive the Holy Spirit. (There is no other way sinners can be holy enough.)
Now God is for you, not against
you. Now you can say, "I am never left alone. I need never feel
inadequate."
Jesus
said, "I will come to you" (John 14:18 NIV). The coming of the Holy
Spirit is the coming of Christ. Any
religion that elevates the Spirit above the Son is not a Christian religion. It
has Christians in it, but it is not a
Christian religion. That is because the Spirit does not speak of himself (John
16:13).
It is a mistake to have
a religion speak all the time about the Spirit over and above the Son. The
Spirit is very important, but Jesus said, "He will not speak of himself.
He will witness to me. I send him to you." The coming of the Spirit into
our life is the coming of Christ, and that is the beginning of sanctification. Ibid. p. 40
Chapter
4 [of Romans] tells us how sanctification begins to work. Sanctification
begins when we receive the Holy Spirit. But we cannot receive the Holy Spirit
until we are holy.
The only way we sinners are counted sufficiently holy to receive the Holy
Spirit is through having Christ's
perfect righteousness imputed and reckoned to us. We can say then that
sanctification begins with justification. In fact, it cannot begin until we are
first justified.
Please
do not confuse what I am saying with the idea that justification merely begins
the Christian life or that
we do not need justification once we are sanctified enough. This would imply
that we sinners could somehow become so skillful at holy living in this world
that God would accept us for what we are—not what we are counted in Christ! We
need justification all the time, every step of the way, like a rainbow arching
over our whole life span. However, justification does begin sanctification.
There is no other way to receive the Holy Spirit, the Agent of sanctification,
except by being declared as holy as Jesus through faith in the Savior. Ibid. p.40
"We
rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2). Paul jumps from
justification—being justified by faith—to the hope of glorification. When we
are transformed and we receive a new, spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44), we
rejoice in hope of the glory of God. He does not even mention sanctification.
Sanctification is an inevitable and essential part of Christian experience, and
a wonderful part.
But
Paul says (paraphrase): "if you have begun and you are looking unto Jesus,
well, that is it! All I can see is
you in Christ now and you in Christ then. Already I see you at
the end and completion of your journey with
Christ, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God." For Paul, everything is so
certain in Christ, that when we are justified by faith, why, that is the same
as already being in glory. Ibid. p.49
Our
first look at the cross is, "He died for me." Our second look is,
"I died with him." He died for me, that is justification. I died with
him, that is what brings sanctification.
We
all have loads of besetting sins. If you do not think you have, ask your
spouse! Your spouse will tell you
all about them. We all have besetting sins. To recognize them is step number
one. And Romans 6:11 helps us recognize the reality. "Count yourselves dead
to sin." It is telling us that in ourselves we are still very much alive
to sin— we have many besetting sins. In Christ, we are to count ourselves as
though we do not. P. 64
Quoting
John Calvin: “Likewise, by the word grace, we understand both parts of
redemption, that is, the forgiveness of sins, by which God imputes
righteousness to us, and the sanctification of the spirit, by whom he forms us
anew to good works .... The apostle is desirous of accompanying us and
preventing us from growing
weary in striving to do what is right, because we still feel many imperfections
in ourselves.
However
much the stings of sin may torment us, they cannot subdue us, for we are enabled
to
conquer
them by the Spirit of God. Since we are under grace, too, we are freed from the
strict
demands
of the law. We are to understand here, moreover, that the apostle takes it for
granted that
all
those who are without the grace of God are bound by the yoke of the law, and
held under its
condemnation.
So, on the other hand, we may argue that as long as men are under the law, they
are
subject to the dominion of sin. ( Romans, pp.
130-131) Ibid. p.71
Paul,
by this summary in verse 14 of the first section of Chapter 6, has answered the
charge of
antinomianism
and shown clearly that sanctification is implicit in the inevitable
consequences of
justification. Ibid..71
Sanctification—a
Growth in Love
Having
said all that in chapter 5, Paul wants to tell us: "Listen! This is what
will happen in your life as a result.
These are the changes that will come." This is what we call
sanctification. We are not saved by sanctification, but no person is saved
without it, because God always gives his gifts with both hands. He justifies no
one that he does not sanctify.
