Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification – by Desmond Ford

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Jun 21, 2015 3315

Justification brings a righteousness that is 100% but it is not infused. What do I mean by “infused”? It is not poured into us. It is not inside us. Justification brings 100% righteousness and it is put to our account.

I’m glad He doesn’t put it in my pocket, because I might lose it, or somebody might steal it. If He put it in me I could easily lose it. But the justification that the blood of Christ brings to us is being declared righteous and is in Christ, up in heaven. He’s my righteousness. Christ is made unto us righteousness. And it’s 100% perfect. You’re counted as perfect once you become a Christian, for all your days for as long as you are trusting in the blood. For as long as you trust in the blood of Christ, you are counted 100% perfect, though you aren’t. That’s justification. It’s 100% but not infused.

Sanctification brings a righteousness that is “infused,” that is, “put in.” And the Holy Spirit comes in and changes our habits, our minds and our loves, and our hates. It is inside, but it is not 100%. Do you get it? Justification is a righteousness that is 100%, but it is not inside me. Sanctification is a righteousness that is inside me – the Holy Spirit’s presence and the changes He brings – but it is not 100%. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. At every advanced step there are more to go. So you never look and trust to your sanctification. You don’t get disgruntled and say, “Look, I’ve done it again! I’ve said something I shouldn’t have said” or “I’m just not what I should be.” You don’t get discouraged.

The more you get discouraged, the easier it is to sin again. The quicker you get up from your sins and say, “Lord, I’m sorry. Forgive me for the sake of the blood of Christ, and help me on my way. Thank you, Lord” – the sooner you do it the less likely you are to sin again. Nothing succeeds like success and nothing breeds failure like failure.

So when we say that the righteousness of sanctification is within, but it is not 100%, we say it so you’ll only trust in the righteousness of justification. That’s where your hope is. When you look within you say: “I’m a miserable rotter! How can the Lord put up with me?” But when you look to the righteousness of Christ, you say, “There it is! Because of Him!” Remember what Paul said about Onesimus to Philemon? “You count me a partner, so eceive him as though he were me.” That’s what God does. He treats us as though we were Christ.

The righteousness of glorification, when He gives us new bodies and new minds, that’s 100% and within. You lose the old sinful nature; you get rid of the traitor within. You are perfect by nature from then on. You are not going to be troubled with temptations to sin anymore.

So, in summary, the righteousness of justification is 100% but not inside me. It’s in Jesus where I can’t lose it so long as I trust Him. The righteousness of sanctification is inside me. The Holy Spirit brings it in and changes me, but it is not 100%, so I never trust in it. It’s not the righteousness of faith, which is only justification.

Sanctification takes a bit more than faith; it takes a fair amount of activity, effort, cooperation. We work out what the Holy Spirit works in. The Holy Spirit doesn’t do the willing or the doing. He works in us to will and to do, but He doesn’t do the willing or the doing.

It is only the righteousness of glorification that is 100% and inside us.

Des Ford. Rom 8:27–32. Adapted from “Tomorrow According to Daniel.”

Dallas Coutts

Oct 24, 2020

Beautiful and reassuring .