When the gospel is presented in the book of Romans, the first great truth revealed is justification. Before believers are called to grow, serve, obey, or be transformed, they are declared righteous before Yahuwah by faith in Christ’s work. This order is not accidental. It reveals the foundation on which the entire Christian life rests.
The human heart naturally measures spiritual progress by looking inward: “Am I good enough? Am I changing enough? Am I overcoming enough?” But the gospel begins by turning our eyes away from ourselves and toward the Messiah’s finished work.
Justification and sanctification are inseparable gifts from Yahuwah, yet they must remain distinct. Yahuwah gives with both hands. With one hand, He justifies His people—declaring them righteous because of Christ. With the other, He sanctifies them—transforming them into His likeness. He does not justify anyone He does not intend to sanctify, nor does He sanctify anyone He has not first justified.
The two truths belong together, but they do not serve the same purpose. Justification is perfect and complete, whereas sanctification is a lifelong process.
Justification: The Perfect Declaration of Righteousness
Justification means that Yahuwah declares a sinner righteous not because of personal achievement or moral perfection, but because of Christ’s righteousness, credited to that person through faith.
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The book of Romans places justification at the center of the gospel message:
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with Yahuwah through our Lord Yahushua the Messiah.”
—Romans 5:1
Justification means that Yahuwah declares a sinner righteous not because of personal achievement or moral perfection, but because of Christ’s righteousness, credited to that person through faith.
Paul explains:
“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Yahushua.”
—Romans 3:24
The word “justified” denotes a legal declaration. It is not a gradual improvement. It is not a process of becoming acceptable. It is Yahuwah’s verdict: “This person is righteous because they are covered by the righteousness of My Son.”
This righteousness is received, not earned.
“For He has made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of Yahuwah in Him.”
—2 Corinthians 5:21
The believer’s standing before Yahuwah rests entirely on Christ. A person who has just come to faith and a believer who has walked with Yahuwah for decades share the same perfect justification. The foundation is identical because it is not human performance—it is the Messiah’s finished work.
Why Justification Must Come Before Sanctification
If sanctification came first, people would always be uncertain whether they had done enough to be accepted by Yahuwah. They would constantly look inward, measuring their failures and successes, hoping their progress was sufficient.
Yahuwah accepts His people first through Christ, then He begins transforming them.
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But the gospel reverses that order.
Yahuwah accepts His people first through Christ, then He begins transforming them. Acceptance produces transformation; transformation does not produce acceptance.
Paul describes this order in Romans:
“Whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
—Romans 8:30
The sequence is clear: calling, justification, and ultimately glorification. Yahuwah begins the work, continues the work, and completes the work.
This gives the believer confidence. Sanctification is important, but it is not the basis of our relationship with Yahuwah. Christ’s righteousness is.
Justification and Sanctification Must Remain Together
Although justification and sanctification are distinct, they cannot be separated.
A person who claims to be justified but shows no desire for transformation misunderstands grace. True faith produces a changed life.
James writes:
“Faith without works is dead.”
—James 2:26
At the same time, a person who focuses solely on personal growth without resting in justification will fall into despair or pride. They may either become discouraged by their failures or compare themselves to others and become self-righteous.
The believer must hold both truths together:
- I am fully accepted because of Christ.
- I am being transformed by the power of Yahuwah.
Paul expresses this balance:
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is Yahuwah who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
—Philippians 2:12–13
The believer works because Yahuwah is already at work. Growth is the evidence of salvation, not the price paid to obtain it.
The Danger of Looking at Ourselves Instead of Christ
A person trying to balance a broom on a finger cannot succeed by staring only at the finger. The focus must shift from the point of instability to the object being balanced.
The same principle holds spiritually. If we become preoccupied with examining ourselves—our failures, our weaknesses, our progress—we can lose sight of the One who saves us.
The writer of Hebrews gives the correct focus:
“Looking unto Yahushua, the author and finisher of our faith.”
—Hebrews 12:2
The Messiah is both the beginning and the completion of faith. He is not merely the One who starts salvation; He is the One who carries it forward.