What
is sanctification? Is it doing great things? No. Sanctification is a growth in
faith, hope, love,
prayerfulness,
and praise. Sanctification is the flowering and maturing of the fruit of the
Spirit.
The
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 NIV) All the fruits in this list are simply various
forms of love. Joy is love in ecstasy. Temperance is love holding the reins.
Patience is love under the burden. They are all forms of love.
Sanctification
is growth in love. Remember, love is not a passion. The love the Bible talks
about is not an emotion.
It results in emotion, but it is not an emotion. It is not some emotional
high—Hollywood version. It is a principle of unselfish living, whereby we want
the
best for all men and all women. That is true love.
The
Principle of Sanctification
In
this section of chapter 6 and 7 on sanctification, there are three sections on
sanctification.
The
first section contains the principle of sanctification. We noticed in the first
dozen or so verses of
Chapter
6 that Paul says (and I paraphrase), "When you see that you died on Calvary , sin loses its power." The
principle of sanctification is identification with Christ in his death. You
must reckon that you are dead.
Whether
it is pride, or impurity, or selfishness, or tobacco, or alcohol, or sheer
meanness, you have to
reckon
that you are identified with Christ in his death, and that the old way of life
is over. It is so if you believe
it. That is the key factor.
Your
old nature was brought to nothing by the decree of God when he saw you in your
Representative, Christ.
When you understand that, sin will no longer have a claim on you. It will try
to, but you can say, "You
have no claim on me. I am dead."
A
young woman was asked to go to a questionable dancing party. She refused.
"This institution is under new
government," she said. That is true of all Christians. We are under new
government.
Now
you understand the importance of Romans 8:5. "Those who live in accordance
with the Spirit have their
minds set on what the Spirit desires." Whatever you set your mind on,
ultimately controls you. That is the
principle of sanctification.
The
Practice of Sanctification
Paul
then talks about the practice of sanctification. He likens the practice
of sanctification to a subject serving a king, a servant working for a master,
and a wife caring for her husband. Paul climaxes the practice of holiness in
sanctification by saying (and I paraphrase), "Look, when you are united
with Jesus in his death, when you are one with him in your life, then the fruit
of holiness appears spontaneously. It cannot be otherwise."
You
all know the many jokes made about human love. The man courting his sweetheart
says, "I will climb the
highest mountain. I will swim the widest ocean." Then we usually have a
few lines on the other side about
his being too lazy to drive to her house and pick her up. These stories show
that humanity is not as good
as it sounds. But the principle is right: Love leads you to lavish everything
on your beloved. You cannot be captured by the love of Christ and be
unresponsive to that love. When we are married to Christ, we bring forth the
fruit of holiness.
The
Preventive of Sanctification
Paul's
third section on sanctification is the preventive of holiness. Here we
come to the obstacle, the
barrier.
I always think of a great man called George Romaines, who said, "Blessed
be God for the seventh of
Romans." I have echoed that same beatitude many times—and you will too as
we begin our next study. This whole
seventh chapter tells us that the law is as helpless to sanctify us as it
is to justify us. It is Jesus we need: First, Last, and Always! Ibid pp. 73,74
I
want you to see the picture Paul is painting with words. (And we need to
remember this is still in the section
on sanctification.) Here is a person who delights in the law of God. This
person's will is always in harmony
with the will of God. This person speaks using the present tense, first person.
Yet still, after years of
being an experienced and mature Christian, he struggles with sinful human
nature. That is because sin remains,
though it does not reign.
Surely
Paul is painting a picture of himself—now! That is why our peace is ever, only,
always, found in the imputed
righteousness of Christ. As sinful beggars we can accept and take that
righteousness only with empty
hands!
For
the righteousness of justification is one hundred percent—but not inside us.
