Harmony of the Reformed Confessions: Sanctification

1. They, who are once effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart, and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them: the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified; and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

2. This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part; whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.

3. In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail; yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome; and so, the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

1. Good works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy Word, and not such as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men, out of blind zeal, or upon any pretense of good intention.

2. These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.

3. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ. And that they may be enabled thereunto, beside the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit, to work in them to will, and to do, of his good pleasure: yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.

4. They who, in their obedience, attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate, and to do more than God requires, as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.

5. We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come; and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom, by them, we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins, but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants: and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled, and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.

6. Notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God’s sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.

7. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands; and of good use both to themselves and others: yet, because they proceed not from an heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God, they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God: and yet, their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.

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Q. 75. What is sanctification?

A. Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life.

Q. 76. What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby, out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, and upon the apprehension of God’s mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, he so grieves for and hates his sins, as that he turns from them all to God, purposing and endeavoring constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new obedience.

Q. 77. Wherein do justification and sanctification differ?

A. Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputeth the righteousness of Christ; in sanctification his Spirit infuseth grace, and enableth to the exercise thereof; in the former, sin is pardoned; in the other, it is subdued: the one doth equally free all believers from the revenging wrath of God, and that perfectly in this life, that they never fall into condemnation; the other is neither equal in all, nor in this life perfect in any, but growing up to perfection.

Q. 78. Whence ariseth the imperfection of sanctification in believers?

A. The imperfection of sanctification in believers ariseth from the remnants of sin abiding in every part of them, and the perpetual lustings of the flesh against the spirit; whereby they are often foiled with temptations, and fall into many sins, are hindered in all their spiritual services, and their best works are imperfect and defiled in the sight of God.

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Q. 35. What is sanctification?

A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.

ARTICLE 24 – OUR SANCTIFICATION AND GOOD WORKS

We believe that this true faith, worked in man by the hearing of God’s Word and by the operation of the Holy Spirit,1 regenerates him and makes him a new man.2 It makes him live a new life and frees him from the slavery of sin.3 Therefore it is not true that this justifying faith makes man indifferent to living a good and holy life.4 On the contrary, without it no one would ever do anything out of love for God,5 but only out of self-love or fear of being condemned. It is therefore impossible for this holy faith to be inactive in man, for we do not speak of an empty faith but of what Scripture calls faith working through love (Gal 5:6). This faith induces man to apply himself to those works which God has commanded in His Word. These works, proceeding from the good root of faith, are good and acceptable in the sight of God, since they are all sanctified by His grace. Nevertheless, they do not count toward our justification. For through faith in Christ we are justified, even before we do any good works.6 Otherwise they could not be good any more than the fruit of a tree can be good unless the tree itself is good.7

Therefore we do good works, but not for merit. For what could we merit? We are indebted to God, rather than He to us, for the good works we do,8 since it is He who is at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). Let us keep in mind what is written: So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty (Luke 17:10).” Meanwhile we do not deny that God rewards good works,9 but it is by His grace that He crowns His gifts.

Furthermore, although we do good works, we do not base our salvation on them. We cannot do a single work that is not defiled by our flesh and does not deserve punishment.10 Even if we could show one good work, the remembrance of one sin is enough to make God reject it.11 We would then always be in doubt, tossed to and fro without any certainty, and our poor consciences would be constantly tormented, if they did not rely on the merit of the death and passion of our Saviour.12

1. Acts 16:14; Rom 10:17; 1 Cor 12:3. 2. Ezek 36:26-27; John 1:12-13;John 3:5; Eph 2:4-6; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 1:23. 3. John 5:24; John 8:36; Rom 6:4-6; 1 John 3:9. 4. Gal 5:22; Titus 2:12. 5. John 15:5; Rom 14:23; 1 Tim 1:5; Heb 11:4, Heb 11:6. 6 Rom 4:5. 7. Mat 7:17. 8. 1 Cor 1:30-31; 1 Cor 4:7; Eph 2:10. 9. Rom 2:6-7; 1 Cor 3:14; 2 John 8; Rev 2:23. 10. Rom 7:21. 11. James 2:10. 12. Hab 2:4; Mat 11:28; Rom 10:11.

Because Christ, having redeemed us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit after His own image, that with our whole life we show ourselves thankful to God for His blessing,[1] and that He be glorified through us;[2] then also, that we ourselves may be assured by our faith by the fruits thereof;[3] and by our godly walk win also others to Christ.[4]

[1] Rom 6:13, 12:1-2; 1 Cor 6:20; 1 Pt 2:5-10; [2] Mt 5:16; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 1 Pt 2:12; [3] Mt 7:17-18; Gal 5:6, 22-24; 2 Pt 1:10-11; [4] Mt 5:14-16; Rom 14:17-19; 1 Pt 2:12, 3:1-2; 2 Pt 1:10

By no means, for, as Scripture says, no unchaste person, idolater, adulterer, thief, covetous man, drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like shall inherit the kingdom of God.[1]

[1] 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5-6; 1 Jn 3:14-15

In two things: the dying of the old man, and the making alive of the new.[1]

[1] Rom 6:4-6; 1 Cor 5:7; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:5-10

Heartfelt sorrow for sin, causing us to hate and turn from it always more and more.[1]

[1] Ps 51:3-4, 17; Joel 2:12-13; Rom 8:12-13; 2 Cor 7:10

Heartfelt joy in God through Christ,[1] causing us to take delight in living according to the will of God in all good works.[2]

[1] Ps 51:8, 12; Isa 57:15; Rom 5:1, 14:17; [2] Rom 6:10-11, 7:22, 8:10-11; Gal 2:20

Those only which proceed from true faith,[1] and are done according to the Law of God,[2] unto His glory,[3] and not such as rest on our own opinion[4] or the commandments of men.[5]

[1] Jn 15:5; Rom 14:23; Heb 11:6; [2] Lev 18:4; 1 Sam 15:22; Eph 2:10; [3] 1 Cor 10:31; [4] Deut 12:32; Isa 29:13; Ezek 20:18, 20; [5] Num 15:39; Mt 15:7-9

Sanctification: The Goal of Justification — Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Lloyd-Jones,

What is the ultimate object of this Christian message, this Christian faith? It is to make us holy. We can never emphasize this too much. In Scripture the first thing, the great thing, the central thing, is that we be made holy. . . In the first chapter of his First Epistle John says: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth”. And again in his second chapter: “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments is a liar” — there is nothing else to say about him, he is just a barefaced liar! — “and the truth is not in him”. In the very last book of the Bible, as if to remind us, just at the very end, of a thing we are so prone to forget, we find it written, “There shall in no wise enter into it (the holy city) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life . . . Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” [Rev 21.27; 22. 14-15]. Oh! this is an eternal distinction — without! there they are, the people that John is talking about, that have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God, they are without, and outside eternally, and there they remain. They have no entrance into this holy city. Our Lord Himself said the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” [Matt 7.21]. This is New Testament Christianity. Scripture speaks about holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they” — and nobody else — “shall see God.”

But a very subtle danger arises at this point, and I have no doubt the Apostle had it in mind when he wrote the very words we are considering. There are people who will argue, “But wait a minute; are you not preaching the law to us? You are to be a minister of grace, and yet you seem to be preaching pure law. You are reminding us of the Being and the character of God, as expressed in the Ten Commandments and in His moral law; are you not just putting us back under the law? Are you not excluding every one of us from the kingdom of God? Surely you are forgetting the gospel! you have been referring to the original kingdom, and the original law that God held before mankind; but now the Lord Jesus Christ has come, and we are confronted by something quite new; we are no longer confronting the law; all we are asked to do as Christians is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We could not be saved under the law, for the law made it impossible, saying, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one’. But now God has brought in another way which makes it easier for us; we are no longer confronted by the demands of the law and the tremendous holiness of God. It is just a matter of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we shall be saved”. Now that is their argument, but I am bound to say that it is one of the most subtle, dangerous heresies that can ever be offered to men and women. And yet it characterizes a great deal of modern evangelism.

But someone may say, “I cannot reconcile these things in my mind as principles; theologically I do not understand what you are saying. Surely by putting it as you have done, you really are teaching justification by works again. Are you not saying that it is our life that admits us into the kingdom? Are you not saying that if a man is guilty of these things he is outside, whereas if he is not guilty he is inside? Is not that going right back to justification by works? Are you saying in effect that a man is justified by his sanctification? That if he is a sanctified man he is justified, but that if he is not sanctified he is not justified and is outside?” People are often in trouble about this. They are in trouble in exactly the same way about the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. They say, “Look at those terrible warnings there; we are told that if this man who believes goes back, then he is outside for ever; we cannot reconcile this justification by faith only, and this pure grace teaching of yours, with this other emphasis which seems to put it all back upon us and upon our conduct and behaviour. How do you reconcile these things?”

