The Reformation: Backdrop of Justification
Last Sunday marked 504 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg in protest against the Roman Catholic Church.
But what was the big deal? Why did this document spark the Reformation?
In a word, it was a question of “justification.” How is sinful man made right with God?
At the time, the Roman Catholic Church claimed it had been placed in charge of a “treasury of merits”—all the good deeds that were done by past saints and even Christ, himself. For those trapped by their own sinfulness, the church could write a certificate transferring to the sinner some of the merits of the saints. But this certificate—called an indulgence—came with a price tag.
The Roman Catholic Church’s answer to the question—“how is sinful man made right with God?”—by purchasing some of Christ’s merits. The Church was leveraging its authority to exploit people with a theology that contradicted the very heart of the gospel revealed in the Bible. It was this tension that spurred Luther to pen his 95 theses.
Justin Holcomb explains:
“The selling of indulgences for full remission of sins intersected perfectly with the long, intense struggle Luther himself had experienced over the issues of salvation and assurance. At this point of collision between one man’s gospel hope and the church’s denial of that hope the Ninety-five Theses can be properly understood.”
The quest to understand “how can sinful man be made right with God” led Martin Luther to reclaim the biblical doctrine of justification. In contrast to Rome’s teaching, Luther taught we are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s grace and Christ’s merit. We are neither saved by our merits nor declared righteous by our good works.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
What are Justification and Sanctification?
Justification refers to God’s declaration that someone is righteous in his sight. Justification happens one-time. It occurs God declares a sinner to be not only “not guilty” but also perfectly righteous on the basis of faith in Christ.
How can God declare a sinner to be righteous and still maintain his justice?
Pastor Erik Raymond says: “The basis for the divine declaration is the doing and dying of Christ. God credits us with the righteousness (merit) of Jesus. We are justified by grace (a gift) through faith (trusting in Jesus).”
In keeping with the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone, Walt preached from Galatians 2 last Sunday saying: “The only way sinners can be made righteous before God is through Christ alone.”
How are we to live in response to this reality? Walt said that we are to live as forgiven and free people. It’s true! We have been declared righteous before our just God. As Romans 5 said, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ.
But why do so many Christians still live in guilt and fear of God’s rejection? When we still struggle, why do we fear what God thinks of us?
Much of this guilt and fear lies in a misunderstanding of justification and sanctification.
We just learned what justification is, but what is sanctification?
Sanctification is the continual process of being made more holy. It is the progressive conformity of the one who has been justified into the image of their Savior through the work of the Holy Spirit. Like justification, sanctification is a work of grace through faith made possible because of the finished work of Christ.
It is important to see how they are different.
In summary, justification is being declared righteous and sanctification is growing in righteousness.
Why Does This Matter?
Last week, we discussed how many Christians are miserable because they don’t understand this truth. In fact, it is the devil’s desire: “The devil wants us to stare at our sanctification before understanding our justification. He wants us to focus on what we do rather than on what Christ has done.”
We must begin with justification before moving to sanctification. If these are reversed, we will be consumed by our works without the understanding of Christ’s pardon that actually fuels our works. So, understanding the difference between and the proper order of these two beautiful doctrines will help us live as forgiven and free people.
What are some of the differences between justification and sanctification?
Justification happens outside of you, you are declared righteous.
Sanctification happens inside of you, you are made righteous.
Justification is a one-time event.
Sanctification is a continual process.
Justification addresses the guilt & power of our sin.
Sanctification addresses the presence of sin in our lives.
Justification is God's declaring the sinner righteous.
Sanctification is God's renewing and transforming our whole persons—our minds, wills, affections, and behaviors.
Author Jerry Bridges offered this wonderful illustration of the distinction between justification and sanctification in his book, “The Discipline of Grace”:
During the long years of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, a Russian air force pilot flew his fighter plane from a base in Russia to an American air force base in Japan and asked for asylum. He was flown to the United States where he was duly debriefed, given a new identity, and set up as a bona fide resident of the United States. In due time he became an American citizen.
The Russian pilot’s experience illustrates to some degree what happened to us when we died to sin and were made alive to God. He changed kingdoms; he was given a new identity and a new status. He was no longer a Russian; he was now an American. He was no longer under the rule of what was then an oppressive and totalitarian government. Now he was free to experience all of the advantages and resources of living in a free and prosperous country.
This former Russian pilot, however, was still the same person. He had the same personality, the same habits, and the same cultural patterns as he did before he flew out of Russia. But he did have a new identity and a new status. As a result of his new identity and status as a citizen in a free country, he now had the opportunity to grow as a free person, to discard the mind-set of someone living under bondage, and to put off the habit patterns of a person living under the heel of a despotic regime. Furthermore, as a benefactor of our government’s intelligence establishment, he furnished all the resources needed to make a successful transition to an American citizen.
In effect, this Russian pilot “died” to his old identity as a Russian citizen and was “made alive” in a new identity as an American citizen. As an American, all the resources of our government were at his disposal to become in fact what he had become in status. But this could not have happened without first changing his status.
When we as believers died to sin, we died to a status wherein we were under bondage to the tyrannical reign of sin. At the same time we were granted citizenship in the Kingdom of God and, through our vital union with Jesus Christ, were furnished all the resources we need to become in fact what we have become in status. We have been given all we need to bring the imperative—”do not let sin reign in your mortal body”—into line with the indicative—”we died to sin.” But this could not have happened without a change in our status. And it is through our legal union with Christ in His death and resurrection that our status has been forever changed.
We must count on this and believe it. We must by faith in God’s Word lay hold on the fact that we have died to the reign of sin and are now alive to God, under His reign of grace. Unless we do this we will find ourselves seeking to pursue holiness by the strength of our own wills, not by the grace of God.
Conclusion
Hebrews 10:14 helpfully captures the sequence and relationship of justification and sanctification.
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
By a single offering—a one-time, all-sufficient act—Jesus Christ gave his life so that all those who trust in him might be counted righteous in the sight of God for all eternity (justification). And now, those who have been justified, are progressively growing and changing (sanctification).
By God’s grace, we will look to our past justification as we grow in our present sanctification. We will spend a lifetime becoming what we already are.