God's Justification & Sanctification of the Sinner

Faith. Both the sole instrument of justification and sanctification.
Faith alone in Christ alone justifies.
Faith alone in Christ alone sanctifies.
Though both justification and sanctification have the same sole instrument, namely faith, they differ in their natures and consequences.


Justification is that sole act of God's free grace toward the sinner in crediting to him Christ's righteousness and satisfaction, world without end.
God justifies. It is His act.
The object of justification is the sinner. It has no effect in the sinner, that is, it does not change his nature.

It affects his legal status before God, that is his standing in God’s court of law.
Though he be guilty, yet because of Christ's righteousness and blood-atonement (satisfaction), he be accounted by God as justified, righteous before the law, not condemnable.

God has ordained faith alone as the instrument for justification.
That is, the graces of Jesus' blood and righteousness are received (instrumentality) by faith alone unto justification.
Through faith we are legally justified, that is, rendered both not guilty, and perfectly righteous.
We are rendered not guilty as per a sole faith in Christ's blood-atoning death, whereby the legal record of sin debts have their punishments removed from us and executed on Christ at Calvary.
We are rendered perfectly righteous as per a sole faith in Christ's law-keeping, righteousness-fulfilling life, whereby his life's legal perfection is credited to us.

It is faith alone that justifies because it is Christ alone who justifies.
It is not the quality nor existence of our faith that justifies us, lest faith be a legal work.
It is only faith alone that justifies as long as it is in Christ alone who justifies.
Not so much faith, rather the Christ.
So it be a faith in the Christ who justifies.
So that Jesus "... might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in [Him]."

Faith and works exclude.
Works earn wages
faith needs favours.
Works merit praise
or blame
faith offers honour
or shame.

"The wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is life."
Not, "The gift of sin is death."
Nor, "The wages given by God is life."
Sin does not gift death. Death is its paycheck.
Life is not a wage God pays, "for all have sinned." So all have worked, and earned death.
None have earned life.
So it remains, "The wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is life."
Thus faith and works exclude.
Faith receives the gift of eternal life,
thanks and praise to Christ alone.
Works earn the wage of eternal death,
blame and shame to oneself alone.

So faith alone in Christ alone justifies.


Sanctification is that sole act of God's free grace toward the sinner, working in him Christ's righteousness, at once and progressively.
God sanctifies. It is His act.
The object of sanctification is the sinner. It has an effect in the sinner, to be Christ-conforming his nature.

It affects the intimacy of his fellowship with his Father.
Though he be still sinful, yet because of God's predestining him to a final and perfect Christ-conformity, he is transformed from one degree of glory to the next, as he by faith perceives the glory of Christ.
Though he stumbles and falls in  all  his ways, in varying degrees, he by God's power is being preserved through faith till the trump calls in the completing of His sovereign plan.

God has ordained faith alone as the instrument for sanctification.
That is, the graces of Jesus' blood and righteousness are received (instrumentality) by faith alone unto sanctification.
Through faith we are personally sanctified, that is, mortified unto sin, and vivified unto righteousness.
We are mortified unto sin as a sole faith in Christ apprehends the glory of his blood and righteousness, whereby receiving power to weaken the vitality of sin in us.
We are vivified unto righteousness as a sole faith in Christ apprehends the glory of his blood and righteousness, whereby receiving power to strengthen the vitality of righteousness in us.

This faith worked in us by God is the very faith that produces increasing conformity to Christ, increasing heart-obedience, increasing thankful, spontaneous worship, increasing fruit-bearing, increasing degrees of maturity of holiness in heart and life, and increasing sincerity and purity of love.

So faith alone in Christ alone sanctifies.


Faith is the only way to please God, both in our justification and sanctification.
So too is faith that which binds the truths of justification and sanctification in the heart of the redeemed sinner.


Both, beginning by faith in Christ,
and being perfected by faith in Christ.
The same faith that justifies,
is the same faith that sanctifies,
since it is a faith in the one Christ.

It is faith that receives and rests in Jesus' blood and righteousness,
from the same fount drawing grace and power,
justifying... sanctifying.

Faith receives justification,
God's declaring us righteous.
Faith receives sanctification,
God's making us righteous.

From the same Hand are we clothed and fed,
Christ to wear, Christ to eat.
Christ does both,
at once imputing, then imparting,
righteousness Divine, ne'er departing.

Therefore,

Because I am justified, so I will be sanctified.
Because I am eternally right with God, so I will strive to do right before God.
Because I am under grace and not under law, so I will keep God's law by God's grace.
Because my sin cannot separate me from God's love, so I will shun my sin to abide in God's love.
Because I am dead to sin, so I will mortify sin.
Because I am alive by the Spirit, so I will live by the Spirit.

Sovereign justification

Then [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and [the LORD] reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6, ESV)

But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, (Romans 4:5, ESV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Romans 3:23-24)

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24, ESV)

"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." (Galatians 2:21, ESV)

Sovereign sanctification 

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  (Romans 8:29, ESV)

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23, ESV)

By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10, ESV)

we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:13, ESV)

Justification and Sanctification viewed together 

to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins [justification] and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.' (Acts 26:18, ESV)

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.  (Hebrews 10:14, ESV)

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.  (Romans 6:14, ESV)

Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more [as practice] ." (John 8:11, ESV)

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness [justification] and sanctification, and redemption, (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV)

Such were some of you [that is, unholy]; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11, ESV)

Therefore, having these promises [justification], beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1, ESV)


soli Deo gloria