A very important question! We reconcile them by asserting again that God justifies the ungodly, not the godly. Justification is by faith alone. It was while we were yet enemies that we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son; it was while we were ungodly, while we were sinners. There is no question about that; it is a cardinal doctrine, a first great principle. But justification is only one step, an initial step, in a process. And the process includes not only justification but regeneration and sanctification and ultimate glorification. Justification and forgiveness of sins are not ends in and of themselves; they are only steps on a way that leads to final perfection. And that is the whole answer to the problem. Some Christians persist in isolating these things, but they are not isolated in the Scriptures. “Whom he called, them he also justified and whom he justified, them he also glorified!” “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption!” There is the whole process. And the truth is, that if you are in it at all, you are in at every point. We cannot divorce justification and forgiveness from other parts of truth. And the remaining steps are put very clearly before us in the First Epistle to the Corinthians: “Such”, says the Apostle, having given his terrible list of sins — “Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” [6.11]. It means that God does not justify a man and leave him there. Not at all! If God justifies a man, God has brought that man into the process. If you can say that you are justified, I say about you that you have been washed, that you have been sanctified, that you have been taken out, you have been removed from the old, and you have been put into a new realm, into a new kingdom; you are in this process of God that is leading to your ultimate, entire perfection.

I remind you again of the words of the Apostle John in his First Epistle: “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” [3.3]. Of course, a man may say glibly, “I want to go to heaven, I have got this hope in me”. “You have not!” says John. Here is the test. If you have really got this hope in you — the hope of entering the holy City at the end, and of spending your eternity in it — every man that really has this hope in him, purifieth himself — of course he does, he is bound to — even as He is pure. But the man who has only got the hope on his lips and not in his heart does not purify himself, he goes on living the old life; and the truth about him is that he has no inheritance at all in the kingdom of Christ and of God. He does not belong there. He says, “Lord! Lord!” but speech is cheap and easy.

The question is, Is the hope in our hearts? If it is, we recognize the truth; we say, Yes, we do know this, that people who cleave to sin obviously cannot have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. There is no contradiction between these statements and the doctrine of free grace and justification by faith only, for the God who justifies goes on with the process. And unless we are giving evidence of being in the process and of being perfected by it, there is but one conclusion to draw — we have never been in the kingdom at all, we must go back to the very beginning, we must repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

taken from: Iain H. Murray, “Will the Unholy Be Saved? A review article on R. T. Kendall’s Once Saved, Always Saved.”

100 Quotes from You on Sanctification

Without further ado . . . the randomly selected winner of the quote contest is Andrew Donth, who shared some Spurgeon with us. Here's the quote:

Charles Spurgeon: "If he gives you the grace to make you believe, he will give you the grace to live a holy life afterward." (Sermon, "Justification by Grace")

Thanks to all of those who participated in the "send us a quote" contest that began on Monday. We have received hundreds on sanctification, the theme of our National Conference. There were so many that we literally cannot fit them into one blog post (I tried). So I've whittled the list down to 100 for you to spread or archive.

A. W. Tozer: "We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by. We must take refuge from God in God. Above all we must believe that God sees us perfect in His Son while He disciplines and chastens and purges us that we may be partakers of His holiness" (The Knowledge of the Holy, 107).

J. C. Ryle: "Tell the young, tell the poor, tell the aged, tell the ignorant, tell the sick, tell the dying — tell them all about Christ. Tell them of His power, and tell them of His love; tell them of His doings, and tell them of His feelings; tell them what He has done for the chief of sinners; tell them what He is willing to do until the last day of time; tell it to them over and over again. Never be tired of speaking of Christ. Say to them broadly and fully, freely and unconditionally, unreservedly and undoubtingly, ‘Come unto Christ, as the penitent thief did; come unto Christ, and you shall be saved.'" (Sermon, "Christ's Greatest Trophy")

C. H. Spurgeon: "If heaven were by merit, it would never be heaven to me, for if I were in it I should say, “I am sure I am here by mistake; I am sure this is not my place; I have no claim to it.” But if it be of grace and not of works, then we may walk into heaven with boldness." (Sermons, 6.354.)

Jerry Bridges:"Grace stands in direct opposition to any supposed worthiness on our part. To say it another way: Grace and works are mutually exclusive. As Paul said in Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” Our relationship with God is based on either works or grace. There is never a works-plus-grace relationship with Him." (Transforming Grace, 22)

R. C. Sproul: "Loving a holy God is beyond our moral power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts, unless He stoops in His grace to change our hearts, we will not love Him… To love a holy God requires grace, grace strong enough to pierce our hardened hearts and awaken our moribund souls." (The Holiness of God)

Horatius Bonar: "Grace burst forth spontaneously from the bosom of eternal love and rested not until it had removed every impediment and found its way to the sinner's side, swelling round him in full flow. Grace does away the distance between the sinner and God, which sin had created. Grace meets the sinner on the spot where he stands; grace approaches him just as he is. Grace does not wait till there is something to attract it nor till a good reason is found in the sinner for its flowing to him... It was free, sovereign grace when it first thought of the sinner; it was free grace when it found and laid hold of him; and it is free grace when it hands him up into glory." (Sermon, "God's Purpose of Grace")

Martyn Lloyd-Jones "Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an absolute law of this – always obey such an impulse. Where does it come from? It is the work of the Holy Spirit (Phil 2:12-13). This often leads to some of the most remarkable experiences in the life of the minister. So never resist, never postpone it, never push it aside because you are busy. Give yourself to it, yield to it; and you will find not only that you have not been wasting time with respect to the matter with which you are dealing but that actually it has helped you greatly in that respect. You will experience an ease and a facility in understanding what you were reading, in thinking, in ordering matter for a sermon, in writing, in everything which is quite astonishing. Such a call to prayer must never be regarded as a distraction; always respond to it immediately, and thank God if it happens to you frequently." (Preaching & Preachers, 170-171)

J.C. Ryle: "In justification the word to be addressed to man is believe — only believe; in sanctification the word must be 'watch, pray, and fight.'" (Holiness, ix)

John Owen: "He does not so work our mortification in us as not to keep it still an act of our obedience. The Holy Ghost works in us and upon us, as we are fit to be wrought in and upon; that is, so as to preserve our own liberty and free obedience. He works upon our understandings, wills, consciences, and affections, agreeably to their own natures; he works in us and with us, not against us or without us; so that his assistance is an encouragement as to the facilitating of the work, and no occasion of neglect as to the work itself. And indeed, I might here bewail the endless, foolish labor of poor souls, who, being convinced of sin and not able to stand against the power of their convictions, do set themselves, by innumerable perplexing ways and duties, to keep down sin, but, being strangers to the Spirit of God, all in vain. They combat without victory, have war without peace, and are in slavery all their days. They spend their strength for that which is not bread and their labor for that which profits not." (Overcoming Sin and Temptation, 62)

Thomas Watson: "Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet." (The Doctrine of Repentance, 63)

John Piper: "I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term than to gain a distaste for it because of a superior satisfaction in God." Desiring God, 12.

John Calvin: "The whole lives of Christians ought to be a kind of aspiration after piety, seeing they are called unto holiness (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:5). The office of the law is to excite them to the study of purity and holiness, by reminding them of their duty. For when the conscience feels anxious as to how it may have the favor of God, as to the answer it could give, and the confidence it would feel, if brought to his judgment-seat, in such a case the requirements of the law are not to be brought forward, but Christ, who surpasses all the perfection of the law, is alone to be held forth for righteousness." (Insittutes III, 19, 2)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security. To demand guarantees is to want to protect oneself. Peace means giving oneself completely to God’s commandment, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of Almighty God, not trying to direct if for selfish purposes. Battles are won, not with weapons, but with God. They are won where the way leads to the cross.”  (Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, 241)

C. S. Lewis: "Lose you life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death to your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in." (Mere Christianity, 226-227 )

John Owen: "In this would I live; in this would I die; upon this would I dwell in my thoughts and affections, to the withering and consumption of all the painted beauties of this world, to the crucifying all things here below, until they become to me a dead and deformed thing, no way suitable for affectionate embraces." (The Glory of Christ)

Ed Welch: "But remember once again that we cannot avoid God. All paths lead to Him. If you are tempted to skip over His words on perseverance, remember that He is life. His words give life. Whatever He says is surprising in its beauty and elegance, and is of invaluable worth." (Depression: A Stubborn Darkness, 92)