When a ship faces a storm, it does not throw its anchor into the ship’s hold. The anchor must be cast outside the ship and hold fast to something beyond itself. In the same way, the believer’s confidence cannot rest in personal spiritual progress. It must rest in Christ.
Our growth changes day to day. Christ’s righteousness does not.
The Perfection of Justification
The believer’s position before Yahuwah is secure because it depends on Christ’s obedience, not human achievement.
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The justification is perfect because it is Yahuwah’s gift.
The believer is not partially justified. There is no percentage system in Yahuwah’s courtroom. A person is either accepted in Christ or not.
Paul declares:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Yahushua.”
—Romans 8:1
The believer’s position before Yahuwah is secure because it depends on Christ’s obedience, not human achievement.
Even the most mature believer on earth still needs the same grace as the newest believer. The pastor who has faithfully served for seventy years and the newly converted sinner both stand before Yahuwah by the same righteousness—the righteousness of Christ.
The difference between believers is not the perfection of their justification, but the maturity of their sanctification.
Sanctification: The Lifelong Work of Transformation
While justification is complete, sanctification is ongoing.
Sanctification is the process by which Yahuwah transforms His people into the image of Christ. It entails spiritual growth, repentance, obedience, and the daily surrender of the old nature.
Sanctification is the process by which Yahuwah transforms His people into the image of Christ. It entails spiritual growth, repentance, obedience, and the daily surrender of the old nature.
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Paul describes this struggle:
“I die daily.”
—1 Corinthians 15:31
The life of faith is not a one-time decision to follow Christ; it is a daily dying to selfishness and self-centeredness.
Yahushua said:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
—Luke 9:23
Following Christ means the death of the old life. It means surrendering pride, selfish ambition, bitterness, and desires that compete with Yahuwah’s will.
Sanctification can be painful. It is a slow journey of transformation, often marked by struggle and weakness. It may feel like crawling over broken glass, making progress only a short distance at a time.
Yet even slow progress is still the work of Yahuwah.
Paul reminds believers:
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Yahushua the Messiah.”
—Philippians 1:6
The Proper Balance: Rest in Justification, Pursue Sanctification
The Christian life requires both resting and striving.
We rest in justification because Christ has completed the work necessary for our acceptance.
We pursue sanctification because Yahuwah is changing us and calling us to holiness.
Peter writes:
“As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”
—1 Peter 1:15
Holiness is not an attempt to earn Yahuwah’s love. It is the response of someone who has already received His love.
The believer does not obey in order to be accepted. The believer obeys because they have already been accepted.
Conclusion: The Anchor of the Soul
Justification comes first because the gospel begins with Yahuwah’s grace, not human effort. Before believers attempt to change their lives, they must understand that their standing before Yahuwah rests entirely on Christ alone.
Justification is perfect, complete, and unchanging.
Sanctification is imperfect, gradual, and lifelong.
Both are gifts from Yahuwah. They must never be separated, yet they must always be distinguished.
When believers look only to themselves, they see weakness and failure. When they look to Christ, they see the foundation of their salvation.
The believer’s hope is not found in how far they have progressed but in the One who began the work and will faithfully complete it.
DECLARED RIGHTEOUS, THEN MADE HOLY
Before we were made holy,
we were declared righteous.
Not by our works.
Not by our strength.
But by Yahushua.
Not by my hands,
Not by my name,
Not by my striving,
Not by my shame.
Yahuwah spoke—
The verdict stood:
Righteous in Christ.
Declared as good.
Righteous!
Righteous!
By faith alone!
I looked within—
I saw my sin.
I measured failure,
Again and again.
But Yahuwah said:
“Look to My Son.”
My hope is Christ.
The work is done.
DECLARED RIGHTEOUS!
BY YAHUSHUA!
ACCEPTED NOW!
BY GRACE ALONE!
JUSTIFIED!
THE VERDICT STANDS!
CHRIST IS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS!
CHRIST IS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS!
Then comes the journey.
Day after day.
Old things are dying.
Self fades away.
I rise.
I fall.
I learn to obey.
Yahuwah is working.
He leads the way.
He transforms!
He transforms!
He transforms!
