For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom
He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these also justified; and
whom He justified, these He also glorified.
-
Romans 8:29-30
The word justified (verb form) is
the Greek verb dikaioō which means to
make right or righteous. This is the first level of our salvation. In the area
of justification, God is making us right with him, and the same time granting
us His righteousness. Those whom God called in eternity past to be conformed to
the image His Son will by the power of God be regenerated (made spiritually
alive, Eph 2:1; Col 2:13), have an awareness of their horrible sin and guilt
towards God.
In God’s precise timing the Lord will open their hearts (like Lydia Acts 16:14), they will
be given the willingness and ability to believe the gospel message and be
saved. The reason why we can be justified is because Jesus bore our sins on the
cross, washing them away with His blood.
Isaiah 53:5 prophesying pre-crucifixion
says, He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
The apostle Peter reiterates this
reality post crucifixion, who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree
that we being dead to sins might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you
were healed (I Pet 2:24).
As a result of the completed work
of Jesus Christ on the cross, God’s the Father’s wrath against sin has been
satisfied. His Justice has been served. Jesus was our perfect substitute; the
only one qualified and capable to bear our sins. Now God is able declare us
righteous in Christ because Jesus bore our shame, endured the Father’s wrath
against Him on our behalf.
The condemnation of the Son of
God by the Father, and the justification of God’s chosen people is a judicial
act. All sinners are summoned to appear in God’s court of Law. The reality is
that we were all guilty, and our fingerprints prove that our DNA is corrupted by
sin. Our own rebellious acts are our prosecutors. The charges against us are
true, they are not trumped up. We deserve to eternally perish. The forensics
have been laid bare in front of the Father. But, because God the Father
provided for us the most holiest Ram (borrowing the language in Genesis 22) in
the thicket, our charges were laid on Him. He (Jesus, our legal defense
attorney, our advocate) laid His body on the altar of sacrifice (i.e. His
cross) as a sin offering with pure holy blood. The Father accepted the offering
and wiped away all our sins forever. Jesus never has to suffer for them
again, and for the ones sins he bore, will never be penalized for them.
So,
what are our charges now? NOT GUILTY!
We are justified, declared
righteous in Jesus Christ.
He who knew no sin became sin
that we may become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21).
Sanctification
Sanctification is the Greek word hagiasmos. Means separation unto God. Sanctification
is the process where God sets us apart and makes us holy. Sanctification is
both positional and practical. Practical sanctification is the second level of
our salvation. It is our duty to be holy because the Lord is holy (I Pet 1:16).
Sanctification is working out our
salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).
I Peter 1:2 says of the believer:
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ.
This verse clearly speaks of the
believer being consecrated unto God, and made pure by the blood of Jesus
Christ.
I Thessalonians 4:3-4: for this
is the will of God, your sanctification;
that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know
how to possess his own vessel in sanctification
and honor.
I Thessalonians 4:7: For God did
not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
I Corinthians 6:9-11: Do you not
know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor
sodomites nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But
you were washed, but you were sanctified,
but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our
God.
Jesus speaking to the Father in
John 17:17 said, sanctify them
(purify, consecrate, separate them for yourself, make them holy) by your truth.
Your Word is truth – amplified version.
Sanctification is of utmost
importance in our Christian walk. Sanctification is the medium that bridges us
between justification and glorification. Sanctification is the virtue that will
cause us to walk worthy of our calling, and to bear good fruit (Gal 5:22-23).
Justification and glorification
are fixed positions. Sanctification is an ongoing process that we must practice
so that we conform to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29).
We are as justified as we will
ever be. We can not become more justified. Once we are glorified, we will be as
glorified as will ever be. We will not be able to grow or work out our
glorification once we inherit it. But, we always can strengthen and develop our
sanctification. How? By resisting temptation, the devil, and the flesh; performing good deeds.
Jesus commanded us in Matthew
5:16 to: let your light so shine before men that may see your good works, and
glorify your Father in heaven.
Glorification
Glorification comes from the
Greek word doxasō; means to magnify,
to extol, to praise and give honor.
This is the third and final tier
of the believer’s blessed salvation. When we are glorified, our salvation has
been consummated. What this means is our bodies have finally been redeemed from
its corrupt mortality. In our glorified state, we will be no longer be subject to death anymore. It will be a
curse in our forever past. What God promised in eternity past has been fulfilled.
When we reach this state, we will be in a perpetual state of eternal present.
Now lets look at some passages to amplify this blessed reality.
Behold I tell you a mystery; We
shall not all sleep (a euphemism for death), but we shall all be changed – in a
moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruption must put on
incorruption, and the mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible
has puts on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying,
“Death
is swallowed up in victory. “O Death, where is
your sting? O
Hades, where is your victory?” (I
Cor 15:51-55).
A parallel passage is: For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord
(I Thess 4:16-17).
For our citizenship is in heaven,
from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body that
in may be conformed to His glorious body (Phil 3:20-21b).
In Him you also
trusted,
after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also,
having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee
of our inheritance until
redemption
of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (Eph 1:13-14).
These two verses have some
interesting terms. Lets start with the word sealed.
Comes from the Greek sphragizō. The word is used to indicate security
and permanency. The term also means ownership. We belong to God, and are safe
in His grasp. This ownership and security is permanent.
The word guarantee or better
Earnest (in the KJV) comes from the Greek term
arrabōn. Originally meant earnest-money deposited by the purchaser
and forfeited if the purchase was not completed.
In relation to the elect God is
guaranteeing our inheritance by giving us the Holy Spirit as a pledge. The Spirit
is the sign that what God began in salvation He will finish. Once God redeems
our bodies, He will receive all the praise and glory. The word
arrabona means an engagement ring which
is the modern Greek expression of
arrabon.
We (the Church) are currently
engaged to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit placed us in this holy union when we
believed (i.e. we said, “I do!”) The
marriage takes place in the future (Rev 19:7).
I John 3:1-13, Behold what manner
of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of
God! Therefore the world does not know
us, because it did know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has
not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed,
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
When Jesus returns we will have
received our full inheritance, a glorified body like His body, We will be glorified
humanity which is the closest relationship any human can have with our Lord who
is incarnate deity.
We see that our salvation is one
salvation, but also like our God is triune. Our salvation has three components;
Justification, sanctification, and glorification. We are as I mentioned before
in phase 2, the most difficult part. This is where we have to live holy, and
engage in holy war against our archenemy the devil. This is also where we have to
resist temptation, submit ourselves to God, and resist the devil (James 4:7),
and wrestle and win the war against our own corrupt flesh. Although this
outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Cor
4:16).