Wednesday, December 2, 2009

DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION

Is there a danger in not making the proper Biblical distinctions between justification and sanctification?
One of the problems of the Lordship Salvation position is that it sometimes fails to keep justification distinct from sanctification. The commands that pertain to justification are different and distinct from the commands that pertain to sanctification. For example, consider the command in Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice." This command pertains to sanctification, not to justification.
The commands which involve discipleship pertain to sanctification and not justification. These would include such things as "Deny self," "Forsake possessions," "Hate father, mother, son, daughter," "Take up thy cross," "Lose your life for Christ’s sake" etc. Confusion results when we make the conditions of discipleship the same as the conditions for justification. WHAT MUST A PERSON DO TO BE SAVED (JUSTIFIED)? WHAT MUST A PERSON DO TO BE A DISCIPLE? Lordship Salvation advocates give the same answer to both of the questions, because they teach that the terms of discipleship are equivalent to the terms of salvation. The Bible gives distinct answers to these questions.

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