Ed Welch: "Your future includes manna. It will come. There is no sense devising future scenarios now because God will do more than you anticipate. When you understand God's plan to give future grace, you have access to what is arguably God's most potent salve against worry and fear." (Running Scared, 140)

Elyse M. Fitzpatrick: "Unless we're very intentional about meditating on these truths [that show God's love], they slip from our thoughts like misty dreams that evaporate in the morning light. That's why Luther said we must "take heed then, to embrace...the love and kindness of God...[and to] daily excercise [our] faith therein, entertain no doubt of God's love and kindness." (Because He Loves Me, 36 )

Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "You pray and make your requests made known unto God, and God will do something.’ It is not your prayer that is going to do it, it is not you who is going to do it, but God. ‘The peace of God that passeth all understanding’—He, through it all, ‘will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’.” (Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, 270)

John Owen: "Consider who and what you are; who the Spirit is that is grieved, what he has done for you, what he comes to your soul about, what he has already done in you; and be ashamed.  Among those who walk with God, there is no greater motive and incentive unto universal holiness, and the preserving of their hearts and spirits in all purity and cleanness than this: That the blessed Spirit, who has undertaken to dwell in them, is continually considering what they give entertainment in their hearts unto, and rejoices when his temple is kept undefiled." (Overcoming Sin and Temptation, 102)

Kevin DeYoung, "...,the will of God for your life is pretty straightforward: Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God." (Just Do Something, 62) 

T. S. Eliot: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason." ("Murder In The Cathedral")

Charles Spurgeon: "The axle of the wheels of the chariot of Providence is Infinite Love, and Gracious Wisdom is the perpetual charioteer." (Gleanings Among the Sheaves)

Jonathan Edwards: "The soul of a true Christian, as I then wrote my meditations, appeared like such a little white flower as we see in the spring of the year; low and humble on the ground, opening its bosom to receive the pleasant beams of the sun's glory; rejoicing as it were in a calm rapture; diffusing around a sweet fragrancy; standing peacefully and lovingly, in the midst of other flowers round about; all in like manner opening their bosoms to drink in the light of the sun. There was no part of creature holiness, that I had so great a sense of its loveliness, as humility, brokenness of heart and poverty of spirit; and there was nothing that I so earnestly longed for. My heart panted after this - to lie low before God, as in the dust; that I might be nothing, and that God might be all, that I might become as a little child." (Iain Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, 51-52)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "But to procrastinate and prevaricate simply because you’re afraid of erring, when others — I mean our brethren in Germany — must make infinitely more difficult decisions every day, seems to me almost to run counter to love. To delay or fail to make decisions may be more sinful than to make wrong decisions out of faith and love." (Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, 218)

J. D Greear: "In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more and nothing I have done that makes You love me less." (Gospel)

Oswald Chambers: "I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God." (My Utmost for His Highest)

John Piper: "The universe, they say, is so vast, it makes man utterly insignificant. Why would God have bothered to create such a microscopic speck called the earth and humanity and then get involved with us? Beneath this question is a fundamental failure to see what the universe is about. It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about himself. And he says it for us to learn and enjoy—namely, that he is infinitely great and powerful and wise and beautiful. The more the Hubble Telescope sends back to us about the unfathomable depths of space, the more we should stand in awe of God. The disproportion between us and the universe is a parable about the disproportion between us and God. And it is an understatement." (Don't Waste Your Life, 34)

Robert Murray McCheyne: "Ah! believers, you are a tempted people. You are always poor and needy.  And God intends it should be so, to give you constant errands to go to Jesus. Some may say, it is not good to be a believer; but ah!  see to whom we can go." (Works, 59)

R. C. Sproul: "[Uzzah] stretched out his hand and put it squarely on the ark, steadying it in place lest it fall to the ground. An act of holy heroism? No! It was an act of arrogance, a sin of presumption. Uzzah assumed that his hand was less polluted than the earth. But it wasn’t the ground or the mud that would desecrate the ark; it was the touch of man. The earth is an obedient creature. It does what God tells it to do. It brings forth its yield in its season. It obeys the laws of nature which God has established. When the temperature falls to a certain point, the ground freezes. When water is added to dust, it becomes mud, just as God decided. The ground doesn’t commit cosmic treason. There is nothing polluted about the ground. God did not want his holy throne to be touched by that which was contaminated by evil, that which was in rebellion to him, that which by its ungodly revolt had brought the whole of creation to ruin and caused the ground and the sky and the waters of the sea to groan together in travail waiting for the day of redemption. . . " (The Holiness of God, 140-141)

John Stott: “For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God [Gen. 3:1-7], while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man [2 Cor. 5:21]. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be.” (The Cross of Christ)

Andrew Murray: "Not to be occupied with your sin, but to be occupied with God brings deliverance from self." ("Humility: The Beauty of Holiness")

A.W. Tozer: “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?  Surely we are the most favored of all creatures.” (The Knowledge of the Holy, 64)

John Owen: "What then is holiness? Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out of the gospel in our souls (Eph 4:24)." (The Holy Spirit, 100)

John Owen: "The growth of trees and plants takes place so slowly that it is not easily seen. Daily we notice little change. But, in course of time, we see that a great change has taken place. So it is with grace. Sanctification is a progressive, lifelong work (Prov 4:18). It is an amazing work of God's grace and it is a work to be prayed for (Rom 8:27)."(The Holy Spirit, 108-109)

John Owen: "Great winds and storms help fruit-bearing trees. So also do corruptions and temptations help the fruitfulness of grace and holiness. The storm loosens the earth round its roots so the tree is able to get its roots deeper into the earth, where it receives fresh supplies of nourishment. But only much later will it be seen to bring forth better fruit. So corruptions and temptations develop the roots of humility, self-abasement and mourning in a deeper search for that grace by which holiness grows strong. But only later will there be visible fruits of increased holiness." (The Holy Spirit, 110-111)

John Owen: "Though we are commanded to 'wash ourselves', to 'cleanse ourselves from sins', to 'purge ourselves from all our iniquities', yet to imagine that we can do these things by our own efforts is to trample on the cross and grace of Jesus Christ. Whatever God works in us by his grace, he commands us to do as our duty. God works all in us and by us." (The Holy Spirit,124)

Timothy Keller: "The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less. Gospel-humility is not needing to think about myself. Not needing to connect things with myself. It is an end to thoughts such as 'I'm in this room with these people, does that makes me look good? Do i want to be here?' True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self forgetfulness." (The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness)

Charles Spurgeon: "There, poor sinner, take my garment, and put it on; you shall stand before God as if you were Christ, and I will stand before God as if I had been the sinner; I will suffer in the sinner's stead, and you shall be rewarded for works that you did not do, but which I did for you." (The Essential Works of Charles Spurgeon, 36)

John Owen: “Never was sin seen to be more abominably sinful and full of provocation than when the burden of it was upon the shoulders of the Son of God...Would you, then, see the true demerit of sin?—take the measure of it from the mediation of Christ, especially his cross.” (Communion with the Triune God,  203-04)

C. S. Lewis: "You have a traitor there, Aslan," said the Witch. Everyone present knew that she meant Edmund. But Edmund had gotten past thinking about himself after all he'd been through and after the talk he'd had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn't seem to matter what the Witch said. "Well," said Aslan, "his offense was not against you."...Edmund was on the other side of Aslan, looking all the time at Aslan's face. He felt a choking feeling and wondered if he ought to say something; but a moment later he felt that he was not expected to do anything except to wait, and to do what he was told." (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, 141-143)

John Bunyan: "And, indeed, this is one of the greatest mysteries in the world; namely, that a righteousness that resides in heaven should justify me, a sinner on earth!" ("Justification By An Imputed Righteousness")

Martin Luther: "A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone." (On Christian Liberty)

C.S. Lewis: "The whole idea of seeing through something is to see something through it. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see." (The Abolition of Man)

J.I. Packer: "[N]obody can produce new evidence of your depravity that will make God change his mind.  For God justified you with (so to speak) his eyes open.  He knew the worst about you at the time when he accepted you for Jesus' sake; and the verdict which he passed then was, and is, final." (Knowing God, 273)

Timothy Keller: "Jesus does not divide the world into the moral "good guys" and the immoral "bad guys".  He shows us that everyone is dedicated to a project of self-salvation, to using God and others in order to get power and control for themselves.  We are just going about it in different ways.  Even though both sons are wrong, however, the father cares for them and invites them both back into his love and feast." (The Prodigal God, 43).

