A Catholic apologist once wrote to me saying, “Justification means we are made (and declared) righteous, not only declared righteous, through receiving the righteousness of God through Christ (Philippians 3:9) infused by the Holy Spirit in us. It is a process that begins with our genuine conversion to Christ, continues through out our Sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and ends just before our glorification in heaven.“

Catholics, among others, continue to receive confused teachings from their clergy and apologists concerning justification and sanctification. One does not become justified through sanctification. We are both justified and sanctified because we believe. God knew from the foundation of the world who would believe and who would not. God knows our hearts and draws those who love Him and want to know Him to His Son. Those who receive Christ with all their hearts receive also the gift of the Holy Spirit and it is through that Spirit that they are being sanctified.

Sanctification is a process by which we are made holy, or literally, set apart for God’s purpose. It is they whom God works His will who will bear good fruit starting with the fruit of repentance, which is the evidence of life in the spirit. When we truly believe (God knows our heart) Christ’s righteous is imputed to us because our sin was imputed to Him already while we were still in our sins, and He took it to the cross - that is justification. By Christ’s act of pure undefiled love, those who believe are justified: “Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:4-5)

Nothing has been required for salvation other than to believe in Jesus and learn of Him. Those who believe are commanded to obey Christ’s commandments, but this they could only do if they have received the Holy Spirit. If a person receives the Holy Spirit, which they do when they truly believe, then they are justified and they are saved. The fruit they bear is the result of God’s sanctifying grace, which enables them to be born anew. The fruit is the evidence of their salvation, not the process of their justification.

The Catholic apologists’ view of justification isn’t just a misunderstanding; it’s the result of tradition indoctrination. The idea that justification is a continuing process leads one to believe that salvation is obtained through “faith and works.” “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)

Think about the parable of the sower. In the parable we see that there are various responses to receiving the word of God. To some the word is snatched away as soon as they receive it because of the hardness of their hearts; others endure for a while before withering away or being choked off; yet others bear fruit, some a little and some a lot. Notice, however, that nobody receives the word and immediately bears fruit. They must grow and begin to mature. A seedling cannot bear fruit but must be watered and nourished until such time as it is able to bear fruit. For some this happens rapidly while for others the process is much slower. Regardless of who receives the word, God knows who will truly believe and bear fruit. God knows each and every seedling that will bear fruit. And no one can say they are not justified from the moment they received the word because in the parable, the fruit-bearing plants do not whither away nor do they die.

When people receive the word in their heart, they will be tested. Satan will no doubt attempt to take the word from them and in many cases he will succeed. But those who bear fruit are indeed assured of their salvation. Ironically, those who receive the word and are choked off by the weeds or wither in the sun still profess to be Christians. You and I cannot see their hearts, but their works (or lack of spiritual fruit) will surly give them away.

Why did some endure while other did not? The answer is in the parable. The ground represents the hearts of men. The word is sown into the heart, but not all hearts nourish the word. God knows our hearts; he knows who will endure and who will not. Those who do endure do so because they love God more than the world; they do not endure and increase because of good works. The Apostle Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (Sanctification).” (1 Cor. 3:6) To the church in Rome Paul wrote the following:

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-26)

Jesus’ story of the sower illustrates that salvation is a free gift of God, but not all possess a heart that’s willing to accept it. Although some receive this gift with gladness, they soon fall away. All who bear fruit, however, will not fall away and they know it. They are justified because they truly believe in the saving grace of Christ Jesus apart from any works. Because they are filled with the Holy Spirit, God works through them in an entire spectrum of ways