Sanctification

by A.A. Hodge; revised by B.B. Warfield

*The following short essay was originally published Originally published in Johnson's Cyclopaedia,1896. The electronic edition of this article was scanned and edited by Shane Rosenthal for Reformation Ink. It is in the public domain and may be freely copied and distributed.

Sanctification (from Lat. sanctificatio [deriv. of sanctificare, sanctify; sanctus, holy; facere, make], trans. of Gr. agiazein, hallow, make holy, deriv. of agioß, holy) is the work of God's grace by which those who believe in Christ are freed from sin and built up in holiness.

Justification

Galatians 3:24-26, “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

"...You are indeed guilty in yourself, but God no longer regards you as guilty, because the guilt of your sin has already been borne by Christ as your substitute. The sentence has been served. The penalty has been paid." – Jerry Bridges

The Westminster Larger Catechism asks in Question 70, “What is justification?”

An it answers thus:

“Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which He pardons all their sins, accepts and accounts their persons righteous in His sight; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.”^[1]

Sometimes terminology, though it is always intended to bring clarity, can sometimes bring ambiguity. One challenge I think we face is to make clear distinctions between Salvation as a whole, and the particular operations or stages that compose this whole. One common mistake is to accept one stage of salvation as the entire work. This is most challenging for us when dealing with "Justification" and coming to a realisation that this word is NOT entirely synonymous with the word "Salvation". Justification is the principle work in our “being made right with God” and yet is not the entirety of Salvation.

by John Piper

Sin: The ultimate outrage of the universe:

Did God Predestine Sin?

Q, “So, how is it that God can judge humans guilty for sin if He decreed that we would sin in the beginning. Did God make us fallen?”

God certainly predestined that sin would exist and that He would be both just and glorious in the judgement of it: we must continue to reiterate that God hates sin and in Him there is NO sin.^[1] This predetermining of God, that sin would always eventuate in judgement, first and foremost includes the judgement He Himself would endure at the cross; another unerringly planned sinful event from Sovereign, Divine omniscience.^[2] One might rightly suppose that as God planned and purposed sin to exist He always intended the reality of sin’s existence to personally cost Him greatly – and perhaps cost Him the most. Unquestionably Christ endured the same hell on the cross sinners endure in eternity, though this cost Christ infinitely more as He was always infinitely unworthy of the death and the judgement He there endured.^[3] Yet altough this was always God’s plan and Christ’s plan, He remains sin-free purely because He can never sin or be guilty of sin; only creatures are inhibited with fallenness, fallibleness and finiteness.

Particular Redemption/Limited Atonement - Some Questions Answered

(This is not meant to be an exhaustive defence, just some persoal thoughts on the subject. For a more thorough defence of Limited Atonement, please see John Owen's, 'The Death of Death in the Death of Christ')

Most people acknowledge that Reformation Theology has at its centre, the idea that man is morally incapable of pleasing God or turning to Him without God first freeing their will to do so. This system of theology (sometimes termed Calvinism) is often presented in the acronym T.U.L.I.P. A kind of theological shorthand that was formulated at the Synod of Dort (1618-1619).

At the heart of the infamous TULIP is the most controversial point called Limited Atonement indicated by the ‘L’. This view has always come under much scrutiny and there is a growing trend amongst Reformed folk today to abandon the ‘L’ and embrace a kind of 4 point formulation.

Had I a thousand lives, a thousand souls

By John Fawcett

“My meditation of Him shall be sweet!” - Psalm 104:34

It is the tendency of love—to excite in the mind, many thoughts about the beloved object. A right knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, will fill the mind with thoughts and meditations concerning Him—so as to excite the affections to cleave to Him with delight. A discovery of the glory of His person, of the perfection of His atoning sacrifice, and of the fullness of His grace—must inspire the heart with love to Him!

“Yes, He is very precious to you who believe!” - 1 Peter 2:7