John Bunyan: "But one day, as I was passing in the field, and that too with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, Thy righteousness is in heaven; and methought withal, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, I say, as my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was adoing, mGod could not say of me, He wants my righteousness, for that was just before him.  I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." (Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, 35-36)

Thomas Watson: “There is justice in hell, but sin is the most unjust thing.  It would rob God of his glory, Christ of his purchase, the soul of its happiness.” (The Great Gain of Godlines)

J.I. Packer: "Do I as a Christian understand myself? Do I know my own real identity? My own real destiny? I am a child of God, God is my Father; heaven is my home; every day is one day nearer. My Saviour is my brother; every Christian is my brother too. Say it over and over again to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing at night, as you wait for the bus, any time when your mind is free, and ask God that you may be enabled to live as one who knows it is all utterly and completely true. For this is the Christians secret of the Christian life, of a God-honouring life." (Knowing God)

David Brainerd: "Saw so much of the wickedness of my heart that I longed to get away from myself…I felt almost pressed to death with my own vileness. Oh what a body of death is there in me…Oh the closest walk with God is the sweetest heaven that can be enjoyed on earth!" (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, 86)

John Piper: "...all the saving events and all the saving blessings of the gospel are means of getting obstacles out of the way so that we might know and enjoy God most fully. Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven—none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him. If we believe all these things have happened to us, but do not embrace them for the sake of getting to God, they have not happened to us. Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It’s a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don’t want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel." (God is the Gospel, 47)

C.H. Spurgeon: "Our faith is a person; the gospel that we have to preach is a person; and go wherever we may, we have something solid and tangible to preach, for our gospel is a person. If you had asked the twelve Apostles in their day, ‘What do you believe in?’ they would not have stopped to go round about with a long sermon, but they would have pointed to their Master and they would have said, ‘We believe him.’ ‘But what are your doctrines?’ ‘There they stand incarnate.’ ‘But what is your practice?’ ‘There stands our practice. He is our example.’ ‘What then do you believe?’ Hear the glorious answer of the Apostle Paul, ‘We preach Christ crucified.’ Our creed, our body of divinity, our whole theology is summed up in the person of Christ Jesus." (Ray Ortlund blog, Christ Is Deeper Still)

Milton Vincent; "For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me." (The Gospel Primer)

John Owen: "...but let it suffice us to know that it became God, who is the supreme Ruler, Governor and Judge of all that sin should be punished with death in the sinner or his surety; and therefore if God would bring many sons to glory, the Captain of their salvation must undergo sufferings and death, to make satisfaction for them." (Commentary on Hebrews 2:10)

Jerry Bridges: "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace"  (The Discipline of Grace, 19)

Charles Spurgeon: "My hope lives not because I am not a sinner, but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died; my trust is not that I am holy, but that being unholy, HE is my righteousness. My faith rests not upon what I am or shall be or feel or know, but in what Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is now doing for me. Hallelujah!" (Morning and Evening)

David McIntyre: “To what profit is it that we dwell in Jerusalem, if we do not see the King’s face? And when He comes forth from His royal chambers, accompanied with blessing, are we to hold ourselves at leisure that we may yield Him worship and offer Him service?” (Hidden Life of Prayer)

John Owen: “The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh…The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin…Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”  (Mortification of Sin In Believers)

John Owen: “Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts.  He who doth not kill sin in his way takes no steps towards his journey’s end.  He who finds not opposition from it, and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it.” (Mortification of Sin In Believers)

David Powlison: “Don’t ever degenerate into giving advice unconnected to the good news of Jesus crucified, alive, present, at work and returning.” (Who is God? The Journal of Biblical Counseling, Volume 17, Number 2, Winter 1999, 16)

John Owen: "The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin. So the apostle, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" (Col 3:5). To whom does he speak? Such as were "risen with Christ" (v. 1); such as we're dead with him (v. 3); such as whose life Christ was and who should "appear with him in glory" (v. 4). Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you. Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with him, will not excuse you from this work." (Overcoming Sin and Temptation, 50)

C. S. Lewis: "If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.  The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire; the great men who built up the Middle Ages; the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven.  It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." (Mere Christianity)

Sinclair Ferguson : "When I know that Christ is the one real sacrifice for my sins, that His work on my behalf has been accepted by God, that He is my heavenly Intercessor - then His blood is the antidote to the poison in the voices that echo in my conscience, condemning me for my many failures. Indeed, Christ's shed blood chokes them into silence!" (In Christ Alone, 151)

John Bunyan: “Now while they were thus drawing towards the gate, behold, a company of the heavenly host came to meet them;  to whom it was said by the other two Shining Ones, These are the men that have loved our Lord when they were in the world, and that have left all for his holy name; and he hath sent us to fetch them, and we have brought them thus far on their desired journey, that they may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy.  Then the heavenly host gave a great shout, saying, ‘Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” (The Pilgrim's Progress, 195)

C. H. Spurgeon: "I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified unless we preach what is nowadays called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the Gospel and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the Gospel... unless we preach the sovereignty of God in his dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah. Nor do I think we can preach the Gospel unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of his elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend the Gospel which allows saints to fall away after they are called." (Sermon, "Christ Crucified")

C. S. Lewis: "You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness.  But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy.  It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.  Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.  Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.  Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape." (The Screwtape Letters, 56) 

Jerry Bridges: "Don't believe everything you think.  You cannot be trusted to tell yourself the truth.  Stay in The Word." (The Great Exchange)

John MacArthur: “Discipleship entails a life of total self-denial, a humble disposition towards others, a whole-hearted devotion to the Lord alone, a willingness to obey His commands in everything, an eagerness to sense Him even in His absence, and a motivation that comes from knowing He is well pleased.” (Slave, 43)

Horatius Bonar: "This righteousness is 'reckoned' or 'imputed' to all who believe; so that they are treated by God as if it were actually theirs.  They are entitled to claim all that which such a righteousness can merit from God (as the Judge of righteous claims).  It does not become ours gradually, or in fragments or drops; but is transferred to us all at once.  It is not that so much of it is reckoned to us in proportion to the strength of our faith, or the warmth of our love, or the fevour of our prayers; but the whole of it passes over to us by imputation.  In its whole quality and quantity it is transferred to us.  Its perfection represents us before God; and its preciousness, with all that that preciousness can purchase for us, henceforth belongs to us". (The Everlasting Righteousness, 82-83)

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: "If you stop and say, "I want to know first whether I am elect," you ask you know not what.  Go to Jesus, be you never so guilty as you are.  Leave all curious inquiry about election alone.  Go straight to Christ and hide in His wounds, and you shall know your election.  The assurance of the Holy Spirit shall be given to you, so that you will be able to say," I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have commited to him."  Christ was at the everlasting council: He can tell you whether you were chosen or not; but you cannot find it out in any other way.  Go and put your trust in Him, and His answer will be-"I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."  There will be no doubt about his having chosen you, when you have chosen him." (Morning and Evening)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "After he has been following Christ for a long time, the disciple of Jesus will be asked, “Lacked ye anything?” and he will answer “Nothing, Lord.” How could he when he knows that despite hunger and nakedness, persecution and danger, the Lord is always at his side?" (The Cost of Discipleship, 181) 

J. D. Greear: "For many evangelicals the gospel has functioned solely as the entry rite into Christianity; it is the prayer we pray to begin our relationship with Jesus; the diving board off of which we jump into the pool of Christianity. After we get into the pool, we get into the real stuff of Christianity: mastering good principles for our marriage; learning rules and regulations of how to behave; and figuring out if Kirk Cameron will be left behind. The gospel, however, is not just the diving board off of which we jump into the pool of Christianity; it is the pool itself. It is not only the way we begin in Christ; it is the way we grow in Christ. As Tim Keller says, the gospel is not just the ABCs of Christianity, it is the A-Z; it is not the first step in a stairway of truths, it is more like the hub of God's wheel of truth. All other Christian virtues flow out of it." (Gospel, 21) 

J. C. Ryle: "Lastly, we must be holy, because without holiness on earth — we will never be prepared to enjoy Heaven. ...I do not know what others may think — but to me it does seem clear that Heaven would be a miserable place to an unholy man. It cannot be otherwise. People may say in a vague way, that they "hope to go to Heaven," but they do not consider what they say. There must be a certain "fitness for the inheritance of the saints in light." Our hearts must be somewhat in tune. To reach the holiday of glory — we must pass through the training school of grace. We must be heavenly-minded and have heavenly tastes in the present life — or else we will never find ourselves in Heaven in the life to come! (Holiness)

John Piper: "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever." (Let the Nations Be Glad!)

