No. 49 I have heard of sanctification being described as having a broad sense and a narrow sense. What is sanctification in its broad and narrow sense? Can these terms be helpful to us in our preaching? And also, how does the Holy Spirit�s work of justification differ from and relate to His work in sanctification? Oh, and one final question: Is it true that in the Roman tradition justification follows sanctification, while the Bible has these two reversed? >>DR. LEOPALDO SANCHEZ M.: Good for you, Eric. This is a classic Lutheran question. One that every Lutheran should ask. Now, if I were to provide a general definition of sanctification in the broadest possible sense, I would say that sanctification is everything that God does to bring sinners to death in new life in Christ by the power of Spirit through the forgiveness of sins so that they may live for and serve God and neighbor. In this broad definition, sanctification includes what we call justification. In other words, sanctification includes God's declaration to sinners that they are forgiven on account of Christ. Which is to say that when God justifies sinners, he makes them stand in a right relationship before him through the forgiveness of sins Christ obtained for them on the cross. Here sanctification is not so much associated with holiness of life or good works. Rather, they may -- being made holy amounts to being made a believer, one who trusts in Christ for redemption and we may add with trusting him for forgiveness and justification. This is precisely how Luther, for example, defines sanctification in the Large Catechism. He says: Being made holy is nothing else than bringing us to the Lord Christ to receive this blessing of redemption to which we could not have come by ourselves. So holiness could include being justified under it. Sanctification can include justification. But if we define sanctification in a narrower sense to include only our lives of thanksgiving to God for all of his gifts and of good works towards our neighbor, then sanctification is this thing -- is distinct from justification. In this case sanctification will be defined more in terms of what Christians ought to do or abstain from doing to please God and do his will. A good example in Scripture will be one from I Thessalonians. Here is what Paul says: Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that as you learn from us how you are to live and to please God as, in fact, you are doing, you should do so more and more. For this is the will of God. Your sanctification. That you abstain from fornication. That each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor. That no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this matter. For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. You see, in the context of this text, sanctification relates directly to holiness of life and our relationship to the neighbor according to what is pleasing to God. In the Roman Catholic tradition, just the -- justification has always been seen as something that God works in us and with us over time. When Catholics say that we're justified by grace, they mean that God first pours or infuses his grace or Spirit into our hearts. And then allows us to cooperate freely with him towards our justification or final salvation. Contrary to this view of justification as a grace God works in us and with us, in the Lutheran tradition, justification has always been seen as a work of God that takes place outside of us and without us. When Lutherans say that we are justified by grace, they mean that God is favorably disposing his mind and heart to forgive us our sins. Solely on account of Christ's work for us. And therefore without our cooperation. By bringing our works into justification, Roman Catholics do not distinguish properly between justification, God's work outside of us, and sanctification, God's work in and through us. And more seriously Catholics end up making justification or final salvation a reality that only takes place after sanctification. The problem with making justification depend on our sanctification or on our internal state of grace is that we can never be sure that we have done or cooperated enough with God to receive his declaration of forgiveness, his justification. True comfort only comes when faith does not look to the human heart for the certainty of justification. But rather when faith looks to the heart of God, to the work of Christ, and to the promise of the Gospel for such certainty. All these things are outside of us. For the sake of this sweet assurance of the Gospel, the Lutheran confessors distinguish clearly between justification and sanctification. And also argue that sanctification results from justification. They write, for example, in the Formula of Concord: In conversion the Holy Spirit kindles faith in us through the hearing of the Gospel. This faith lays hold of God's grace in Christ and through it a person is justified. Thereafter, once people are justified, the Holy Spirit also renews and sanctifies them from this renewal and sanctification. The fruits of good works follow.