Big words!

I am not a fan of big words.  They are hard to say.  And often people are unsure what they mean.    So they fail to do what words are supposed to do - communicate effectively! Words have meaning.  And each word has a particular meaning.  That's why it is important we know and understand what a word means. Theology is full of big words, with particular meanings.  We come to two of these in the catechism now.

Q32. What do justification and sanctification mean?

A. Justification means our declared righteousness before God, 

made possible by Christ's death and resurrection for us.  

Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, 

made possible by the Spirit's work in us.

A few things to note:

• I am justified.  We speak of justification in the past tense.  It is a one time act, based on a one time act. It is that act when I am declared righteous before God.  Take that in.  You, personally, are declared righteous.  That is more than being forgiven; it is greater than the slate being wiped clean.  You are declared perfectly righteous.   As perfect as Jesus Christ himself. This is only possible because of a one time act.  Because of Jesus death and resurrection, all Jesus goodness is credited to your account.    So if someone is to look at your 'record', they could not find any fault with you.  No blemishes, no dent in your perfection. That is what it means to be justified.|

• I am being sanctified.  We speak of sanctification in the present tense.  It is an ongoing work in our lives We might understand what justification is.  It is harder to believe that it is true.  We don't look perfect!  That's where sanctification comes in.  You see, the bible teaches that God does declare us truly righteous, but that doesn't mean we stop sinning.  However, he works in our lives, through his Spirit, to make us more like Jesus.  We grow in righteousness.

• Believe it, live it Our challenge is to believe and live these truths. We must believe that God has declared us righteous.  He sees us as perfect.  So when we mess up, he doesn't condemn us.  And we shouldn't condemn ourselves. We must seek to become more like Jesus.  God has put his Spirit in our lives to make us more holy, every day.  Work with his Spirit.  Aim for perfection.  Be disgusted by sin.  Progress may be slow, but never, ever give up.