John Stott: "We need to repent of the haughty way in which we sometimes stand in judgment upon Scripture and must learn to sit humbly under its judgments instead. If we come to Scripture with our minds made up, expecting to hear from it only an echo of our own thoughts and never the thunderclap of God’s, then indeed he will not speak to us and we shall only be confirmed in our own prejudices. We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior." (Authentic Christianity)

Jerry Bridges: "...God has made provision for our holiness. Through Christ He has delivered us from sin's reign so that we now can resist sin. But the responsibility for resisting is ours. God does not do that for us. To confuse the potential for resisting (which God provided) with the responsibility for resisting (which is ours) is to court disaster in our pursuit of holiness." (The Pursuit of Holiness, 57)

Martin Luther: “This life is not godliness, but growth in godliness; not health, but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest, but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way; the process is not yet finished, but it has begun; this is not the goal, but it is road; at present all does not gleam and glitter, but everything is being purified.” (A Defense and Explanation of All Articles, AE 32:24)

John Piper: "The inner essence of worship is cherishing Christ as gain - indeed as more gain than all that life can offer - family, career, retirement, fame, food, friends. The essence of worship is experiencing Christ as gain. Or to use words that we love to use around here: it is savoring Christ, treasuring Christ, being satisfied with Christ." (Sermon, The Inner Essence of Worship)

Thomas Brooks: "Ah! sinner, remember this, there is no way on earth effectually to be rid of the guilt, filth, and power of sin, but by believing in a Saviour. It is not resolving, it is not complaining, it is not mourning, but believing, that will make thee divinely victorious over that body of sin that to this day is too strong for thee, and that will certainly be thy ruin, if it be not ruined by a hand of faith." (Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, 220)

Oswald Chambers: "Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God.  Don't say, "I will endure this until I can get away and pray."  Pray now - draw on the grace of God in your moment of need.  Prayer is the most normal and useful thing;  it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God.  We are very slow to learn to draw on God's grace through prayer." (My Utmost for His Highest) 

John Piper: “I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth "home." Before you know it, I am calling luxuries "needs" and using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I don't think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached people drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mind-set that looks first to what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness. And I thank God for those who have forced me again and again toward a wartime mind-set.” (Don't Waste Your Life)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." (The Cost of Discipleship, 44-45)

D. A. Carson: "Some Christians want enough of Christ to be identified with him but not enough to be seriously inconvenienced; they genuinely cling to basic Christian orthodoxy but do not want to engage in serious Bible study; they value moral probity, especially of the public sort, but do not engage in war against inner corruptions; they fret over the quality of the preacher's sermon but do not worry much over the quality of their own prayer life.  Such Christians are content with mediocrity." (A Call To Spiritual Reformation,121)

Matt Chandler: "God’s response to the belittlement of his name, from the beginning of time, has been the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on a Roman cross." (The Explicit Gospel, 57)

John Piper: "True worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in thrush are the bone and marrow of biblical worship." (Desiring God, 81-82)

Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "The One who has done the greatest thing of all for you, must be concerned about you in everything, and though the clouds are thick and you cannot see His face, you know He is there. 'Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.' Now hold on to that. You say that you do not see His smile. I agree that these earth born clouds prevent my seeing Him, but He is there and He will never allow anything finally harmful to take place. Nothing can happen to you but what He allows, I do not care what it may be, some great disappointment, perhaps, or it may be an illness, it may be a tragedy  of some sort, I do not know what it is, but you can be certain of this, that God permits that thing to happen to you because it is ultimately for your good. 'Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness...' (Hebrews 12. 11)." (Spiritual Depression Its Causes and Cure, 145)

Jeremiah Burroughs: "Though the lives of men are dear and precious to God, yet they are not as precious as His glory.  The glory of His name is a thousand, thousand times more dear unto God than the lives of thousands and thousands of people...We think much to have the lives of men taken away, but if we knew what the glory of God meant, and what infinite reason there is that God should be glorified, we would not think it so much that the lives of so many men should go for the glory of God.  It is mercy that our lives have not gone many times for God's glory.  How often might God have glorified Himself in taking away our lives?  We have cause to bless Him that our lives have been preserved for as long as they have." (Gospel Worship, 28)

John Piper: "Life and death! They seem like complete opposites-at great enmity with each other. But for Paul-and for all who share his faith-there is a unity, because the same great passion is fulfilled in both-namely, that Christ be magnified in this body-our bodies-whether by life or by death." (Don't Waste Your Life, 66)

David Powlison: "We are meant to long supremely for the Lord himself, for the Giver, not his gifts.  The absence of blessings - rejection, vanity, reviling, illness, poverty - often is the crucible in which we learn to love God for who he is.  In our idolatry we make gifts out to be supreme goods, and make the Giver into the errand boy of our desires." (Seeing with New Eyes, 134-135)

Bill Farley: "Those who understand the cross increasingly see their sin as God does, and therefore begin to feelabout sin as does God.  We begin to mourn for and hate it.  In other words, at the cross God becomes larger and we become smaller.  This separation is at the heart of the fear of God.  This "fear" opens God's wisdom to us because only in light of God's immensity can I see the importance of living for the right end, his glory. And only in the light of my smallness can I feel overawed by the means he used to save me, his cross." (Outrageous Mercy: Rediscovering the Radical Nature of the Cross, 139-140)

C.H. Spurgeon: “We would labor earnestly to raise a believer in salvation by free will into a believer in salvation by grace, for we long to see all religious teaching built upon the solid rock of truth and not upon the sand of imagination. At the same time, our grand object is not the revision of opinions, but the regeneration of natures. We should bring men to Christ, not to our own particular views of Christianity. (The Soulwinner, 10)

Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "Ultimately it comes down to this, that the real cause of our trouble is failure to realize our union with Christ. Many Seem to think that Christianity means that we are delivered in that sense that our sins are forgiven. But that is only the beginning, but one aspect of it. Essentially salvation means union with Christ, being one with Christ. We have been crucified with Christ - 'I am crucified with Christ', says Paul. 'All that has happened to Him has happened to me. I am one with Him.' Read the fifth and sixth chapters of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. The teaching is that we have died with Christ, have been buried with Christ, have risen with Christ, are seated in the heavenly places in Christ and with Christ. That is the teaching of the Scriptures. 'Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God' (Colossians 3. 3). The old man has been crucified and all that belonged to Christ, you are risen with Christ. ‘Reckon ye yourselves then to be dead unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Romans 6. 11)." (Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, 74-75) 

John Piper: "Faith stands or falls on the truth that the future with God is more satisfying than the one promised by sin. Where this truth is embraced and God is cherished above all, the power of sin is broken. The power of sin is the power of deceit. Sin has power through promising a false future. In temptation sin comes to us and says: "The future with God on his narrow way is hard and unhappy, but the way I promise is pleasant and satisfying." The power of sin is in the power of this lie." (Future Grace, 326)

C. S. Lewis: "If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith.  Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mudpies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." (The Weight of Glory, 1-2)

 

What Sanctification Feels Like

Proverbs 2:1–22 opens a door to every one of us. We all want to grow in Christ. In this passage God is telling us how we can move forward.

If you see a sign in front of a church, “Revival here next week,” you can be sure there won’t be a revival there next week. We do not program God or control God. But in this passage God himself tells us how to take our next steps into newness of life. We want to change. We want to get closer to him, closer than we have ever gone before, closer than we have ever dreamed of going. Now God is telling us how. . . .

Proverbs 2 is one of the most helpful passages in the Bible, because it explains what growth and sanctification and renewal — what all of that — feels like. This passage explains the psychology of change. This new mentality is the opposite of complacency. What happens inside people who are seeing God in powerful new ways? Is my soul in that positive condition today? Is yours? Can we go there together? God has brought us to this passage to open that door for every one of us.

The flow of thought in Proverbs 2 is clear. The structure can be outlined in this simple, twofold way:

1. You can be renewed in God (vv. 1–11)

A. Get real with God (vv. 1–4)

B. And God will get real with you (vv. 5–8)

C. And you will change (vv. 9–11)

2. You can be protected in this world (vv. 12–22)

A. Safe from devious men (vv. 12–15)

B. Safe from deadly women (vv. 16–19)

C. Safe forever in God’s place of blessing (vv. 20–22)

You do not need to run from life. You only need to run toward God, and he will prepare you for real life.

 

The Secret of Sanctification

One of the most beneficial things I learned from my professors during my seminary days was that ministers must continually preach the message of the cross to the people of God for their growth in grace. One professor in particular constantly exhorted us to preach Christ “for pardon and power.” The longer I have been a Christian, the more I see the wisdom of this counsel. The message of the cross meets our deepest need for pardon, but it also meets our need for power as we seek to overcome indwelling sin.

