Have you ever felt like you’re not holy enough for God? Do you struggle with the nagging feeling that you need to do more, be better, or somehow earn God’s approval?
If you’re nodding your head right now, you’re not alone. Countless believers wrestle with confusion about their standing before God, often mixing up what they must do with what Christ has already done.
The confusion typically stems from misunderstanding two foundational biblical truths: justification and sanctification.
Many Christians believe they were justified (made right with God) when they got saved, but then think sanctification (being made holy) is something they must work toward for the rest of their lives.
This performance-based thinking keeps believers trapped in spiritual insecurity, constantly wondering if they’re holy enough, good enough, or doing enough.
But what if I told you that both justification and sanctification are finished works of Christ that you received the moment you believed?
What if your holiness isn’t something you achieve but something you already possess?
Understanding this truth will revolutionize how you see yourself, how you relate to God, and how you live your daily Christian life.
In this bible teaching, we’ll explore the biblical definitions of justification and sanctification, examine what Scripture teaches about when and how you receive them, and discover the life-changing implications of knowing you are both completely righteous and entirely sanctified in Christ right now.
What is Justification? Your Legal Declaration of Righteousness
Justification is God’s declaration to anyone who has received the Gospel that they are now righteous based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
It’s not about becoming righteous through good behaviour or religious activities—it’s about being declared righteous because of what Christ accomplished on the cross.
The apostle Paul explains this beautifully: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
This is what theologians call the “substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus”.
Christ became sin for us so that we might be declared righteous. In simple terms, justification is another word for righteousness, they can be used interchangeably.
When you believed the Gospel, God didn’t just forgive your sins and leave you in a neutral position.
He credited Christ’s perfect righteousness to your account.
Romans 3:24 declares that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Notice the word “freely”—this righteousness cost you nothing because it cost Christ everything.
Paul emphasizes this point further: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
The moment you placed your faith in Christ’s finished work, you were justified. Not partially justified. Not eventually justified. Completely and eternally justified.
This justification isn’t based on your performance, your church attendance, your good deeds, or your spiritual growth.
It’s based solely on Christ’s perfect obedience and sacrificial death.
Justification connects directly to God’s gift of righteousness, making you completely acceptable to Him based on Christ’s merit alone.
Understanding Sanctification: Set Apart and Made Holy
Sanctification comes from the root Greek word “hagios,” which means “most holy thing,” “saint,” “morally blameless,” “consecrated,” and “holy.”
Another Greek word for sanctification is “hagiasmos,” which signifies “consecration,” “purification,” “a state of purity,” “holiness,” “to separate from profane things and dedicate to God,” “free from the guilt of sin,” “to purify by expiation,” and “to purify internally by renewing of the soul.”
But here’s where many believers get confused: they think sanctification is something they must work toward.
However, Scripture reveals that sanctification, like justification, is a finished work of redemption.
First Corinthians 1:30 makes this crystal clear: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
Notice that Christ is “made unto us” sanctification—not that He helps us become sanctified.
This shows that sanctification is the product of the finished work of redemption. We don’t work to earn it; we receive it.
When Paul writes to the Thessalonians, he doesn’t tell them to work to become sanctified.
Instead, he says, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
He’s saying that because of their new identity in Christ, they should therefore abstain from the works of the flesh. The sanctification comes first; the behaviour follows as a result.
Paul continues: “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour” (1 Thessalonians 4:4).
He’s telling all believers to learn how to take control of their bodies, but how? By knowing that they are already sanctified—declared holy and set apart for God.
When you understand you are God’s temple, you carry your body with the mentality of honour and sanctification.
Both Justification and Sanctification: Received at Salvation
Here’s the revolutionary truth that transforms everything: both justification and sanctification are finished works based on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
The moment you are saved, you are both JUSTIFIED and SANCTIFIED.
Second Thessalonians 2:13 reveals God’s eternal plan: “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”
God chose us from the foundation of the world for salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.
How do you know you are sanctified? The answer is simple: because the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, you are now set apart because you believed in the Gospel.
First Peter 1:2 confirms this: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
Sanctification comes through the Holy Spirit when we believe the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
It’s the Spirit’s work, not human effort. Sanctification is not ongoing; it is what we have now in Christ—as clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 1:30.
Think of it this way: Salvation brought Justification. Salvation is like the mother, while justification and sanctification are her children.
They all come together in one complete package through faith in Christ’s finished work.
Can Someone Be Justified but Not Sanctified?
This question reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of salvation. It is not scripturally correct for a person to be justified and not sanctified.
Any believer who has been declared righteous (justified) is also sanctified. These aren’t separate experiences or progressive stages; they are simultaneous gifts received through faith in Christ.
Romans 8:30 shows the inseparable connection: “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
This chain of salvation includes every believer without exception.
