Help me define justification and sanctification

Curiouscallie

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What is justification
What is sanctification
I never heard of this before until my Pastor asked me to define these words however it is hard to understand. I guess I'm shocked as im also I'm learning that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit could actually be real , where as all my life I have got this hidden doubt in believing that their not real. So God really cares about us being saved....its not something man made up.? So God actually takes the sinners prayer seriously by caring about what we do when someone says the sinners prayer and after some one says i?. Is it really a serious action that God pays attention to or just something churches do and believe?
 

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Catechism of the Catholic Church (glossary):

JUSTIFICATION:
The gracious action of God which frees us from sin and communicates "the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ" (Rom 3:22). Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.

SANCTIFYING GRACE:
The grace which heals our human nature wounded by sin by giving us a share in the divine life of the Trinity. It is a habitual, super natural gift which continues the work of sanctifying us--of making us "perfect," holy, and Christlike.
 
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mark kennedy

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What is justification
What is sanctification
I never heard of this before until my Pastor asked me to define these words however it is hard to understand. I guess I'm shocked as im also I'm learning that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit could actually be real , where as all my life I have got this hidden doubt in believing that their not real. So God really cares about us being saved....its not something man made up.? So God actually takes the sinners prayer seriously by caring about what we do when someone says the sinners prayer and after some one says i?. Is it really a serious action that God pays attention to or just something churches do and believe?
Oh it's much simpler then it seems, justification is like a verdict in court. Let's say someone broke into your house and was pointing a gun at you, maybe takes a shot, you get your hunting rifle and shoot him. That's a justified act, it kind of works like that with salvation. Through no fault of your own you were born a sinner and under a curse. God first indicts you and then convicts you of sin, but there is a loophole in the law. You sin can be forgiven if you accept the righteousness of God by faith. At that time of decision this event is described as justification by grace through faith, God promises to take you as you are and make you what you need to be. Now at the time of conversion you are immediately righteous in the eyes of God, despite your faults and failings.

Based on simple faith, which by they way is a gift of grace as well. You receive the Holy Spirit who starts a process in you known as sanctification. It literally means 'to make holy', there is a reason he is called the 'Holy' Spirit. This process isn't complete until the redemption of the purchase price, which is the resurrection of our bodies. In short, justification is an event, the moment you receive the gospel and the Holy Spirit by faith, thus, justification by grace through faith. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit that follows.

The reason this is so important is that in Europe there were those that believed that through sacraments is how you are justified. The early Protestants said no, it is by faith alone. In other words you don't need a human agency other then the gospel to be justified.

That's about as simple as I can make it. I welcome your questions if you need some kind of clarification.

Grace and peace,
Mark
 
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Willie T

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First of all, "No", God doesn't take "The Sinner's Prayer" one way or another. There is no such thing in Scripture as "The Sinner's Prayer" (ask your preacher to show it to you. He cannot, because it is a manmade contrivance.) What God DOES take seriously is your heart as you say those words the preacher tells you to "repeat after me."

Your honesty and truthful desire to please God, and become His, is what enables His "Justification" of you. "Justification" means to "make right in His eyes" — the way He sees you, even though you still aren't really much more than "nothing" at that early point.

Have you noticed that all through the Bible, God is saying to "keep His laws" and to "abide in Him?" Well, in truth, none of us will ever do that correctly nor fully. But, it is the learning of those laws (What He wants for us) that help us "grow in Christ" and "run the race set before us" as we do all we can to be the kind of person God wants us to be. That, in a nut-shell, is "Sanctification." — growing to look, and be, more like the person God wants us to be. We are still saved, even if we don't do so well in this Sanctification process.... but God sure would like us to TRY........ BECAUSE, it is through SANCTIFIED people that God intends for His word to go out to a lost world, and for His kingdom to expand.
 
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Phil 1:21

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In short, justification is an event, the moment you receive the gospel and the Holy Spirit by faith, thus, justification by grace through faith. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit that follows.
This should be a sticky at the top of every page here. Extremely simple and well said. Thanks.
 
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mark kennedy

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This should be a sticky at the top of every page here. Extremely simple and well said. Thanks.
Thank you and what I've learned when dealing with theology, the Scriptures are foundational, doctrine is essential and simplicity is the prize. In theology the truths that transcend the faith are the most important, they are by nature generalities that relate to the entire testimony of Scripture, our collective teachings and faith.