The righteousness of
sanctification
is inside us—but not one hundred percent. At glorification, and then only, will
righteousness be one hundred percent and inside us! Ibid. p.79
I
feel sad for people who think that justification happens only at the beginning
of the Christian life to get us
started—but
after that it is all sanctification. The idea that God does a mighty work for
you and forgives you at the start, but then—you had better not make any more
mistakes or you will be done in. That is not the teaching of the Bible. We
stand in justification, according to Romans 5:1:
Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus
Christ;
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now
stand. And we
rejoice
in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2 NIV, emphasis supplied) Being
justified by faith, we stand; we have access. In other words, justification is
over us all the time, until we die, until Jesus comes.Ibid. p.94
God
always gives his gifts with both hands. There is no such thing as justification
without sanctification, or
true
sanctification without justification. Now, this is important: The evidence to
the world and to the universe that you have been justified—though not to God
because he knows your heart already—is whether you are sanctified. Now,
"sanctified" does not mean perfect. Thank God for that.
"Sanctified" means that you are aware you have been set apart for
God.
Remember
the prince who went to public school. The other boys tried to lead him into all
kinds of
mischief,
but he always said, "No, I cannot do that. I am a prince, of royal
blood." That is what the
Christian
life is. "I belong to God. I am separated from the world, to God. I cannot
do the things I once did. I belong to a holy God.” Ibid.97
Justification
and Sanctification
The
righteousness of faith is mine in a moment—by a look of trust to Jesus.
Having
given me the righteousness of faith because of his work for me, Christ now begins
a work in me. God
does not forgive the rebel and let the rebel still carry a gun. God cannot
declare the leper clean and then
let him die in his degradation. So, having declared me righteous (which is what
"justify" means), God sets
about making me righteous.
Here
is where most of us Christians err—we keep looking at our progress. And if we
are honest, there is not a
lot to see. Other people may see more than we do, but other people do not know
our hearts.
Justification
depends on what Christ did for me, and that is a perfect, one hundred percent
righteousness. It is mine by faith. Sanctification is what Christ does in me
by the Holy Spirit.
Sanctification
and Glorification
About
the first righteousness, Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:30
KJV). The second righteousness is never
finished in this life. If I live to be as old as Methuselah, the Holy Spirit
and the angels will still be wringing their hands, saying, "Oh dear, we
are still having a lot of trouble with Des. We have been trying for a thousand
years, and look at him!" Sanctification is never complete in this life.
Sanctification
is completed in what we call Glorification. At the second coming of Christ,
every cell of body
and mind is changed and transformed in the twinkling of an eye (see 1
Corinthians 15:52) and all the impact
of sin in our lives is taken away.
You
see, we are the product of everything we have ever seen, everything we have
ever heard, everything we
have ever read, everything we have ever done, everything that has been done to
us—we are the product of
all that. And we do not get rid of those scars until the Second Advent.
Never
Trust Sanctification
It is
because of those scars, and because sin brings incapacity as well as guilt,
that I can never depend on my
sanctification. I have already squandered part of the talent given to me at
birth by my years outside of Christ.
The devil would direct our attention to navel-watching. The devil directs our
attention at ourselves. "How am I doing?" we ask.
The
answer, if you are honest, is, "Pathetic." Pathetic compared with
what we should be doing. The law can be
summed up in one word: Love. Love God wholly, love your neighbor as much as
yourself. How do we stand
on that? Not very well. What sort of a steward am I of moments, of money, of
talent, of opportunity? I try to be a good steward, but in God's sight I have
more failures than successes. Even my best is still not good enough. Ibid. pp. 146, 147
Faith
and Striving
Does
not it take faith to be sanctified? Yes. Then why are they never linked? Because
faith linked with justification is always faith alone. And we cannot be
sanctified by faith alone.
The
New Testament uses twenty-seven verbs that have to do with effort, such as
"fight", "struggle", "run." Sanctification
takes effort. There is no such thing as an undisciplined, mature Christian. It
takes a lot of discipline
to walk the path of sanctification. A lot of saying "No" to self.
Paul
writes, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I
have preached to others, I
myself
should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV). We must fight the
good fight of faith
(1
Timothy 6:12). We must run the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1). We
must strive to enter
through
the narrow gate (Luke 13:24).