Few things trouble the soul of the child of God so much as the presence of indwelling sin, and the sober realization of the inability of the flesh to overcome it. True believers often come to an end of themselves and cry out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Rom. 7:24)? Christians grieve over sin and spiritual weakness. They long for victory over it. The Scriptures command us to be diligent in examining ourselves (1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 13:5), taking heed to ourselves (1 Cor. 10:12), and asking the Lord to “search us…and see if there be any grievous way in us” (Psalm 139:23-24); but they do not stop there. God’s word reveals that the work of Christ is the source of pardon for sin—as well as the source of power to overcome it. Believers possess this power by virtue of their union with Christ in His death and resurrection. In order to grow in Christ-likeness, the believer must remember that sin’s dominion was broken when Christ died in their place and rose again. This is the apostle’s chief concern in Romans 6:1-14—a passage to which we must regularly return.

All of this seems so clear that I marvel at how quickly we forget it, and how seldom it is mentioned in pulpits and Christian literature (a grand exception being Walter Marshall’s Gospel Mystery of Sanctification!). The deficiency is apparent in many seeker-sensitive churches where pragmatism abounds; but sadly, it is also prevalent in many of our more traditional Protestant churches. I often fear that those who are most skillful at diagnosing the complexity and atrocity of sin in themselves—and in pointing it out in others—are the least skillful in pointing themselves and others to the Savior. It is far easier to fixate on the problem than to focus on the solution. It is actually quite easy to focus on sin and quite difficult to keep our eyes steadfastly fixed on Jesus (Heb. 12:1-2). Consequently, it often seems expedient to offer pragmatic—dare I say it, even biblical—advice that does not actually give the power to overcome sin (Col. 2:20-23). In order to progress in Christian living, we must remember that sin’s dominion was broken when Christ died for us at the cross.

Paul began to address the issue of sanctification in Romans (Rom. 6:1-14), by reminding believers of the freedom they have from sin’s dominion by virtue of their union with Christ: “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6:6). Sin’s power was broken in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Christ came not only to cancel sin’s debt; He came to break its power. Therefore, the apostle exhorted: “You also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom.6:11). When we forget that sin’s power over us was broken in the death of Christ, we will inevitably fail to walk in the newness of life that we have in union with Him. If we neglect this crucial aspect of Christ’s work we will inevitably end up living in bondage, discouragement, fear, doubt, and anxiety—or else we will become self-righteous, judgmental and proud.

Union with Christ truly is one of the most precious doctrines for Christian living. It is mentioned nearly 150 times in the New Testament by use of the phrase “in Christ,” “in Him,” “in Jesus,” or “in Jesus Christ.” The apostles relentlessly remind believers of their position in Christ. By faith, we are united to Him, in whom we receive all the spiritual blessings of God (1 Cor. 1:31).

We do not come to Christ by faith for justification and then depart from Him for sanctification. In Christ our sins are pardoned, and in Him the reign of sin is overthrown. The same Christ who justified us, also sanctifies us; therefore, the same faith that justifies us also sanctifies us (cf. John 15:1-5). John Owen captured this truth magnificently when he wrote: “While by faith we contemplate the glory of Christ as revealed in the Gospel, all grace will thrive and flourish in us towards a perfect conformity unto Him.” By union with Christ, believers have power to put indwelling sin to death (Col. 2:20-3:17). With the apostle we answer the question, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?,” with the joyful exclamation, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

*This devotional first appeared in the September 2011 edition of Tabletalk Magazine.

 

A Guide to Recent Discussions on Justification and Sanctification

Guest post by Rob Edwards

The recent blog exchanges concerning the relationship between justification and sanctification, along with the role of union with Christ in each, is part of a larger ongoing discussion of which some may be unaware. Certainly this is not true for those writing the posts, but the general reader may not have noticed what has developed into a debate particularly over the past five years. My purpose here, after providing a brief context for the current exchange, is simply to point interested readers to other resources that play a role in the larger discussion. Some are available online though most are books and journal articles.

Though there is a much longer history, the context for the current debate reaches back most immediately to the various critiques of the New Perspective on Paul and the Federal Vision. These movements emphasize union with Christ at the expense of the doctrine of justification as historically understood within Reformed theology. In particular, each takes issue with the idea of imputation in which Christ’s righteousness is attributed to me or legally counted as mine.

The response from Reformed circles defending the doctrine of justification has, generally speaking, followed along two lines. One response has continued to assert the central role of union with Christ as the overarching principle in the application of redemption and argues that imputation is an essential aspect of this union. The other response places greater emphasis on the priority of justification for the entire structure of salvation and makes this legal dimension the basis for all other benefits of redemption.

These different responses, one explaining justification as an aspect of union with Christ and the other emphasizing justification as the primary benefit of salvation and the basis for all others, brought to the fore different frameworks for how the whole of salvation is envisioned. Thus the initial defense of the doctrine of justification became the occasion for this broader debate about which has priority in Reformed soteriology: union with Christ or justification.

It’s important to note that both groups vigorously maintain that justification is God’s forensic, or legal, declaration of a believer’s righteous status dependent entirely on the imputed righteousness of Christ and received by faith alone. This is not at question. The debate is about the broader structure of salvation, the relationship between union with Christ and justification, along with the other benefits of redemption, and in particular sanctification.

Perhaps two quotations from advocates of each position would be helpful summaries. The first is from Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., emphasizing the priority of union with Christ:

The central soteriological reality is union with the exalted Christ by Spirit-created faith. This is the nub, the essence, of the way or order of salvation for Paul. . . no matter how close justification is to the heart of Paul’s gospel . . . there is an antecedent consideration, a reality, that is deeper, more fundamental, more decisive, more crucial: Christ and our union with him, the crucified and resurrected, the exalted, Christ.  Union with Christ by faith – that is the essence of Paul’s ordo salutis.[1]

Here, the focus is on the person of Christ and what he has accomplished for salvation through his death and resurrection, and consequent to this, our union with Christ is the inception of the application of what he has accomplished. Though justification is an essential aspect of redemption, union with Christ is most basic in the structure of salvation.

The following is from Michael S. Horton, emphasizing the priority of justification:

I am suggesting that we view all the items in the Pauline ordo as constituting one train, running on the same track, with justification as the engine that pulls adoption, new birth, sanctification, and glorification in tow. . . This means that we never leave the forensic domain even when we are discussing other topics in the ordo besides justification proper.  Although there is more to the new birth, sanctification, and glorification than the forensic, all of it is forensically charged.[2]

Here, justification is the dynamic for the entire structure of salvation, the source of power that animates every other aspect of redemption. The forensic declaration of justification is understood as the proper context for salvation as a whole.

Below, in chronological order, is a bibliography pointing to works that fit within this ongoing debate. A few things should be noted. First, I do not claim the list is exhaustive. Second, I will provide some annotation, primarily a brief description of where each fits within the broader discussion. Lastly, where the work is available online, a link will be provided.

2003

Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. “Biblical Theology and the Westminster Standards.” WTJ 65 (2003): 165-79. [an inaugural lecture demonstrating the relationship between biblical and systematic theology through the doctrine of union with Christ, in particular giving attention to Calvin and the Westminster Standards]

2004

Horton, Michael S. “What God Hath Joined Together: Westminster and the Uneasy Union of Biblical and Systematic Theology.” In The Pattern of Sound Doctrine: Systematic Theology at the Westminster Seminaries. Essays in Honor of Robert B. Strimple. Edited by David VanDrunen, 43-71. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2004. [describes the tendencies and dangers in separating biblical and systematic theology and the link between them provided by federal, or covenant, theology]

2006

Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. By Faith, Not By Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation. Waynesboro: Paternoster Press, 2006. [addresses the New Perspective, discussing the relationship between redemption accomplished and redemption applied in Paul, identifying union with Christ as the nexus between the two, and describing its relation to both justification and sanctification]_____. “Union with Christ: Some Biblical and Theological Reflections.” In Always Reforming, edited by A. T. B. McGowan, 271-88. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2006. [argues that union with Christ is central in the application of redemption, discussing its relationship to other aspects in the ordo salutis, and demonstrating similarities with Calvin and the Westminster Standards]Garcia, Mark A. “Imputation and the Christology of Union with Christ,” WTJ 68 (2006): 219-51. [criticizes those who reject imputation in favor of union with Christ, demonstrating the essential relationship between union with Christ and imputation in Reformed theology, and in particular Calvin]

