Why do we need to be justified with God? What is it about us that needs justification? “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There is not one person in this whole big world, throughout all of time, who has not committed at least one sin. But what is it about sin that causes a problem? “Satan was once an angel of light, but he was cast out of heaven when he became rebellious against God. Sin separates both men and angels from God.”1 There is a rift between God and humanity, that is caused by sin. What must we do when we realize that we are in this condition?

The most important question ever known to humans was asked in the book of Job. “How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?” (Job 25:4). The answer is both simple and yet complicated. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:23-28). The justification of human beings is only achieved by a belief in the blood of Jesus Christ and His righteousness. God is the justifier, not us. It is not by our works and not by any amount of law keeping that we can ever become justified before God.

Nonetheless, the Lord desires that we dwell together with Him. But as He cannot abide with sin, the Lord requires that we reach a higher condition, which is referred to as sanctification. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Through what process can we arrive at this condition in our life? How is it achieved?

First of all, let us see what “to sanctify” means. The Random House Webster’s College Dictionary defines it as: “to make holy; consecrate, to purify or free from sin.” There are two aspects to sanctification: One is the consecration aspect and the other is the purification aspect. In the consecration phase - things, places, animals and people are set apart for a holy purpose. (See Leviticus 27:14, 16, 26; Exodus 13:1, 2, and 2 Chronicles 7:11, 16.)Let us focus then on the purification of the human being and how this can be obtained by the Christian. When it comes to sanctification, it is King David who asks the all important question: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3-5).

Notice that there are two things that are essential for those who are on the road to eternity. First, we need to have clean hands; that is, a character justified and washed in the blood of Jesus. And the other is to have a pure heart, which is the sanctification of the heart. How is the heart sanctified? “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:17-21).

This is one powerful statement that we need to examine. First of all it says “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” Faith is the key issue here for Christ to dwell in the heart. Then, we become “rooted and grounded in love.” This indicates that Christ’s love is in the heart, where it has taken hold. When fighting a structure spot where the real source is burning, it is most important to find the hidden fire. It could be in the roof or in the walls or even underneath the building. Fire must be searched for high and low, otherwise that fire will rekindle. We must do the same. Once God’s love has taken hold, we must search for it to comprehend how wide and long and how deep and high is the love that God has for us. We must then be filled with the “fulness of God.” Notice the progression here. One thing leading to another, ever moving forward.

But also take note of who is doing this work. Are we the ones? No, it is performed “according to the power that worketh in us.” It is the power of God that works in us. We are the conduit or the instrument through which His power works. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

A fire truck is a wonderful apparatus but without an engine it is useless. Without power, how would we operate our juicers, our blenders, or our water distillers? Without a power source how could we fly or drive from place to place? We also need power in our spiritual life. Where do we get it? “And he that keepeth [God’s] commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (1 John 3:24). “That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:16). It is the work of the Holy Ghost to sanctify us. He is the engine. Is it only the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us? “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called” (Jude 1). What else is in the process of sanctification? “We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

We are empowered by God for the work of sanctification through the main agency of the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son provide that power through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is here waiting for us to turn on the engine. We control how much power we are willing to let in.

“Christ has given to the church a sacred charge. Every member should be a channel through which God can communicate to the world the treasures of His grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is nothing that the Saviour desires so much as agents who will represent to the world His Spirit and His character. There is nothing that the world needs so much as the manifestation through humanity of the Saviour’s love. All heaven is waiting for men and women through whom God can reveal the power of Christianity.”2

“God is love. He has shown that love is the gift of Christ. When ‘He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ He withheld nothing from His purchased possession (John 3:16). He gave all heaven, from which we may draw strength and efficiency, that we be not repulsed or overcome by our great adversary.”3 The Holy Spirit is the agency to whom we are to submit our will.

Is justification instantaneous? Yes! But for some people it is the hardest decision they will ever make and, for most, the hardest to keep. What about sanctification, is it also instantaneous? No!!! “Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime.”4 “There is no such thing as instantaneous sanctification. True sanctification is a daily work, continuing as long as life shall last.”5 As we can see, it must be worked at, not worked for. What is it meant by that? If a person is tone deaf and therefore does not have a natural singing voice, can it be worked for? No, all the work in the world will not achieve a singing voice for such a person. But if that person already has a singing voice, can it be worked at to improve it? Yes. Is there a difference between the two? Most definitely.