Justification
by faith alone—that is just receiving a gift. Now we have eternal life. God has
made. That is why the New Testament never joins sanctification with faith in
the same breath. It is important to understand that. Romans p.148
Kaleidoscope of Diamonds, vol. 1
The Scriptures
declare, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1, RSV). We are not under the law as a means of
salvation, and the knowledge of such marvelous grace delivers us from the
dominion of sin (Romans 3:20; 6:14). The fruit of our new relationship with God
must ever be distinguished from its root. We are saved by faith alone, but the
faith that saves is never alone. We are not saved by a mixture of faith and
works, but by that true faith which inevitably works. God justifies
no man whom he does not proceed to sanctify.
I would not work my
soul to save,
For that the Lord hath
done.
But I would work like
any slave
For
love of God's dear Son. Kaleidoscope of Diamonds vol.1, p 63
Kaleidoscope of Diamonds, vol. 2
In this petition we find the clue to our primary need. Noble ideals and lofty resolutions are powerless unless the sin question is settled. Forgiveness is the door into the "Temple Beautiful " of the Christian life. As glasses are of no value if we are blind, or shoes if we are paralyzed, so only when sin's guilt is removed is the power of sin also broken (Rom 6:14). Sin ceases to have dominion over us when our hearts are broken by the forgiving grace of God. Heaven's mercy is a healing mercy, and justification (being declared righteous) is always accompanied by the beginning of sanctification (righteous living). Kaleidoscope of Diamonds vol.2, p. 34
Sometimes we talk about the objective and subjective sides of Christianity. Objectively Christ is all, but subjectively faith is all. Objectively all was done for me by Christ on the cross, subjectively all is done in me by the Holy Spirit. Justification is the objective reality appropriated, but sanctification is a continuous subjective experience as God works in me to will and to do that which is right. Kaleidoscope of Diamonds vol. 2, p. 56
Observe closely that in the symbolism the streams are distinct but not separate. The reason has been well explained by W. H. Griffith Thomas [The Catholic Faith (London, 1947), pp. 84-85]:
The Cross and the Law
Theology has always found its touchstone in the manner it relates grace and law, God's part and ours, faith and works, justification and sanctification. All true theology has learned to distinguish without separating those things that God has joined together from the beginning. Unless a Christian learns to distinguish justification from sanctification, he may lose his assurance because of his weaknesses and failures. He dare not look to his sanctification as evidence that he is right with God. But if a Christian, on the other hand, separates rather than distinguishes law from grace, he may become an antinomian and disgrace his Lord.
When the reformers asserted that only those who rightly related law and gospel were true teachers of the latter, they were in every sense correct. This principle of distinction, but not separation, applies not only to the manner of describing the nature and work of the members of the Trinity and the various biblical covenants, but also to the elements of soteriology. Kaleidoscope of Diamonds vol. 2, p. 42
Sometimes we talk about the objective and subjective sides of Christianity. Objectively Christ is all, but subjectively faith is all. Objectively all was done for me by Christ on the cross, subjectively all is done in me by the Holy Spirit. Justification is the objective reality appropriated, but sanctification is a continuous subjective experience as God works in me to will and to do that which is right. Kaleidoscope of Diamonds vol. 2, p. 56
Observe closely that in the symbolism the streams are distinct but not separate. The reason has been well explained by W. H. Griffith Thomas [The Catholic Faith (London, 1947), pp. 84-85]:
“Justification is also different from making righteous,
which ... is Sanctification. The two are always inseparable in fact, but they
are assuredly distinguishable in thought, and must ever be distinguished if we
would have peace and blessing. Justification concerns our standing, Sanctification
our state. The former affects our position, the latter our condition. The first
deals with judicial relationship, the second with spiritual fellowship. We must
ever remember that they are bestowed together, that is, a complete
Justification and a commencing Sanctification; "where the righteousness of
Christ adheres, the grace of Christ inheres", where the one is imputed,
the other is imparted; where the one is reckoned, the other is received. But
they must never be confused. The first is the foundation of our peace –
"Christ for us." The second is the basis of our purity – "Christ
in us." Justification is concerned with acceptance; Sanctification with
attainment. Sanctification admits of degrees; we may be more or less sanctified.