2007

Clark, R. Scott, ed. Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry: Essays by the Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary California. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2007. [responding in particular to the Federal Vision, consistently emphasizing the priority of justification in Reformed soteriology and as the basis for sanctification; in particular see the following essays: David VanDrunen, “Where We Are: Justification under Fire in the Contemporary Scene;” Michael S. Horton, “Which Covenant Theology?” R. Scott Clark, “Do This and Live;” W. Robert Godrey, “Faith Formed by Love or Faith Alone?”]Fesko, John V. “A More Perfect Union? Justification and Union with Christ.” Modern Reformation 16, no. 3 (May/June 2007): 32-35, 38. [a brief article, arguing that union with Christ cannot be set over against justification, describing justification as a legal aspect of our union with Christ, and justification as the ground of sanctification; available here]Garcia, Mark A. “Review Article: No Reformed Theology of Justification?” (review of Paul A. Rainbow, The Way of Salvation: The Role of Christian Obedience in Justification and R. Scott Clark, ed., Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry). Ordained Servant Online (October 2007). http://opc.org/os.html?article_id=66 (accessed 20 August 2011). [a highly critical review of Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry, where Garcia identifies what he believes to be clear Lutheran tendencies, where the whole of soteriology is subsumed under the doctrine of justification]Horton, Michael S. Covenant and Salvation: Union with Christ. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. [engaging a wide range of contemporary theology while prioritizing the covenantal structure of redemption, and in particular identifying justification as the basis of union with Christ and the source of all other benefits of redemption; for examples see pp. 129, 139, 143, 147, 198, 201; also see Gaffin’s review listed below]Ryken, Philip G.  “Justification and Union with Christ.” Paper presented at the meeting of The Gospel Coalition at Trinity Evangelical School, May 23, 2007. [interacts with the New Perspective and Federal Vision while maintaining the centrality of union with Christ as the context for imputation and justification; audio available here.]Tipton, Lane G. “Union with Christ and Justification.” In Justified in Christ: God’s Plan for Us in Justification, edited by K. Scott Oliphint, 23-49. Ross-shire: Christian Focus, 2007. [describes how Reformed theology has held to the centrality of union with Christ while consistently affirming imputation as the ground for justification, discussing the biblical and systematic-theological structure as well as the historical-theological formulations, and distinguishing this from the New Perspective as well as Lutheran conceptions]Wenger, Thomas L. “The New Perspective on Calvin: Responding to Recent Calvin Interpretations.” JETS 50, no. 2 (June 2007): 311-328. [an article highly critical of Gaffin, and those associated with him, arguing that union with Christ as the overarching principle of the application of redemption in Calvin as Gaffin sees it is unfounded and greatly confuses Calvin’s soteriology]

2008

Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. “Justification and Union with Christ.” In A Theological Guide to Calvin’s Institutes, edited by David W. Hall and Peter A. Lillback, 248-69. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2008. [focuses in particular on Calvin’s Institutes 3.11-18, looking at justification within the twofold grace (unio-duplex gratia) structure  of Calvin’s soteriology, giving particular attention to the role of faith in union with Christ, justification, and sanctification]

2009

Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. “Calvin’s Soteriology: The Structure of the Application of Redemption in Book Three of the Institutes.” Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 68-77. [similar to his other articles, examining Calvin and the role of union with Christ in the application of redemption, particularly how the twofold grace Calvin describes, justification and sanctification, flow together from this union while remaining distinct; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]_____. “Covenant and Salvation” (review of Michael S. Horton, Covenant and Salvation). Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 145-49. [a review that finds Horton’s description of the relationship between union with Christ and justification unclear, raises questions about Horton’s use of Calvin at various points, and also expresses concern over how Horton envisions the relationship between justification and sanctification in a way that differs from historic Reformed formulations; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]_____. “A Response to John Fesko’s Review.” Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 104-13. [Gaffins response to Fesko’s review of Garcia’s Life in Christ, listed just below, restating his understanding of Calvin’s relationship between union with Christ, justification, and sanctification, claiming that this is not a unique view but consistent with Reformed theology subsequent to Calvin as well; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]Fesko, John V. “A Tale of Two Calvins: A Review Article (review of J. Todd Billings, Calvin, Participation, and the Gift and Mark A. Garcia, Life in Christ). Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 98-104. [Fesko’s review of Garcia, suggesting that Garcia is part of a novel approach to reading Calvin originating with Gaffin; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]

2010

Evans, William B. “Déjà vu All Over Again? The Contemporary Reformed Soteriological Controversy in Historical Perspective.” WTJ 72 (2010): 135-51. [an overview of the current debate with a taxonomy Evans suggests for understanding the differences between the various positions as related to developments in Reformed theology; Evans identifies himself as in agreement with the position emphasizing the priority of union with Christ]_____. “Of Trajectories, Repristinations, and the Meaningful Engagement of Texts: A Reply to J. V. Fesko.” WTJ 72 (2010): 403-14. [a reply by Evans to Fesko’s criticism of his above article]Fesko, John V. “Arminius on Union with Christ and Justification.” Trinity Journal 31, no. 2 (2010): 205-222. [a study of Arminius’s view of union with Christ as it relates to justification with application to the current controversy, raising concerns about those who would subsume the ordo salutis under the category of union with Christ in a way that does not maintain the clear priority of justification]_____. “Methodology, Myth, and Misperception: A Response to William B. Evans.” WTJ 72 (2010): 391-402. [responding to Evans article, “Déjà vu All Over Again?” taking issue with what he believes are substantial weaknesses in Evans’s taxonomy as well as his historical-theological methodology regarding Calvin and the subsequent development of Reformed soteriology]_____. “William Perkins on Union with Christ and Justification.” Mid-America Journal of Theology 21 (2010): 21-34. [in reference to Evans’s claim that subsequent to Calvin, the ordo salutis model eclipsed the importance of union with Christ, Fesko argues that Perkins demonstrates a balanced concern for both, while affirming the priority of justification over sanctification]

2011

Horton, Michael. The Christian Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. [Horton’s recent systematic theology, pp. 551-710 being of particular relevance to the current debate, and especially pp. 587-619 where he discusses union with Christ and maintains that the forensic declaration of justification is the basis both of union with Christ and sanctification; for clear examples see especially pp. 573, 575, 589, 591, 595, 597, 610, and 645]

[1] Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., By Faith, Not By Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation (Waynesboro: Paternoster Press, 2006), 43.

[2] Michael Horton, The Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 708.

 

Sanctification and Eschatology

Here are some resources and a (somewhat) brief history to bring you up to speed on the sanctification issue that has garnered a lot of attention recently.

One of Tullian Tchividjian’s main thrusts for his blog (and his tweets) is communicating that sanctification is “getting used to your justification”, prompted in part by the Lutheran theologian Gerhard Forde (see here, here and briefly here).Meanwhile, Darryl Hart occasionally expresses his confusion on finding union with Christ as expressed by Vos, Gaffin, etc. in the Reformed tradition* (e.g. see here).Justin Taylor links to three posts: one from Kevin DeYoung emphasizing the role of effort in the Christian life (possibly prompted by Tullian’s emphases, but possibly not), one from Tullian that attempts to articulate the relationship of justification to sanctification (in response to Kevin), and one from Kevin emphasizing that sanctification includes more than just recalling our justification.Bill Evans writes on Ref21, seeking to add clarity to the issues Kevin DeYoung and Tullian were speaking of by giving a brief history of the discussion and emphasizing the soteriological priority of union with Christ, from which the benefits of justification, sanctification and adoption flow. Evans is also concerned to understand the law, obedience, legalism, grace, etc. within this context of our union with Christ and the benefits we receive from that union.Sean Lucas writes on Ref21 in response to Bill Evans’ article. Lucas emphasizes the need for unity among brothers as these discussions continue while seeing the issues as more of a matter of emphasis than foundational disagreement.Justin Taylor links to Sean Lucas’s post that is a response to Bill Evans’ post, sympathizing with Lucas’s concerns for unity.GreenBaggins also weighs in and gives thoughts on the debate.Rick Phillips writes a lengthy, organized response by putting forth positive statements on sanctification.Camden Bucey rounds out the discussion by also pointing out the believer’s union with Christ in his death, along with that union with Christ in his resurrection, ascension, and session.Kevin DeYoung again weighs in, responding to the Ref21 articles.Bill Evans writes another response here.Jim Cassidy weighs in here, emphasizing the pastoral element to the discussion.Sean Lucas responds again here, indicating that he should not be misunderstood as saying that these discussions are matters of mere emphasis.Tullian sums up his response to those recent posts here.