Grace and peace,
Mark
 
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What is justification? What is sanctification?
I never heard of this before until my Pastor asked me to define these words however it is hard to understand. I guess I'm shocked as I'm also, I'm learning that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit could actually be real , where as all my life I have got this hidden doubt in believing that their not real. So God really cares about us being saved....its not something man made up.? So God actually takes the sinners prayer seriously by caring about what we do when someone says the sinners prayer and after some one says i?. Is it really a serious action that God pays attention to or just something churches do and believe?

They are both Biblical doctrines with many Scriptures behind them. Unfortunately, I do not have time to get into that study/project. However I will try to explain in short, while justification and sanctification are both doctrines concerning righteousness, justification is an act of God by grace through faith wherein the righteousness of Christ is imputed (imparted by the Spirit in the act of God wherein He seals with Spirit) to a sinner such that God declares a sinner righteous. Sanctification is the ever present and continual work of the Spirit in the life of a believer working to do the will of God, bringing the believer to repentance and prayer, and all manner of Spiritual blessings and benefits, leading into truth and knowledge for walking in Thy paths to make thy paths straight for His glory.
 
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mark kennedy

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<staff Edit>
It might interest you to know, righteousness and justification is the same basic root word in the original Greek. Just something to think about, here is the definition of the root word:

Just, Justly: was first used of persons observant of dike, "custom, rule, right," especially in the fulfillment of duties towards gods and men, and of things that were in accordance with right. The Eng. word "righteous" was formerly spelt "rightwise," i.e., (in a) straight way. In the NT it denotes "righteous," a state of being right, or right conduct, judged whether by the Divine standard, or according to human standards, of what is right. Said of God, it designates the perfect agreement between His nature and His acts (in which He is the standard for all men).
See RIGHTEOUSNESS. (G1342 δίκαιος dikaios. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the New Testament)
Grace and peace,
Mark
 
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Tree of Life

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Catechism of the Catholic Church (glossary):

JUSTIFICATION:
The gracious action of God which frees us from sin and communicates "the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ" (Rom 3:22). Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.

This is an unbiblical notion of justification. Justification is the act of God whereby he pardons all of our sins and declares us to be righteous based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ given to us as a gift.

Sanctification is the work of God whereby he makes us more holy day by day, mortifying our flesh, and conforming us to the likeness of Christ.

By faith in Christ we are perfectly and completely justified but we are in the process of being sanctified. Catholics conflate these two concepts to their great spiritual detriment.
 
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Mountainmanbob

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Justification I look at like a legal stamp. God has called us to be one of his.

Sanctification is working out our salvation with fear and trembling. It's a process sometimes quickly sometimes slowly. Repentance (used often) comes to mind. The Holy Spirit helps here.

M-Bob
 
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redleghunter

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What is justification
What is sanctification
I never heard of this before until my Pastor asked me to define these words however it is hard to understand. I guess I'm shocked as im also I'm learning that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit could actually be real , where as all my life I have got this hidden doubt in believing that their not real. So God really cares about us being saved....its not something man made up.? So God actually takes the sinners prayer seriously by caring about what we do when someone says the sinners prayer and after some one says i?. Is it really a serious action that God pays attention to or just something churches do and believe?
You are getting some very good responses. So I will isolate the sinners prayer part. No not just reciting a written prayer commits God to save you.

Romans 10 says "9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

However if you really want to witness a true and sincere sinners prayer read this:

Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 51 - New King James Version
 
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yeshuaslavejeff

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So God actually takes the sinners prayer seriously by caring about what we do when someone says the sinners prayer and after some one says i?. Is it really a serious action that God pays attention to or just something churches do and believe?
God says He does not even listen to some prayers. (see in Scripture when able ).

As others already noted, the sinner's prayer won't save a person.

Without faith it is impossible,
and without faith it is impossible to please God.

HOWEVER ! THE IMPORTANT WORD from GOD, is that HE LISTENS to the broken and contrite who call on HIM. HE is always ready to come to help you if you call out for HIS help, really seeking HIS HELP, because

YES, HE CARES PERFECTLY and COMPLETELY for you, as HE PLEASES. (even for no reason at all ! - just trust HIM and rely on HIM) ....

HE provided everything needed for salvation in this life, and including the life to come, generously and extravagantly (remember HE sent HIS SON to die to save us men from our sins) ...
so HE WILL NOT WITHHOLD ANYTHING NEEDED< will HE?

except as HE says in His Word ((for instance, HE GIVES GRACE to the HUMBLE, and HE resists the PROUD))
 
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