Philippians 2:12

There is no question that Christians are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) and that the sanctification process will be both bloody and sweaty. Daily Christian living is daily Christian dying. Jesus likened the pain of Christian growth in godliness requires parting with things we initially think we can't do without.

There does seem to be some question, though, about the nature and direction of our efforts. And at the heart of this question is the relationship between justification and sanctification.

Some think that justification is just the first rung on the sanctification ladder, and that as you climb up and up, you never need to think about that "first step" again. Sanctification, in other words, is commonly understood as progress beyond the initial step of Justification. But while Justification and sanctification are to be clearly separated theologically, the Bible won't allow us to separate them functionally.

In her book Because He Loves Me, Elyse Fitzpatrick rightly says: One reason we don't grow in ordinary, grateful obedience as we should is that we've got amnesia; we've forgotten that we were cleansed from our sins. In other words...ongoing failure in sanctification...is the direct result of failing to remember God's love for us in the gospel...If we fail to remember our justification, redemption, and reconciliation, we'll struggle in our sanctification.

In other words, remembering, revisiting, and rediscovering the reality of our justification every day is the hard work we're called to do if we're going to grow. When Paul says to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling," he's making it clear that we've got work to do - but what exactly is the work? He goes on to explain: "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good purpose" (v. 13).

Sanctification, as someone once put it, is not something added to justification. It is rather, the justified life.

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