After justification, sanctification is a step by step process that is ever moving forward. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Is this an unreasonable request that God has made: To present our bodies as a living sacrifice? No, of course not. This is achieved not by conforming to this world but by renewing our mind to know God’s perfect will. That sounds great, but how do we make this transformation? When a person goes off to fire college to become a firefighter, courses must be taken in sequence. Fire behavior needs to be studied before putting out a fire. Different types of hose streams are needed for different fires. For example, a solid stream will not work well on an oil fire in a fast-food restaurant. It will spread the fire. If we want to be like Jesus we must also follow the sequence He has set before us. “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). This is necessary to achieve true sanctification.

The whole world - and even the professed church of God - is seeking after instant gratification. Shortcuts can be great when we are driving, but they do not work in our spiritual life. When shortcuts are taken, we can get lost and never reach our destination. So many shortcuts have been taken! The churches today do not seem to know the difference between true and false sanctification. But the Bible gives us an excellent comparison between true and false sanctification. We can see the difference between one who submits by faith and one who does not, illustrated in the life of the following two apostles:

“John saw his own deficiencies, and was humbled by the revelation [that Christ manifested to him]. Day by day, in contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the tenderness and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His lessons of humility and patience. Day by day his heart was drawn out to Christ, until he lost sight of self in love for his Master. The power and tenderness, the majesty and meekness, the strength and patience, that he saw in the daily life of the Son of God, filled his soul with admiration. He yielded his resentful, ambitious temper to the molding power of Christ, and divine love wrought in him a transformation of character.

“In striking contrast to the sanctification worked out in the life of John is the experience of his fellow disciple, Judas. Like his associate, Judas professed to be a disciple of Christ, but he possessed only a form of godliness. . . . Judas violated his conscience and yielded to temptation, fastening upon himself more securely his habits of evil. The practice of the truths that Christ taught was at variance with his desires and purposes, and he could not bring himself to yield his ideas in order to receive wisdom from heaven. . . . Evil desires, covetousness, revengeful passions, dark and sullen thoughts were cherished until Satan gained full control of him.”6

What a contrast between the two disciples! One listened and was obedient, the other listened but did not obey. Let us give ear to the one who did obey and see how he did it: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1-5). There is a formula here, a progression of the sanctification process:

1. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (justification).

2. We must love each other who are the children of God.

3. Commandment keeping is not burdensome but a joy. The proof is our obedience.

4. We overcome the world by faith.

This takes us right back to Jesus, for it is faith in Him that gives us the power to overcome. We start with Jesus and end with Jesus. We bring it a full circle, with Jesus at the center and everywhere in between.

Inspiration puts it this way: “When through repentance and faith we accept Christ as our Saviour, the Lord pardons our sins, and remits the penalty prescribed for the transgression of the law. The sinner then stands before God as a just person; he is taken into favor with Heaven, and through the Spirit has fellowship with the Father and the Son.

“Then there is yet another work to be accomplished, and this is of a progressive nature. The soul is to be sanctified through the truth. And this also is accomplished through faith. For it is only the grace of Christ, which we receive through faith, that the character can be transformed.”7

“True sanctification is nothing more or less than to love God with all the heart, to walk in His commandments and ordinances blameless. Sanctification is not an emotion but a heaven-born principle that brings all the passions and desires under the control of the Spirit of God; and this work is done through our Lord and Saviour.” 8 Let us further emphasize this point:

“It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. . . . Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.”9

“True sanctification means perfect love, perfect obedience, perfect conformity to the will of God. We are to be sanctified to God through obedience to the truth. . . . Great possibilities, high and holy attainments, are placed within the reach of all.”10 We can see from this statement that we are definitely not there yet, but we can be. If we would examine our heart we would know this to be true. What more do we need? “Let us not forget that in his conversion and sanctification man must cooperate with God. ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,’ the Word declares. ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:12, 13). Man cannot transform himself by the exercise of his own will. He possesses no power by which this change may be effected. The renewing energy must come from God. The change can be made only by the Holy Spirit. He who would be saved, high or low, rich or poor, must submit to the working of this power.”11

The book of Ecclesiastes puts it into a nutshell - but oh what a nut, hearty, robust, and full of flavor. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). A simple statement but one that encompasses so much thought, work, reflection, change, prayer, determination and, most of all, submission to the will of God. How far must we go in order to complete this journey? “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). If we desire to see Jesus, we know that we must be like Him. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2, 3).

“Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me’ (John 14:30). Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.

“It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God’s providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus.”12

God is ever willing for us to submit to His will. We must strive by the power of God to achieve this true sanctification. But it is only achieved by faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, for He is the only way.