In the interest of keeping a spirit of unity, I won’t mention any names of people with whom I differ on this topic. I hope that’s at least partially indicative of my desire not simply to start arguments between Christian brothers, but to allow iron to sharpen iron for the sake of producing clarity where it perhaps lacked beforehand, on both sides.

What I hope to present are the categories for the discussion, arrived at by careful exegesis elsewhere by other writers. For the sake of space and the reader’s patience, I’ll simply assume this exegetical work represented by the passages cited especially by Bill Evans, Rick Phillips, and Camden Bucey in the articles mentioned above. Especially assumed and foundational to the discussion is the work done by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. in his book Resurrection and Redemptionas well as in his articles “Biblical Theology and the Westminster Standards”, “Justification and Eschatology” in Justified in Christ, “Theonomy and Eschatology” in Theonomy: A Reformed Critique, “Epistemological Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:6-16” in Revelation and Reason and somewhat related “The New Testament as Canon” in Inerrancy and Hermeneutic. Much of what I write here is simply summarizing Gaffin’s work as well as drawing on Lane Tipton’s crucial notes on this subject from his “Doctrine of Salvation” course taught at WTS, alongside his articles “Justification and Union with Christ” in Justified in Christ and “Paul’s Christological Interpretation of Creation and Presuppositional Apologetics” in Revelation and Reason.

Eschatology. Eschatology. Eschatology. It may initially sound foreign, but eschatology is the background of and essential to the gospel. What sets the stage for how we are justified, how we are sanctified, and what’s called the “order of salvation” is what was accomplished in history by Christ to make possible those benefits you receive by being in Christ; the history of salvation is the context for the gospel and your own personal salvation.

The history of salvation starts with the need for salvation and redemption in the first place: Genesis 3. Before Adam’s fall the garden was very good, but it wasn’t the pinnacle or fulfillment of God’s creation. The garden was set up as a probationary environment and Adam was meant to pass that probationary test, but he failed. Instead of passing the temptation and being exalted, Adam became the head and representative of the unfulfilled, unredeemed human race in an unredeemed, unfulfilled age, earth, and heavens. The conditional curse told to Adam by God became a reality. The entire creation would groan from that point forward because of Adam’s failure, and every person after him would be born united to Adam (Rom 5:12-21) in his guilt, corruption, alienation from God, and lack of redemption.

You know what happens next in redemptive history. The entire Old Testament is filled with anticipation, looking forward to a time when the redemption promised in Genesis would come and the new epoch is ushered in. Until that happens, failure after failure emerges – Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah – all of them Hebrews 11-like ‘heroes’ in the faith, but clearly failing to be the one who brings in that new, redeemed epoch. In the meantime, those who have faith in the Redeemer who is yet to come are no longer united to their earthly father Adam, they are united to their future Redeemer who has yet to come.

As we take a look at the epochal shift and fulfillment that occurred with the coming of God’s Son, Christ, we know that Christ lived a perfect life, then died for his chosen people and became sin (2 Cor 5:21) for believers for our salvation and our redemption from our inherited sin from Adam. But our salvation did not and cannot stop with Christ’s death alone, or with the cross alone (see Rev. 15). The second part to what Christ did back then in history is his resurrection by God that effectively ushered in that redeemed, new epochal age and conquered the fleshly, temporary, visible, groaning age and old creation. Those who died with Christ have been buried with Christ and have been raised with Christ by virtue of our union with Christ (Rom 6), and have, like Christ, become a new creation – but not fully. Yet.

There is a reality that we do not yet see with our physical eyes in our temporary bodies: the reality of being united with Christ as he has been raised, exalted, ascended into heaven, and as he is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father. We don’t visibly see that, do we? But make no mistake, it is a reality for Christ and is just as much a reality for us, albeit not physically seen. By faith we are united to Christ and receive the benefits of justification, sanctification, and adoption and we receive those benefits simultaneously at the time-point of our faith in Christ. In his resurrection and exaltation Christ was justified (1 Tim 3:16), definitively sanctified (Rom 6), and adopted (Heb 1:5). Moreover, this also happens to us as believers because of our union with that exalted Christ. We are not first justified by faith and abstractly declared innocent, only to then be sanctified for good works as that initial justification and its reality plays out in our lives. We are definitively sanctified at the same time-point that we are justified. Yet progressive sanctification does just that – it progresses – as we work out our salvation (Phil 2:12-13) in the power of the Spirit as believers living in this temporary world.

We can understand Christ’s coming in various ways, but one that I think is helpful is understanding Christ’s coming in two episodes. Christ has already completed the first part by being born of a virgin, living a perfect life, being crucified, dying, being buried, and being raised, exalted, ascending, and sitting at the right hand of God in heaven (Eph 1:20f). “It is finished”, it goes without saying, is completely true. But “it” doesn’t mean “everything” and Christ still has work to do before all is well and the removal of sin includes not only the removal of our guilt and corruption but working towards our deliverance from the old, evil age. We are awaiting a new creation, the new heavens and the new earth. We have faith and hope in what is invisible and unseen that is yet to come, for who hopes for what is visible (Heb 11:1-3)? We will get new bodies when Christ returns, bodies fit for the not-yet new creation that he will bring and fit for what we already are in our union with him. What we see now in this age will burn when Christ returns. What we see is just our temporary home as we are aliens here, and all of it will on that day make way for our real, permanent, new creation home with the glorified Christ.

Because of the already/not yet aspect to all of reality now, that reality must inform discussions regarding the gospel, salvation, what Christ has done, what he will do, etc. There is a sense (already) in which we are no more justified or sanctified now than we ever will be, even in the new heavens and the new earth. But there is another (not yet) sense where there is still work to be done in us and with God’s unredeemed, temporary creation. While this already/not yet tension is still a reality here while our Lord tarries, the indicative of who we are as believers united with Christ and receiving every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3) as a result is never in tension with what God calls us to do here as his sons and daughters in Christ. Whatever motivation we have for doing good works, we can be confident that those good works are never the basis for our salvation, while at the same time we strive toward them (Col 3:1) to hear Christ when he returns say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

When the sanctification discussion takes place merely on the level of a pendulum swing between indicatives and imperatives (Gal 5:25; Eph 5:8; 1 Cor 5:7; Phil 2:12-13 are just a few examples of the biblical both/and of indicatives and imperatives), when the same two concepts are highlighted as emphases, and when all of that is discussed apart from the systemic eschatological element coursing through what Christ has done and what he is doing in you, something foundational and structural is lacking.

When sanctification is defined as “getting used to your justification” or “forgetting about yourself” and the law and the gospel/grace are in a tug of war of emphasis, do you not see that the entire crucial context and substructure of what Christ accomplished and how he applies it in your life is missing? Sanctification is a dying to sin and rising with Christ and has so much more to do with what Christ did for you than in your disposition of just letting the reality of the benefit of judicially being declared righteous sink in; not to mention the need to distinguish for clarity’s sake the difference between being definitively sanctified (1 Cor 1:2; 6:11; Heb 10:10,14) through our union with Christ and progressively sanctified (Rom 12:2) over time in the life of believers.

What absolutely must be distinguished in these discussions is the difference between pastoring a believer who needlessly feels guilty over not doing good works because he thinks he has to earn his salvation, and pastoring a believer who actually fails to do a specific good work (or doing a bad work) because he reverted to breaking God’s law and followed the previous patterns of the “old man” (Rom 5:12f; 6:12; 8;13) who was dead before God breathed new life and Spirit into him as God breathed life into his first creation, Adam.

As redeemed believers we must do good works “for Jesus” as God works in us progressively to sanctify and we must do so as good and faithful servants of the Savior who requires that of us, but not do them from a false motivation to earn our salvation already achieved for us by Christ. We obey as God’s new creatures, groaning with creation for our Savior to come and complete his work in us.

—

For reference to the historical Reformed tradition, one place to start would be the Westminster Confession of Faith; Chapter 11 for justification, Chapter 12 for adoption, and Chapter 13 for sanctification. Also see the Westminster Larger Catechism Questions 69-78 for the relationship of union to the benefits, particularly

Q 69: What is the communion in grace which the members of the invisible church have with Christ?
A. The communion in grace which the members of the invisible church have with Christ, is their partaking of the virtue of his mediation, in their justification, adoption, sanctification, and whatever else, in this life, manifests their union with him.

Also, Westminster Shorter Catechism Questions 32-38 are helpful. In Calvin, it’s worth looking at his Institutes, III.I.1, III.XI.1, III.XI.6, III.XI.10, III.XVI.1. It should be clear from those readings that what is said above regarding eschatology and our union with Christ is consistent within the tradition and not in conflict.