“We do not grow in sanctification in order to be justified. We grow in sanctification because we are justified. The declarative act of justification is gracious soil out of which grace-filled lives will grow.
The process of sanctification would be damning drudgery if justification were a process. Rather than joyfully pursuing holiness in view of God’s mercies (Rom. 12:1–2), we would constantly be afraid of failure and judgment.
By the free grace afforded us in justification, we can joyfully pursue holiness without fear of failure or rejection by God.
The guarantee that we are perfectly righteous, accepted, and loved by our Father in heaven is one of our greatest encouragements in the process of sanctification.
We are free to love God with all our heart because we know that His love for us is completely secure.”
–Jay Harvey, “Justification: The Lord Our Righteousness,” in Don’t Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith For a New Day, Ed. Kevin DeYoung (Wheaton: Crossway, 2011), 97.