Old Testament Foundations of Sanctification
The Old Testament provides beautiful illustrations of how sanctification works.
In Exodus 19:10, God tells Moses to “sanctify” the people. Leviticus 27:16 speaks of “sanctifying fields” to the Lord.
Exodus 40:10-11 describes sanctifying the altar and its vessels. Deuteronomy 15:19 mentions sanctifying the firstborn animals.
In Hebrew, “sanctify” is “qâdash,” meaning “to consecrate,” “dedicate,” “be holy,” “be separate,” “to be set apart,” “treated as sacred,” “to proclaim holy.”
Here’s the key insight: What did the altar or temple utensils do to become holy or sanctified?
Absolutely nothing. They were declared holy because they belonged to God and were set apart for His use.
In the same way, under the new covenant, we didn’t do anything to be declared holy and set apart by God.
We simply believed in what Christ accomplished. Just as those Old Testament objects were sanctified by divine decree, we are sanctified by God’s declaration through Christ’s finished work.
Living Out Your Complete Identity in Christ
Understanding that you are both completely justified and fully sanctified changes everything about how you approach the Christian life.
You’re not trying to become holy—you are holy. You’re not working toward righteousness—you are righteous.
This knowledge arms you with the responsibility and privilege of walking and living a sanctified life.
When Paul tells believers to “abstain from fornication,” he’s not giving them a requirement to earn sanctification.
He’s reminding them of who they already are and encouraging them to live consistently with their true identity.
When you know you are sanctified, you treat your body differently because you understand it’s God’s temple.
When you know you are justified, you approach God with confidence because you know you’re completely accepted.
This isn’t license to sin—it’s the foundation for true holiness that flows from knowing who you are in Christ.
Justification vs Sanctification Catholic Teaching
The Catholic Church teaches a different perspective on justification and sanctification than what we find in Scripture.
Catholic doctrine presents justification as an ongoing process of becoming righteous through faith cooperating with good works and participation in sacraments.
Similarly, they view sanctification as a lifelong process of growing in holiness through human effort and divine grace working together.
This differs significantly from the biblical teaching that both justification and sanctification are completed works received by faith alone.
The Catholic view inevitably leads to performance-based Christianity because it makes your standing with God dependent on your ongoing cooperation rather than Christ’s finished work.
The biblical position, supported by clear scriptural evidence, presents both as completed realities the moment you believe.
This doesn’t minimize the importance of good works—it properly establishes them as the result of salvation rather than the cause or continuation of it.
Justification and sanctification Bible verses
Justification Verses:
- Romans 3:24: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
- Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
- Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ”
- Romans 8:30: “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”
Sanctification Verses:
- 1 Corinthians 1:30: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification”
- Hebrews 10:10: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13: “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”
Living in the Fullness of What Christ Provided
Every believer has been declared righteous and set apart, made holy to worship the holy God and participate in ministry.
This isn’t something you’re working toward, it’s something you possess right now through Christ’s finished work.
When you truly grasp this reality, it transforms your daily walk with God. Prayer becomes communion with your Father rather than pleading with a distant judge.
Scripture reading becomes fellowship with the One who has made you His own rather than desperate searching for approval. Service flows from gratitude rather than obligation.
Stop asking, “Am I good enough?” and start declaring, “I am complete in Him.”
You stop wondering, “Does God accept me?” and start resting in “I am accepted in the Beloved.”
You stop trying to earn what you already possess and start enjoying the fullness of your inheritance in Christ.
Conclusion: Rest in Your Complete Identity
The beautiful truth of justification and sanctification is that both are yours right now, complete and perfect, through Christ’s finished work.
You don’t need to strive to become righteous—you are righteous. You don’t need to work to become holy, you are holy.
This isn’t a license for careless living; it’s the foundation for faith based Christian living that flows from knowing who you are rather than trying to become something you think you should be.
When you understand your complete identity in Christ, you naturally want to live in a way that honours the One who has made you completely His own.
Stop striving and start resting. Stop performing and start believing. Stop trying to earn what Christ has already given you and start living from the fullness of what you already possess.
You are justified—completely righteous in God’s sight. You are sanctified—set apart and made holy for His purposes.
This is the foundation of true Christian living: resting in the finished work of Christ and living from the security of your complete identity in Him.
Ready to dive deeper into understanding your complete identity in Christ?
Explore our related scripture-based articles on justification and regeneration and discover whether justification and forgiveness are the same.
These foundational truths will continue building your understanding of the incredible inheritance you have through Christ’s finished work.
My passion lies in reaching out to young adults in communities and schools, witnessing the transformative power of faith in their lives.
This blog extends my ministry, sharing insights, encouraging believers, and exploring Christ's teachings in daily life.
Welcome, Brother James.
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