Justification—
Perfect!
Complete!
Unchanging!
Sanctification—
Growing!
Struggling!
Becoming!
One is the verdict.
One is the way.
One gives acceptance.
One shapes the clay.
Do not confuse the two.
Rest in what Yahushua has finished.
Pursue what Yahuwah is still forming.
I AM JUSTIFIED!
I AM BEING MADE HOLY!
I REST IN CHRIST!
I FOLLOW CHRIST!
ACCEPTED BY GRACE!
TRANSFORMED BY GRACE!
THE WORK BEGAN—
THE WORK WILL END!
YAHUWAH BEGINS IT!
YAHUWAH COMPLETES IT!
CHRIST IS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS!
CHRIST IS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS!
My hope is not
How far I’ve gone.
My hope is Him
Who leads me on.
He began the work…
He will complete it.
Then where does this put people who are carrying out the complete and utter deception and lies at this time. Harming, murdering,lying, deceiving etc…? Its probably a whole other topic. There allegiance seems nothing near what is being shared in this article and in the Bible of justification and sanctification.
Yes, Beloved Ryan—that is an important question, and it is really the other side of the justification/sanctification distinction.
Justification must never be understood as Father Yahuwah giving someone permission to continue in deliberate wickedness. Being declared righteous does not mean that murder, deception, hatred, or persistent rebellion suddenly become acceptable to Father Yahuwah.
Justification is the foundation; sanctification is the evidence of the transforming work that follows. We are not justified because we have become holy, but the grace that justifies us is not barren. Father Yahuwah calls His people to walk in a new life.
Paul addresses this very question in Romans 6: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” The answer is emphatically no.
So when someone claims allegiance to Christ while deliberately embracing a life characterized by continual hatred, murder, deception, and unrighteousness, we should not use the doctrine of justification to declare, “It doesn’t matter—they are justified.” It matters profoundly.
At the same time, we should be careful about declaring who is or is not ultimately justified before Father Yahuwah. Father Yahuwah alone sees the heart and knows the final standing of each person.
I think the simplest way to express the article’s message is:
We are not justified because we are sanctified.
But those whom Father Yahuwah justifies, He calls to be sanctified.
The finished work of Yahushua gives us acceptance before Yahuwah; the transforming work of Yahuwah produces a life increasingly conformed to Yahushua.
So yes, Ryan, I agree with your instinct: a profession of justification that produces absolutely no desire for righteousness is a serious biblical problem. The answer, however, is not to make sanctification the basis of our acceptance. It is to understand sanctification as the fruit of grace, not the price of grace. ❤️🙏
It has taken me a few times reading this to I think grasp.. Are some not justified by God? The other point made was just because someone might be justified it does not mean sanctification. It is the daily reprieve, of sanctification. Through the justification the sanctification is possible. Maybe all or justified but many will choose not to be sanctified in Christ?
Beloved Ryan, yes—you are grasping the distinction, and you have identified an important question. 😊
Justification and sanctification must be distinguished, but they should never be separated.
Justification is Father Yahuwah’s completed declaration: the sinner who trusts in Master Yahushua is declared righteous because of Christ’s finished work—not because of his own performance. It is complete and perfect.
Sanctification is the continuing work: Father Yahuwah then transforms that justified believer, day by day, into the likeness of Master Yahushua. It involves surrender, repentance, obedience, growth, and the daily dying to self.
So we would not say, “Some are justified but choose never to be sanctified.” Rather, genuine justification begins a relationship in which Father Yahuwah Himself continues His sanctifying work. The believer may grow slowly, struggle, stumble, or resist at times—but Father Yahuwah does not abandon the work He has begun.
In other words:
Justification = “Declared righteous.”
Sanctification = “Being made holy.”
We do not become accepted because we become holy. We become holy because, in Christ, we have already been accepted.
That is why the article says: “Acceptance produces transformation; transformation does not produce acceptance.” World’s Last Chance
And I especially appreciate your thought that “through justification the sanctification is possible.” That is very close to the heart of the message. The finished work of Master Yahushua is the foundation; the transformed life is the fruit. ❤️🙏