Salvation: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification
What does salvation, justification, sanctification, and glorification mean? Through this post I hope to bring some Biblical clearity to this topic.
Salvation (Deliverance):
Salvation is the entire process by which God rescues sinful human beings from their penalty (death) and bondage to sin, and gives them an overhaul from the inside out. Salvation is accomplished in three tenses—past, present, and future. Those individuals who accept Jesus Christ by faith (Romans 10:9-13; Gal. 3:26) and repent (Mark 1:15; Acts 3:19; 2 Cor. 7:9-10; 1 John 1:9) can say with other believers:
“We have been saved from the penalty of sin (justification); we are being saved from the power of sin (sanctification); we shall be saved from the presence of sin (glorification).”
Justification (the removal of guilt) is our acceptance by God based on Christ’s perfect righteousness. Sanctification (setting apart unto holiness) is the working out of right living in our daily behavior. Glorification (the final harvest) is the future perfection to be experienced in the world to come.
Repentance (Change of Mind):
Repentance comes from the Greek word metanoia, meaning: “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will also result in a change of actions. Acts 26:20 “…that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.” The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. The book of Acts seems to especially focus on repentance in regard to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent in relation to salvation is to change your mind in regard to Jesus Christ.
In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, he concludes with a call for the people to repent. Repent from what? Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus to change their minds about Him, to recognize He is indeed Lord and Christ. Peter is calling the people to change their minds from rejection of Christ as the Messiah to faith in him as both Messiah and Savior. Repentance and faith can be understood as two sides of the same coin. It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about who he is and what he has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection, ignorance, or disinterest, it is a change of mind.
Biblical repentance in relation to salvation is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ. While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly and fully change your mind without that causing a change in action. In the Bible repentance results in a change in behavior which is why John the Baptist (Matt. 3:8; Luke 3:8) and Paul (Acts 26:20) called people to produce fruit/deeds in keeping with repentance. A person who has truly repented from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life. Repentance properly defined is necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith for salvation. Turning from sin is not the definition of repentance but it is one of the results of genuine faith-based repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not have the power to turn from sin without first accepting Christ and having the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Justification (The Removal of Guilt):
We have been saved from the penalty of sin.
In simple terms, justification is God’s declaration that a believing sinner is righteous because of the merits of Christ imputed to him. Not that we are righteous in and of ourselves, but those who put their faith in Christ are declared righteous in God’s eyes and are set free from guilt and punishment for sin (death). Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are three elements of justification:
1) The forgiveness of sins. Acts 13:38-39 says, “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man (Jesus) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
2) The removal of guilt. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (that is, to those who are justified).
3) The imputation of righteousness. In Romans 4:6, David speaks of the blessing of those whom God “counts righteousness apart from works” Romans 4:5 makes it clear that he is talking about a person who is justified by faith.
Those who are justified are not only forgiven, but are declared not guilty, and are acquitted. Their past sins are canceled, and they are counted “just as if they had not sinned.”
There are several other factors related to justification:
1) The source of justification is God’s free grace. Romans 3:24 says, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
2) The ground of justification is Christ’s blood. Romans 5:9 says, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
3) The condition for justification is faith in Christ. Galatians 2:16 says, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Romans 3:28 and Ephesians 2:8 repeat this same message.
4) The evidence of justification is good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Justification is not the result of any works that we do but the result of the grace of God (Him reaching down) that are received by faith in Christ (us reaching up).
Sanctification (Setting Apart Unto Holiness):
We are being saved from the power of sin.
In simple terms, sanctification is the deliverance from the power of sin, advancing in holiness, and is a present and continuous process of believers becoming Christlike. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace (2 Thess. 2:13), whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God (Eph. 4:23-24), and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness (Rom. 6:4-6). Regeneration is the new birth (John 1:12-13) and sanctification is the growth that necessarily results from it. Sanctification is the believer leaving the courtroom where God has once and for all time declared him righteous (justification), and immediately begins the process whereby God’s Spirit enables him to increasingly conform to Christ’s righteousness, both inwardly and outwardly. Perfect sanctification is neither attainable nor ever fully completed in this life but is a progressive process that is ultimately fulfilled in glorification. (1 Kings 8:46; Eccl. 7:20; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8). See Paul’s account of himself in Rom. 7:14–25; Phil. 3:12–14; and 1 Tim. 1:15.
