Sanctification by Grace

The total Christian experience is often described in three distinct phases.

Justification - Being declaired rightous before God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Sanctification - Our growth in Christlikeness.

Glorification - Occurs at the time we depart from this life to be with Christ.

It is easy to think of Justification as being Grace based.

For it is by grace you were saved, through faith. -Ephesians 2:8

It is also easy to think of Glorification as a graceful gift from God. This will ultimately happen upon the return of Christ when:

the spirits of rightous men will be made perfect. -Hebrews 12:23

But this piece in the middle is a bit more trouble to deal with when considering Grace. Our walk here on God's great earth is where we are molded, shaped to be more like Christ. I tend to view this time between justification and glorification as a time when my works are mixed with God's grace to produce the goal of becoming more Christlike. I think this is reinforced by the Christian culture that we live in.

But ultimately there is nothing we can add to the work that Christ has already done. All we are and can be is in response to who He is and what He has done. Our works are in response to His grace. Here is a visual difference Jerry Bridges uses in his Transforming Grace book.

He proposes that the sanctification process is based solely upon God's grace and the works that Jesus Christ has completed. Our decisions to respond to that grace are similar to the decision we had to make in responding to the grace offered for our salvation. By holding this view of God's grace, it puts a new perspective on my daily walk. The legalism that I hold on to goes away and I can now freely respond to God's grace. It gives me something firm to stand on knowing that God is truly in control. Not just to comfort me (which he does), but by his grace he is moving me in the direction of becoming more like Christ. Preparing me for the day that I will be in His presence.

Lord, help me to respond to your grace today. Prepare in me a new heart. Help me to respond to your grace, rather than trying to do good to earn it.