JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION (24 OF 26)
Scripture: Romans 8:1-4
This content is part of a series.
Justification and Sanctification (24 of 26)
Series: Romans:The Gospel of God
Jonathan McLeod
Romans 8:1-4
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (v. 2).
JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
Two important biblical words are ''justification'' and ''sanctification.'' What do they mean?
- Justification is the declaring of a person to be righteous (i.e., not guilty). (It's like when we say, ''His actions were justified.'' In other words, the person is not guilty of wrongdoing.)
- Sanctification is moral transformation (i.e., Christlikeness, holiness). Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit (''the Spirit of life,'' v. 2). This is why he is called the Holy Spirit. (It's not that he's more holy than the Father and the Son.)
WHAT'S THE CONNECTION?
Many commentators believe that 8:1 is about justification (''no condemnation'') and 8:2 is about sanctification. What's the connection between verses 1 and 2?
Notice that verse 2 begins with ''For,'' which means ''because.'' John Piper points out that ''because'' can be used two ways. It can be used to provide evidence of something or state the cause of something.
- ''I am tired because I'm yawning.'' Yawning is evidence of being tired.
- ''I am tired because I didn't get much sleep.'' Not getting much sleep is the cause of being tired.
Is sanctification the cause of justification, or is sanctification the evidence of justification?
Sanctification isn't the cause of justification. If it was, we could never achieve (or keep) the status of ''no condemnation.'' Sanctification is the evidence of justification.
GOD HAS DONE WHAT THE LAW COULDN'T DO
If it's impossible for us to get rid of our guilt, how is it possible? ''God has done what the law [i.e., the Mosaic law], weakened by the flesh [i.e., our ...
Series: Romans:The Gospel of God
Jonathan McLeod
Romans 8:1-4
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (v. 2).
JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
Two important biblical words are ''justification'' and ''sanctification.'' What do they mean?
- Justification is the declaring of a person to be righteous (i.e., not guilty). (It's like when we say, ''His actions were justified.'' In other words, the person is not guilty of wrongdoing.)
- Sanctification is moral transformation (i.e., Christlikeness, holiness). Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit (''the Spirit of life,'' v. 2). This is why he is called the Holy Spirit. (It's not that he's more holy than the Father and the Son.)
WHAT'S THE CONNECTION?
Many commentators believe that 8:1 is about justification (''no condemnation'') and 8:2 is about sanctification. What's the connection between verses 1 and 2?
Notice that verse 2 begins with ''For,'' which means ''because.'' John Piper points out that ''because'' can be used two ways. It can be used to provide evidence of something or state the cause of something.
- ''I am tired because I'm yawning.'' Yawning is evidence of being tired.
- ''I am tired because I didn't get much sleep.'' Not getting much sleep is the cause of being tired.
Is sanctification the cause of justification, or is sanctification the evidence of justification?
Sanctification isn't the cause of justification. If it was, we could never achieve (or keep) the status of ''no condemnation.'' Sanctification is the evidence of justification.
GOD HAS DONE WHAT THE LAW COULDN'T DO
If it's impossible for us to get rid of our guilt, how is it possible? ''God has done what the law [i.e., the Mosaic law], weakened by the flesh [i.e., our ...
There are 3735 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 1868 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