We are declared holy (no longer children of wrath) because of Christ’s redemptive work and we are to continue to pursue holiness. When we are justified, we are declared righteous positionally (that is, before God we are righteous). However, while we are positionally righteous, we are practically not perfectly righteous. Sanctification then is the gradual conformity to the likeness of Christ. In other words, sanctification is the gradual process of becoming practically what we are positionally (righteous).
There are three aspects of sanctification:
1) Instantaneous sanctification (our standing) — relates to our standing before God which is assigned to individuals at the time when they accept Jesus Christ by faith. The New Testament reflects the idea that followers of Christ have been sanctified or set apart as a result of Christ’s holiness (Acts 20:32; 26:18; 1 Cor 1:30, 2 Thess 2:13). This is the idea that Christians have been made holy (positionally righteous) before God through their faith in Christ which is related to justification.
2) Progressive sanctification (our spiritual growth) — is the life process of gradual purification from sin, growing in holiness, and progressive spiritual growth that should mark the life of a believer. This doctrine of sanctification draws on New Testament passages that emphasize a move toward holy and righteous living that characterizes following Christ in faith (1 Thess 4:3–8; Rom 6:19–22). Thus sanctification speaks of following in the path of righteousness, choosing the more excellent way, and seeking the mind of Christ. God uses means of grace to sanctify us by personal and corporate spiritual disciplines. In the personal realm, these include intake of God’s Word, prayer, private worship, fasting, etc. These are balanced by disciplines we practice with the church: public worship, hearing God’s Word preached, observance of the ordinances, corporate prayer, fellowship, etc. And all along, our confidence is not in ourselves, but in God.
3) Ultimate sanctification (our eternal state) — is the final state, which will be attained only when we are fully and completely set apart to God upon Christ’s return. The wish of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is expressed as follows: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And in 1 John 3:2, we read, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” Paul also said, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).
In one sense we may say that sanctification has nothing to do with regeneration or justification, and yet it has everything to do with demonstrating that one has experienced them. (Notice statements similar to “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because . . .” in the letter of 1 John.) In other words, sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man (Rom. 6:13-19; 2 Cor. 4:6; Col. 3:10; 1 John 4:7; 1 Cor. 6:19).
Glorification (The Final Harvest):
We shall be saved from the presence of sin.
God not only justifies—delivers us from the guilt of sin. And He not only sanctifies—delivers us more and more from the power of sin. He also glorifies—delivers us ultimately from the presence of sin. Glorification is the future perfection and the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and all believers of all time, both the living and the resurrected dead, corporately will receive their perfect heavenly bodies like his own. 1 Thess. 4:16-17 says “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Romans 8:16-18 says, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” 1 Peter 1:5 says that we are “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Romans 13:11 reminds us, “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” Christ came the first time to pay the price of our sins; He is coming the second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly looking for Him (Hebrews 9:28).
Jesus spoke about a harvest at the end of the age. In Matthew 13:30, we read, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” Glorification is the act of God by which He is going to gather believers and transform their bodies so we can be with the Lord forever. The glorified believer will be delivered from the presence of sin forever (1 John 3:2). At that time there will be joy and peace and gladness and singing. Sufferings and trials are sometimes hard and painful in this life, but the sum total of them all will be nothing when compared with the glory which is to be revealed (Romans 8:18).
Summary:
Salvation is the work of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) whereby the sinner heard the gospel, believed in Jesus, and was sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14), is redeemed from the curse of the law (justification), is increasingly set free from the dominion of sin (sanctification), and will finally be perfected in the image of Jesus Christ (glorification).
Using theological shorthand, you could say that believers “have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved”.
Justification (have been saved) - We are forgiven and cleared of all of our guilt and the deserved penalty for committed sins (death), through faith in Jesus Christ, who took on the penalty for my sins and paid the price by dying in my stead. (Galatians 2:16)
Sanctification (are being saved) - Sanctification follows justification. It is the transformation from human to divine nature (2 Peter 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Matthew 5:48); being made holy. This is a process I undergo throughout my lifetime as I, in obedience to the Spirit, put off the works of the flesh and take on the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-16)
Glorification (will be saved) - God ultimately delivers us from the presence of sin. Glorification is the future perfection that will take place at Christ’s second coming where we will inherit our new heavenly body and dwell with Him forever. (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:42-45)
The experience of salvation upon a person putting their faith in Christ, begins with justification and simultaneously regeneration , continues with sanctification, and is fulfilled in glorification. All who are regenerated and justified are being sanctified. All who are being sanctified will eventually be glorified. While we may distinguish between justification, sanctification, and glorification, we must not separate them. In other words, the person who truly experiences one will experience them all (and in the order listed).
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”