Justification has no degrees, but is complete, perfect, final – "Justified
from all things" (Acts 13:39). Kaleidoscope of Diamonds vol. 2, p.61
Calvary , A Love Story
Notice that blood and water flowed from Jesus’ side.
Usually, blood becomes thick and will not flow from a dead body, but it flowed
miraculously from Jesus’ side. To John, and to Christians ever after, the
streams of blood and water represent the two great blessings of salvation:
Jesus’ power to ‘justify’ (make right with God) and to ‘sanctify’ (help us to
live according to God’s will) Calvary, A Love Story p. 56
Here is the Answer
God’s gifts to the
unworthy are without comparison or competitor: God is offering us forgiveness.
That’s what true religion is about. Romans 4:8 says: As far as the east is
from the west he removes our sins from us. This is called justification,
which means the bestowal of a perfect status despite our very imperfect state. After justification begins the path of sanctification, our
ever-increasing likeness to Christ. One day there will be glorification, when
our evil nature is fully removed at the return of Christ. The righteousness of justification is 100%, but it is not
inside us. It is in Christ. The righteousness of sanctification is inside us
but it is never 100%. The righteousness of glorification will be both 100% and
within us. That is the glorious gospel. Here is the Answer pp. 21, 22
Jesus Only
To get into heaven, we need to be justified by God. The
righteousness of justification, which Jesus wants to credit to us as a free
gift, is 100 per cent. The righteousness of sanctification, which is the result
of our good works, is never 100 per cent. Because we need 100 per cent
righteousness to get eternal life, we must accept, by faith, the free gift of
God’s righteousness from Jesus. Those who put their faith in their own
righteousness will miss out because anything less that 100 per cent is a fail
mark. It’s not a matter of what we have, but who we have. Jesus Only p. 22
When Jesus comes into our hearts with his perfect righteousness,
he will endeavour to live his life through us, making us more and more
righteous every day. This righteousness won’t save us, but it shows that we
have been saved. We don’t have to be good to be saved, but we do have to be
saved to be good. The Lord’s Supper teaches us that Christ’s crucifixion was
not a tragedy, rather it was God’s way of saving the world. The broken bread
pointed to Jesus’ body that would be broken for us on the Cross, and the wine
pointed to his blood that he would shed for us on the Cross. To accept the
bread and wine is to signify our acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus for us. Jesus
Only, p. 22
Jesus’ blood represented our justification; it is the blood
of Jesus that makes us right with God (1 John 1:7). The water, on the other
hand, represents our sanctification by the Spirit of Jesus living in us; he
cleanses us by washing us with the water of his word (Ephesians 5:25).
Justification is the work of a moment. The instant we put
our faith in Jesus, we are made right with God (Romans 3:21–24, 28). That very
instant, we receive the gift of eternal life (John 5:24). Also, at that same
moment, the righteousness of God is credited to our accounts (2 Corinthians
5:21). Like the lost son who had lived a sinful life, but repented and returned
home, so the Lord accepts us repentant sinners back into his family and puts
his own pure robe on our shoulders (Luke 15:11–24). We don’t have to earn our
place in God’s family; it is given to us as a free gift.
All who are justified are given 100 per cent righteousness
(2 Corinthians 5:21). But that righteousness is not inside us; it is in Jesus.
If we have Jesus, we have God’s free gift of perfect righteousness.
Sanctification—what the Spirit of God does in us—is never
100 per cent. And it never will be 100 per cent until we are given new
spiritual bodies in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:42–44). Because our
sanctification in this life will always fall short of what is required for
eternal life, we cannot put our faith in what we ourselves do. The faith that
gives us eternal life is faith that is in Jesus and his free gift of 100 per
cent righteousness. Jesus Only, p. 85
When I accept Jesus by faith, he comes into my life with
his gift of salvation. If I have Jesus, I have eternal life (1 John 5:11–12).
And the life that he lives within me, after I have been saved, is called
sanctification (Philippians 2:13). However, I am only saved by what he did for
me on the Cross two thousand years ago and not by what he is doing within me today.
What he did for me on the Cross is 100
per cent; what he is doing within me is never 100 per cent in this life because
of the damage that sin has done to our minds. Ibid. p. 86